Future yawned, lying flat on the bed, closed her eyes, and began to sleep.

Su Mo continued the conversation: “Hey, I heard you talking about repaying money… do you owe someone money?”

Future replied weakly, dragging out her words: “Yeah—I owe the Red Blade Association a lot of money, couldn’t pay it back, so I hid here, satisfied?”

Su Mo wore a faint look of anticipation: “If I help you repay the Red Blade Association, would you be willing to come out of hiding?”

“No,” Future answered crisply, without the slightest hesitation, “Why should I come out?”

Su Mo: “Of course, to leave this godforsaken place! Do you really want to hide in the sewers for a lifetime? Isn’t life outside more comfortable than this?”

Future snorted, turned to look at Su Mo: “Then tell me, what kind of life is the most comfortable?”

Su Mo thought for a moment and said: “Hmm… no need to work every day, well-fed, warm, and sleep until naturally waking up.”

Future spread her hands out, showing her little nest to Su Mo, and mockingly asked: “Then what do you think I’m doing now?”

Su Mo glanced around.

Future’s small nest, though tiny, really did have “everything you need.”

There was a folding bed, blankets, and quilts.

In the corner, there was a hand-cranked generator brought from outside, connected to a small circulating water purifier, able to turn sewage into clean living water anytime.

Next to the water tank were numerous planting pots, with low-power UV lamps hanging above them, growing a large number of potatoes, which could be dug up as food when hungry, and the leftovers could be cut into pieces to continue growing.

Along the wall stood several columns of mushroom cultures, which would slowly grow mushrooms when sprinkled with water, supplementing dietary fiber and trace elements as side dishes.

There were animals besides plants.

In the corner cage were many plump white mice, genetically modified fine breeds with short reproduction cycles, fast growth, undemanding appetites, naturally antibacterial, and an excellent protein source.

In the mouse cage, there was also a handcrafted electricity-generating wheel; when mice ran and played on it, kinetic energy could be converted into electricity through the electromagnetic induction line, stored directly into the neighboring battery for later use.

As for climate, the little nest was far from the ground, away from sunlight exposure, cool in summer.

Ceiling lines were diverted to connect to a steam pipeline, so the city heating system could be freeloaded, warm in winter.

No need to work.

Well-fed and warm.

Sleep until naturally waking up every day.

Complete.

Even though Su Mo had been here many times while gaming, seeing it in person still made him admire it.

What a damn talented slacker!

This is truly putting all their effort into slacking off big time!

Su Mo was speechless, unable to find words.

Future showed a victorious smile, casually picking up a free-range mouse by the bed, playing with it on her belly.

She leisurely said: “Didn’t have to do any chores here, sleep whenever I wanted, take the mice for walks when bored—way more comfortable than outside, isn’t it?”

Su Mo sighed, with a somewhat regretful tone: “Future, you were acknowledged as a top scholar and multi-disciplinary expert at Capital Royal Academy 3 years ago. It’s truly a pity you’re wasting away here.”

Future seemed indifferent: “Doesn’t matter, doesn’t matter to me. What’s there to pity? How do you think I should be? Devote myself to scientific research? Research blood codes, create prosthetics, develop spiritual brains?”

Su Mo asked back: “Why not?”

Future closed her eyes, with a hint of desolation in her voice: “Because it’s meaningless. I was indeed passionate about various researches back then, but as I delved deeper, I discovered something despairing.”

“Be it blood codes, prosthetics, or spiritual brains, our scientific frontiers have already reached a dead end, with nothing new beyond the frontier.”

Su Mo, puzzled: “How can there be nothing new? For example, regarding blood codes, during your 3 years hiding in the sewers, the Hegemony Company developed countless new blood codes.”

Future said helplessly: “I know, but you didn’t understand my point. In scientific concepts, so-called ‘new things’ refer to breakthrough revolutionary technologies.”

“For example, people used to ride warhorses into battle, wielding swords.”

“Later, hot weapons were invented, bullets rained down everywhere, and armored fleets clashed.”

“Later still, extraordinary technologies emerged, leading to blood code carriers, prosthetic implanters, and those spiritual brain modifiers capable of manipulating mechanical ferocious beasts… these are regarded as breakthrough revolutionary technologies.”

“But during my research period at the Royal Academy, frontier exploration completely stagnated, and all results pointed to the same conclusion—the scientific field has reached its end.”

“I’ve indeed been hiding in the sewers for 3 years, isolated for a long time. That’s true. But I dare say, current scientific technology isn’t fundamentally different from 3 years ago.”

“Yes, those giants might have developed all sorts of new blood codes, new prosthetics, new mechanical ferocious beasts, but that was just refined improvements based on existing scientific research.”

“Just like ancient people made swords from stones, then from bronze, then steel… such results can only be called improvements, not breakthroughs.

“Only when swords and shields turn into guns and cannons, carriages into tanks, and arrows flying all over into missiles tearing the skies… that counts as a breakthrough!”

At this point, Future’s eyes were half-open, half-closed, with emptiness in her pupils: “That’s why I don’t want to go out. Because 3 years ago, I discovered the existence of ‘boundaries’ during various researches.”

“No matter how hard we try, the boundary is there. We can continuously refine the knowledge within the boundary but can’t cross it because there’s nothing out there.”

“Do you know how that feels? It’s like God drew an absolutely closed circle, and we can only live within it forever, unable to step out.”

“So, don’t talk to me about talents, research, wasted potential—none of it matters. After all, this world won’t have anything new anymore, I don’t care; let the people outside play by themselves.”

While talking, Future fell back into her slacker state, drifting off to sleep on the spot.

Su Mo’s heart was stirred, causing quite a ripple after hearing her words.

No doubt about it, Future is indeed the strongest engineer in Dawning, one of the smartest people in the whole game.

She even realized the existence of ‘God’ and ‘boundaries’ from a philosophical level.

God—the game developer.

Boundary—the game settings.

Everything in the Dawn Realm is arranged by the game developer.

All laws of things wouldn’t transcend the game settings.

The blood codes, prosthetics, and spiritual brains controlled by the three major corporations are all part of the game settings.

The boundary is also truly existent.

Within the boundary, there may still be things to explore, but as Future said, the boundary is just there.

Despite her easy-going appearance, Future’s slacking isn’t genuinely idle but a desperate kind of slacking.

For the Future, her only life passion is scientific research.

She is extremely passionate about exploring new things, hoping to venture into fields humans have not yet entered.

But after years of research, all the results told her—the scientific field has reached the end, with no new things ahead.

This is too despairing for a knowledge-thirsty scholar; her life entirely lost expectation and meaning.

Coincidentally, during that time, Future got played by the Red Blade Association, borrowed money from loan sharks she couldn’t repay, and was constantly harassed by debt collectors.

Eventually, she gave up everything she had, hid in the sewers, and never came out again, starting her big-time slacking.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep