Sister

"As a law-abiding citizen of this city that never sleeps, which type of person do you worry about most? Is it the wandering serial killer smuggled from the colony, the homeless motorcyclists roaming the streets, or the heretics? The answer is now revealed..."

The "Evil Gang" announced it would impose controls on Da Long Street, Shui Huo Street, and Electronics Street. Their spokesperson stated that the Evil Gang is an idealistic organization whose goal is to dismantle the illusory utopian society and save the entire world from the cybernetic network.

"Beautiful Connectivity announced that the new 'Moral Module' has proven its effectiveness. If the council passes the bill, they will provide all citizens with this type of personality chip free of charge, which will effectively reduce the crime rate in the city that never sleeps."

Regarding the role of the ethics module, what are your thoughts, both guests?

"Doctor, what do you think of me?"

The senior engineer turned his head and looked at his patient, a woman in her thirties.

The reason why people prefer watching TV to watching married women is largely because the married women opposite them are really plain-looking.

"Ms. Zhao, I am a prosthetic doctor, not an emotional counselor. You asked me how to save your husband's heart, and I really can't do that."

"Doctor, please help me," Ms. Zhao pleaded.

The senior engineer sighed, glanced at the alarm clock, and saw that there were still ten minutes left before the next customer's appointment time, so he decided to finish quickly.

"Okay, to make a long story short, your husband is rarely home, are you sure he's cheating on you?"

"Yes, the bills from the body rental club he frequents are even sent to his home."

According to the senior engineer, body rental clubs generally offer two types of services. One type is customized androids, which are specially modified bodies that can bring customers an experience that transcends limits.

Another type is body rental, where some people sign an agreement to disconnect their bodies from electricity and implant a "temporary virtual personality," then rent him/her out to clubs. This type of short-term rental service can be used to earn extra money, and it is especially popular among married people.

The biggest advantage of this rental is that you won't remember anything when you wake up.

"No, my husband has recently become obsessed with motion-sensing sharing machines."

"Oh? These days, clubs even have this kind of thing? That's emotional infidelity."

According to the senior engineer, this kind of shared machine allows you to share certain moments of experience. You can choose from the perspective of your boyfriend, husband, girlfriend, or even a combination of both.

He said we had lost the beauty of our past, and only in other people's love stories could he remember our past.

"So, you want to win back your husband's heart?"

"Yes."

The senior engineer stroked his chin and sized up the other person.

"Then I'll give you two suggestions, you can choose whichever suits you best."

"Um!"

"First, you can bring your husband over. I can perform a 'love fidelity type' neurotransmission on him, so that whenever he sees you, his body will automatically release phenylethylamine and dopamine. You know, the combined effect of these two substances is almost the same as love."

"Uh-huh."

"The second one."

The senior engineer looked at the other person's bottomless chest.

"This has been modified, hasn't it? A minor modification is still a modification, and a major modification is still a modification. You can choose the most popular first love type skin on the market, and I'll adjust it to look like you when you were a girl."

"Go back and think about it yourself."

"Okay, thank you, doctor."

Having finally shaken off the clingy young woman, Engineer Gao breathed a sigh of relief and pressed the alarm.

"Next."

A dozen seconds later, a short figure, completely covered up, walked in, didn't say a word, and plopped down on the floor.

The senior engineer looked at the other person's large sunglasses, remained silent for a moment, and then said:

"What's wrong with you?"

The other party didn't speak, but instead handed over a confidentiality agreement.

"A confidentiality agreement? Or is it the official agreement of the mechanical mainframe?"

If this thing is signed, it's like registering it with the mechanical mainframe.

"Remember to close the door when you leave, thank you."

The senior engineer resolutely refused.

The prosthetic doctor business is doing very well. It's only been open for two days and customers are already flocking in. There's no need to give up the whole forest for a tree that might cause trouble.

The other person was silent for a moment before speaking.

"It's fine if you don't sign a confidentiality agreement, but you have to swear an oath to keep it a secret."

Her voice was soft and sweet, making her sound like a cute girl.

"Sure, but you'll have to pay extra," the foreman said without raising his head.

