Cyber ​​Ghost Record

Chapter 112: Choosing Between Two Evils

The purification ritual was a stepping stone for the lower classes to enter civilized society.

Sisheng detached his right arm and hung it on a floating shelf, where other prosthetics with different functions were also placed. Suger noticed that the boy used the word "home" when talking about his mother, and he asked, "Was your mother a citizen before?"

Si Sheng nodded.

“It’s best not to ask his mother why she didn’t take him along,” Shen Ke suddenly said. “The purification ritual will cleanse away all impurities, including memories, thoughts, and beliefs. When a fallen virtuous man or woman returns to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss one day, the ‘karma’ she accumulated in the hell realm will naturally be completely cleansed.”

“This child is his mother’s karma.” She glanced at Sisheng. “If his mother really performed a purification ritual, she must have already forgotten about him.”

Su Ge pondered for a moment, then smiled at Si Sheng, "You seem to have a lot of jobs, how's the income?"

"Not bad." Sisheng said with his head down, "I have many job opportunities, and I will be able to save money soon."

He spoke the word "saving money" as if making a wish. This group's income is constantly being poured into purchasing new prosthetics and medications in the struggle for survival; any unexpected event can leave them heavily in debt and completely deprived of their options. The consensus is that the only way to rise from the bottom is through windfall gains.

"Here's two thousand. I'll only ask a few questions." Su Ge pushed a disposable chip across the table in front of Si Sheng. It was barely bigger than his thumb. He had illegally printed this thing. It stored a light pulse signal using silicon nanopillars. The key in this signal could be exchanged for two thousand yuan in underground banks on the dark web, roughly equivalent to the boy's monthly income.

Si Sheng looked at the chip, not daring to take it, but he also didn't dare to refuse.

Have you seen this person before?

Su Ge took out several photos, some of which showed Jiang Ning in real life, and others were body shape diagrams simulated based on Jiang Ning's body data.

Sisheng took the photo, glanced at it a few times, and then shook his head.

"I don't know him. Even if I had seen him before, I probably wouldn't recognize him."

Suger understood what Sisheng meant. Modern people change their faces more frequently than they change their clothes, and relying on photos to find people is almost as foolish as trying to find a lost sword by marking the boat. But Suger still refused to give up.

“Let’s see again?” Soger said. “For example, if I changed my face, would you still recognize me?”

The image of that figure in the dawn light flashed through Sisheng's mind, along with Suge's gaze just now. He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't know. If I see someone who looks a lot like him, I'll tell you."

“Okay.” Su Ge nodded, put away the photos, and looked at the disposable chip on the table. “Take it, it’s yours.”

"Are you done asking?" Si Sheng asked tentatively.

“That’s all the questions,” Suger said. “There are still other questions, but you don’t have to answer them.” He took out a pillbox and popped out an inhibitor. “You said there are still people targeting the Deer Valley Group. Who are they?”

Si Sheng pursed his lips, staring at the chip. He couldn't afford to offend either the Deer Valley Group or the underground gangs. He regretted his words; if he hadn't spoken out of turn in the basement of the hunting grounds, perhaps he wouldn't have gotten himself into this trouble. But the trouble had already begun. He hesitated only for a moment before putting the chip away.

"Wildfire".

“Wildfire…” Sog asked, “Do they have a lot of manpower? How do they compare to Spiritual beings?”

“Let me remind you again, you have some misconceptions about organizations,” Shen Ke said. “The more powerful an organization, the more streamlined its structure and the more centralized its power. As long as you have the ability, you can directly govern all your territories. Speaking of which, some people in the 21st century have said that the era of super-individuals has given rise to the conditions for imperial systems, but that's a bit of an oversimplification. Nowadays, those dictators are just guarding the trivialities of the human world; the gods have already ruled the infinite spiritual world.” Shen Ke steered the conversation away from the topic, and Su Ge became a little distracted, so much so that when Si Sheng said, “I don’t know,” Su Ge didn’t respond.

After a long pause, Su Ge finally asked, "Does this organization have demons and monsters guarding it?"

This question was directed at both Sisheng and Shen Ke.

"Yes, everyone says so..."

“Probably not,” Shen Ke said. “I know Wildfire. This gang is quite powerful. Its controller’s consciousness resolution should be very high, and he can connect to a large number of external devices at the same time. But if he has already uploaded his consciousness, he wouldn’t need to hire so many henchmen to manage his business.”

Suger took a drag of the sedative, using its effects to clear his head and consider the current situation. He inquired about the Yingchuan underworld to determine if it was truly necessary for him to get involved with the Lugu Group. His gaze swept over Yisheng's shoulder, noticing boxes of psychotropic drugs and immunosuppressants on a floating shelf.

Just then, a wheezing sound like a bellows came from the other side of the wall. Someone was breathing heavily in pain, accompanied by the sound of the bed frame vibrating, as if the person had fallen off the bed.

Su Ge looked at Si Sheng with an inquiring gaze.

"Your neighbor?"

“He’s having an attack.” Sisheng wasn’t surprised at all. “He comes several times almost every night.”

The sound reminded Su Ge of the patients seeking treatment outside the illegal clinic. He left Si Sheng's house and went next door. The door was only half-open. He pushed it open and saw a man lying on the ground convulsing, his body tense, and bulging bluish-purple veins standing out from under his blood-red skin.

The man's illness was common—a systemic inflammation caused by an immune deficiency. His pain was excruciating, accompanied by epileptic symptoms. Seeing the figure at the door, his eyes rolled back, and white foam spurted from between his teeth as he uttered, "Medicine, give me...medicine..."

Si Sheng hesitated for a moment, glanced at Su Ge, went back to the room to get some pills, pried open the man's mouth, threw the pills in, and then helped the man to the bed. After a while, the man fell into a deep sleep under the sedative effect.

Si Sheng looked at Su Ge.

"These painkillers should keep him going for a while, but I won't be able to help him next time. He hasn't taken any anti-immunotherapy drugs for half a month."

"Isn't the Deer Valley Group distributing medicine for free?" Su Ge asked.

"I... uh, I don't know either..." Si Sheng stammered, exchanged a glance with Su Ge, and then looked away.

"What happened?" Sug pressed.

Si Sheng hesitated for a moment, looked down at his neighbor, and only after confirming that his neighbor had really lost consciousness did he say to Su Ge, "No one can really get the free medicine. They control the distribution points. Even if you get the medicine, you still have to pay them for it."

“Them?” Soger paused. “Wildfire?”

"All crows are black." Shen Ke shrugged, having anticipated this, and looked at Su Ge with amusement. "Since you insist on getting involved in these matters, here's the question: what do you plan to choose—help the Lugu Group deceive people, or help the gang rob money?"

(End of this chapter)