Of course, Karen didn't regret it, after all, she was confident that she had always been doing more important things. But anyway, today was a date...
"That's interesting. Do you have any recommendations?"
Karen didn't want to miss this opportunity.
"Of course."
Hayden didn't even need to think about this question. His memories of college were always vivid for him.
"Anything students like to eat, there are stalls and shops around our school that have it all. Barbecue, fried rice, beef bowl, ramen, teppanyaki, cheap steak (most of the ingredients are artificial, of course), hot dog stand, freshly baked pizza truck... There is one fried rice place that I have always liked, and I will never forget it even after graduation."
Of course, Hayden put all of that behind him after Angela arrived. But that's another matter; there's no comparison between the two. But now that it's been brought up, Hayden has inevitably recalled some memories of his student days.
"My favorite fried rice used to be from a small shop. It had eggs, peanuts, greens, diced onions, diced carrots, pickled green beans, and a little bit of beef, cured meat, or sausage. Although they were all artificial ingredients, watching the owner turn on the stove, add oil, stir-fry the rice, add soy sauce, and sometimes a little chili sauce—a whole plate of fried rice that almost burst the lunchbox was so delicious!"
That lingering taste, that flavor memory, to some extent, represents a part of Hayden's youth, a very important part of his college years.
Unfortunately, Karen didn't have any of those carefree, youthful days spent with classmates and friends. Hayden was her only friend in college, and she didn't even hang out with him.
Seeing Hayden's excited tone, Karen naturally nodded: "Then what are you waiting for? Take me to see him."
Even so, neither gods nor immortals are ever truly hungry. The two strolled happily toward their alma mater, into the alleyway opposite the school gates that Hayden knew so well just a few years ago…
...However, when they arrived, the scene before them stunned Hayden.
Because it used to be a small restaurant, but now it has become a fast food chain of a large company.
258: Dating is really hard!
I took my girlfriend out on a date, and when we got to the restaurant, we found out it had already closed down.
If this story hadn't happened to him, it would honestly be quite funny. But now that Hayden has stumbled upon it, he's truly dumbfounded.
"Over the years, it's inevitable that the businesses will change, which is not surprising."
Karen certainly didn't care that she couldn't have fried rice; what mattered to her were other things.
"When you went back to your alma mater last time, did you stop by for a visit?"
When was the last time Hai Deng returned to his alma mater? Has it been a long time?
Actually, no. The last time Hayden returned to his alma mater was precisely when he came to recruit workers.
Upon further reflection, Hayden realized that, let alone the last time, it seemed like he hadn't paid attention to these familiar restaurants and shops for several years. This made Hayden slightly awkward—he wasn't even sure when the restaurant had closed, when it had become a fast-food place, or when everything had suddenly changed.
"It's nothing. Let's go eat somewhere else."
Karen didn't take this to heart.
However, as Hayden looked at the chain fast-food burger restaurant in front of him, he gradually frowned.
He felt something was off about the store.
Driven by this intuition, Hayden went up and pushed open the door.
It was lunchtime, the peak dining period, and the fast-food burger joint was naturally packed with people. Most of them were, of course, students or teachers. Strangely, Hayden looked around and noticed that although the restaurant was teeming with customers, there were only two employees.
Yes, just two. Only two. One at the front desk, one in the kitchen. One looked to be in his seventies or eighties, probably an elderly gentleman enjoying his retirement; the other was a young woman who looked no older than a high school student. Yet, faced with an endless stream of customers, they managed to handle everything in the shop with astonishing efficiency.
The girl at the front desk was a bit better; she could handle orders from ten people at the same time and talk to ten people simultaneously. Although she obviously only had one head and was clearly young, she could manage to serve ten customers at the same time without any confusion—that was "just" it.
However, Hayden and Karen could see right through the restaurant's kitchen. They could see just how powerful the situation was. The old man, who was at least seventy years old, was wielding an incredibly powerful spell.
How powerful is this magic? It allows this old man with only two arms and two legs to seemingly grow hundreds of invisible hands out of thin air, simultaneously frying pork chops at high speed, slicing lettuce at lightning speed, and continuously moving various raw materials out of the warehouse.