[Your account has been increased by 50,000 machine points]

At this point, the senior engineer finally raised his head, carefully examining the other person. After a long while, he said, "With your wealth, you can go find a corporate prosthetic body modifier. They are more professional and more willing to sign a confidentiality agreement with you."

"Confidentiality agreements aren't foolproof, and besides, I've inquired around here, and your place is the only one that can do bio-engineering."

The senior engineer thought about it and realized that he did mention before that, in addition to prosthetic modifications, he was also skilled in biological modifications.

However, it was just a casual remark, and I didn't think it would be used.

This is a city that never sleeps, but there are no radioactive beasts here.

"Okay, take off your coat first."

The other person nodded, took off their sunglasses, and then untied their hat and scarf, revealing an incredibly delicate face and their signature pink hair.

"Virtual Idol Adorlu!"

It wasn't that the senior engineer was a fan of celebrities; he was just really impressed by the thick mosaic.

"Are you real?" The senior engineer looked her up and down, expressing great surprise.

Just then, a middle-aged woman rushed in. She was probably the female agent. When she saw Adorlu, who had already "disarmed," she stamped her foot in frustration.

"Aru, why are you showing your face to strangers? Cover it up right now!"

Aidolu sneered, took out a women's cigarette from her tight shorts, and lit it skillfully.

"What, I don't even have the right to show my face?"

"Don't forget, we signed an agreement!"

Speaking of the agreement, Aidolu suddenly became furious, stood up abruptly, and roared, "She is Aidolu, and I am Aidolu. Why can she appear in public so openly? Is it because she is a 100% realistic mannequin?!"

"Then what's the difference between her and me?!"

"Because she can't poop, can't swear, and won't grow up, she represents the public's yearning for beauty, she is the highest level of virtual technology product, she can date millions of people at the same time, she brings hundreds of millions in revenue to the company, she can, you can't, it's that simple."

The female agent spoke calmly, without disdain or mockery, as if she were simply stating a fact.

Aidoru glared fiercely at the other person, then plopped down on the floor and took a deep drag on her cigarette, filling the room with smoke. This skill clearly showed she was a seasoned smoker.

"So, you are Idol, but not that virtual idol. You had plastic surgery? I can't tell at all." The senior engineer looked at the other person curiously.

Seeing that she could no longer hide it, the female agent sighed and said, "Alu is a customized gene modifier. We spent a lot of effort to create a girl who is exactly the same as Aidolu."

"Lying again," Aru sneered. "Am I one? Aren't I number 17?"

The female agent's face stiffened, and she shook her head helplessly, saying, "Anyway, I hope you'll keep this a secret, Doctor. I know you're new to the city and may not understand our power. Everyone who can't keep this secret ends up dead. I hope you're not next."

The senior engineer was unfazed by the threat, and said with interest, "So why did you seek out underground doctors? If you had gone to the authorities for reform, this secret probably wouldn't have been kept the next day. No one would believe me even if I were to spout nonsense, right?"

The female agent tacitly agreed.

"So, why create so many Adorlus? Let me guess, Adorlus is touted as the most perfect virtual idol, so she can't possibly have any problems, including being hacked by Cyber Hacker, being sexually exploited, or being corrupted in various ways. At the same time, she has to process millions of romance storylines, so her computing power sometimes can't keep up, right?"

"So sometimes, virtual idols are recycled and technically adjusted, and in the meantime, real people are needed to fill in."

The female agent glanced at the senior engineer suspiciously.

How does this guy know so much?

"Alright, enough gossip, let's get straight to the point. What do you want me to modify?"

"There's a segment called 'Cat Ear Adorno' at the 999th concert, and I need to create a real Cat Ear Adorno."

"This is a bit difficult. It's impossible to make it 100% virtual and completely real, without any surgical scars."

The senior engineer paused for a moment. "We need to pay more!"

The female agent's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed, "You really can do it?!"

"Let me take a look at the cat ears you prepared first."

The female agent quickly took out a small box from her handbag, opened it, and a pair of snow-white cat ears appeared lifelike.

"This is an unreleased sample that we obtained from an emerging company at a considerable cost, and we can guarantee that there are no similar competing products on the market."

