Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 242 - 216: The Change of the World

Chapter 242: Chapter 216: The Change of the World

After enduring a tremendous output, Kanako had lost the ability to respond; she could only roll her eyes back and collapse weakly onto the tatami in the back of the carriage, her breath slightly rushed.

Often, Kanako did things for profit or simply to survive. But at this moment, it was completely different; she daringly gave herself up to feel joy, to seek her own personal happiness.

She fell in love with this feeling and wanted more. She liked her lover, liked this fiery burst of passion that left all the annoying incidents and contradictions behind, unable to catch up with her.

The air inside the carriage was hot and dry, filled with Kanako’s scent.

Xu Yang opened the car’s wine cabinet, poured himself a glass of mild red wine, tasted it, and then dragged a cushion over from the middle of the carriage. He leaned against the pillow, sipped his wine, and felt an endless vitality coursing through him.

Senzoune made herself visible again, turning on the roof light to illuminate the surrounding beach, and then opened the door and ran to nearby Chengxia Town to shop.

After a while, Kanako slowly came to. She sat up, turned up the volume of the music, and started speaking with Xu Yang.

This car, this small space, was also a place for Xu Yang to empty his mind. They understood each other well and didn’t talk about any troublesome matters. They didn’t discuss the company, economic crises, wars, or contradictions in human relationships. Instead, they talked about types of flowers, the taste of alcohol, the books they had read, and celebrities on the internet.

The car was parked on the beach, leaving two neat tracks. The sky was overcast with thick clouds, the stars hidden, the darkness around them silent, and the sound of the waves constant and soothing, like the performance of a tranquil musician.

They dressed simply and got out of the car, making their way towards the sea. Kanako was barefoot, and Xu Yang rolled up the legs of his trousers. The night tide rose and fell slowly, cold on their feet, but their skin would soon adapt to the temperature of the sea water.

Looking around, the other end of the sea was lined by a long anti-pollution dike, massive in scale and half-circular, keeping mountains of trash at bay, and sending filtered and disinfected seawater to the shore.

"The world is so big!" Kanako stood in the sea, overjoyed, arms spread wide.

"Yes... There are so many new and interesting things waiting for us to experience," Xu Yang said as he walked into the sea. Due to the anti-pollution dike holding back the seawater, the water remained shallow even hundreds of meters into the sea, only reaching their knees.

"If you hadn’t been willing to trust me and give me the command of the Shuttle Machine," Kanako said, "I think I would never have known how capable I am!"

"No, even without me, you would have understood one day," Xu Yang said. "You are Kojima Kanako after all!"

Kojima Kanako laughed.

"Mom has rewarded me with so much," she said. "An abundance of money—now I can really stand on my own!"

"So, does that mean you have the chance to inherit Xisheng?" Xu Yang asked curiously.

"Actually, it doesn’t matter who inherits Xisheng," Kanako looked into the distance. "Xisheng Group has developed to this point; no matter who becomes its leader, it will not fall. We have already established an organizational structure that can withstand tests. No matter who is in charge, its development trajectory won’t change... That’s what a ’company’ is. A company is the most excellent, efficient, and adaptable economic organizational form we have designed for this era. Any production and economic activity cannot be separated from the intervention of a company. It’s people who need companies, not the other way around."

"So," Xu Yang pondered, "Honma Noriko must have other criteria for selecting a successor."

"Right, the only criterion is... to become her," Kanako turned to Xu Yang. "The company already has fixed statutes and a huge internal interest system. At this point, the will and wisdom of the Chief Executive Officer herself is inconsequential. Mom needs someone who has the same style and habits as her; she wants to watch another version of herself take over Xisheng."

"And you will not become a person like your mother," Xu Yang observed Kanako. "I haven’t met Honma Noriko, but I bet you’re vastly different from her."

"Yes, but I don’t know whether that’s good or bad," Kanako said, walking back toward the vehicle. "I feel that if I were to handle things according to Mom’s character and style, it would reduce the pressure on me. Actually, I still hope Mom can hang on, so Xisheng will endure and the whole world won’t change."

"The change of the world is not subject to one or two people’s thoughts." Xu Yang walked beside Kanako.

"Why?" Kanako turned her head.