There's a lot going on in the kitchen of a burger joint. Even though it's fast food, and even though frying patties and fries is all done by simply setting the machine up, it's not exactly an easy job. Yet this man, just over seventy years old, can operate the machine single-handedly, using arcane magic to operate it as effortlessly as a cog in a machine, handling the workload that would normally require at least ten people.
Hayden, and Karen who followed him in, were both stunned by the sight.
Gods can certainly do this easily, and the gods should be able to do the same. Hayden only needs to write the spell program, test it, and get it running properly to do it (as for Hayden's spells often having bugs at crucial moments due to his ingenious tricks, that's another matter).
But how could a god, a divine race, or a great magician really be working as a hamburger shop employee? Besides, Hayden and Karen both seemed to be just ordinary mortals to each other.
"Karen, I know I might be overreacting, but I feel like something's off about this shop..."
So before Hayden could finish speaking, Karen picked up the conversation: "It's alright, I also think this place is a bit strange. We should check it out."
Karen acted swiftly, even more decisively than Hayden, and besides, a genius and a celestial being could accomplish such a task in almost no time. Hayden went to chat with the customers, while Karen went straight to the burger shop manager. The younger students, of course, didn't mind being struck up a conversation by Hayden and asked a few questions. As for the burger shop manager… it was obvious that unless he was tired of living, he wouldn't refuse a genius's questions.
The answers they gave were quite unsettling.
This chain burger joint only opened here a month ago. It belongs to a subsidiary of the Mitra Group—that's not surprising, everyone already knew that, and since it's a fast-food burger joint, it's obviously not a high-end place. Its competitive advantage lies solely in the fact that its meat and vegetables are all synthetic products, operating in conjunction with other Mitra Group businesses. Ingredients are delivered directly from factories, and the patties and fries are automatically fried on an assembly line in the store—quite efficient.
That being said, even if automated production lines are simple and easy to understand, fast food restaurants still need some human labor because modern arcane technology hasn't yet developed strong artificial intelligence (not counting wet parts). It would be difficult to say that a fast-food burger chain located near a university, with so many customers every day, doesn't need even ten employees.
However, this new chain burger restaurant really only has two employees besides the manager: an elderly man who should have retired and a young girl who dropped out of high school, neither of whom has any experience in the food service industry. Moreover, they are both temporary employees, and their monthly salary is only around 600 yuan.
These two people clearly shouldn't possess super magical power capable of taking on ten opponents at once. In fact, Kallen had checked, and they simply didn't have the skills or education to do so.
"Six hundred...that's less than a third of what a normal employee earns!"
Hayden was completely dumbfounded.
"Low wages, no benefits, and only two employees with no work experience or skills—how is this store even operating?!"
Karen pointed to the price list hanging behind the counter in the store: "It's not just that. Look."
Hayden then realized that although the burger joint was a chain, everything on the menu was 50% off.
The two exchanged a glance and immediately understood—Mitra Corporation had not yet officially launched the skill chip into the market, but it was already being tested within its own industry.
You don't need to give your employees any authority. Just pay them twenty dollars a day, recruit some elderly people who should be retired and high school dropouts who couldn't find jobs, implant skill chips in them, and they become versatile temporary workers who can do the work of ten. Only the store manager needs regular employees; everyone else is paid minimum wage and benefits, and one can do the work of ten... With this technology, you can greatly reduce costs even if you hire a pig as the boss.
With labor costs so low, prices can certainly be reduced significantly.
"Hayden, do you think an ordinary college graduate could perform this kind of magic?"
Karen asked, frowning.
“I’ll definitely be able to graduate,” Hayden said, then shook his head. “But if I disregard character and discipline and only look at ability, I’ll be considered a top student. Those who just casually study for four years and graduate, if you ask them to perform the magic of making hamburgers one by one… I think eight out of ten graduates wouldn’t be able to do it. If they don’t exercise enough, their brains won’t be able to process the information.”
Yes. Even in this arcane cyberpunk era, ordinary people couldn't possibly cast such bizarre yet incredibly powerful magic. Theoretically, such magic should be extremely expensive... yet the skill chips developed by the Mitra Corporation allowed both a retired old man and a high school dropout to do it.
