Chapter 87: Entering the Era of Prosperity

Zhang Kai was not the least bit surprised by the accident that befell the young man. After all, he'd encountered enough supernatural oddities to know that nothing was truly impossible. If anything ever felt off, it definitely meant trouble. See, that's how you end up digging your own grave.

Ignoring the small mummified corpse, Zhang Kai strolled away at his leisure. Ever since the resurgence of spiritual energy, all manner of strange things had begun to emerge. And this was just a faint revival—if it continued, who knew what the world would become? That was one of the reasons Zhang Kai felt uneasy. Spirits and monsters harmed people without warning—what if they hurt his loved ones?

So, he thought, halting the revival for now and helping the Celestial Empire transform from a different angle, raising its strength until it had the foundation to face these monsters and spirits—would that not be ideal? But for this, he needed the cooperation of the government. The manner of collaboration, though, would require careful consideration: he couldn't act too rashly, nor could he reveal himself.

After returning home, he brushed off his mother's questions and hid in his room, browsing the internet for all relevant news. The Celestial Empire was making a grand show of its cooperation with Ultraman—official reports and unofficial sources alike were singing its praises. The benefits were endless. Especially since Ultraman had given gifts only to the Celestial Empire, with inscriptions in the national script. The meaning was obvious—Ultraman was siding with them, extending an olive branch.

For a time, everyone in the country, from top to bottom, reeled from shock: first at Ultraman’s appearance, then at his friendliness, and finally at the state’s strong support and impending diplomatic relations. It was as if the whole world had changed over the course of a single meal!

Meanwhile, public opinion was shifting in a positive direction. Other countries, however, watched with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

After skimming through the information, Zhang Kai mulled things over. A rough plan began to take shape in his mind. Perhaps this was not a bad way to begin.

He spent two more days at home before leaving, citing work needs as his excuse. Before he left, his younger sister asked for an Ultraman autograph. Zhang Kai could only sigh in exasperation.

A little kid already idolizing celebrities? I’ll bring you a full set of Olympiad math problems instead.

After leaving home, Zhang Kai traveled day and night across the globe, seeking out uninhabited areas. Eventually, he decided to establish his Earth base deep beneath the Pacific Ocean. There, more than ten thousand meters down, a strange, soft barrier lay beneath the seafloor, with another few hundred meters of depth below it, inhabited by all manner of bizarre fish. Yet most of the area was empty.

Upon arrival, Zhang Kai simply fetched the Dragon Palace from a mythological film and placed it at the bottom of the deep sea. For safety, before bringing it out, he gave it a good shake, tossing out all the shrimp soldiers, crab generals, shell maidens, and snail servants that had been inside. In an instant, the vast Dragon Palace regained its original form, sprawling across a wide area.

Standing inside, Zhang Kai could sense the water, yet it felt unlike any ordinary water—the Dragon Palace seemed to transform it into a different state. He took out his phone and, to his amazement, found it worked perfectly well at these depths. Truly, a mythical palace was something extraordinary.

He was still marveling when, suddenly sensing something, Zhang Kai turned to see a young girl, perhaps twelve or thirteen, dressed in ancient attire and scrambling out from beneath a table in a panic.

There was another one left?

Zhang Kai was taken aback. He remembered that when he had paused time, there had been no dragons in the palace, and the shrimp soldiers and crab generals on patrol had all been shaken out. How could there still be one left behind?

Should he send her back? But if he did, then there would be nothing left.

As he hesitated, the girl caught sight of Zhang Kai. Frightened, she quickly dropped to her knees. "Spare me, honored immortal! I am only a shell maiden; I know nothing. Please, have mercy and do not kill me!"

Zhang Kai was intrigued. "You’re so young—how did you end up working in the Dragon Palace?"

The girl answered timidly, "Honored immortal, I was taking over my mother's duties. It's tradition here. My mother passed away early, so I started at a young age. But I’m not that young—I’m already three hundred years old."

Zhang Kai grimaced. A three-hundred-year-old child—now that was a true giant baby.

"Enough, no need to explain. Since fate has brought you along, you can stay here and serve as a little steward. If you do well, I’ll keep you and reward you. If not, I’ll toss you in a pot and make clam vermicelli soup."

The girl turned pale. She didn’t know what clam vermicelli was, but she understood the word "boil."

They eat clams here? How cruel! She nodded vigorously, like a chick pecking at grain. "I’ll do my best, I promise I will!"

"Go on, then. Tidy up the place and keep watch around the Dragon Palace. Report any threats to me at once."

"Yes!"

After the girl scampered off obediently, Zhang Kai turned to his phone. Constantly extracting things from the phone was inconvenient. To better utilize his golden finger, and to avoid attracting suspicion, he needed to upgrade the method of use.

For example, a virtual projection interface. That way, he could access it anytime, anywhere, and store more resources. If he added an AI system, all he’d need to do was ask, and the intelligence would handle everything—utterly unbeatable.

As for the virtual projection device, there were plenty to choose from in various sci-fi movies. He picked one, extracted a holographic projection phone with a wrist-mounted design, and then summoned Jarvis to install an artificial intelligence in the device, with further optimization—otherwise, he threatened, he wouldn’t return him to Iron Man.

After some coaxing, Jarvis agreed. Once Zhang Kai had tested the projection phone and found it satisfactory, he sent Jarvis back.

The holographic projection phone was truly a product centuries ahead of its time. Its internal storage was vast enough to contain every video on Earth, with room to spare. Even in the depths of the sea, the AI had no trouble navigating the internet, downloading thousands of films and shows in moments. Zhang Kai even downloaded some romance education videos as souvenirs.

As for the artificial intelligence, the projection phone already had a foundation, but after Jarvis’s optimization, it was a brand-new system, fully obedient to Zhang Kai and remarkably efficient.

The new extraction method was also enhanced by the holographic projection’s special effects, manifesting to outsiders as a swirling vortex of rainbow colors—like a magical summoning, mysterious and wondrous.

This series of upgrades brought Zhang Kai great satisfaction.

Once he’d finished, Zhang Kai named his new AI "Bone-Melting Dragon," and, using designs inspired by various Ultraman and monster forms, transformed it into a brand-new Ultraman image. The AI then took control of the internet. Suddenly, the Bone-Melting Dragon AI appeared on screens all over the world, and in fluent Celestial language, it delivered a message:

"I am Bone-Melting Dragon, the AI representative of the Ultraman Empire from Nebula M78. At the request of Warrior Diga, I am now communicating with the Celestial Empire of Earth. Will you form an alliance with the Ultraman Empire? If you agree, give a sign."

The announcement sent the country into a frenzy—and the world as well.

Meanwhile, Yongzhu, who had just blasted off in a rocket and was now hovering in midair, was left utterly dumbfounded by the news.

Now, stuck between earth and sky, what was he supposed to do?