Dual Worlds: I Have a Doomsday World

Liu Xuan made her decision with just a glance at Lin Qi.

"Little Sister Qinghe, let’s forget about betting the S-Class Potion. Lin Qi just became an S-Class Pharmaceutical Researcher, and I don’t want to put too much pressure on him."

Liu Xuan made an excuse to reject Xu Qinghe’s proposal.

Xu Qinghe glanced at Liu Xuan, then at Lin Qi. She didn’t press the issue, simply saying reluctantly, "Fine, let’s just forget it then."

Xu Qinghe looked disappointed. She had been hoping that, with a bit of luck, she could win back the S-Class Potion she had lost before!

Her expression didn’t last long. Her attention was quickly captured by the venue’s announcer:

"This round of the Super Lotto is closing soon! We’ve got the Champion Lotto, the Finalist Lotto, and the most thrilling of all, the Death Lotto! The minimum bet is one hundred Credit Points, so what are you waiting for? Your chance to get rich overnight is here!"

The mood in the arena intensified. It was Xu Qinghe’s first time watching a formula dogfight, a thrilling event that didn’t exist in the Eastern Alliance.

Xu Qinghe immediately pulled out her personal terminal, connected it to the one in the VIP room, and placed her bet.

’Death Lotto... I’ll bet on ninety-nine deaths!’

Seeing the ten-to-one odds, Xu Qinghe’s eyes lit up, and she immediately wagered a million Credit Points.

Lin Qi watched quietly without trying to stop her or participating himself.

...

Later that afternoon, on the way to Liu’s Prototype Machine Exhibition Hall, Xu Qinghe was still chattering nonstop:

"Too bad only ninety-eight died. I was so close to winning ten million Credit Points. Another million down the drain."

"That really is a shame."

Liu Li stuck to the task Liu Xuan had assigned her, chatting with Xu Qinghe.

Liu Li felt no real emotion, responding to Xu Qinghe mechanically.

Thankfully, the awkward small talk didn’t have to last long, as the group finally arrived at Liu’s Prototype Machine Exhibition Hall.

As a former Prosthetic Engineering researcher at the Weapon Research Institute, Liu Li—despite having gotten the job through connections—could recognize most of the Liu Clan’s products. This place was, just barely, her home turf.

And so, the heiress of Liu’s Heavy Industries took on the role of tour guide, leading the group on a tour and providing commentary.

As they passed one prototype machine after another, Lin Qi found himself completely absorbed.

It was a testament to Liu’s Heavy Industries’ journey from a normal company to a major corporation, as well as a history of the development of Prosthetic Engineering itself.

While Liu’s Heavy Industries didn’t represent the entire discipline of Prosthetic Engineering, Lin Qi could still extrapolate the larger trends. These prototypes offered a glimpse into nearly a century of evolution in the field.

"I have a question I don’t get. In Prosthetic Engineering, what do the five letters M, L, A, S, and X mean? Why are they in that order? Wouldn’t it be better to use letters like A, B, C, D, and E to correspond to Tiers One through Five of the Extraordinary?"

The question arose unconsciously as Xu Qinghe listened to Liu Li’s explanations.

This was a question Xu Qinghe had had for a long time, but back then, her confusion had been about the Level classification for Potions, and she had asked her father about it.

Her father’s reply was:

After all, Prosthetic Body development was the first to mature in the Cyber World, so other industries eventually followed its lead.

The Level classification for Potions was simply copied from that established industry standard.

This system of Levels seemed to have been created by a native English speaker, but most Pharmaceutical Researchers had decent English, and she couldn’t for the life of her understand the meaning behind those letters.

Liu Li couldn’t answer the question.

She subconsciously looked toward Lin Qi.

’As a high-Level researcher in Prosthetic Engineering, surely Lin Qi would know, right?’

When Lin Qi saw Liu Li’s silent plea for help, he froze up as well.

’A total blind spot in my knowledge!’

Lin Qi had studied at Liu’s Academy since he was a child, learning the fundamentals of engineering and all sorts of principles.

Mechanics, drafting, engineering design, software applications...

But "History of Prosthetic Engineering" wasn’t a subject offered at Liu’s Academy.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have found himself so captivated by the parade of primitive, outdated prototypes. It was the evolutionary process they represented that had drawn him in.

Seeing Lin Qi was a bit flustered, Liu Xuan finally stepped forward.

Liu Xuan explained, "The Level standards for Prosthetic Engineering were jointly established by several Intercontinental Giant Corporations, including the Cyber Body Company, the Intercontinental Military Large War Prosthetic Company... a total of four Intercontinental Giant Corporations in all."

"The Intercontinental Giant Corporations never revealed the origin of the letters used for the Levels. We large corporations simply follow their standards in our designs and production."

Xu Qinghe’s mouth hung slightly open. She nodded, then asked, "Hasn’t anyone ever guessed the truth?"

Liu Xuan fell silent for a moment before continuing, "Actually, there have been theories. It’s said that the Cyber Body Company led the initiative to create the industry standard back in the day. And rumor has it that before the founder of the Cyber Body Company got into the Prosthetic Body business, he made his start in the fashion industry."

"He thought that using A, B, C, D, and E for Levels was a bit tacky, and that using numbers one through five didn’t differentiate between Prosthetic Bodies and the Extraordinary. So, he just used clothing sizes for the Levels."

After speaking, Liu Xuan paused again before adding, "This is just a rumor, and it’s most likely false. As juniors in the Prosthetic Body industry, we shouldn’t make malicious assumptions about the intentions of its pioneers. Perhaps they had more to consider back then."

Liu Xuan was speaking her true thoughts. She didn’t believe the standards for the Prosthetic Body industry could have been set so carelessly. She especially didn’t believe that the four industry giants would have agreed to such an absurd classification for the Levels.

’There must be a deeper meaning!’

’The four giants were no amateur operation!’

Xu Qinghe fell silent upon hearing Liu Xuan’s words.