Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 978: Section 638: Dream Light Year (Part 3)

Chapter 978: Section 638: Dream Light Year (Part 3)

After finishing his drink, Malin slumped back with Spiritual Energy as his makeshift backrest. The millennium-old freak, who looked like a beautiful teenage girl, gazed at the massive screen in front of him, currently playing an advertisement.

Two thousand years later, Carterburg seemed to have transformed into a sprawling mega-city combining commerce and tourism. Malin walked past countless shopping streets, with skyscrapers bearing the names of corporate conglomerates everywhere.

On the screen was a sheep-person, possibly one of Lillim’s kids—or perhaps not. Anyway, the child was the star of the show, broadcasting this year’s New Year greetings.

"A hundred years have passed since the Final War, and peace between Westland and Eastland has lasted a century. Humanity has joined hands to embark on a new journey once more. On this occasion of Eastland’s New Year, I, as the son of a Carterburg civic protector, wish all Eastland-born citizens a happy New Year."

The last three words were spoken in Thainan’s language, and Malin smugly crossed his legs.

You see, sometimes a man’s happiness is that simple and straightforward.

The New Year greetings ended, followed by a public service announcement urging people not to discard used Demon Crystal batteries from Demon Crystal cars indiscriminately. The casing, if damaged, would pollute the soil with its crystal energy.

Huh, so that’s a thing. Better jot this down in the diary so the girls remember it.

As Malin pondered this, the scene shifted to a snow-covered Carterburg. A half-starved traveler trudged down the deserted streets, only to spot a seemingly operational shop. Without hesitation, he sprinted inside.

Just when Malin thought a maid might offer the unfortunate traveler full service, the screen revealed a giant in a maid outfit standing behind the counter. The colossal receptionist welcomed the traveler and attended to his request.

Well, giants can wear maid outfits too, Malin mused, squinting at the ad.

The screen transitioned to the kitchen, where an elf and a cat-person in chef attire were busy cooking.

Another cut showed a maid-uniformed half-human and a tuxedo-clad Domestic Fairy pushing food-laden trolleys over to the traveler.

The ad’s final shot froze on the overstuffed traveler, who gave the camera a thumbs-up as various store employees of all sizes smiled brightly behind him.

It seemed like a perfectly normal restaurant advertisement—if you overlooked the fact that all the performers were male. Yes, every single one of them, including the giant. Not to mention the text at the bottom of the screen: "Welcome to Royal Avenue, No. 1705. Big Bird Spin Emporium—serving every soul braving the winter of their hearts." Yeah, right!

Damn it! Malin crushed the empty can of his second drink in one hand and tossed it into the trash bin nearby.

That’s it! My eyes and ears are ruined! This capitalist cyberpunk hellscape has humanity twisted and greedy—and even my Carterburg has fallen victim! Just wait, I’ll find out which little bastard owns this place and slaughter their old man back home!

No more of this! Malin stood up angrily and was about to call for his vehicle when he saw someone snatch a bag and flee across the street. The elderly woman whose purse had been stolen collapsed on the ground, maybe having hit her head in the fall. She lay motionless.

Malin took a step forward.

A second later, he stood before the offender. Catching the man’s kicking right shin with his left hand, Malin used his strength to slam the thief’s left leg into a perfect split. In the next instant, the man dropped to the ground, letting out an earth-shattering scream.

Retrieving the handbag, Malin landed a kick that silenced not only the man’s screams but also any teeth he’d lost. Turning toward the crowd, Malin’s gaze locked on a group of strangely dressed punks who had just emerged.

"What do you want?" Malin asked.

"Kill this arrogant bastard!" roared a bald guy with a QR code tattooed on his forehead.

As he finished speaking, the guy pulled a gun from his waistband.

Ah, wonderful—he’s using a gun now.

Malin squinted, and the bald man, without hesitation, pressed the gun to Malin’s temple and pulled the trigger.

The other three punks—who were still reaching for their weapons or barely touching their holsters—froze like statues on the spot.

Then, a blond punk, unwilling to yield, drew his gun and pointed it at his crotch.

"No! You’re a Spiritual Energy master! Please don’t!" he begged, but Malin watched as the punk slowly yet resolutely pulled the trigger.

This time, a long, piercing wail reverberated through everyone’s ears.

A pink-haired punk brandished his weapon, shouting, "I’m not scared of you! I’ve got a Spiritual Energy isolation plugin! Bring it on!"

With that, he emptied every bullet in his magazine.

Malin raised his hand and curled his finger. The eleven bullets halted in midair before conglomerating into a liquid form. They splashed onto the pink-haired guy’s face, scalding him so severely that he passed out on the spot.

The last punk—a woman with a half-shaved yin-yang hairstyle—raised both hands and fell to her knees immediately. "Please don’t kill me! I didn’t even draw my gun!"

Malin nodded and turned around, grabbing the iron pipe the now-sprawled thief had yanked from the roadside fence. With a sharp glint in his eye, Malin sent the thief flying backward, his body breaking into another perfect split as he crashed to the ground. This time, sliding for over twenty meters on his prostate, he finally landed unconscious, eyes rolled back.