The Setting Requires You to Parse Every Word
"Yeah, everyone heard it too. The gang in this area is an organization called the 'Death Spirit Gang.' It's said that their Great Power summon ghosts to curse and kill enemies... Ha, what a joke! It's Year 2077 and people still believe in ghosts and monsters!"
Feng Xue casually tossed the two mohawks against the wall, chatting idly with the viewers in the Live Broadcast Room chat as she walked in the direction the thug had pointed out.
In this world, at least in the Asgari City, every district has some degree of No Man's Land.
Despite its name, it's not actually lawless. Essentially, it's a private area with "autonomy," somewhat like private land in Colombia.
In short, it is an "extension" of the law that "private property is sacred and inviolable," which involves purchasing several floors and streets in the vicinity, and then transforming them into an area that is legally considered "private residence."
In other words, entering this area is equivalent to giving up the rights of a "law-abiding citizen" and becoming an "intruder".
Therefore, in this area, apart from the landowner and bodyguards or guests who are explicitly permitted to enter, killing or being killed (Colombia allows shooting and killing people who enter a room without permission, in other words, it can be misinterpreted as an act of heroism), using controlled weapons (the difference between shooting at a shooting range and shooting on the street), operating without a license, etc., are all permitted.
Of course, this doesn't mean everyone can do it this way. If you don't have enough financial strength and try to do this with just a few properties, not to mention whether you can afford a legal team to help you navigate the complexities, those 'intruders' will definitely take everything from you first.
As for the purpose of such places? Well, it's all about making money!
All the ways to make money are written in the legal code. By circumventing the law, there are plenty of ways to make money. But precisely because the identity of the intruder is used, the "homeowner" cannot trade directly with the intruder. Therefore, the managers of the No Man's Land must also be intruders, that is, the gangs within the No Man's Land.
This practice was initially intended to circumvent the law, but over time, as capital took notice, it became the norm, to the point that No Man's Land has now become common knowledge in the world.
As for whether Feng Xue's decision to eliminate the gang, who were the "operators," would offend the homeowner, firstly, according to the conventions of this world, the homeowner would not interfere with the intruders' fights, because no matter who won, their profits would not be less.
Secondly, Feng Xue is currently live streaming, and as long as the traffic and revenue are high, the Media Company will naturally help him withstand the pressure from the homeowner.
After all, while those who run No Man's Land can be considered upper-class, in terms of scale, these loophole-exploiting individuals are still far behind the big shots who set the rules.
[Wow-- It's Titan Series 7! Is this even active military equipment? This No Man's Land is way more exciting than the one Fire Wolf wiped out!]
[Yeah, that guy soliciting customers outside the tea shop was Sponge Bionic Human! Isn't that supposed to be banned from production?]
[Holy crap, is that the legendary ultimate entertainment Bionic Human that you can't live without once you've used it?]
[Hey, I think I've seen something really bad. Isn't the No Man's Land just about underground boxing matches and gunfights?]
[I told you guys that Fire Wolf's livestream was fake! The No Man's Land isn't that clean! This is the real No Man's Land!]
How dare you speak ill of my Fire Wolf brother!
[This streamer is truly fearless!]
As Feng Xue passed by shop after shop, the number of comments in the Live Broadcast Room increased rapidly. Coupled with occasional donations from her alternate account, the number of online viewers had already exceeded ten million.
Of course, the vast majority of these are probably fake followers, but according to the information Feng Xue obtained online, there should still be two or three hundred thousand.
It has to be said that the people in the Cyber World really know how to play games. Even without entering the store, just a glance at the entrance made Feng Xue feel that her worldview had been shaken.
"This kind of entertainment is too early for me." Feng Xue shook her head and looked away from the demonstration video at the entrance of the multi-neural chain tea house. She had finally arrived at her destination.
A bar that doesn't appear particularly tall, with a blue-purple neon sign hanging at the entrance, named "Soul Tremor".
