No One Could Resist This Way of Socializing
"Soleka Company's KN-711 Bionic Prosthetic Eye offers you an extraordinary visual experience. Purchase now and access a loan application process immediately; all procedures are completed with a single click. What are you waiting for...?"
"Rhein-27 inhibitor, effectively relieves the mental burden caused by frequent brain use; group purchases enjoy a 10% discount..."
"CIA-33 Dopamine Supplement, giving you the ultimate pleasurable experience!"
Listening to the chaotic sounds of advertisements around him, Feng Xue walked on the garbage-strewn ground with a very strange expression. Although he already had a basic understanding of the "Cyberpunk" worldview, when he was "grounded," he still understood what it meant that "the big shots above don't need feet."
Yes, literally.
He wasn't sure if this was true everywhere in the world, but at least in the city where he was, despite the towering buildings and flashing neon lights, all the buildings, whether new or old, appeared clean and tidy.
But the ground in this city is littered with all sorts of garbage.
Judging from its shattered state, 99% of the debris was thrown directly from a great height, including evaporating and rotting alcoholic beverages, unidentified liquids and oily cleaning materials, as well as various scattered mechanical parts and food scraps that were difficult to categorize.
Although it wasn't raining, there were puddles of water everywhere on the ground. While Feng Xue thought there were probably some people urinating or defecating indiscriminately, or even some who had taken too much Dopamine and urinated in front of the window, most of the water was probably from the water left over from washing the building.
Fortunately, Feng Xue was actually in Kamen Rider mode the whole time, and the air filtration system filtered out most of the smells, otherwise he really wouldn't have been able to walk on this land.
It's easy to see from the robotic vacuum cleaners crawling on the rooftops that the city's problem of littering is probably just a matter of a robotic vacuum cleaner, but the fact is that nobody is cleaning it up at all. This made Feng Xue clearly understand that this is a world purely ruled by capital, or rather, by interests.
The building is kept clean and shiny because of the advertisements and because important people see them. However, important people travel by flying cars and high-altitude highways and do not come to the ground floor. Those who do come to the ground floor see the advertisements but cannot afford to buy the property, so there is no need for them to spend money on cleaning.
Although there was no evidence, Feng Xue felt that this was roughly the logic.
However, even so, there are still some like mushrooms and weeds at the bottom of this steel jungle, such as scavengers who search for usable trash among the objects thrown from high-rise buildings, and guys who use this unmonitored place to settle personal scores.
Feng Xue had only walked about a hundred meters when she saw two men with Rooster Head dragging corpses away. Most of them showed obvious signs of modification: unnaturally gleaming eyes, joints on their skulls and backs of their necks, and intricate seams on their fingers...
All of this unfolded a bizarre and entirely new "ecosystem" before Feng Xue.
"Hey buddy, I need to get an ID card, could you show me the way?" The scavenger, who was about to yell at someone, immediately dropped his trash bag and bowed obsequiously as he flicked a coin at him.
"No problem, boss. Just tell me what you need, and I guarantee I'll find you the best!"
"This is really..." Feng Xue looked at the fawning scavenger, her lips twitching slightly. Although her coins could force a transaction, they didn't actually distort a person's thinking (unless distorting thinking was part of the transaction itself). The only transaction she offered was to lead the way, but the other party immediately showed such an attitude, which undoubtedly indicated the other party's usual attitude towards life.
"I need a complete set of identity information, including files and terminals, the kind that can use public facilities." Feng Xue put her hands in her pockets, looking like Rich Person experiencing life at the bottom of society. Although it wasn't visible, her crocodile skin bag, expensive pen, and even the Tag "[Money Printer]" were all playing a real role.
Seeing his demeanor, the scavenger immediately envisioned a general character for him and spoke with even greater humility:
"No problem, the Mobik Gang has this kind of business. I'll take you there right away."
With the coin's validity as a guarantee, Feng Xue had no doubts and followed the scavenger all the way. After entering a building, they took the elevator to the 20th floor and then went up to the high-altitude pedestrian street. A full fifteen minutes later, the two arrived at a bar that didn't look so "punk".
However, after entering the bar, Feng Xue felt he should apologize for his previous thoughts. Putting aside the decor, the alternating orange, blue, and purple lights that were uncomfortable for the eyes were very punk. He immediately turned on the built-in filter of his armor to make his eyes feel better.
However, Feng Xue didn't comment much on aesthetics. After all, everyone in this world has Electronic Eye, so maybe what others see is different from what he sees?
"Wild Dog, why are you here so early today? And with that pretty boy you brought along?" He'd only taken a couple of steps when someone at the bar beckoned to the scavenger. Upon hearing this, the scavenger's face immediately darkened. He gave Feng Xue a fawning smile, then angrily rebuked the person who had spoken:
"Shut up, this is an honored guest!"
Upon hearing the scavenger's words, the area around the bar fell noticeably quiet for a moment. At the same time, everyone seemed to be influenced by Feng Xue's Rich Person aura, and their gazes changed.
Some people's eyes clearly held a hint of greed and malice, while others showed a slight sense of apprehension. Some women—or at least those who appeared to be women—revealed unsettling smiles, and some even boldly approached directly.
"Handsome brother, want some to cool down?"
Feng Xue glanced at the bizarre, unconventional hair color and the seemingly rigid front armor, then turned her head away in disgust, giving the scavenger a look.
The scavenger immediately understood, waving away the guys who approached him with various slang terms while swiping the bar counter with a strange part on his right hand.
The bartender, who hadn't said much until now, looked up at him as if a robot had received a command, then took out a small sign and tossed it to the scavenger, saying:
"Box 333."
Thanks!
After the scavenger finished speaking, he led Feng Xue to the so-called 333 VIP room. As the door opened, Heavy Metal reverberation sound effect, far more piercing and violent than the frenzied music in the lobby, surged out from the crack in the door like a tsunami, almost slamming Feng Xue to the ground.
Holy crap! What's with all that noise?!
Feng Xue rolled her eyes and used the Great Yin Molting Technique to add several layers of noise reduction to her ears, which made her feel a little better. The people inside the door also turned their attention to her when they saw the door open.
"Isn't that Wild Dog?"
A slightly mechanical voice came from the sofa, where a man with an artificial beauty on each arm was casually crossing his legs.
Feng Xue, too lazy to wait for the scavenger to give his code, casually flicked a coin:
"I need a legal identity, including a new personal terminal."
The man, who had been holding the woman with both arms, caught the coin with a speed that Feng Xue didn't even have time to react. A smile appeared on his face, which seemed to have undergone some kind of modification.
"For an ordinary person, this would be enough, but I think someone as important as you wouldn't want such low-end goods, right? How about three more? I'll take care of all your problems for you, how about that?"
"This is the deposit, the rest will be given to you later. Also, the terminal must be wearable; I wouldn't dare use something from a place like this." With his Mirror of Clarity, Feng Xue knew very well that the other party's price was too high, but he didn't haggle; he simply continued to make new demands.
The man wasn't surprised by this. He put the coin in his pocket and said with a smile:
"Make a deal!"