RNP Page 30
Page 30
When the image of this symbol was projected, fully and with unwavering conviction, onto the vibrating foundation—
hum!
The violent tremors throughout the entire space seemed to have been paused, instantly coming to a standstill!
Immediately afterwards, tiny specks of light silently appeared on the largest and flattest concrete wall at the very center and highest point of that magnificent concrete core structure.
The light flowed and condensed, and finally, according to Zhang Su's vision, it etched the symbol with unparalleled precision and solemnity—a concentric ring of silver-gray and dark blue, guarding the dark gray triangle at the center that emanated an invisible force field!
The moment the symbol took shape, a vast, ancient yet newfound sense of identity and belonging swept through Zhang Su's consciousness like a warm torrent.
The cornerstone fully embraced his identity as the "Director of the Curtain Cornerstone Administration" and the symbolism he bestowed upon it.
The gate to the core opened silently and slowly beneath the sign.
Inside the door is a bright and deep space. Although there is no decoration, its sheer size and square geometric design are enough to inspire awe!
[Highest authority anchoring complete!] Yuan Shu's voice rang out, tinged with excitement: [User Zhang Su, Director of the Curtain Foundation Management Bureau, welcome home!]
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Rejoice! After 26 chapters of storyline, the organization has finally been established!
***Clap! (Applause!)
Volume 1: Chapter 27: The Director's Office
The cold concrete door slid open silently, revealing a warm and mysterious light behind it.
Zhang Su stood at the door and took a deep breath.
This time, there was no invisible repulsive force field, and no annoying paradox of "always just one step away".
The cornerstone... or rather, the current Curtain Cornerstone Administration, is opening its arms to him.
He could sense an indescribable "emotion"—not human emotion, but a grand, silent sense of "acceptance" with a hint of new life, like an ancient glacier feeling the warmth of the sun for the first time.
Zhang Su subconsciously straightened the collar of his clothes, which had been tattered in the sea of blood and battle, but had been miraculously repaired by the Foundation Domain two seconds earlier. Or rather, the Foundation Domain had reshaped it according to his subconscious belief in the "decency a director should have."
He straightened his back, a surge of unprecedented sense of mission mixed with the excitement of exploration welling up within him. Head held high, he took that decisive step.
Footsteps echoed clearly and forlornly on the hard, cold, unadorned concrete ground.
He finally stepped into the core area of the cornerstone.
The scene that came into view made him pause slightly.
Before me lay a vast, immeasurably empty space.
The towering dome, constructed of rough concrete, seems to support the weight of the entire world, while the rough pillars, like the ribs of an ancient giant, extend with an absolute geometric sense of power into the unseen depths of darkness.
The walls, floors, and ceilings are all made of the most original and authentic gray concrete, without any decoration or partitions, just an endless, cold, and monotonous bare space.
The light spread out from nowhere, even and pale, with an industrial indifference, immersing everything in an eternal gray tone.
“This…” Zhang Su looked around, the vast space bringing a suffocating sense of oppression and… a hint of disappointment.
"This is the interior of the foundation? It's so unfinished!" he couldn't help but complain inwardly. "It's like a huge, unfinished underground parking lot. According to my understanding before I transmigrated, the lobby of the Administration's headquarters should at least have a grand reception area, several rows of stylishly designed lounge chairs for visitors to wait, some abstract art paintings on the walls to enhance the style, several huge floor-to-ceiling windows to let in light, and a few potted green plants to decorate this lifeless gray..."
His thoughts naturally sketched out the ideal lobby: a front desk with a heavy concrete core style, sharp angles yet smooth lines.
The matching geometric concrete seats have a smooth, polished surface and a cool, comfortable feel; the huge floor-to-ceiling windows are not traditional glass, but a special material that acts as an energy barrier or allows light to pass through one direction, reflecting the eternally gray "sky" outside the foundational area or some kind of abstract flow of light and shadow.