These cat ears look familiar.

The engineer closed the box and, sure enough, saw the four small gold characters "Dugo Technologies".

"Is there a problem?" the female agent pressed.

"No," the senior engineer said without blinking, "I've never heard of this company."

"That's good."

"A global superstar, how much do you think I should charge you?"

The female agent held up one finger.

"One million, no bargaining."

"Readily!"

"So, we'll have the surgery here?"

The female agent looked at the simple operating table and frowned.

"This little modification doesn't even need an operating table. I'll show you a magic trick."

The senior engineer picked up the snow-white, crystal-clear cat ears, and to the astonishment of the two men, his palm suddenly transformed into a jelly-like material, slowly assimilating the cat ears.

Two hands suddenly reached out and pressed down on Adorlu's ears, one on the left and one on the right.

The next moment, Aidolu felt her ears start to heat up and become hot, and a tingling sensation began to emanate from her ears. Just as she was about to curse in pain, the engineer suddenly withdrew his hand.

"Nailed it."

The female agent and Alu were both stunned. The female agent excitedly covered her mouth and then quickly took out a makeup mirror.

In the mirror, on the other person's exquisitely beautiful face, the pair of snow-white cat ears were moving vividly according to the owner's mood.

A pure white cat-eared girl.

[Modification complete, experience +1200]

"W-How did you do that!?"

"Trade secrets," could the senior engineer tell the other party that he had also contributed a lot when a certain bespectacled guy was researching cat ears?

"Thank you!"

The female agent gave the senior engineer a deep look, then suddenly thanked him sincerely.

"I know you won't just be looking for me, but don't worry, with my skill level, even among all the 'Adoru' figures, this 'Cat-Eared Adoru' will be the most authentic," the senior engineer said lazily. "You won't be destroyed."

Alu shuddered and looked at the female agent in disbelief. The female agent didn't say a word, but simply wrapped Alu up again and took her out.

"I didn't expect to pay off my debts so quickly. This city that never sleeps really is a place where you can get rich overnight," the senior engineer exclaimed.

"Perfect timing, now I have the money to go to the black market for prosthetics. Having blueprints alone won't do if I can't build a prosthetic body."

After checking the time, the senior engineer stroked his chin.

"Now that I've made some money, I can treat my newly adopted sister to a big meal."

The sky over the City That Never Sleeps was still hazy, and the neon lights were dazzling. After browsing around the cybernetic market, the senior engineer found that the City That Never Sleeps had fewer types of weapons than the Iron Sand Desert, but it had a rich variety of cybernetic components.

The senior engineer visited a chip store and found that the price of the chips was indeed outrageously expensive, with ordinary implantable chips costing 200,000 yuan.

After hesitating for a moment, the senior engineer finally gave up the plan to buy chips and instead bought a set of cyber network equipment and a Flying Bird 4 network access chamber. He had been in the City That Never Sleeps for three days, and it was time to try his hand at the cyber network.

He remembered very clearly that several hidden quests were obtained in the cyber network.

This includes the job change quest for "Cyber Hacker".

In theory, Cyber Hacker cannot be a side job.

Because the network access warehouse requires special modifications.

After this modification, melee classes are basically over.

But it's not entirely impossible.

For example, some high-level big data monster could directly provide electronic enlightenment.

On the way back, the senior engineer passed through the enterprise area. The urban environment was well-organized, with patrol drones and security personnel everywhere, and the safety was visible to the naked eye.

Even the tents set up by the unemployed people who were stranded on the streets were so neat and orderly.

One long line was for job seekers, and the other line was for unemployed workers carrying cardboard boxes. The scene was not only not lively, but also unusually quiet.

Every company has its own armed forces. Do you know who those drones' gun barrels are meant for?

After walking around several biotech companies, the senior engineer, relying on his intuition, determined that none of these companies had a level 30 gene fusion.

"Looks like I'll have to go to the Biological Mutation Society's branch; they should have clues about gene fusions there."

The senior engineer stroked his chin, and just as he was about to leave, a dirty arm suddenly grabbed him.

"What a coincidence, fellow mechanics!"

