Uptown
Wu Ci tidied his clothes, put away the red thread that he had hung at the door last night to prevent the black cat from getting hungry and breaking in to chop his stew in the middle of the night, wrapped it around his forearm again and covered it with the sleeve of his black shirt, then attached the "Chu Ci" spirit to himself, put on a calm smile on his face, and strode out of the bedroom.
If the black cat didn't leave, he would throw the black cat out!
Wu Ci walked out of the bedroom door with his head held high and looked around the narrow apartment that could be seen at a glance.
The house was cleaned thoroughly, a new set of tableware was placed on the kitchen cabinet, and all the dismembered body parts and bones were packed up and tied into several black plastic bags and placed at the door.
But the black cat was not there.
Wu Ci looked at him disdainfully and snorted coldly.
That guy runs fast!
Now that he had no roommates, no one would come to his house. Wu Ci licked his teeth, temporarily ignoring the corpses at the door that needed to be dealt with for Black Cat, cancelled the Heroic Spirit Synchronization to preserve his spiritual energy, and walked straight to the phone next to the record player.
The Dark Star World has experienced a technological gap since the Great Purge following the Sky Curtain Project. The scientists who survived have all gone to work as dogs for the Sky Consortium. Also, with the start of the Soul Exorcist Era, the current technology tree is very strange.
There are 12 base stations built to cover the entire dark star, an aura barrier to protect the city, life support devices under the city, chips that extract human souls and work forever, virtual reality technology... all these high-tech things are there, as well as normal computers and networks, but mobile phones that can be carried around to transmit information and some other convenient things no longer exist.
It's not that it doesn't exist, but it is prohibited.
Things like communicators and portable devices that can connect to the Internet and communicate with people are controlled items. Only law enforcement officers, the military, and people from Sky Group companies can legally carry them.
As for civilians, the only ways to communicate with others are pay phones on the road and old-fashioned rotary phones.
Wu Ci picked up the receiver according to the process he found in the encyclopedia and started dialing the phone number.
According to the process, if a spirit guardian who fails to contract a heroic spirit for the first time in the Unified College Entrance Examination successfully contracts on his own later, he needs to call the Education Bureau to report it before the end of the college entrance examination.
After reporting the information of the Heroic Spirit, the call will be transferred to the Special Management Bureau, whose full name is "Heroic Spirit Special Affairs Management Bureau". After making an appointment for the service, you can register at the Special Management Bureau to get the Spirit Exorcist Certificate, and then transfer to the Education Bureau to get the admission notice of Dark Star University.
If a necromancer who has graduated from college does not plan to join the Sky Group, he will be summoned by the Princess of Morning Star, who is in charge of state affairs and personnel of the Dark Star Royal Family, after graduation.
Just like the palace examination, which is the final stage of the imperial examination in ancient times, candidates would go to the palace for an interview, and then Princess Morning Star would assign them a stable job as a civil servant based on their performance.
[Hello, this is Sky Group Communications, how can I help you?]
The operator's sweet electronic voice came from the other end of the phone.
It is estimated that he is another cyber worker who died in debt and his soul was extracted to work.
Wu Ci didn't care about the details and got straight to the point. "Please transfer me to the Education Bureau."
[Transfer service requires 5 credits each time, do you need it?]
The sweet, mechanical electronic voice uttered cold words.
6. As expected of the Sky Group, they are obsessed with money. They even directly rob people of their money in all aspects of life, and it is legal.
"…I have a few more left. Just watch and count."
[OK, we have found your number registration information. We are confirming your identity information and transferring to your personal account. Please wait...]
[Query successful, your personal account current balance: 562.30 credit points; Sky Group Spiritual Master A-type Student Aid Loan (not repaid): 5000.0000.00 credit points (the original loan was: 50.0000.00, and it will continue to increase every month according to the Sky Group market financial flow before it is fully repaid); the monthly interest payable is: 45000.00 credit points (if you have not repaid this month, please ensure that the balance in your account is sufficient for automatic deduction, otherwise you will be included in the credit blacklist, and the interest and principal will be doubled. After reaching a certain amount, you will be forced to repay)]
[In addition, this personal account inquiry requires 5 credit points. In addition, your phone time charges for this month are in arrears and need to be paid. The total amount required is 28.7 credit points.]
