69novels 003 The Weight of the World
003 The Weight of the World
As soon as the supermarket's glass door opened, the blast of cold air mixed with the cheesy strains of "Good Days" music instantly assaulted Lu Mingfei's face. He picked up a red shopping basket, grabbed a case of milk with a yellow discount tag from the refrigerated display case, and then weighed out half a pound of Cantonese sausage from the deli section.
On his way to pay, he took a shortcut through the condiment section.
Everything was normal until he walked through the condiment section and his gaze swept over the row of red tomato sauce.
The fluorescent lights in the supermarket cast a reflective glow on the plastic bottle. As soon as Lu Mingfei's gaze swept over it, the bottle seemed to move slightly. The red plastic shell appeared to be forced open from the inside by something, the edges began to melt, and the color dripped down the shelf.
A metallic, rusty smell suddenly filled my nostrils, warm liquid rushed in from all directions, and dull metallic crackling sounds pounded in my ears.
"Clatter".
The red shopping basket slipped from his hand and crashed to the ground, spilling bags of milk everywhere. Lu Mingfei stumbled back half a step, his back slamming hard against the opposite shelf, his hands instinctively reaching for the control lever.
"Hey young man! How come you can't even hold a basket? Are you low blood sugar?"
A middle-aged woman in a red vest poked her head out from the side, her loud voice like a bucket of cold water being poured over him. Lu Mingfei took a breath; the layer of water disappeared, the shelves were still shelves, the ketchup was still ketchup, and the red sauce remained safely in its plastic bottle.
"No...it's nothing, Auntie." Lu Mingfei immediately shrugged. "I got dizzy from standing up too fast."
He hurriedly shoved the milk and sausage into the basket and ran towards the cashier as if fleeing.
As he passed the community gatehouse, the security guard stopped him and handed him a large FedEx envelope, saying it was an international shipment from the United States.
Upon opening it, I found a Nokia N96 mobile phone and a letter with a World Tree emblem—half withered, half flourishing—printed on the back.
"They rejected my original application and are telling me to go to Kassel?"
As Lu Mingfei held the envelope, he suddenly had a strong sense of déjà vu.
He had seen similar letters before.
In the previous world, the envelope he received had half a fig leaf printed on it. Next to it was a military-grade secure terminal, as heavy as a brick.
In that world, he submitted his resume to the Third New Tokyo City Municipal Logistics Department, applying for a "basic service position." To put it bluntly, it meant sweeping and taking out the trash in the underground city's passageways, or carrying compressed biscuits to the shelter.
But that secret service called NERV, a bunch of cyber lunatics who fight monsters hand-to-hand with humanoid weapons dozens of meters tall, managed to snatch his resume. The MAGI supercomputer, the pinnacle of human intelligence, buzzed and calculated for ages, and its conclusion was: this useless guy has extraordinary talent; hiring him to serve tea and water and take care of pilots would be a perfect fit!
To recruit a janitor, the spy chief even sent a gentle and lovely young lady to pick him up for the job, absurd as a third-rate soap opera.
He later learned that he had been targeted from the very first day he transmigrated.
Is it the same here?
Lu Mingfei turned on his phone; the battery still had more than half its charge. In his contacts, there was only one contact: "Professor Guderian."
The distant air raid siren sounded in his ears again. He subconsciously looked up. The sky was clear, and birds flew freely.
He shook his head, stuffed the envelope into his pocket, and carried the milk upstairs.
As soon as I pushed open the security door, my aunt's booming voice erupted: "Did you go to Inner Mongolia to milk the milk?! Get your ass up and go pick the celery on the table!"
Lu Mingfei silently changed his shoes.
"Are you deaf?"
"……Um."
"Did you buy my 'Illustrated Novel'?" On the sofa in the living room, Lu Mingze was slumped over in a loose T-shirt, his cheeks pressed against his chin, his mouth slightly open, and his eyes fixed on the TV screen.
