Outer District

There wasn't just one clone. On the screen, a dozen or so similar-looking clones, some excited, some secretly pleased, and some pretending to be calm, were being driven towards a castle-like place by luxury cars and beautiful women.

The castle is surrounded by a green photography studio.

"The last episode of Channel 4's 'The Domineering CEO Falls in Love with Me' didn't get high ratings, so this time they're planning to do something a little more exciting."

The young man with the cigarette pointed to the number of people in the upper left corner of the screen, which read 13.

"After this program, this number will become 1."

"To be honest, it's not very interesting. It's better to watch the Fugitive Game on Cloud TV. Put those freaks selected from the colonies into a death game and let them kill each other. That's bloody, violent, and exciting!"

The senior engineer glanced out the window and saw a light drizzle of electronic rain falling from the sky and hitting the window. Electronic rain is different from ordinary rain; once it falls on something, it produces a "same color effect".

In an instant, gray rain, bronze rain, and red rain splashed everywhere, creating a dazzling and wondrous spectacle.

The car fell silent once again.

After a moment, the young man with the cigarette in his mouth spoke again.

"Because the butcher is paying an unusually large sum this time, I've decided to give you a few survival guides for the city that never sleeps for free. Of course, it's up to you whether you listen or not."

"Tell me about it," the senior engineer said, turning his head.

"First, never trust Google, never click on any Google, that thing is just a contract of servitude for big companies."

"Secondly, murder is allowed, robbery is allowed, and going to jail is allowed, but there is one thing: do not violate the laws of Mechanical City."

"Isn't murder illegal?" Ono asked blankly.

The young man with the cigarette ignored the other person and extended his third finger.

"Thirdly, you can offend anyone, but don't offend Cyber Hacker."

"Very useful advice."

The senior engineer agreed and then closed his eyes. After spending nearly 10 days in the dark bottom of the ship, even he was somewhat exhausted. The "senior engineer's younger brother" sitting in the front seat had already started snoring away.

Only the sounds of snoring and the occasional patter of rain could be heard.

After an unknown amount of time, the young man with the cigarette in his mouth spoke again, "We've arrived in the city."

The senior engineer opened his eyes and found that Ono's head was almost sticking out of the window. There was a huge virtual projection, slowly unfolding her figure. This super beautiful girl was wearing a tank top, had pink hair, and her features were incredibly delicate. One finger was gently pressed on her pink lips.

"Idol's 999th live interactive concert, welcome to Pink Paradise~"

Not only Ono, but even the younger brother of the high-ranking official was stunned.

"Bite--"

[You are under the influence of subconscious control techniques; your willpower score exceeds 30 points.]

[Judgment successful, you have completed the exemption for 'Virtual Idol Adoru']

"Who is this girl?" the executive's younger brother asked blankly.

Ono's spirits lifted. "Aidoru, the most successful virtual idol, possesses 15 top-tier technological functions, including advanced intelligence, human-computer interaction, tactile adjustment, and a perfect personality. She is a symbol of new life."

"If only I could sleep with her."

Ono blushed and said, "How could you be so filthy?"

The younger brother of the high-ranking official glanced at Ono's crotch and snorted disdainfully, making Ono's face turn even redder.

"I remember someone saying that their purpose in coming to the city was to enjoy the experience of making love with their idol. That person wasn't you, was it?"

The Beetle passed under Adorno's feet, and the three of them looked up almost simultaneously, only to find the sky above them a mosaic of clouds.

"What a thick horse!" the senior engineer exclaimed. "It's simply imaginative."

"By the way, have you guys had cochlear implants?" the young man with a cigarette suddenly asked.

"What is a cochlea?" Ono asked blankly.

The young man with the cigarette pointed to his ears, where the area around his ears had clearly been modified, with rings of soundproofing.

"Remember, if you want to live in a city that never sleeps, three kinds of modifications are necessary."

"Ear modification, eye modification, reproductive system modification—if you don't undergo these three modifications, even if you're the son of the colonial governor, you won't be able to escape the bizarre and outrageous sights of this city."

"Since you don't have a cochlear implant, just cover your ears tightly. It's only a short distance anyway."

"Cover... your ears?"

The executive's younger brother turned around and found that the senior engineer and Xiao Ye in the back seat had obediently covered their ears.

The next moment, a series of virtual figures transformed into a human wave and crashed into the car.

"Hello, Beautiful Connect cordially invites you to participate in the experiment of 'moral templates,' a necessary stage in moving towards a great society."

A beautiful woman in a suit wearing purple lipstick bent over slightly, revealing a large expanse of fair skin.

Deep Image invites you to undergo top-tier facial feature design to reshape your image and redefine your beauty.

"The Nikon implant gives you a high-precision field of view and the ability to visually undress."

Are your kidneys not functioning well? Do you have lower back pain? Are you lacking energy? Synthetic gland extract will help you forget all your worries.

The latest virtual reality experience machine now offers the opportunity to use the likenesses of 106 male and female celebrities. Want to travel to Wushan with your idol?

The executive's younger brother was stunned, instantly overwhelmed by the visual wave. In his fantasy, he seemed to have become a big shot, with countless female secretaries, subordinates, and celebrities whispering in his ear. His soul seemed to float away to the heavens.

When he came to his senses, he found that Gao Gong and Ono were staring straight at him.

"W-What's wrong?"

"You just said 'yes' and 'agree' many times."

The executive's younger brother was stunned for a moment, realizing that his memory of what had just happened was very blurry, with only electronic contracts remaining in his mind.

"You're finished. Sixteen contracts. Unless you're DeepNet's favorite son, you can expect to be sold into servitude," the young man with a cigarette said gloatingly.

"These... these contracts can be terminated?"

Seeing the harsh conditions in these contracts, the executive's brother felt like dying.

"Sure."

Under the expectant gaze of the executive's younger brother, the young man with a cigarette in his mouth pulled a handgun from his storage bag.

"If you commit suicide now, you can still terminate the contract. But once the contract enters the execution period, you won't be able to die, because that would be a violation of the contract."

Looking at the gun muzzle with its dark metallic sheen, the executive's brother swallowed hard, trembling all over.

Ono couldn't bear it and said, "Brother, don't you have a relative who's a high-level executive in virtual real estate? Ask him to think of a way."

"Yes, I have an older brother. I can ask him to help me."

For some reason, I said this with a lot of uncertainty.

The young man with the cigarette in his mouth suddenly slammed on the brakes, stopping the car at an intersection. The highway was teeming with people, and everyone seemed to be being chased by dogs. Although the anti-gravity taxi didn't make a sound, the wind it generated howled like ghosts, which, combined with the gloomy weather, made it particularly eerie.

"So, how's it going in heaven?" the young man with a cigarette grinned.

Ono and the executive's younger brother exchanged a glance. For some reason, they felt extremely tired shortly after arriving in the city.

"After exiting the highway, walk straight ahead to reach the Xiazhongcheng District, which is both a business area and a safe zone."

"Since you've been somewhat obedient, here's one last piece of advice: if you're afraid of dying, don't go to the old town; if you're willing to die, don't go to the outer city."

The young man with the cigarette flicked the cigarette butt away, and the ground automatically cracked open, sucking the cigarette butt in.

Then he turned his car around and disappeared into the sea of cars.

Through the window, you could see Ono and the executive's younger brother talking about something, seemingly having a disagreement. A moment later, the two ran off in opposite directions through the rain and quickly disappeared into the vast expanse of water.

Having just met by chance, the senior engineer didn't intend to say much. He touched his arm and said, "It's a bit cold."

This is a damp cold, not a dry cold.

"That's just how the environment is. You'll get used to it after a while," the young man said, handing over a document that was surprisingly made of paper.

"All the important stuff is here. These old projects are becoming increasingly rare, and you might be among the last batch."

The folder contained a chip plug-in, a key, a photo, and a stack of documents.

The document contains information regarding the placement of children of employees at the Machinery City.

"Wasn't it supposed to be a company?"

"No, the positions for rehiring family members of employees were all snapped up long ago."

The senior engineer picked up the photo again. It was of a pale-faced girl, and what was striking was her eyes—large and white, just like Sadako's.

As for his age, he is around sixteen years old.

Anyway, it's definitely not going to be my daughter.

The senior engineer picked up the chip again.

"This is your electronic ID card. You insert it into a small hole and it will keep you safe at night."

The senior engineer looked up, gazing at the city center that seemed to recede into the distance.

"Aren't we going to the city center?"

"The upper and middle urban areas are the brainwashing zone, while the lower and middle urban areas are the business zone. Unauthorized body modifications are illegal in most urban areas. Do you want to get your water meter checked?"

"Is the place we went to legal?"

"Of course it's not illegal in the outer city and the old city; those are free zones."

"Are we going to the old town or the outer town now?"

"Outer city area".

"Oh, what a dangerous place."

Gradually, the highway became more and more winding, and more and more strange buildings appeared, giving the engineer the feeling that this place seemed to have been completely unplanned.

"The place you went to is Hanging Street. Although it's in the outer city, it's very close to the old city. Don't wander around unnecessarily. The underground clinic we prepared for you is there. Also, the person you adopted lives there."

"Try to stay in the outer city. There are many gangs there, but they generally won't target the cyborg doctor. The old city is different; there are more monsters there. I'll send you here."

The young man stepped on the brakes, stopped the car in front of a mobile stall, set the car to autopilot, and got out.

The Beetle reversed and returned the way it came.

"Are you coming with me?" the senior engineer asked.

"Forget it, with my identity, I'm afraid I'll get hacked to death," the young man said, gripping his pistol and chuckling. "Anyway, welcome to the City That Never Sleeps."

He then pointed the gun at his temple, and with a 'bang,' a corpse fell to the ground.

A vendor nearby caught his eye and jogged over, shouting, "Kid, it's a steal! You have to give me half of this ripe cut!"

The senior engineer flipped open the other person's head, but didn't see a brain-computer interface. He frowned and muttered to himself.

"Brain hacking? I never expected it to be a Cyber Hacker."

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