Chapter 29: Open the Door! Free Trade!

He carried his case to the side. Before he could even open it, a sharp intake of breath and a gasp of "Whoa... holy crap!" came from the cockatoo-haired man beside him.

Yuan Zhu was instantly drawn by the commotion and hurried over to look.

Lu Rang was holding a firearm he didn't recognize high above his head with both hands, aiming it at the chandelier. He was admiring the metallic sheen reflecting off its matte surface, emitting satisfied, guttural noises like, "Oh, yeah... ah, oh..."

Firearms—the collective dream of a billion boys on Earth (excluding the protagonists of school shootings in the States).

Looking away, Yuan Zhu couldn't wait to open his own case. A rifle of an unrecognizable model lay diagonally inside. In the upper right corner were four full magazines and two boxes of ammunition. In the lower left sat a pistol, also of an unknown make, with three magazines and a box of ammo.

Additionally, at the very bottom of the case lay a neatly folded set of clothing. The style was hard to discern, but the material was clearly high-end. As expected of the god who reigns over children’s luxury fashion in the Nightmare Layer; he doesn't do anything halfway. Resting atop the clothes was a row of melon-shaped hand grenades, placed there perhaps to bless them or suppress bad luck.

"King Fluff," I approve of you!

But why would any god promoting a clothing brand in an alien world need to use firearms and grenades? Could the "strategy" in brand strategy actually be literal? Wasn't it supposed to be about wits, not life-or-death combat?

Besides the two guns, three boxes of ammo, and the row of little "melons," there was also a short blade that could double as a long dagger. And... a mouse, lying quietly on top of a magazine?

A mouse? A mouse again! Yuan Zhu felt cursed by mice; they were everywhere he went!

A demon with a mouse head, mummies turned into surveillance cameras, sachets hanging on neighbors' doors, living batteries drained by Holy Light physicians... and now, it had spawned in his starter pack.

Is it because I was reincarnated as a cat that I must face mice at every turn?

"Ah!"

He wasn't the only one harboring hostility toward the mouse. Mai Lili, the "Bread Girl" who had also opened her case, shrieked the moment she saw the mouse lounging comfortably on her magazine.

In truth, the mice themselves weren't frightening. Everyone’s case contained a cute, carefully selected mouse with soft fur, all treated to look adorable. The true horror lay in the brutal, secondary modifications they had undergone.

The otherwise cute mouse heads had one-third of their skulls hollowed out and replaced with mechanical parts. Half of the cranium and the eye socket had been transformed into a mix of flesh and metal—a "flesh-is-weak, machine-ascension" aesthetic, reminiscent of a cybernetic prosthesis. It wasn't quite Cyberpunk, but it was definitely Dieselpunk (gears and springs).

Beyond the partially mechanical skull, a steel rod had been violently driven into the center of the crown, with visible welding marks. Upon closer inspection, it was actually a retractable miniature metal antenna.

As for the mouse's body, its spine was pierced and held firmly in place by an exoskeleton resembling a face-hugger. A spider-like insectoid skeleton was deeply embedded in the flesh, strangling it from behind while driving sharp, jointed bone-spikes into its chest from the front.

Just looking at it was cult-classic and ascetic—a real "Hellraiser" vibe. Truly a "Hell Cenobite Mouse."

The gear-antenna head, the biopunk-modified body, and the pollution alert that made the *Immortal Sutra* scream all pointed to the extraordinary nature of these creatures.

Meng Xiyue was the first to grab her "Teletubby" mouse, pinning the rotatable head with two fingers and pulling the antenna to its full length. As she twisted her wrist, the mouse's semi-mechanical head turned, allowing the antenna to adjust with fluid precision.

She asked, "Leader, what are the functions of this device? How does it help with our mission?"