Lu Mingfei walked over and handed the gaudy magazine to the air.
Just as the fat man reached out to grab it, Lu Mingfei didn't let go. He held onto one end of the magazine, looking down at his cousin.
Lu Mingze.
He silently chewed those three words over and over again in his throat.
It can't be pieced together.
The face before me was clearly a different person from the little boy in my memory who wore a perfectly tailored black suit and had golden eyes.
"..."
"Are you stupid?" Lu Mingze felt uneasy under his intense gaze and forcefully pulled the magazine towards him. "Why do you look at me like I need to borrow money?"
His hand suddenly went empty, and Lu Mingfei came to his senses.
"No," Lu Mingfei put his hands back in his pockets, "I just noticed you seem to have lost weight recently, your jawline is more defined."
"Really?!" Lu Mingze was overjoyed. He immediately straightened his back and took a deep breath. "I also feel that my recent basketball practice has been effective, right?"
Lu Mingfei didn't reply and walked into the kitchen with the bag.
into the night.
Lu Mingfei sat on the small balcony outside his bedroom, the sliding door behind him ajar. The summer night breeze blew in from above the city, carrying the lingering heat of the asphalt and the smell of mosquito coils.
In Tokyo Third, there is no sound after dark.
As soon as the last rays of twilight fade, the special armor plates, dozens of meters thick, will rumble down, locking the entire city into an underground fortress. The nights there are silent, save for the ventilation system that works tirelessly day and night, like the labored breathing of a dying beast.
Lu Mingfei rested his chin on his knees, listening to the wind, but his ears were always on the move.
Waiting for the piercing, ear-piercing air raid siren.
Wait until the blinding red light cuts through the night, wait until the cold, mechanical female voice on the radio announces "Special Emergency Declaration," wait until the earth beneath your feet crumbles under the heavy footsteps of the apostles.
A breeze blew through the gaps between the buildings, stirring the curtains. A truck drove by in the distance, its engine rumbling back and forth. The convenience store downstairs was lit, and someone was smoking at the entrance, the red dot of their cigarette glowing on and off.
Fifteen minutes passed, then half an hour.
The armrests of the rattan chair creaked as he gripped them.
There were no unusual phenomena.
A mosquito with colorful legs buzzed and landed on his calf. A flash of golden light appeared, and the mosquito was pressed against the wall by an invisible force field, leaving a bloodstain.
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Appendix: [Confidential/Limited to Designated Readers]
Sending party: Personnel Department/Tactical Operations Department, NERV Headquarters, United Nations Ad Hoc Agency
Recipient: Mr. Lu Mingfei (Designated Residential Area Identification Code: T3-8092)
Regarding your application for the "Basic Service Position" submitted to the Third New Tokyo City Municipal Logistics Department, the Joint Review Committee has made a final decision that the position is not open to you due to "lack of overall suitability".
However, in accordance with Article 7 of the United Nations Law on the Coordination of Defence Personnel in Special Circumstances, your basic physical data and background information have been taken over and filed by the special agency NERV (United Nations Special Defence Organization).
Through cross-referencing and adaptive calculations using the MAGI system, it has been confirmed that you meet the non-standard recruitment criteria for the [Special Logistics Specialist (Qualified Personnel Life Assistance Section)]. Therefore, this agency hereby formally issues you special recruitment permission.
In accordance with the special regulations of the Tactical Operations Department, if you decide to respond to this call-up, please activate the dedicated communication terminal attached to this letter within twenty-four hours of reviewing this notice and contact Lieutenant Maya Ibuki of the Intelligence Analysis Section of the Technical Bureau directly. Lieutenant Ibuki is currently on a special assignment inspection in the Surface Special Zone and will be fully responsible for coordinating your final interview.
For any questions regarding the handover of duties, please contact Lieutenant Ibuki directly.
We sincerely look forward to your performance of your duties.
Yours sincerely.
NERV Headquarters General Affairs Bureau