Doctor Lin had returned to the Cyber World before the broadcast had finished.
[March 1, 2089, 12:55 a.m.]
Time in the Cyber World hadn't passed during the round trip. The Crimson Crystal tucked beneath Lin Qi's tongue was the only proof that the Doomsday World was real.
"After experiencing the concentration of Spiritual Energy Particles in the Doomsday World, meditating in the Cyber World really takes some getting used to."
It was his rest period, so Lin Qi could only lie in bed and use meditation in place of sleep.
To convincingly maintain his Wizard persona, Lin Qi had to play the part flawlessly, even in the details of his daily life.
The Cyber World's methods of monitoring individuals weren't limited to the cameras placed out in the open.
Network algorithms were also a core part of the system.
[March 1, 2089, 8:10 a.m.]
Lin Qi stood before the sink, his eyes sharper than usual.
"I've already absorbed four Crimson Crystals. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll finish absorbing all twelve after two days off, and my physical abilities will reach the level of a First Rank Martial Artist."
"Adding a Martial Artist persona on top of my Wizard cover is a common approach. With my status as an L-level Researcher, it'll be easy to get information about the Martial Artist profession. But I need to do more to disguise myself. For instance, I could deliberately leave traces on the research institute's internal network, or have the Cybernetic Clinic's purchase orders include some enhancement drugs."
Lin Qi shaved the stubble from his face, furrowing his brow.
When he traveled to the Doomsday World through the Gate, time stopped in the Cyber World. That was a good thing, and it meant the Gate's existence wouldn't be easily exposed.
The problem was that the time Lin Qi personally experienced doubled for no apparent reason.
A few trips, or even a few dozen, wouldn't be a problem. But if he kept it up for longer, spanning more than ten years, the changes in his age would become very obvious.
That would seriously undermine his cover. Even if the Gate's existence wasn't exposed, it could still put his Wizard identity at risk.
"There won't be any problems in the short term. In the long run, I'll need more disguises, like getting more cybernetic implants."
"As long as I look like I've replaced more than ninety percent of my body with cybernetics, leaving so little flesh that it couldn't fill a plate of dumplings, changes in my age won't attract attention."
He needed to keep reinforcing his cyberpsycho persona. At the same time, Lin Qi needed to learn more about cybernetic design as soon as possible.
Only by becoming an A-level Researcher could he gain access to more books.
In the Cyber World, even knowledge was firmly controlled by the megacorporations.
With his thoughts in order, Lin Qi left the bathroom and told his assistant, Xiao Ai, to turn off all the lights. Then he headed to the apartment rooftop and got into his Flying Vehicle.
It was March 1. By Lin Qi's usual routine, he was due to go home.
"Going home" just meant visiting the Number One Cybernetic Clinic to upgrade the Exoskeleton he disguised as cybernetics, and to see his old man, Doctor Lin, and his younger sister, Lin Xin.
Steering the Flying Vehicle with one hand, he opened the glove compartment with the other and rummaged around until he found a chip.
He reached behind his neck, ejected the Advanced Combat Chip from the slot in his external Brain, and inserted the new chip.
[Loading Advanced Language Chip]
Every time he went home, he was bound to have an argument with Lin Xin.
His less-than-lovely younger sister was probably going through a rebellious phase this year.
Flying Vehicles were a rare sight on the outskirts of Red Fruit City. Most people there didn't have permission to pilot one.
The main form of transportation was electric four-wheelers, with flashy designs and gaudy neon lights.
The few people with some spare cash and a taste for nostalgia tended to buy internal-combustion vehicles made by Liu Heavy Industries. Drivers had to pay an atmospheric pollution tax to Red Fruit City's treasury on a regular basis.
Lin Qi's Flying Vehicle attracted plenty of attention when he parked outside the Cybernetic Clinic.
"An employee from the company? What's he doing on the outskirts of Red Fruit City?"
"You don't know? And you still dare to come to the Number One Cybernetic Clinic for implants? The owner, Boss Lin, has a son who's an L-level Researcher for the company. Number One gets its supplies directly from them."
"This clinic's backed by the company? Doesn't that mean we're all exposed?"
"Relax. The owner of Number One hasn't forgotten his roots. This place will always be an underground Cybernetic Clinic."
Two gang members had just walked out of the Number One Cybernetic Clinic. When they saw Lin Qi arrive, they exchanged a few quiet words.
As soon as Lin Qi stepped out of the Flying Vehicle, the two gang members bolted like rats from a sewer caught in the light.
Lin Qi was used to it. His old man had never run a legitimate business. If a few gang members didn't visit the Number One Clinic one day, Lin Qi would start to suspect that his father had developed Cyberpsychosis and gotten himself buried.
The clinic's interior was brightly lit, and more than twenty business permits hung on the walls, declaring it one of the most legitimate Cybernetic Clinics in all of Red Fruit City.
Those permits would have been a lot more convincing if the table beneath them hadn't been displaying an obviously secondhand, battle-scarred cybernetic arm marked "A-A-0045."
Cybernetics above A-level were classified as controlled implants. The Number One Cybernetic Clinic wasn't authorized to purchase them.
Judging by the black paint on its surface, Lin Qi had good reason to suspect that some gang member had stripped this A-level cybernetic arm from a member of HGPD or Red Fruit City's Riot Control Task Force.
It was a standard model with standard-issue paint.
"What's my dear brother looking at? That cybernetic arm the Inferno Gang stripped from a member of an Intercontinental Stabilization Trauma Response Company squad?"
"Are you in such a hurry to become a cyberpsycho?"
The girl's voice was light and sweet, like silver beads and jade butterflies chattering together. Unfortunately, her words showed not the slightest respect for her brother.
Lin Qi didn't indulge her. "The emergency response squads for low-tier members are useless. But if it were you, my lovely sister, I'd buy you a Platinum Member plan with the Intercontinental Stabilization Trauma Response Company. It costs 150,000 Credit Points a year."
"If you got into danger, a squad of at least three mobile operatives with full A-level Cybernetic Bodies would arrive within fifteen minutes."
"If you were unfortunate enough to lose consciousness, your esteemed brother has even bought you an add-on for emergency cybernetic implantation. In just six hours, you could have the same cybernetics as your esteemed brother."
"You should feel honored. I designed all those cybernetics myself."
Lin Qi looked at Lin Xin, who stood on the stairs.
Lin Xin wore a black trench coat with ripped jeans that had been fashionable decades ago. An A-level Kinetic Pistol was holstered at her waist.
Unlike Lin Qi, Lin Xin had no visible signs of cybernetic implants anywhere on her body, and she was deeply opposed to the practice.
She was nothing like the child one would expect a Cybernetic Clinic doctor to raise.
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