The walls are etched with huge, simple, and mysterious geometric symbols or the Bureau's logo (silver-gray thin rings, dark blue bands, and dark gray triangles), emitting a faint glow; in the corner, several plants with strange shapes, thick leaves, and deep colors, similar to variants of dragon blood trees or large cacti, grow tenaciously in specially made concrete flower pots, injecting a touch of wild vitality into the absolutely rational space.
The moment this "renovation rendering" took shape in his mind—
Rumble, rumble!
The entire massive concrete space began to shake violently without warning!
Zhang Su subconsciously tensed up, but the expected collapse did not occur.
Instead, the ground beneath his feet, the surrounding walls, and the dome above him began to flow and reshape like living clay! The dull yet magnificent roar was not a sign of destruction, but rather... the prelude to creation!
He watched helplessly as:
Deep inside, directly opposite the entrance, rough concrete rises and shapes like a gushing spring, quickly solidifying into a massive, heavy, angular reception desk with a surface bearing the texture of primitive casting. Its height and volume convey the authority and sophistication befitting a mysterious organization.
On both sides of the reception desk and in the area slightly further away, solid concrete cubes rise rhythmically from the ground. Their surfaces are instantly polished smooth by an invisible force, forming a stylish and ergonomic array of rest seats. They strangely conform to the "function is form" principle in concrete core aesthetics.
The originally closed and monotonous side walls have silently "melted" into several huge, irregularly shaped "windows".
Instead of glass, there is a flowing, silvery-gray energy barrier, like solidified liquid metal, that gently and consistently lets in the dim, eternal light from the outside, illuminating the hall more clearly while maintaining the austere tone of the concrete core space.
On the towering concrete walls surrounding the hall, accompanied by a faint "sizzling" sound, the Bureau's logo—a silver-gray ring encircling a dark blue band, with a dark gray triangle emitting an invisible force field suspended in the center—was precisely etched out. Each one was enormous, emitting a faint, cold light, like a silent guardian, or a coordinate in space.
Next to the reception desk, in the corner of the seating area, and under the huge energy window, flower pots of various shapes, all made of concrete, quietly "grow" on the ground.
Immediately afterwards, soil emerged from the pot, and one after another, strangely shaped 'alien plants' with thick, leathery leaves, dark green to almost black or with dark red veins broke through the soil and stretched out at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Their presence does not disrupt the coldness and hardness of the space; on the contrary, their resilient life forms create a wonderful symbiosis with the Brutalist concrete, adding a touch of exotic and restrained vitality.
The tremors subsided in just over ten seconds.
A cold, magnificent, geometrically powerful and mysterious concrete-core style hall has replaced the previous empty shell!
It perfectly replicates the scene Zhang Su envisioned, even down to certain details. For example, the choice of plants and the lighting effects of the energy windows are more in line with the inhuman, eternal, and slightly alien aesthetic of the concrete core.
"My God..." Zhang Su opened his mouth wide and exclaimed in genuine amazement.
The scene before him exceeded his imagination; the Foundation's power was nothing short of a miracle!
"This...this is what it did? Just because I...thought for a moment?"
Yes, Chief.
Yuan Shu's voice rang out at the right time, and the way he was addressed had changed from 'you' and 'user' to 'director'.
[The core logic of the Cornerstone has identified and anchored you as the 'Director of the Curtain Cornerstone Administration,' granting you supreme authority. Within this domain, your will, especially your visions regarding the form and function of the Administration itself, will be prioritized and manifested by the Cornerstone as its highest command. As long as your identity remains, it will unconditionally obey you.]
"Unconditional obedience..." Zhang Su murmured, repeating these four words, a complex emotion instantly welling up in his heart.
Of course I'm happy; this right is just too awesome!
But what followed was a feeling of embarrassment.
He thought to himself, "Is this Keystone guy too naive? He was completely fooled by just a few words and a declaration of identity? He's really going to be completely devoted to me as his boss?"