Thinking further, if fast food restaurants on the front lines can operate this way, then the production of synthetic foods at the rear must be even easier. Whether skilled workers or veteran chefs, they can all be replaced by temporary workers costing twenty dollars each, plus a skill chip.
The fact that they can offer a 50% discount on hamburgers means that the cost of these skill chips is definitely not high. And with prices reduced like that, there's no shortage of customers.
Hayden and Karen exchanged glances, both realizing that it was only natural for small restaurants and shops to be squeezed out by the Mitra Group in this environment. Even the businesses of the other three large companies would be severely impacted.
Then they went to see a few other restaurants that Hayden used to be familiar with, but now only a fraction of them remained, their original niches mostly occupied by various super cheap restaurants under the Mitra Group.
This completely ruined the atmosphere of the date. Neither of them cared about eating; they were both frowning and thinking about serious matters.
Mitra Corporation has already accomplished this even before officially launching its skill chips to the market. In other words...
"This is just a test."
A wise person can see the big picture in small things. Neither Hayden nor Karen are stupid. The words she's saying now carry a bitter undertone.
"In order to be officially put into large-scale use in the future, they are now conducting practical tests of the chip in New Arta."
Today, although they only saw a few chain fast food restaurants, a chilling and terrifying shadow loomed behind them. This almost absurdly terrifying shadow sent shivers down their spines.
Karen was thinking about the future. Although she didn't have precognitive abilities, she still had some degree of foresight, like "seeing a single falling leaf and knowing the world is about to fall." Seeing these small shops and restaurants being squeezed out by the Mitra Group's skill education chips today, she could certainly realize that the other three large companies, unless they had some other equally powerful trump cards up their sleeves, would all be utterly crushed once the Mitra Group began to deploy skill chips on a large scale.
So how will she survive in this terrible situation, or even prepare a way to fight back? This is something she needs to start thinking about as soon as possible.
Hayden? His mind was on the past. How were those uncles, aunts, older sisters, and younger brothers who had cooked for him back then? What kind of work were they doing now? And what about his poor classmates who used to eat cheap meals with him in those small restaurants? Ten years had passed; what had become of them?
Shop assistants can be replaced, workers can be replaced. Skills training chips can even allow a temporary worker earning twenty dollars to replace ten regular employees. So, won't Hayden's classmates, these college graduates from ten years ago, be replaced by skills chips?
Are they still able to stay in this city and work hard today?
Karen was thinking about the bigger picture.
Hayden was thinking about a person.
But to say that they weren't thinking about the same thing would obviously be incorrect. Freya had said that the world was about to descend into chaos, and a single speck of dust in this chaotic world, falling on the shoulders of an ordinary person, would be as heavy as a mountain, and might even shatter them to pieces.
To say that this shows a difference in their abilities is not entirely accurate. Those who care about the world are not necessarily heroes, and those who sympathize with individual lives are not necessarily not heroes.
After investigating for half a day, it was already sunset. Hayden and Karen wandered aimlessly along a pedestrian street in New Jersey, gazing at the Mitra branch building and the new Space Needle in the distance.
As they walked, Hayden suddenly spoke up to apologize: "Sorry. Today was supposed to be a date, but it turned into a market survey halfway through."
But Karen shook her head: "Quite the opposite. Hayden, as I said before, I'm actually quite happy about a date like today, a date that allows us to see the reality of the situation."
Hayden wasn't entirely unaware of this principle. Even so, if he simply went home and ended today's "date" like this, Hayden felt something was missing.
Although he wasn't consciously aware of it, he knew he wanted to continue walking side by side with Karen.
So gradually, he realized exactly where he had gone wrong.
Dating is really difficult.
"So, where do we go next?"
Karen, on the other hand, maintained a relatively relaxed atmosphere. Her mental strength was formidable; even if she foresaw the shadows of the future, she wouldn't easily reveal her inner anxieties on her face.
It must be admitted that Hayden was indeed less capable, and he himself knew it. However, regardless of the differences and gaps, by fate or coincidence, Hayden and Karen still became (at least in terms of social status) an unmarried couple.
