guest
"I don't know who my parents are. I'm an orphan."
"Poor teaching environment, basic and limited knowledge, working non-stop to pay for living expenses and tuition fees, which squeezes rest time and study time, limited vision and experience due to poverty, not knowing how to behave because of lack of parental guidance and experience, and having no relatives and friends so that positions and achievements are replaced by others..."
"The world is fair, hard work will bring rewards, and studying can change your destiny. These words are all lies, but I still firmly believe these lies of adults in order to maintain my belief in living."
"I encountered obstacles everywhere and struggled to live a better life, but because my starting point was too low, no matter how hard I tried, I could not catch up with others. My end point was not even a fraction of their starting point."
"My life used to be the same. It was just like that for an ordinary person. I was living a mediocre life. I didn't know what I was doing, but I could see the end of it."
"I was about 20 years old when I died. If you count the days, not counting the days when I was a minor villain on entertainment shows, I probably lived for more than 7,000 days as an ordinary person."
"I often have a puzzlement in my heart. What on earth am I working so hard for? What on earth have I done in these 7,000 days? When I think about it carefully...it's like I only lived one day, and then repeated it 7,000 times!"
“Perhaps because the days of escape were too painful, all the details in my brain became increasingly blurred in my memory. I can’t even remember what I did to deserve the crime against humanity…
My life is just those 7,000-odd days that repeat themselves, reminding me of my powerlessness as an ordinary person, with great clarity!"
Wu Ci stood in the dim street lights, his usually calm eyes now blazing with a fierce gaze, like a heavy and silent mountain filled with silent flames.
No, we can't be ordinary anymore.
Not the clown in a comedy, but an actor who dominates everything, a puppeteer who manipulates all the actors, pushing the drama to the top above the theater and getting everyone's applause!
Let people hear his voice! Let people pay attention to his voice!
One day, he will be respected by everyone!
The pure black police car was affixed with a metallic dark star logo. Wu Ci calmly sat in the back seat, watching the young policeman called "Xiao Zhang" sit in the driver's seat, and turned on the radio.
"Classmate, is your home in Anle Community? Cars may not be able to drive in, you will have to go in by yourself later, so be careful and try to walk in places with street lights."
Officer Zhang added, "Recently, the serial killer codenamed Gourmet has killed many people again. In the past, he only killed young people with good meat. Now, I don't know if his taste has changed or what, his killing standards have expanded again."
"Gourmet? I usually don't pay much attention to these things. Is he a cannibal? Officer Zhang?" Wu Ci asked with a smile.
"That's right. Although resources are scarce and there is nothing to eat now, and proper ingredients are eaten by the upper class, the Sky Group also has synthetic fast food and synthetic meat. Little people like us can spend some money every few months to enjoy them.
But gourmets are born in the wilderness... You are also from the wilderness, and you know that most of the people in the wilderness are a group of psychopaths, cruel and bloodthirsty, following the laws of the jungle. When they see other people in the wilderness, they don't think about reasoning, they just start fighting, and only think about plundering benefits, just like animals that have not evolved... Everything is just for survival. "
He started the car, tilted his head and nodded, "Well, listen, that's what the radio said for sure."
Wu Ci propped up his chin and looked out the window at the dark street scene passing by quickly, then began to listen carefully to the content on the radio.
[The leaders of the Second Wandering Cult of the Wilderness led some of their followers to sneak into Dark Star City to conduct evil/cult sacrifices and terrorist attacks. Citizens, please take safety precautions...]
[The gourmet has committed another crime, this time even more brazenly, massacring Baron Butler's family in Baron Butler's manor in the North District, and has fled back to the Old City again...]
The radio broadcasts the chaotic public security environment, and the street light passing by the car window is weak. The old main roads and sidewalks in the old city are sparsely populated with only colorful illusory GG projections and electronic sound broadcasts that are as colorful as light pollution:
[Tianmei Plastic Surgery, a subsidiary of Tianji Group, creates your beauty with installment loans, making you as fashionable as the upper class! Find your love! ]
[Cyborg customization, a revolutionary project in technology! The charity benefit that Sky Group gives to the world, the base price is only 100,000 credit points! Loans and installments are accepted! Save your life and make your work more efficient! ]
【Everyone gets a loan! Happy loans! A good life is a normal state! Skyline student loans are the only way to cross classes! Strive for your new life!】
…
In this distorted world, even GG conveys wrong values.
Although it is ugly enough that the only deformed channel for people at the bottom to climb up is loans, Wu Ci hates these ubiquitous ggs even more, who make the spinal-breaking loans sound like a beautiful, pleasant and easy thing, and subtly change people's ideas day after day.
Wu Ci tried to shift his attention from the colorful gg to the radio news, "Officer Zhang, so the gourmet has escaped to our area?"