Good job, he is a poor man with huge debts, and he hasn’t paid back the high-interest loan this month.
It's outrageous! To study as a psychic in high school, he had to borrow 500,000 yuan, and the principal of the loan increased 100 times to 50 million yuan during his three years of school! He even had to pay back 45,000 credit points every month!
Such a large amount of money would take a long time to be paid back even with the high income after becoming a spiritualist. It was equivalent to the Sky Group using this kind of loan, which was similar to a long-term indenture, to completely control the spiritualists in its hands.
The only rare way for the lower class to climb up is to buy a loan, but if they buy such a loan, they must work for the Sky Group without compensation until the loan is repaid.
It would be even more tragic if one did not have the talent to become a spiritualist after completing studies. An ordinary person would probably be forced to die in mining because of this kind of loan, and then his body would be turned into a spiritual power battery and his consciousness would be extracted to work non-stop for generations to come.
Damn it...why haven't these capitalists been put on the street lamp yet?
Forget it... I'll get the Spirit Exorcist certificate soon. Given the strength of the Heroic Spirit, I should be able to get out of this predicament soon, and I won't be forced to mine just because I can't pay the interest.
Wu Ci hesitated for a moment, and finally said, "... knock."
[Transferring you to the Education Bureau...]
"Hello, this is the Education Bureau. How can I help you?" Finally, a normal human voice came from the receiver. It was that of a young girl.
Fortunately...government agencies like the Education Bureau won't let people work after they die...
Wu Ci exhaled, "I am a college entrance examination candidate. I have successfully made a contract with a heroic spirit. Please help me register my information."
"Well, OK, please wait a moment while I retrieve your identity information... Well, according to the phone registration information, is your name 'Wu Ci'?"
"Yes."
"Just to confirm, is the Heroic Dynasty you signed the contract with the Qian Dynasty?"
"Yes."
"Please tell me the name of the Heroic Spirit you have contracted with."
"Chu Ci."
"Well, OK...wait a minute!" The customer service lady realized that her tone was not like that of a customer service representative, and immediately added, "To prevent misunderstandings, please report the full name of the hero. The Qian Dynasty has been around for so long, and there are many heroes with the same name. Without reporting the full name, its specific identity cannot be determined."
"Okay, sorry, the full name is Du Nan Dao Jun Chu Ci."
"Okay, I'll input it for you... Wait, can you tell me which Heroic Spirit it is?"
"The Lord of Crossing the Narrowness. Chuci."
"Fuck!" the customer service lady greeted him rudely.
Wuci was silent for a moment, then asked, "…Did I do something that made you unhappy?"
"Sorry... I'm not talking about you! It's just an interjection! I mean... can the Heroic Spirit Chu Ci really be summoned from the Qian Dynasty's pond? How is it possible?! You... you better think it through! The last Heroic Spirit who said he summoned Chu Ci felt cheated and was rushed to the hospital with other spirit masters!"
Poor Ghost Wuci didn't want to waste phone bills chatting with this lady, so he interrupted her and said, "It is indeed this name. Please help me register as soon as possible."
"Are you serious? Okay, I've registered. I'll help you get through to the Special Management Bureau via the internal line..."
"Thank you."
Wu Ci waited for a while, and finally heard the voice of another operator coming from the receiver: "Hello, this is the Special Management Bureau. May I ask if you are Wu Ci, who wants to make an appointment for the Heroic Spirit Registration Service?"
“Yes.”
"Okay, let me confirm your Heroic Spirit once more here."
"The Lord of Crossing the Narrowness. Chuci."
"We have made an appointment for you. You need to bring your heroic spirit to the Special Management Bureau for specific data testing and registration before we can issue you a spirit exorcist certificate. When are you free?"
"Is this morning okay?"
"Okay, we have opened the Upper City Pass and access rights for you. Please communicate and coordinate with the Heroic Spirit, bring your student ID, and take the circular Line 7 to the Dark Star Upper City Special Management Bureau this morning to undergo testing and register and receive your Spirit Master ID."
"Okay, thank you."
The call was disconnected.
Wu Ci packed her things, took her student ID, put on a mask and carefully covered her face before going out.
Because of the sky dome project, it was dark outside even though it was daytime, and there was no difference from night. There were only colorful mandatory 3D virtual projections that he needed to hide from.