The gatekeeper was a Strong Man, about two meters tall, with a somewhat Street Fighter Style- esque appearance. Seeing Feng Xue approach, he put his hands on his hips and spoke when Feng Xue was still about ten meters from the gate:
"Our boss has booked the whole place today, so if you want to drink, go somewhere else!"
"Uh, you're so polite, I feel bad hitting you." Feng Xue was taken aback by the Strong Man's words and gave a cute, dazed reply, which drew laughter from the Live Broadcast Room.
"You little brat, are you here to cause trouble?" The Strong Man finally realized something, looking at the Stone Pier in Feng Xue's arms, when suddenly a burst of hot air shot out from the several Dark Hole on his shoulders.
This doesn't mean his prosthetic body is steam-powered; in fact, it's a specially installed aura plugin, which, simply put, makes you look more like a boss when you want to attack someone.
"Well, I'm going to break through the Illegal Zone live today, so call out all the fighters you can." Feng Xue's tone was calm with a hint of naivety, which immediately caused a climax in the Live Broadcast Room. However, the Strong Man was obviously angered by this nonchalant provocation. His Electromagnetic Muscle Bundle started to work, and his whole body rapidly swelled up.
"If you've come here to die, then I'll grant your wish!"
[It's Constantine V-12 power-type prosthetic body, with a power output approaching two tons!]
The barrage of comments from the science popularizers was flooded with comments from those who loved to watch the drama unfold. Feng Xue, however, showed no intention of retaliating. Instead, she grabbed the base of the Stone Pier with one hand and, like throwing a bowling ball, rolled the Stone Pier away.
The foam-made Stone Pier rolled forward with a gurgling sound. The Strong Man who had already reached Feng Xue suddenly froze upon seeing this.
Although, given the extent of his modifications, such Stone Pier would at most cause some deformation to the armor, at this moment, both his own will and the auxiliary calculation program in his brain were simultaneously issuing incorrect instructions.
With a loud crash, the Stone Pier continued rolling forward. However, to Feng Xue's surprise, the electronic door that should have stopped the Stone Pier ignored the human recognition software and opened automatically just before the Stone Pier got close.
"Holy crap! This thing can even affect machinery?"
Feng Xue recalled the note on the Stone Pier and realized that it read, "'No one' dares to block this thing's path!"
Yes, it's not "nobody"!
Can we avoid generalizing from a single instance?
I don't deny that there are professions that are disliked because they are considered undignified, have no job prospects, or don't pay well. But conversely, if I taught you from a young age that a certain profession is good, would you then like it?
You say that cleaners are disliked because of education, and that you've seen children want to be cleaners, but this clearly ignores the psychological and physiological aversion to dirt and grime, as well as the children's lack of understanding of the profession—it's a fallacy of misrepresentation.
If there's a puddle of vomit in front of you, even if you were taught from a young age that the profession of cleaner is something to be loved, your physiological functions will still tell you that this stuff smells and looks disgusting, unless you directly adjust your body to like the smell.
Of course, you could block his access to information, predetermine what everyone is destined to do from birth, and then forbid them from accessing anything other than the knowledge necessary for that specific task. But how much better is this kind of caste system than Cyberpunk capitalism?
And then there's that person who "always manages to find someone who wants to do this"...
As I said before, liking political commentary doesn't mean you're suited to governing, and liking music doesn't necessarily mean you're suited to composing, unless you have editing talent. Okay, we've come full circle back to the caste system.
Ultimately, the essence of Cyberpunk is that our Mental Construction hasn't kept pace with technological advancements and the expansion of capital. But please don't assume that as long as our Mental Construction catches up, everyone can do what they like, nor that being interested guarantees success.
There are always some things that people don't like to do, and there are even more things that can't be given to people who like them.
One can despise the civilizational structure of Cyberpunk, but at least the worldview is logically constructed.