In terms of romantic feelings, they certainly didn't have much. But after spending so many years together in this capacity, although they never said anything romantic, Hayden had said things like "Leave it to me" and "Since you don't want to, I'll do it for you from now on" to Karen many times.
To say that Hayden wasn't attracted to Karen... well, what man would do so much for a woman he didn't like? To outsiders, Hayden was clearly in love.
But in reality, Hayden felt that he had difficulty expressing his feelings in words.
So he was racking his brains, trying to figure out what he should say to Karen in front of him.
Seeing Hayden's conflicted expression, it was Karen who finally sighed first: "Hayden, do you like me or not?"
These words nearly made Hayden, who was deep in thought, bump his head against a lamppost: "Huh!?"
“We’re engaged, even if it’s just for publicity, but you still took me out on dates. But if you’re talking about having romantic feelings for me, you haven’t even touched me once, not even held my hand.”
Karen gestured to her small, white, and slender right hand, which was actually powerful enough to smash a mountain with a single punch.
"So you still think of me as just a comrade, a fellow soldier, even a close friend, but not that kind of friend? If that's the case, I can understand. I won't be angry. After all, I have bigger things on my mind, the world."
"As long as we continue to share the same ideals and have the same goals, even if we're just pretending to be engaged, I don't think it's a bad thing. As long as you don't..."
However, before Karen could finish speaking, Hayden interrupted her.
"No, no, no, that's not right. I like you. The proof is that my legs are still trembling."
That's the absolute truth. In fact, Hayden is so panicked right now that he can barely speak properly.
"Although the reasons are very confusing, and the process is actually quite chaotic, I definitely like you. Just watching you do things, seeing your domineering presence, would make anyone, regardless of gender, fall for you!"
At this point, even though Hayden himself found it incredible, he still shook Karen's hand on the spot.
"In the end, I just lacked confidence in myself. I'm this age, still a virgin who's never been in a relationship, and I've never seriously considered making anyone happy. The world is going to get even worse in the future. Chaos is coming. As a man, am I strong enough to support you properly? — I'm clearly just a stubborn fool, yet I still get caught up in these trivial things."
"But now that things have come to this, I don't want to make any more excuses."
So, despite being extremely shy, and with his face turning bright red, Hayden still managed to say the most important and simplest thing.
"Karen, I love you."
259: The most romantic thing in the world
You said it!
While the pedestrian street at dusk is indeed a great place for confessions, and many couples do make such confessions, Hayden's confession was still a bit too hasty.
That being said, just as the strongest warriors often resort to the most ordinary techniques in battle, using the most "real" attacks to determine the victor... the relationship between Hayden and Karen, which is like a romantic relationship as well as a comradeship based on shared ideals, requires less and less complicated words the further they get to this point.
At times like these, nothing beats the simplest words.
Now, Karen was staring wide-eyed at Hayden with her mouth slightly agape, her expression utterly adorable. Just seeing that face made Hayden feel that his hasty confession had been worthwhile.
After standing there frozen for several seconds, Karen's face gradually flushed red, and steam began to rise from her pointed ears. If any mortal dared to touch her now, they would probably be melted instantly by the heat of this goddess's shyness, their flesh and bones turning to liquid.
Admittedly, Hayden derives considerable pleasure from watching her transformation. Despite Karen's recent imposing and domineering demeanor, Hayden knows perfectly well that she can still reveal a very endearing side if the right approach is taken.
About half a minute later, Karen closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she had clearly regained her composure, and her expression returned to one of joyful yet composed.
"Are you sure? Think it through. I'm not a romantic person who only thinks about changing this unjust world and rewriting the rules of society."
Even so, there was still a hint of excitement and nervousness in her voice. Even if there were others present, presumably only Hayden would have noticed it.
"It's not just that it's not romantic, but I also know what kind of body type you like and what kind of sexual fetishes you have. My body is locked into this state by my mother, and I don't have time to get a new one. I don't even know if I'll ever have the time in the future... You should really think this through."
At this point, Karen herself began to smile wryly.