The senior engineer turned to look at the filthy beggar, stared at him for a moment, and then asked uncertainly, "The senior engineer's younger brother?"

"It's me! Come, come, let me show you my mansion. Look, this is the gate, this is the garage, there are more than twenty luxury cars inside. Oh, and let me take you to the swimming pool, the water here is so clean..."

As the other person pointed to a doghouse and earnestly introduced it to him, the senior engineer stared into the other person's eyes, which were cloudy and empty.

These are symptoms of personality disorder following neuromodulation.

He had indeed never heard of the company "Virtual Real Estate".

But he does know how to "build houses" in cyberspace.

Simply put, the human brain is like a house.

Neural signals are the "bricks," neuronal circuits are the "house structure," and brain components are the "guest rooms," "bedrooms," and "bathrooms."

In the mind of the "executive's younger brother," there might actually be such a villa.

However, the ownership of this villa does not belong to him; it is registered under the name of the company "Virtual Real Estate".

Virtual property ownership involves not only selling houses, but also acquiring second-hand properties for resale and rental.

"I told you, I'm going to make a name for myself in the City That Never Sleeps!" the executive's younger brother said smugly.

"Congratulations!"

"Dean, I'm leaving."

"You left very early today," the headmistress said with a smile.

"Yes, I'm going back today to have dinner with my brother."

"When did you get an older brother? When did you start dating someone?"

"No," Gao Yuanyuan said, blushing as she waved her hand, "He is my guardian."

"You signed that agreement. Didn't I tell you I'd find a way to handle your family's debts?" the director said sternly. "What if your adoptive guardian is a bad person?"

"No, my brother is a good person. I'm leaving now."

Watching Gao Yuanyuan's departing figure, the director's expression gradually turned serious. After thinking for a moment, he walked into the orphanage.

The welfare home was deserted at night.

Gao Gong picked up Gao Yuanyuan at the entrance of Hanging Neck Street and took Gao Yuanyuan out for a synthetic meal.

During the meal, the engineer thought for a moment and told her that he had performed surgery on a wealthy person and earned a large sum of money, so she no longer needed to worry about her family's debts.

"I will pay you back this money," Gao Yuanyuan said, looking somewhat uneasy.

"It's nothing. What's our relationship? We're like half-siblings. If you really feel guilty, you'll have to do all the housework from now on."

"Um!

Gao Yuanyuan nodded seriously.

Night

The senior engineer was fiddling with the "internet-connected device," originally planning to go online that night, but tonight was the "garbage cleanup day" in the city that never sleeps, so he gave up the idea.

He opened the window and saw tens of thousands of mechanical eyeliners flying wildly in the air, their crimson electronic eyes flashing everywhere.

One of them spotted the senior engineer standing at the window, floated over, its electronic beam sweeping over him. Its fist-sized electronic eye blinked, and it quickly left.

Screams and footsteps soon came from another street, and a large number of mechanical eyepieces flew over.

"Waste Disposal Day" is also known as "Population Disposal Day".

Unregistered individuals without official status will be eliminated.

Entering the city that never sleeps is nothing special.

It's truly remarkable that you can stay here.

"Level 20 small mechanical lifeforms, although not elites, there are quite a lot of them."

The senior engineer clicked his tongue twice, closed the window, and then his ears twitched as he heard a noise coming from the bedroom.

With a thought, his arm fell, transforming into a mass of bloody liquid that slid into the room through the crack.

On the bed, Gao Yuanyuan was sleeping very peacefully, her whole body lying flat in the quilt.

However, Sadako's large eyes opened in the darkness, and a sinister laugh came from her mouth.

"Hehehe, that idiot, taking advantage of his kindness, used him to pay off his debt."

"Kill him, stage it as a murder, then move away from here. That way, no one will come after us for our debts."

Her big eyes quickly filled with tears again.

"Dad, Mom, why do you have to bother me? I've been very good."

"Don't look for your sister, she's not here. Don't bully her, she's very fierce."

Gao Gong leaned against the wall, chuckled, and muttered to himself.

"I knew it. How could a girl who can survive on Hanging Street be a normal person?"