The old city is far away from the upper city. If you want to get there before the morning, you must not be caught by these ggs. Once caught, you will have to waste time listening to the whole thing, otherwise you will be fined and sent to the police station, which is very annoying.
In fact, Wu Ci specifically checked the encyclopedia last night to see if he could avoid these ggs, but he got a piece of information that hit him hard.
——Pay money
Yes, just like the previous video websites, if you don’t want to watch GG, you have to recharge your membership regularly.
If you buy a membership package, these ggs will naturally avoid you after recognizing your identity information and package order number. You will no longer have to suffer from gg's harassment and the dilemma of hiding every day. You will no longer have to worry about wasting time or being judged as disrespecting the Sky Group and being fined and sent to jail for accidentally being perfunctory when listening to gg.
The neon lights of GG flickered in the abandoned old city, and Wu Ci shuttled through the dark alleys like a rat in the sewer that was afraid of the light.
Every area of Dark Star City is like a strict class system. The wild people cannot enter Dark Star City through proper channels, and can only sneak into the garbage disposal area through the smuggling port and start as "garbage bugs".
The "garbage bugs" in the garbage disposal area cannot enter the slums, the poor in the slums cannot enter the downtown area, and ordinary people in the downtown area cannot enter the old city.
The original body had relied on his own abilities to climb from the wilderness to the old city step by step. Because he was in high school at Dark Star Academy, he could also use his student ID to go to the middle-class area to attend school.
Now, Wu Ci has to take over from the original body and climb to a higher area.
He wanted to get away from this place as soon as possible and go uptown.
I heard that Uptown is not as dark as these areas. There are bustling business districts and all kinds of shopping and entertainment venues that the rich love most, as well as bright government agencies and clean streets.
I heard that there is a white tower in the center of the upper city where the North Pole Emperor lives. The tower emits light during the day, as if the sun is rising as usual.
As long as he goes through the document processing today, he will be able to obtain a permanent residence permit for Midtown and an access pass for Uptown.
After graduating from Dark Star University and paying off his necromancer loan, he could completely get rid of the Sky Group that had been his nightmare all his life and work as a civil servant in the Dark Star government or join the military, gradually climbing up to a more powerful position.
He could completely leapfrog his original class and gain a foothold in the Upper Town, and then move to the North District, a favorite place of the royal family and corporate executives.
If he becomes strong enough... Wu Ci thought, he might take revenge on the Sky Group.
No...not maybe, but revenge is a must.
Wu Ci walked towards the subway station according to the map he memorized after taking a look at it at the Law Enforcement Bureau last night.
Most of the buildings in the old city are bungalows, with none higher than seven stories. Even the Law Enforcement Bureau that Wu Ci saw last night looked a bit old.
But the subway station is different. It is the most magnificent building in the old city. The dazzling searchlights can be seen from far away, and the concrete asphalt cement floor is flat and smooth, which makes it look particularly high-end.
The Upper City District and the North District are in the inner city, with a deep moat and a high blockade wall in the middle separating the inner and outer layers. It is as difficult for people from the outer city to enter as it is for people from different classes.
If you want to get in, you must have a pass to take the subway to the circular line.
People on the road were walking hurriedly, each busy with their own things. Their expressions were numb, and most of them were disabled, equipped with various mechanical limbs for labor. No one was fat along the way, probably because they were not well fed all year round under the current social system.
Perhaps it was because the cannibal Black Cat had made such a mess in the old town that when Wu Ci, a young man dressed neatly and cleanly and who had not undergone any body transformation, walked towards the subway, passers-by looked at him with caution and envy.
Wu Ci didn't care about these unfriendly residents. He pulled the mask down to his chin, lowered his head, and ate a synthetic wrap he bought from a snack stand in the morning while walking straight to the subway station.
The rolls are not made of flour ground from grains, but are made of edible materials made from synthetic chemicals to simulate the appearance of rolls. The taste is weird and there is too much saccharin, as if eating an old rag stained with oil.
Wu Ci only needed energy to keep his brain functioning, so he didn't care much about the taste. He just stuffed the food into his mouth and entered the subway station.
