Chapter Two: Computer Mutation

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“No way! Is my physical fitness really this bad?” Wood was speechless. Just looking at these numbers, it was obvious—the values in parentheses must be averages, and except for his mental strength, all his stats were well below those averages.

“The system has scanned the characteristics of carbon-based life forms in this dimension. The given values are absolutely accurate.”

“All right, all right! I’m not doubting your data’s accuracy.” Wood was frustrated. It seemed that his habit of hugging his computer all the time and not exercising had left his physical condition so poor.

“As a dimensional agent, if your physical fitness is too low, it will limit your future development. However…”

“Oh… Is there any way to improve my physical fitness?”

“The system is currently auto-charging. See you in six hours…”

“Oh, come on…”

Afterward, the laptop returned to normal. Wood quickly checked the computer’s specs and found that the chip, hard drive, and memory capacities had all become “???”. It looked like the capacities had increased tremendously, and the speed had become extremely fast.

“Heh, seems like I won’t need to upgrade my computer anymore! That’ll save me quite a bit of money!” It was no wonder Wood thought this way. To be fair, Wood had had his share of bad luck—a top student in the university history department, yet unable to find a job in his field. It was only thanks to a friend’s connections in the antiques industry that he’d found this job. But since he was honest to a fault, his income wasn’t high. A computer costing several thousand was no small sum for him.

“Looks like I’ve struck gold! I’d better not tell anyone about this, or I might draw disaster upon myself!” Wood was well aware of the old saying: “An innocent man gets into trouble for holding a treasure.”

“Physical fitness can be improved, too? The functions of this system are truly heaven-defying!”

“A dimensional trading system—what does that even mean? Still, anything related to alien civilizations can’t be bad, right?”

And so, the afternoon passed with Wood lost in wild speculation. As dusk fell, the three of them closed the shop, each heading home to their own families.

Wood was a local, but he couldn’t stand his parents’ nagging, so after finding a job, he rented a place and lived on his own. As soon as he got home, he eagerly turned on his computer. He had never felt an afternoon as long as today, counting the seconds as time crawled by.

“It’s been six hours!” Wood switched on the computer.

This time, the system booted much faster and quickly entered a star system interface. In the lower right corner, a cartoon image of a robotic cat appeared.

“Hello! Basic Material Plane Agent!” The robotic cat spoke.

“Oh, come on… Even if you look a bit different, how come you resemble Doraemon so much?”

“The system scanned and found that this item has always been a technological product the agent wished to possess…”

“Well… It’s not just me! I bet anyone who’s watched Doraemon wishes for such an all-powerful companion!”

“Agent…”

“Uh… Could you not keep calling me Agent? Call me Amu or Wood, that’s fine!”

The system was silent for a moment. “The term ‘Wood’ carries a certain negative connotation. The system will address the agent as Amu.”

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“Exactly! That feels much friendlier. By the way, what should I call you? I can’t just keep calling you system, right?” Wood asked.

The system was silent again. “System is Product Number X of the Bureau of Spacetime Administration. You may call me that, or give me a name.”

“That’s not very catchy. Since you look so much like Doraemon, I’ll call you Dingdang!”

“Dingdang! Not bad! Thank you, Amu!”

“Hahaha, no need to thank me—just don’t let anyone sue me for copyright! By the way, what is the Bureau of Spacetime Administration?”

“Insufficient authorization. Unable to answer!” Dingdang replied mechanically.

Wood: “…”

“Amu, at present the system is at the lowest F level. You need to activate dimensional trading as soon as possible to earn energy and reward points to upgrade the system!”

“How do I activate dimensional trading?” Amu asked.

“Please wait… Establishing dimensional link!” With a wave of Dingdang’s paw, the star system was soon divided into several regions, each labeled:

“Biochemical Plane,” “Fantasy Plane,” “Cultivation Plane,” “Science Fiction Plane.”

In addition, there were two greyed-out regions without labels. Dingdang explained that authorization was insufficient to unlock these areas.

“So, which plane should I contact first?” Wood asked.

Dingdang’s eyes flashed rapidly before giving Wood a disappointing answer: “Insufficient energy. Unable to establish dimensional communication. You must wait for another plane to initiate contact!”

“Oh, come on…” Wood was speechless. “This system doesn’t seem all that reliable!”

But perhaps Wood’s luck was in today, because just as Dingdang finished speaking, the “Fantasy Plane” region began to flash. Dingdang said, “Amu, a third-class star agent from the Fantasy Plane wants to contact you. Connect?”

“Connect, of course!” Amu exclaimed.

