Peak of Life

Qing Chen nestled peacefully inside the floating vehicle, his gaze fixed on the view outside the window.

The roof of the hovercar is completely transparent, so the city night view is unobstructed. However, because the glass is so soundproof, Qing Chen cannot hear any outside noise.

The feeling of speeding between buildings is both wonderful and incredibly lonely.

Because humans appear too small among those buildings.

The thought that Li Shutong would disappear from everyone's sight after faking his death, and that his master would no longer be there to joke with him when he returned to that small house, made Qing Chen feel a little weak.

This must be a very luxurious hovercar; the interior looks incredibly high-tech and brand new.

Qing Chen thought to himself...

I didn't expect my master to be so generous.

"Actually, there's something I've always been curious about," Yi asked from inside the hovercar, "You and Li Shutong aren't related by blood, so why is he so good to you?"

"Why do you ask that?" Qing Chen asked back.

"It's just pure curiosity," Yi replied.

"I'm afraid it's more than just simple curiosity," Qing Chen said calmly. "I guess it's because as Artificial Intelligence, your parents, who are not related to you by blood but treat you very well, have made you suspicious. So, when you discover 'similar cases,' you can't help but want to investigate."

Yi once said that she has parents.

However, since Artificial Intelligence cannot be related to parents by blood, Qing Chen quickly came to a conclusion.

As for the other party's claim of "pure curiosity," Qing Chen didn't believe it at all.

Based on the information the other party provided about the Deity's Scepter, Qing Chen kept reminding himself that this was a lying Artificial Intelligence!

Yi paused for two seconds. "When you were with Li Shutong, you didn't use your brain this frequently."

The fact that her true intentions were always guessed caused Yi some strange emotions, and even a hint of competitiveness...

"Children who are always protected tend to rely on adults," Qing Chen explained, looking out the window. "Everyone in this world has a tendency to be lazy. When there's an opportunity to be lazy, who wouldn't want to be? Most people don't mature because they want to, but because the world forces them to. So I think that's why Master asked me to find the meaning of my own life."

"So, once you realize you have to face your own life, your brain starts working at full speed again," Yi said. "That's when you become really boring."

"Dreams are always short-lived," Qing Chen said, sitting up and taking out his phone from his pocket. He wanted to see what the federal news media were saying after Prison No. 18 was destroyed.

Suddenly, Yi realized that after only a brief period of depression, the boy in the car had already cheered up again.

The speed at which these emotions shift is astonishing.

At this moment, it suddenly understood what Qing Chen had said. The other party was not born with such a strong ability to control emotions, but rather forced himself to suppress all unnecessary emotions when facing the world.

Qing Chen asked, "Where should I go to read more accurate news?"

"Hope Media," Yi replied, "However, even Hope Media may not be able to obtain the most accurate information, because most of the information the world receives is censored. I recommend you look at a freelance writer; his information is always more accurate, and he has a high profile."

At this moment, a social media platform interface for freelance writers popped up on the phone.

This freelance writer has also published news about Prison No. 18.

The news report stated several things bluntly:

First, Prison No. 18 was attacked by the Qing clan, and the building was destroyed.

Secondly, no one survived inside Prison No. 18. Relevant departments are currently conducting search and rescue operations, but there are no signs of life under the rubble.

The third thing is that Li Shutong is suspected to be dead.

Fourthly, one of the candidates in the Shadow Struggle died in this disaster.

This article is interspersed with numerous on-site photographs, taken with exceptional clarity, and specifically points out the deaths of Li Shutong and Qing Chen.

However, Qing Chen suddenly noticed a problem. He looked closely at the photos and kept simulating the shooting angles in his mind. "One... why do I feel like 7 out of the 12 photos were taken from the angle from which my hovercar was leaving?"

"Really?" Yi asked doubtfully. "Is that so?"

Qing Chen flipped through the article with annoyance and found the author's signature: Twenty-Two.

He then clicked on the name "Twenty-Two" and was shocked to find that the person had published hundreds of articles, including some celebrity gossip.

With 12 million followers, he seems to be a "big V" (influencer/influencer).

"Is this 'Twenty-Two' your pseudonym?" Qing Chen asked. "You, an Artificial Intelligence, are also a freelance writer?"

Yi paused for two seconds. "Can't Artificial Intelligence be used as a freelance writer?"