"That's right. I don't know why, but ever since he came here, he has treated our area as his home. He has made our area the most chaotic in terms of public security. He causes daily disturbances here, and he also runs here when there are major disturbances in other areas. The key is that we still can't catch him."
Perhaps because he thought Wu Ci would be dead tomorrow, the young police officer Zhang didn't care whether he would tell the news to others. He complained unhappily, "It's this guy who made us lose face. The higher-ups even formed a special task force, which will come in a few days. The master has been annoyed for many days, and even asked a familiar wilderness hunter to go to the wilderness to find out the gourmet's previous identity and appearance, always thinking about catching the gourmet before the task force comes."
"Did you find anything?"
"I only found out that he was called Black Cat in the wilderness..." Officer Zhang paused subconsciously in the middle of his speech, "I can't tell you these, so don't spread it around."
"Um?"
Wu Ci uttered a nasal tone in confusion and apology, "I'm sorry, Officer Zhang, what did you say just now? I was so engrossed in the radio that I didn't seem to hear it."
"That's good." Officer Zhang sighed in his heart that it was comfortable to work with someone like Wu Ci who knew how to behave. He couldn't help but give him some preferential treatment. "Okay, now that we're here, I'll drive a little further in so you can walk less."
Wu Ci raised the corners of his mouth and thanked him again. Suddenly, he saw a huge 3D projection appear on the main road. A girl in a ballet skirt was gracefully raising her toes.
"Wait...I can't drive in," Officer Zhang panicked and stopped the car immediately with a nervous look.
"I won't see you off. I have to hurry. You know this stuff is everywhere in old town and midtown areas like ours. If you are targeted, they will keep pushing it on you. If you directly refuse or ignore it, it will be regarded as a provocation to the Sky Group and you will be subject to legal prosecution. You will face a penalty of 50,000 credit points and five months in prison...
Your home seems to be in that direction, I was afraid of wasting time so I just ran away."
Wu Ci was pushed out of the car and stood under the dim street lights, watching the police car quickly leave.
He looked at the huge 3D projection not far away with an unpleasant expression.
It’s the Sky Group again… Ignoring or directly rejecting GG’s promotion will lead to legal prosecution…
Wu Ci thought of what Officer Zhang had just said, that his home was in the direction of the projection, so he held back and finally walked towards the girl in the ballet skirt.
He recalled the real-time navigation he had just seen in the police car, walked through the dark alleys with sewage reflecting neon lights and old pipes emitting exhaust gas, turned into the winding alleys, and climbed the creaking rusty iron stairs.
——He was finally targeted.
The illusory girl in a ballet skirt danced lightly in the alley, her huge and empty blue pupils staring at him walking on the iron platform, her lips moving, and the surrounding radio emitted a mechanical and sweet electronic voice: [Classmate, do you have a dream? ]
Wu Ci thought of what he had heard from Officer Zhang before: "If you ignore or directly refuse, you will be held legally responsible and will have to pay a compensation of 50,000 credit points and face five months in jail." He stopped and stood there to listen to her finish.
He didn't know whether his actions would be recorded, so he tried his best to remain humble and cooperative so as not to be considered a provocation or contempt by the Sky Group.
"Yes, I have dreams."
[Is that so? That's great. I have a dream like you. My dream is to become an excellent ballet dancer and join the Royal Dance Company to dance for the royal family and nobles, as well as company directors and distinguished spiritualists. I want to be a dancer that everyone envies.]
Wuci pulled at his flesh and replied with a fake smile, "Oh... this is truly a great dream, my dear lady, your wish is worthy of praise."
【Thanks to the Skyline student loan, I finally embarked on the path of pursuing my dream. 】
"Did you succeed, miss?" Wu Ci agreed with an appropriately yearning expression.
"No, I failed to pay the interest for a certain month, and I died the day after I became a miner. However, I still failed to pay the loan and the penalty, so my body was made into a spiritual power battery, and my consciousness was uploaded. After some modifications, I continued to work for the company until I paid off the money."
Wu Ci said without much emotion: "What a pity."
"At least I can still continue dancing. This is my dream and I have no regrets." The 3D projected girl in a ballet skirt had a blank expression on her face, but the mechanical electronic voice answered with a hint of yearning.
"Dream? Are you really still alive as a human being? Or is it just a setting program made up of residual consciousness?" Wu Ci was silent for a moment, and finally couldn't help but ask in a low voice.
【Do you need to know more about Skyline Student Loans? 】
Suddenly, the electronic sound of "Lost Yearning" interrupted him programmedly again.
"I understand," Wu Ci lowered his eyes and said softly, "Thank you for your answer. After seeing you, I already understand it very well."