The leader replied, "It has been imprinted with multiple transcendental spells and modifications. It is a precious enchanted item containing a miniature Elemental Heart, providing up to a month of power. It possesses three passive effects: 'Anti-Tracking, Anti-Divination, and Minor Mental Resistance.' It also supports medium-to-short-range voice communication, which requires binding to your mental frequency. Additionally, it features basic functions like data storage and exchange, photography, video recording, and surveillance."

The pink-haired girl exclaimed, "Wow! This is amazing. I’ve never even seen luxury goods of this caliber at the Academy."

Lu Rang, the colorful-haired man, asked, "Sister Yue, is this ugly mouse worth a lot?"

"Worth a lot? You couldn't buy this on the open market if you tried! I’ve never heard of any device or modified mouse that can handle medium-range communication, let alone one modified to be this compact. It’s a work of art! All the communication equipment on the market right now is stationary."

Lu Rang protested, "What if it exists and you just haven't come across it?"

"Hmph... I live in Taixi, not Runing. Taixi International University is at the absolute forefront of international academia. If I haven't heard of it, it’s definitely not a commercial product open to the general public, so don't even dream of it."

The hick from Runing lowered his noble rainbow-colored mohawk in shame. He gripped the slightly deformed mouse in his hand, swearing to make something of himself so people would look at him with respect.

Yuan Zhu also grabbed his own cold, hard exoskeleton-Teletubby and asked curiously, "How do you use this thing?"

The leader said, "Don't be impatient, everyone. First, put on your 'Happy Home' uniforms. Although 'King Fluff' is the god of children’s luxury fashion, he possesses unique authority in the realm of 'fabric' and can produce adult clothing as well. This uniform is not only made of precious materials and styled with chic, modern designs, but it also contains transcendental abilities to help you complete your mission smoothly."

"What effects?"

"Beyond basic pollution resistance, pistol-caliber defense, cut and puncture protection, and minor fire resistance, it is breathable, warm, waterproof, and elastic. Finally, when needed, you can actively overdraw your physical stamina to let the uniform take over part of your nervous system, temporarily enhancing your speed, strength, and defense. However, since you are the ones operating it, be careful; lack of experience can easily lead to strains, sprains, and soft tissue injuries."

After listening, Yuan Zhu was deeply impressed by the extravagance of "Happy Home." Not only did they provide weapons and grenades, but also mouse-intercoms and strength-enhancing clothing.

With this setup, he could clear the first stage of any traditional Infinite-style horror game.

Next, the leader opened seven private bedrooms. They weren't large, but each had a bed for rest. After changing into the uniform, the fabric seemed to come alive, automatically tightening and adjusting to his exact measurements.

Yuan Zhu looked in the mirror. The material, the cut, the effect... he had to admit it.

The little spirit spoke up decisively: "I must say, Boss, you are a natural clothes hanger. You look absolutely dashing! Your looks crush every male in 'Happy Home.' I've never seen anyone more handsome than you!"

"Modesty, modesty," Yuan Zhu said, waving his hand with restraint while desperately suppressing the corners of his mouth, which were curving upward more sharply than an AK-47. His gaze fell upon a fashion magazine tucked under his uniform.

He opened it to find pages filled with "King Fluff" luxury children's clothing photoshoots. Different civilizations, different styles, different cuts... the models included handsome little boys and girls, some sweet, some cool, some sporty, some scholarly...

Furthermore, there were separate sections for luxury children's leather shoes, watches, earrings, belts, and bags... Each item was as expensive as a work of art; they weren't for children at all!

They were clearly not intended for commoners. He had lived this long and had never seen a fashion magazine like this. Only true aristocratic clans could afford such things. All the clothes he and his brother owned combined weren't worth as much as a single pair of "authentic dinosaur-skin shoes" from the book.

Could it be that the mission was to storm in with semi-automatic rifles and grenades, forcing the natives to watch this magazine, pick out exorbitantly priced luxury children's clothing, and pay cash?!

"Isolationist policies? Open up! East India Company, free trade! Fire in the hole!"

Ha, now that had the right flavor.