"Just like you just exclaimed—the world is really big," Xu Yang said. "It’s too big, so the will of one or two people simply can’t sway the greater trends."

"History may prove you’re right, but right now you can’t prove it," Kanako said.

"We’ll see the answer in our lifetime," Xu Yang shook his head.

"Xisheng Group isn’t ’just one or two people’," Kanako leaned against the car, "our headquarters alone has 168,000 employees, and there are even more in branches all over the world."

By that time, Senzoune had already returned. She had just gone to a shopping street nearby in Chengxia Town to buy beer, barbecue, and fruits. When they came back, she conveniently brought them over.

"My modest success," Kanako opened a can of beer, "is inseparable from Farosa."

"Did your mother agree? Does she want to become a Witch?"

"Of course she does, though it’s still in the exploratory stage. Luckily, I can do the planning, and everything is under my control," Kanako explained. "... Also, I’ve come across an interesting name, ’Xylophia,’ which is somewhat related to Farosa. You could mention this name to Farosa and see her reaction."

"I’ve made a note of it," Xu Yang implied, "So about that Witch Researcher you were helping us find, there must be some progress, right?"

"For sure." Kanako took Xu Yang back to the car to continue, "She should be on her way here by now."

On the other side, at Kyoto Infinity’s Z1 Research Institute.

A single order had changed Miyazato Kazama’s destiny.

Miyazato Kazama once had a simple and happy family until her Magic Circuit was detected in kindergarten. She was swiftly recruited by Kyoto Infinity, severed from her biological family.

Because she had no clear direction for magic application, she was categorized as a Witch Researcher. To survive, she was forced to partake in complex, strenuous study and tests. After undergoing a complete academic training, she awaited her assignment to one of Kyoto Infinity’s research institutes.

The existence of "Witch Researchers" reflected the most significant structural exploitation of Witches by humans.

Generations of Witch Researchers went through fire and water for the advancement of technology. Their names and accomplishments unknown, their results and benefits co-opted by companies. Despite the inhuman abuse and enslavement, they explored and established research regulations and institutional standards through their blood and tears, achieving numerous technological breakthroughs that humanity possesses today.

To inherit the research results of countless generations of Witch Researchers, to pick up their progress, and to climb further on the technological journey they created, Miyazato Kazama yearned to become an outstanding research personnel. She sought to excel in earnest technological development and make her efforts beneficial to the world.

However, her dream was also crumbling, bit by bit.

After joining the Z1 Research Institute, she was involved in military research and design, but everything here did not sit well with Miyazato Kazama.

Under the company system, the institute’s efficiency and the marketability of the products were interconnected; technologies with high initial testing costs and distant market realization were shelved. Only projects that could realize short-term profits survived.

Military products were no different. Miyazato Kazama longed for challenging work, but the current conservative development plans couldn’t harness her talents at all. She felt trapped in a bizarre cycle of life, going in circles forever.

Moreover, many Witch Researchers, in order to escape the tedious and painful basic research positions, gradually gave up their pursuit of technology and chose to focus on developing personal image and ability to attract attention instead.

Rotten to the core—that was Miyazato Kazama’s impression of the Z1 Research Institute.

Even as a Level 2 Science Officer, she was herded around like an animal.

Every day, she reported to work at 8 a.m. A comprehensive management system for performance made her feel like she was in prison. The system monitored her facial expressions, body posture, and level of psychological activity in real-time. If these were deemed to be "slacking" or "dissenting," an immediate report was issued, demanding that she maintain a smile, proper posture, and productivity.

With a 12-hour work schedule, she would clock out at 8 p.m. However, the director often convened meetings lasting up to two hours, and everyone had to attend to know what to do the next day. By the time she returned to her dorm, it was past 10 p.m. Exhausted, she wanted nothing but sleep, with no energy left to learn or think about anything beyond work.

A series of demands and discipline transformed all her colleagues into identical cogs in the labor machine, while Miyazato Kazama was still bouncing up and down, colliding everywhere.

She lashed out at her docile colleagues, confronted her superiors, and fiercely challenged everything she disapproved of in her own way, like a thorny bomb. The world antagonized her, and she lashed back, venting her resentment in this manner.

Yet, even so, Miyazato Kazama had reached the end of her research career.