Soon, a video window popped up from the Fantasy Plane, revealing a young man with dark eyes and a mischievous smile. Amu brightened, “Hello! May I ask your name?”

The young man on the other side was briefly startled, then spoke a string of words Amu couldn’t understand. He realized, “Damn! We’re not even from the same dimension—it’d be weird if our languages matched!”

However, the young man soon seemed to catch on. In the lower left corner, a small box suddenly displayed an item:

“Dimensional Universal Language Recognition Pill, Fantasy Item. Usage: Swallow directly.”

Dingdang said, “Amu, the other party is sending you a Dimensional Universal Language Recognition Pill. Accept?”

“Accept, of course!” Amu shouted. “Otherwise we’ll only be talking past each other!”

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Soon, a small white pill appeared on the computer keyboard. Wood swallowed it right away, immediately feeling a sharp pain in his head, then a cool sensation flooded in. In the upper right, his mental strength stat increased a bit.

At this moment, he understood the young man’s words: “Buying and selling—there must be both! Agent Gu Feng from the third-class star of the Fantasy Plane greets you!”

Amu replied hesitantly, “Hello, I’m Amu, agent of the Basic Material Plane. This is my first time accessing the dimensional system, so please take care of me!”

“Oh! I knew you were a newbie!” The young man, seeing Amu’s awkwardness, became more lively. “Hey, brother, what good stuff do you have on your plane?”

“Uh…” Amu was at a loss for words. What counted as valuable in interdimensional trade? There was no standard! And while Earth had plenty of things, hardly any of it belonged to Amu—in truth, he was a bona fide member of the proletariat.

Gu Feng saw his blank look and, recalling that this guy was still clueless about dimensional trading, patiently explained, “Each plane has countless unique things, but bartering is too troublesome. That’s why Dimensional Energy Crystals became the universal currency, and reward points can also be used for trading.”

“Energy crystals? What do they look like? And how do you get reward points?” Amu asked.

“Here’s an energy crystal!” Gu Feng held up a fist-sized white crystal. “Reward points are given by the Bureau of Spacetime Administration as credit for an agent’s contributions in trading. They’re precious—they can be used together with energy crystals to create a projection plane, letting you gain higher physical stats, bloodlines, skills, and more!”

“Whoa, that’s amazing!” Amu gasped. “So if someone had enough energy crystals and reward points, they could create a ‘Dragon Ball’ projection plane, train for a few years, and smash planets? That’s beyond outrageous!”

“What’s Dragon Ball?” Gu Feng was puzzled. “But I advise you not to think that way. The first rule of the Dimensional Agent Code is: Do not interfere with the progression of a plane, and do not use dimensional abilities to cause major destruction. If you smash a planet, the Bureau of Spacetime Administration will definitely want a word with you.”

Gu Feng joked, then asked, “So, after all this, do you have any energy crystals on your side?”

Amu smiled awkwardly. “Sorry, I’ve never even seen such a thing. I doubt we have them on this plane!”

Gu Feng didn’t seem disappointed and laughed, “That’s normal! Energy crystals don’t exist in a basic material plane anyway!”

Despite Gu Feng’s perpetual mischievous grin, he was good-natured, and Amu took the opportunity to ask him about the planes.

“In fact, all planes are derived and developed from the basic material plane, just in different directions from the very start. From what I know, the Biochemical Plane focuses on biotechnology, using drugs to alter genes and enhance the body—most creatures there have special powers. Our Fantasy Plane is naturally centered on magic and combat energy; the Cultivation Plane is about techniques and arts—their physical stats aren’t usually high, so agents from that plane rarely show up because their closed-door training can last decades. The Science Fiction Plane is completely different—they’re not carbon-based lifeforms. My system says they’re silicon-based, so I’ve never had dealings with them.”

This crash course made Wood a little more familiar with the concept of planes. Seeing Amu had just activated dimensional trading, Gu Feng sighed, “The hardest part of dimensional trading is the starting phase. I’ve been through it myself and know how tough it is. Since fate has brought us together, let me give you something!” With that, a trade box in the lower left corner of the computer flashed, and an ancient-looking bracelet appeared in the item slot:

“Storage Bracelet, Fantasy Item. Usage: Bind by a drop of blood (DNA binding).”

Wow, this was a treasure—Wood was elated. This was just like the spatial bracelets in web novels—he never imagined they could exist in reality. He’d struck it rich…

Dingdang’s mechanical voice sounded: “Agent from the third-class star of the Fantasy Plane is sending a Storage Bracelet. Accept?”

“Accept, of course!” Amu shouted. “Who’d say no to something this good?”