He looked at the magnificent, cold hall before him, which had been transformed by his single thought, and felt that the cornerstone was like a naive yet powerful child who had entrusted him with all his trust and strength.
This unreserved trust is incredibly profound.
The astonishment on his face gradually faded, replaced by a solemn expression. He took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping across the hall shaped by his will, looking deeper into the profound space.
“The cornerstone,” he murmured to himself, as if making a vow to himself, “Since you trust me so much, then I, Zhang Su, hereby swear that I will never fail you! One day, I will make the name of the ‘Curtain Cornerstone Administration’ resound throughout the world! Let all living beings know that we are the curtain that separates the abnormal from reality, the cornerstone that protects order!”
As he spoke, an unprecedented surge of heroic ambition welled up in his heart.
Returning home is his primary goal, but at this moment, building and expanding this management bureau with Cornerstone at its core has become his second grand goal, which he is anchoring in this world and striving for!
Moreover, with this goal in mind, he can exercise his power as "director" with confidence and without any shame.
Once the idea took hold, he couldn't wait to have a "headquarters" that truly belonged to him.
“As the director…” Zhang Su began to fantasize in his mind again, “I need a private office. It needs to be big enough, with a wide view… Hmm, it needs to have a huge floor-to-ceiling ‘window’—also with that flowing silver-gray energy barrier, so that I can ‘see’ the unique, eternal gray sky or some kind of magnificent energy landscape outside the foundational domain.”
"The desk must be high-end and classy, crafted from a combination of dark, metallic specialty wood and cool concrete, with sharp lines and a wide enough desktop to function as a small conference table. It should be paired with an ergonomic executive chair upholstered in top-quality leather or similar comfortable materials, capable of 360-degree rotation and featuring adjustable support."
"The office should have floor-to-ceiling bookshelf walls on both sides, also a mixed structure of concrete and dark metal, which should not only hold the world's classics and occult archives, but also reserve space for all kinds of strange items and unusual research reports that I may collect in the future."
"A few potted plants with strong vitality should be placed in the corner for decoration. On the wall... hang a few 'abstract paintings' etched with energy, full of geometric beauty and mysterious symbols. Oh, and a display case, made of transparent material or an energy barrier, is also needed to display some trophies or anomaly samples with symbolic or research value."
“On the desk,” his vision became more detailed, “I need a… um—information processing terminal? Ideally, a core operating table that integrates holographic projection, a physical keyboard/touchscreen, and high-speed information processing, made of a material that blends into the desk itself, looking as if it grows out of the desktop.”
"There also needs to be a uniquely designed communicator nearby, capable of directly contacting various departments within the Administration Bureau... although there's no one using it yet. Perhaps in the future, it can even be used to connect to the outside world?"
"There should also be a document tray, a pen holder... inside which is a 'pen' made of condensed energy. A decorative item with a built-in precision clock and multi-functional environmental monitoring."
The moment he completed his design, the concrete wall behind the side of the hall silently "dissolved" and was reshaped, within his field of vision.
A heavy, solemn gate rose from the ground in seconds.
The door panels are not ordinary wood, but a special material with a dark brown color, natural wild texture, cold metal trim and mineral veins, which perfectly blends natural ruggedness with industrial power, and is the essence of concrete core aesthetics.
What made Zhang Su's heart skip a beat was that in the center of the door panel, a line of Chinese characters with a very modern design was etched in silver metal lines: Director's Office.
Still in Chinese!
Zhang Su was struck dumb, frozen on the spot, his pupils slightly contracting.
He stared intently at those four words, and an indescribable mix of bittersweetness and warmth instantly welled up in his nose.
The foundation... they even understood and presented this?
It not only reads his functional needs, but also touches his soul's deep longing for the symbol of "hometown"!
The depth of this "understanding" far exceeded his expectations.
He took a deep breath, suppressed his turbulent emotions, reached out, and grasped the cold, uniquely textured doorknob.
It felt solid to the touch, with the coolness of metal and the roughness of wood grain. He turned it gently.
