"Based on our analysis, we now know the Heart of Tiberius is a higher-dimensional space. At the very least, it's four dimensions—maybe more, who knows. Let's keep it simple for now and call it four. And get this: the fourth dimension isn't the usual 'time' everyone talks about. So, let's try to imagine—what does a four-dimensional space actually look like?"
Cobra started his show: "Honestly, as three-dimensional creatures, we're just not wired to get the fourth dimension. All we can do is work backwards, figure out some features from what we can wrap our heads around. Which is why—check this out—the Two-Dimensional World Traverser!"
"Yep, that's right—this thing right here, the high-tech gadget I poured my soul into inventing! Strap it on and boom, you're a two-dimensional being, living the flat life. Nowhere else on earth has anything like this. Three hundred million a pop is a steal, if you ask me!"
In a certain room, Patrick Zade stared speechlessly at the guy in front of him. The man, wearing an eyepatch and talking a mile a minute, radiated a snake-like vibe that made Patrick want to gag. Still, he had to admit—sometimes, you just had to go to him for help.
Crash—the secret room door swung open. The Attendant walked in, face blank as ever. Seeing the scene, both The Attendant and Patrick Zade felt a jolt; neither expected a third person to be in the room.
The Attendant frowned. "Boss, you—"
"Oh, this? Can't you tell? This is the legendary Dimension Drop Simulator!" Cobra raised the gadget high, like a god presenting his kingdom, and gave it a new name on the spot. "I'm telling you, I racked my brain for this—just strap it on and, boom, it's like a safe, reversible version of the Two-Dimensional Blade. Want to go 2D? Go 2D! Want to come back? Come back! Isn't it epic? Kneel before this epoch-making invention, mortals! Five hundred million bucks and it's yours—so what are you waiting for? Pick up the phone and order now!"
Patrick Zade could feel a storm brewing in his chest, like he'd downed one too many drinks and his stomach was doing somersaults. He had this urge he just couldn't hold back.
Patrick Zade was still stewing, but The Attendant immediately rolled his eyes and snapped, "Keep hustling, just keep hustling! It's just a VR headset—and you need a phone to use it! You can get one on Taobao for under a hundred!"
Done with his rant, The Attendant turned to Patrick Zade, his expression growing serious. "What I want to know is—what exactly are you doing?"
“Oh, this? Can’t you tell? This is the legendary moonlighting while on the clock!” Cobra declared with righteous indignation. “Me, a bona fide national treasure—always at the cutting edge, setting global trends. These days, I’m swimming in prestige, cash, and state secrets. So if I don’t grab a billion-dollar side gig, could you hold back? If I don’t hustle a little extra, I’ll be forced to sell classified intel for peanuts!”
Patrick Zade’s face flushed, his lips twitching like a drunk about to hurl. Watching this guy’s antics, even as a bystander, he had a whole parade of MMPs (Mother’s Moral Principles) stampeding through his gut.
“Boss, you—”
“Oh, right, right, you two haven’t met yet, have you? Perfect, let me introduce you.” Cobra steamrolled ahead, pointing at The Attendant as he spoke to Patrick Zade: “This guy? My assistant. Not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, and I’m always the one carrying the team, but hey, he’s stuck with me through thick and thin. Thanks to me, he’s shot up to a deputy director gig. Main job: keeping me happy. Side job: keeping tabs on me for the big bosses. See his crotch? If he spots anything fishy, he’ll whip out the big gun from his pants and shoot first, report later. Total power play—aren’t you scared? Better cozy up to him!”
“Uh!” The Attendant was stunned—he genuinely had no idea what to say. Eyes wide, he caught Cobra sneaking a glance his way, one eye barely cracked open. For a split second, he glimpsed something unspeakably terrifying lurking behind that slit, and even though his hormones were going haywire, he couldn’t move or utter a word.
Patrick Zade, meanwhile, swallowed his curse and raised an eyebrow, smirking—was he about to witness some epic office drama go down?
