Chapter 279: Function

The blue sphere flickered with light and said: "This is prohibited. I cannot answer that question."

Li Cheng took a breath, "Who is the Achilles with the factory prefix? Where is he now?"

The blue sphere said: "This is prohibited. I cannot answer that question."

"Where did the factory's employees go? Did they disappear or die?"

"This is prohibited. I cannot answer that question."

"Can you only say that one line? Cospaly Asahina Mikuru, right?"

Li Cheng rubbed his brow, "Then let me ask you—are you male or female? I ask you."

"Don't ask."

Hui Yu, just downgraded to a pet, naturally sought to reclaim dignity, crossed his arms and snorted: "This basketball's IQ is pathetically low. Asking it is pointless."

"The intelligent core has no gender, but if altering my form improves communication with you,"

the blue sphere spoke on its own, its surface shimmering with flowing light as it gradually transformed into a human woman.

She stood nearly three meters tall, legs longer than a human's, skin like congealed fat, hands as tender as new shoots, face as radiant as the full moon, a tear mole beneath her eye, expression solemn, sacred, and untouchable; her light green gauze robe clung so thinly it outlined every alluring curve.

My god, my lightning.

Hui Yu's eyes bulged, nearly spitting out liquid metal.

Li Cheng, too, involuntarily held his breath.

It was much like the feeling King Zhou felt when he entered the Temple of Nüwa.

Though the Slums' cosmetic technology was extremely advanced—especially the Evil Science Alliance, which could turn goblins into ten- or nine-out-of-ten handsome men and beautiful women—

compared to the virtual image created by the intelligent core, they all became common, vulgar cosmetics.

(In recent years, the Evil Science Alliance, to cut costs, hasn't replaced the brains of all its goblins, so the bar attendants in Evil Science Alliance karaoke bars still retain their goblin nature, frantically stealing fruit platters while customers sing.)

"This is way too broken."

Hui Yu gestured with his hands at the virtual image's proportions, speechless: "Kids couldn't control themselves looking at this. And why aren't you wearing shoes?"

"This is the external form I calculated as most likely to draw closer to you,"

the intelligent core said calmly, "Shall I maintain this form indefinitely?"

"Uh, better change back."

Too many players in the arena indulged in desire, their qi weakening and spirits slipping, leading to deaths during scenario missions—better to restrain worldly desires slightly.

Besides, virtual illusions are merely illusions—they have no physical form.

"As you wish."

The intelligent core reverted to its blue sphere form.

Hui Yu's face remained frozen, his hand still mid-gesture, as if his CPU had burned out.

Li Cheng moved her aside, thought for a moment, then asked the intelligent core: "What is this factory's current function?"

The intelligent core said: "The Toy Factory is a renowned enterprise spanning multiple universes, its products marketed across countless worlds and widely acclaimed.

Due to special circumstances, the factory is currently in a state of total disrepair. You may collect peculiar items from different worlds, refine them into Peculiar Points, and reactivate the factory's various regional functions.

Restart the factory. Produce toys."

Li Cheng raised an eyebrow slightly. "Peculiar items?"

"You may understand them as special objects richly concentrated with massive entropy values."

The intelligent core said: "Take your planet as an example. The dominant civilization species is humanity. Objects that held special symbolic status in human history are Peculiar Items.

For instance, the first stone tool from the East African Rift two million five hundred thousand years ago;

Volta's first voltaic pile invented in 1800;

Yuri Gagarin's spacesuit worn in 1961;

The Shroud of Turin, the Imperial Jade Seal, Marx's handwritten copy of Das Kapital, the flag lowered from the Kremlin during the Soviet Union's dissolution.

All of these are Peculiar Items."

"Understood."

Li Cheng nodded. "What areas does the factory have? What functions do they serve?"

The intelligent core emitted light, forming a 3D map of the Toy Factory, and explained: "Besides the dormitory area, cafeteria area, and office area,

the factory's core consists of the following zones:

Crusher Room, Refinery Room, Analysis Room, Design Room, Re-casting Room.

Taking the flag lowered from the Kremlin during the Soviet Union's dissolution as an example,

the flag is first crushed in the Crusher Room,

then purified in the Refinery Room,

then analyzed in the Analysis Room to extract its contained concepts—such as 'glory,' 'ideal,' 'patriotic war,' 'proletarian,' 'empire,' 'tragedy,' 'dissolution,' and so on.

These concepts are sent to the Design Room, where, according to your instructions, they are redesigned and drawn into blueprints,

then finally re-cast in the Re-casting Room into new toys,

such as a polar bear plush or a rifle.

If more Peculiar Points are invested during the Re-casting Room stage, the toy will gain special abilities, becoming what you understand as equipment, items, skill scrolls, or familiars.

Excess Peculiar Points are stored in the Energy Storage Room to power the factory."

It can forge not just equipment and items, but skill scrolls and familiars too?

Li Cheng opened his mouth, instantly grasping the Toy Factory's value—it was a super-collection combining base vehicle, STC standard construction template, 3D printer, crusher, equipment enhancement machine, and familiar breeding vessel all in one.

As long as rare treasures from various worlds were fed into it, it could continuously mass-produce high-value creations.

This wasn't even a goose laying golden eggs—it was practically a nuclear-powered money printer.

The miraculous sensation of a heavenly treasure falling upon him left Li Cheng silent for a long while before he finally said: "Take me on a tour of the factory."

"As you wish."

A blue spherical intelligent core floated ahead, leading the way,

while Li Cheng pushed a small cart carrying Gray Rain, whose CPU was still burning, following behind.

The main body of the crushing room resembled an enlarged version of a hospital CT scanner,

the refining room was composed of a large number of engineering machines, somewhat like a steel plant's coking furnace + converter + refining station,

the analysis room and design room resembled laboratories in the real world,

the final recasting room was especially enormous, composed of several building complexes, occupying nearly half the factory's area.

Li Cheng spent nearly two hours finishing the rough tour and asked, "Do these pieces of equipment need someone to operate them?"

"All equipment can run automatically, however, if additional personnel are added during stages such as transport, warehousing, and packaging, a certain degree of efficiency can be improved.

Adding personnel during the design stage can also optimize the final product's appearance."

The factory's intelligent core said, "You can recruit personnel from outside, or use the factory's recasting function to manufacture employees yourself."

"Let's not for now."

Li Cheng shook his head — the more people, the greater the probability of leaking secrets. At least until he figured out the factory's operating procedures, he didn't plan to add new personnel.

"By the way, how many Singularity Points are needed to restart the factory and to manufacture a toy, respectively?"

"Restarting the factory requires twenty thousand Singularity Points, manufacturing a toy requires at least one thousand points." The intelligent core said, "What do you need to make?"

Li Cheng glanced at his backpack panel — the rusted machete had been completely damaged during this deathmatch mission — "Let's make a weapon first."