"Click."
The door opened.
Behind the door was an equally large but more appropriately proportioned unfinished space, empty, cold, and primitive.
However, the very next second after Zhang Su stepped inside—
hum...
The entire space trembled as if it had been injected with life, and the "decoration" that was even faster and more precise than that of the hall began!
The entire wall directly opposite the door instantly "melted," replaced by a flowing energy barrier radiating a constant silver-gray light, revealing the vast, eternal, and strangely beautiful gray chaotic sky outside the foundational domain—this was the "huge floor-to-ceiling window" and "view outside the window" that Zhang Su had requested.
In the center of the room, a giant desk with a dark brown, wild wood grain and a cold gray metal frame appeared to grow rapidly from the ground. The desktop was wide and heavy, with sharp edges, exuding a calm and authoritative aura.
The matching director's chair sits behind the table, with a high back and sharp lines. The support structure, which conforms to the human body curves, is wrapped in a dark leather-like high-grade synthetic material, and the black and gold metal frame behind the backrest is eye-catching!
The walls on both sides of the office rise upwards, forming huge, floor-to-ceiling bookshelf grids. The materials are also a mixture of concrete and dark metal, and the deep shelves await to be filled with knowledge.
Space has been reserved next to the bookshelf for future placement of display cabinets.
Several oddly shaped concrete flowerpots rose from the ground in the corner, and several alien plants from Zhang Su's "design" instantly stretched out their branches and leaves, injecting a touch of vitality into the space with their deep green color.
On the wall, several blank areas were etched by an invisible carving knife into huge energy patterns full of geometric rhythms and unknown runes, like a dynamic mural, emitting a faint light.
In the center right of that huge desk, a simple yet futuristic silver-gray workbench slowly rose up. Its surface was as smooth as a mirror, with several dark blue energy lines flowing through it. It was clearly the core terminal that integrated holographic projection and information processing.
Next to the control panel, a communicator with a design resembling a combination of a retro radio and an abstract sculpture quietly appeared.
Inside a cube-shaped ornament made of transparent crystals and metal on the corner of the table, light and shadow flow, displaying precise time and complex energy readings.
In a short moment, a cold, luxurious office, full of the power of concrete and the atmosphere of futuristic technology, perfectly matching Zhang Su's imagination of his identity as "Director", was born in this miracle of creation.
Standing in the center of his office, Zhang Su surveyed the "power center" shaped by his will and realized by the power of its foundation. He felt a surge of pride, but also an unprecedented weight of responsibility on his shoulders.
At this moment, the Curtain Foundation Administration truly possessed its "heart" and "brain".
He walked to his desk, gently touched the surface with his hand, feeling the coolness of its texture, then walked to the director's exclusive ultra-high-end ergonomic chair, slowly sat down, and felt the ultimate comfort it brought... At this moment, he was already in a state of heightened mental alertness!
The journey of the Curtain Cornerstone Administration will begin here.
Volume 1: Chapter 28: Declaration of Birth
Zhang Su sank deeply into the comfortable director's chair, the coolness of the leather seeping through his clothes.
He closed his eyes and rested for a short while.
After a moment of silence, he called out in his mind:
"Yuanshu."
[Chief, I'm here.]
“The Foundation… how can I communicate with it directly, like talking to you? How can I invoke its power to break the Blood Ancestor’s illusion?” Zhang Su asked.
"The Cornerstone doesn't possess the ability to precisely translate abstract consciousness into language or text to convey it to you like I do, Director," Yuan Shu replied. "But like me, the Cornerstone's core...consciousness is always intimately connected to you—the highest authority within the Curtain Cornerstone Administration. This connection is essential, transcending conventional forms of communication. You only need to generate a 'thought' as before. It will understand."
"No wonder the cornerstone was decorated according to my ideas; it turns out it was connected to my consciousness," Zhang Su realized belatedly.
Yes. Just like now, you direct your thoughts towards it, and it understands. No language conversion is needed.