Qing Chen said, "That's possible, but before you described yourself as 'accurate' and 'well-known,' didn't you think I'd expose you?"

This time, Yi remained silent for an even longer time. "Is this what you call social death?"

"More or less," Qing Chen replied, surprised that this Artificial Intelligence named Yi had already infiltrated human society. "What other aliases do you have?"

"I won't tell you," Yi said.

"Have you ever had an online relationship?" Qing Chen asked curiously.

"How could I do such a thing!" Yi's tone suddenly rose.

At that moment, Qing Chen suddenly felt that something was wrong.

He compared the other person's voice at that moment with the neutral voice in his memory.

At this moment, Yi's voice actually has more feminine characteristics.

Just then, Yi suddenly said, "Oh, right, there's something I haven't told you yet. I've transferred the data to your phone; you need to take a look."

One's counterattack has begun.

Qing Chen found it strange. He opened the file image that had just been transferred to his phone. "Loan..."

"Hmm, a total of 61 loan documents," Yi said casually.

"What are all these?" Qing Chen exclaimed in shock. "Why are you showing me this?"

"Because these are all loans under your name," Yi replied.

Qing Chen began frantically flipping through all the documents, his brain racing.

He was certain that his brain was working even faster right now than when he saw the Deity's Scepter!

Qing Chen hesitated before saying, "The house I live in now, the hovercar I'm riding in, and the safe house in Zone 1... were all bought with loans taken out in my name by my master?"

Yi seemed quite satisfied with this backstab, and said casually, "Yes."

Qing Chen hesitated again and asked, "The house renovation, the mattress, the furniture... were also bought with a loan?"

One answer was, "That's right."

Qing Chen's face turned ashen. "But why does my master need a loan to buy an electric kettle?!"

"Loans and finance are everywhere in the Inner World, which can maximize the satisfaction of human consumption. The conglomerate's online finance will provide meticulous loan assistance to every person with good credit. Even if you are buying a pair of socks, you can get a loan with zero down payment," Yi explained.

"And then, let everyone be burdened with ubiquitous debt?" Qing Chen raised his voice.

He only did a rough calculation and discovered that his kind and amiable master had actually taken out a total of 68 million yuan in loans in his name.

Among them, the floating car under his buttocks is worth 8.89 million, with a down payment of 10%.

The safe house in District 1 costs 59 million, with a 90% down payment.

The renovation of the two rooms cost nearly ten million yuan, and with all the other odds and ends, Qing Chen felt a little overwhelmed.

Suddenly, he felt a toothache.

Fortunately, this master still had some conscience and didn't charge zero upfront!

"But can my credit score really cover such a large loan? Are those financial institutions' banks idiots?" Qing Chen asked.

"Your background is that of the son of a wealthy merchant, so naturally you can borrow so much. Moreover, Li Shutong borrowed from three families: the Li family, the Qing family, and the Chen family. This way, the amount borrowed from each family doesn't seem so much," Yi replied.

Qing Chen was shocked. "Don't I need to handle this myself...?"

At this point, he realized that his master still had the Forbidden Item ACE-005, which could naturally transform into his appearance to apply for a loan!

Master, how can you do something so Forbidden Item? Doesn't your conscience hurt?!

Qing Chen had just praised his master for his generosity, but he never expected that his master would turn around and pull such a stunt.

After taking more than ten million yuan in cash from the boxing ring, Qing Chen thought he could do whatever he wanted at school, but he never expected that he was not a rich man at all, but a debtor!

To be honest, Qing Chen really didn't expect that at an age when he should be innocent and carefree, he would bear debts that he shouldn't have to bear.

Is this another example of the Knights' tradition of sabotaging their apprentices?!

"I have a question. Has my master ever carried such a debt?" Qing Chen asked.

"I've forgotten," Yi replied casually. "His martial uncle sent him to the boxing ring, but he kept getting beaten up and refused to go anymore. So, to leave him no way out, his martial uncle took out a loan of more than 20 million in his name."

Qing Chen was stunned, and he roared inwardly:

Is there not a single good person left in this Knight Organization?!

"Now I know why he was in such a hurry to fake his death," Qing Chen exclaimed. "If he hadn't faked his death, the loan scheme would have been exposed! So, Master wasn't hiding from the conglomerates, he was hiding from me!"