[You did not listen to my full explanation of the exact terms of Skyline Loans]
"I have already taken out a loan. Who knows, if I can't pay it back tomorrow, I might end up like you, my dear lady."
[Oh, what a pity! For the benefit of the company and your dream, please repay the loan on time.]
"I will try my best to avoid this fate. Thank you for your reminder. Goodbye, Miss."
Wu Ci turned and left, his movements so light that they didn't even stir up the water stains left by last night's rain. He turned lightly into an area of old tube-shaped buildings marked with an illusory neon sign "An Le Community" and walked towards his original "home".
"Is Xiao Wu back?"
The security guard at the security booth raised his head and bared his steel teeth. He waved his crude mechanical arm and said, "Go home early and try not to go out. Things are very chaotic recently. The murderer in our area has started committing crimes again, and the family next door to you has disappeared."
Wu Ci paused for a moment, and his eyes quickly caught sight of the ID card on the old man's chest:
[Name: Qin Fang]
[Position: Anle Community Security]
"Thank you, I understand, Uncle Qin." He nodded, trying to reduce his expression as much as possible so as not to let others notice that he was different from his original self.
Then, based on the clues he knew and by analyzing the building numbers, he walked calmly and without any hesitation through the community's garden wasteland which had no greenery at all, through the dark alleys covered with graffiti and garbage, and turned into the old residential building where his original home was located.
The iron door at the bottom of the residential building was damaged a long time ago. It collapsed to the ground with rust on it and was kicked aside by someone because they thought it was a nuisance. It could not prevent others from entering the residential building.
In the corridor where garbage was piled up randomly and emitted a foul stench, cockroaches were crawling sparsely and flies and mosquitoes were circling above like making nests.
When the dim voice-activated light lit up with the sound of footsteps, the mosquitoes rushed towards the dirty light bulb, making a crackling sound of burning electricity.
Wu Ci walked towards the fourth floor. The walls of the corridor were covered with small words like "applying for a certificate", "unlocking", "unclogging pipes", "paying a large sum of money to have a child", "missing someone", "selling blood and kidneys", "short-term loans", and "looking for a prostitute". In addition, there were some gray footprints made by shoes, making it impossible to see the original white background of the wall, which had peeled off most of its paint and was covered with moss.
The rustling sound came through the gaps in the wooden door, which had poor sound insulation, and slightly vibrated the eardrums.
Wu Ci, who was about to take the key from his pocket, stood at the door.
He took two steps back and looked up to confirm that the house number matched his memory.
Room 405, 5th Floor, 4th Floor.
——It is indeed the original body’s home.
Then why is there movement inside?
Is it a mouse?
Or maybe the original person didn't live alone. Considering that he was so poor that he owed his student loan, maybe he was sharing a house with someone?
Well, you still can't relax now.
Wu Ci took a deep breath and said to himself: Be careful to keep a calm expression, and as soon as you enter the room, analyze the environment and how you and your roommate get along.
If various daily necessities are not separated and my roommate greets me, it means our relationship is pretty good. Try to greet my roommate as naturally as possible.
If all the things are placed separately and my roommate doesn't say hello, it means that my relationship with my roommate is not very good. I can just find my room, go in, close the door, and I'll be fine for today.
Even if my estimate was wrong, if my roommate asked me about it, I could say that I was too tired and in a bad mood after being taken to the police station today.
Wu Ci thought about this and confirmed that everything was correct. He inserted the key into the keyhole and opened the door.
The old wooden door creaked.
In the darkness, the damp and rich smell of blood mixed with the aroma of meat soup wafted into the nose.
There was another click, and Wu Ci pulled the nylon rope at the door, turning on the dim old-fashioned light on the ceiling.
The first thing you see when you enter the room is the mirrors that serve as the four walls. The entire rental house is narrow and empty. There are no special items and there is only one room. There is no sign that two people live in this house.
However, while talking with the security guard downstairs just now, it seemed that the neighbor family where Wu Ci had gone missing, a man, a woman, and a boy, had three bodies neatly dissected and placed on the ground. The mirrors inlaid on the four walls reflected the interior blood red in the dim light. The heads on the dining table were staring with eyes wide open, as if they were still alive, with expressions of fear and pain, all staring at Wu Ci at the door!
The strange aroma of the meat soup accompanied by the rising heat continued to waft from the kitchen...
A handsome, round-faced boy, wearing only an apron on the upper body and simple low-waisted jeans on the lower body, walked out of the kitchen barefoot, humming an unknown tune.
Although he was an intruder, he gently placed the iron basin of meat soup on the table like the owner. He turned around and met the eyes of Wu Ci, the real owner of the house, who was standing at the door. He seemed a little surprised.
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