The subway station is a dark copper color. From the outside, it looks like a metal fortress. The security here is inexplicably strict. Various combat robots patrol back and forth. There are almost no humans inside. The ground and the translucent glass walls are so bright that you can see people. The ceiling is densely packed with automatic turrets and infrared rays. To enter the door, you need to pass more than a dozen detections and identity checks...
Under the guidance of the robot, Wu Ci swiped his student ID card in the security check corridor and waited for the scanner to scan his entire body to confirm his identity.
[Reservation detected]
[Verified access permit to Upper Town]
[Authentication successful]
[Welcome, honorable future spiritual master]
The detection channel has been released.
The special robot led Wu Ci to the waiting room and then left.
There was no one in the waiting room. The walls and floor were made of metal, and the cold white light on the ceiling was flickering, making people feel a little cold.
Wu Ci found a corner, sat on the iron waiting chair and took out a newspaper from the waiting room.
The name of this newspaper seems to be "Eternal Night Daily"
On the yellowed paper were several large headings:
[The leaders of the Second Wandering Cult of the Wilderness sneak into Dark Star City]
[Director of the Special Management Bureau Zhen Shanhe officially takes over as Chairman of the Sky Group]
[The gourmet is on the loose, and the law enforcement agency has set up a task force to arrest him]
When you arrive at a strange place and know nothing about the world, you can always find a lot of information in newspapers. Wu Ci was about to take a closer look when he suddenly heard the huge roar of a steam engine accompanied by the rotation of the axle.
With a sharp buzz, the station-wide broadcast sounded:
"Dear passengers heading for the Loop Line, please pay attention. Dear passengers heading for the Loop Line, please pay attention. The subway has arrived at the station. Please go to the platform and board the train."
Wu Ci lowered his eyes slightly, shook the newspaper, put it back where it was, stood up and left the waiting room.
The steam-powered steel behemoth has quietly stopped at the side of the platform. Although it is called a subway, it actually looks very much like an old-fashioned train... However, it is wrapped in a brass metal shell, with fierce anti-collision barriers and spikes installed on the front of the car, and various protective measures are also taken on the body and the axles below.
As the steam gushed out, the car door opened automatically, revealing the empty cabin.
Wu Ci thought that there should be other passengers on this "subway", but the carriage near him was empty at a glance.
He didn't care and walked in directly, finding a corner seat by the window and sitting down.
There was another whoosh, steam burst out, the door closed, and the dim light inside the car reflected on the metal and gears of various facilities.
The axles of the subway began to turn with a clanking sound, and the carriage began to move forward. Outside the narrow window was a darkness coming from underground.
After a long while, Wu Ci felt that the altitude was rising as the car moved forward. Suddenly, a white light appeared. The subway went up the viaduct and was exposed to the skylight that was blocked by the thick haze.
Steel skyscrapers stand in a forest like sabers piercing the earth, hovercrafts shuttle among them like schools of sardines in the ocean, and the neon lights of various shops dance like coral reefs and gorgeous seaweed.
Thick gray-black exhaust from distant factories drifted in the wind.
The sexy red-lipped girl who looked like an old-fashioned cigarette box or a picture magazine showed her voluptuous figure and neat white teeth on the huge 3Dgg screen in the shopping mall, smiling charmingly at everyone with a dreamy look in her eyes.
These strange and contradictory scenes are constantly receding. The only thing that remains unchanged is the giant white tower in the center of the city, which breaks through the haze and clouds and emits golden light at the top of the sky!
The scorching light, which was like standing in the real daylight, stung the eyes of the original body that had lived in darkness for a long time and had never seen the real sunlight, and made them shed tears. Everything in the sight was blurred, as if stained with the colors of dreams.
——The ring line, here we are.
Wu Ci knelt on the metal seat of the train, leaning forward toward the window with longing and greed, tracing the shape of the light through the glass with his eyes that were almost blinded by the sudden stimulation of the strong light, using the desire to carve this gorgeous metropolis deep in his memory as motivation.
This is it... as empty and fascinating as hysteria... the top.
Tears kept falling from his wide eyes uncontrollably, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously stretched upward until they formed a funny and terrifying arc like that of a clown.
"Ha, humans, just wait..." He chuckled neurotically.
I'm going to climb to the top and let you all watch me get justice for myself.
Those who used me for fun 20 years ago, those who saw my plight, no one, no one will live...
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