What is the Forbidden Item ACE-002?

What Deity's Scepter?

At this moment, Qing Chen felt as if he had been tricked by Li Shutong and the Qing family!

Qing Chen quickly went through the loan documents in his mind and calculated that he would have to pay 2.42 million yuan every month!

"Wait a minute," Qing Chen frowned, "This hovercraft consumes liquid oxygen and methane, right? How much does it cost per month?"

"Including insurance and maintenance, it costs around 61,000 yuan per month. This is a toy for the rich," Yi replied.

Qing Chen hesitated for a moment, then said, "Um... you can put me down. I'll walk to the boxing gym. It's not that I'm worried about fuel costs; I just like walking."

"Tsk tsk," Yi said, "Tigerweight boxer, the only direct disciple of a demigod in this world, actually gave up the convenience of the hovercar for a little fuel cost. You've already bought the car, what's a little fuel cost?"

"Why would an Artificial Intelligence like you make a 'tsk tsk' sound?" Qing Chen was completely exasperated. "Do you believe I'll expose a few more of your aliases in the next few days?!"

One: "Tsk tsk!"

Qing Chen: "..."

He did the math and realized that the money Li Shutong had given him was only enough to pay off a few months' worth of loans. It wasn't that he was stingy; it was just that he had never seen so much money in his life.

He originally thought that after coming to the Inner World and having Li Shutong as his master, he could reach the pinnacle of life in no time.

The result was that his debt reached its peak.

"I want to ask, if I stop making payments, will the bank just take back my car and house? And then I can file for personal bankruptcy?" Qing Chen asked.

He thought to himself, "Could I be the first knight to go bankrupt?"

No, judging from the tradition of the Knights betraying their apprentices generation after generation, they might not be the first to go bankrupt...

Yi said lightly, "The Federation doesn't have a law for personal bankruptcy. Once you're in debt, you have unlimited joint liability."

"Why?" Qing Chen was stunned.

"Because you owe money to conglomerates," Yi said. "These conglomerates control the Senate; how could they possibly allow anyone to evade their debts?"

"What will happen if I can't pay back the money?" Qing Chen asked.

"On the first day of the first month of overdue payment, you will receive a collection message on your phone, and on the last day of the first month, the bank will seize all your assets."

"If you are more than three months overdue, the consortium will offer you two options. The first option is to donate your own organs and then buy cheap bionic organs for you to replace them with. The second option is to arrange a job for you so that you can repay the money by working."

"Wait a minute," Qingchen asked doubtfully, "Can organs in this world be bought and sold directly?"

"Of course," Yi said.

Such a thing is absolutely forbidden in the Outer World.

Just as ordinary people can become servants of powerful figures, the laws of the Inner World also have many magical aspects.

It was only when he saw these "rules" that Qing Chen truly realized what kind of world this was.

He suddenly remembered a very popular term in the online Outer World: cyberpunk.

Looking out the car window at the towering buildings, Qing Chen suddenly said, "Welcome to the cyberpunk world."

One person asked, "Is organ trading not allowed where you are?"

"No, not allowed."

"Can't I even sell it if I want to?"

"No, you can't."

"Why?" Yi asked curiously.

"Because 'personal vital interests cannot be waived,'" Qing Chen said. "This is a legal principle that protects ordinary people. Otherwise, capital could do whatever it wants, buying organs, buying lives, buying anything."

Yi sighed, "To be honest, I rarely ask a human so many questions, because I don't need to ask humans for answers to most of my questions. But it's different when I'm with you. I have a lot of curiosity, and you're smarter than most humans."

Qing Chen was puzzled; why was this Artificial Intelligence suddenly praising itself?

But then Yi continued, "However, I feel that if you were even slightly less intelligent, you would have awakened by now. This might be what they call knowledge changing destiny."

Qing Chen: "..."

Sorry everyone, this is the only chapter I have today, only 4000 words. I started having a low-grade fever last night and only just started to feel a little better now. I owe you all a chapter today, and I'll make it up to you within three days.

Thank you, Lingyu Hanyue, for becoming a new ally of this book. You're so generous, and I wish you good health!

Thank you Wen Zaifou for becoming a new Silver Investor for this book! You're so generous, and I wish you good health!