“Just kidding, just kidding, I’m only messing around~~ Nobody’s assigned to shoot me, alright? I just thought you two looked unfamiliar, so I cracked a joke to break the ice!” That fleeting chill vanished like a hallucination, and Cobra’s single eye curled into a harmless arc. “Ah, kids these days, way too serious.”
Even with that, The Attendant was totally lost for words. A joke? What kind of messed-up joke is that! Serious? Dude, if you really wanna kill me, just get it over with. What’s with all the fake-outs and drama?
“Let me introduce this guy, too.” Cobra, channeling his inner bank manager, gestured professionally at Patrick Zade: “This drama-watcher right here is Patrick Zade. My moonlighting gig? He’s the client. So if the higher-ups ever want to nail me, just ask this guy for evidence—guaranteed, he’ll spill the beans.”
A ‘buy a watch last year’ moment stuck in his throat—never seen anyone so quick to snitch on their secret client! His moves were high stakes, life-or-death, and now was not the time for slip-ups! Patrick Zade couldn’t help but snap: “Hey…”
“This Zade kid is… I forget which number in line for inheritance, but he’s definitely not first. So when old man Zade kicks the bucket, the whole Zade empire won’t have squat to do with him. That’s why he’s up to something—basically, plotting a coup. But for a job this technical, he’s hired a bunch of total noobs. It’s like hanging a hundred death stars over his own head. Honestly, peak brainless.”
“Cobra!” Patrick Zade was ready to unleash a string of curses.
“Just kidding, just kidding, I’m only messing around~~ No coup, no noobs, alright?” But the death star and brainless bit? That was definitely true. Cobra’s icebreaker skills were god-tier: “I just saw you two sizing each other up, always so guarded and guessing. That’s no good! So I figured, why not just spill the truth… Nah, just kidding, just warming things up. Seriously, can’t you kids take a joke? If you wanna be a mole, you gotta keep cool; if you wanna be a rebel, you gotta chill out. You two need more practice.”
“Enough!!” The Attendant could handle the stampede of grass-mud-horses in his head, but Patrick Zade was done. He snapped, “Cobra, you’d better remember who you’re working with! If you keep mouthing off, I’ll report you to ‘Mr. D’!”
“Who am I working with? Crystal clear—I’m teaming up with a gambler who’s all-in and out of options.” Cobra was still smiling, but that one open eye glittered cold. “First, if your noob squad hadn’t botched those classified files, you wouldn’t need me. Second, since you do need me, my 2D Portal Device goes for a billion, which means you’ll pay at least one and a half. Third, and most important, I’m not Mr. D’s lackey—I’m a party member now, my heart beats for Marx and Lenin!”
“You—!!”
“Not happy? Crawl through the internet and bite me, loser! Alright, alright, since you’re about to blow a gasket, I’ll knock a little off that thirty billion. But one thing’s non-negotiable—” Cobra raised a finger. “I need the full dossier on the Heart of Tiberius. No paperwork, no help finding it. As for what goodies are hiding in higher dimensions, maybe your enemies will post about it on the World Observation Bureau’s forum when they’re in a good mood. If you’re still alive by then, you can buy a magic mirror from me and spam 666 in their thread.”
Patrick Zade stayed silent, eyes dark and sharp. This guy was nothing like anyone he’d ever met—even the second-ranked ‘God’ on the leaderboard couldn’t throw him off balance like this. But this lunatic in front of him? No clue how to deal with him.
Forget it, bigger things matter.
“Thirty billion? No big deal. The full dossier? Fine, you can have it. But you better make it worth my while.” Patrick Zade spat out each word like he was squeezing them through his teeth. “You have to prove your value first.”
“Here’s your value.” Cobra waved the VR glasses. “Let me show you what your fifty billion actually gets you.”
Cobra began his performance.
“What’s a higher dimension really like? Nobody knows. Even with all the White Night incidents, even with your Zade family poking at the unknown, you and your team still know zilch about the higher world. No clue how to find the Heart of Tiberius. So we gotta lower our standards, go slumming in the lower dimensions to spark some inspiration.”
“So, is the so-called two-dimensional world actually cute or not?”
“I think those 2D lines look pretty cool, honestly.”