Cyber ​​Ghost Record

Chapter 127, Section 126: Doubt

Another hibernator.

Some long-dormant doubts have resurfaced from the mire of thought. They haven't revealed their true nature, but rather bubbled up a few times, dull and murky.

Yang's heart raced; these hibernators were indeed suspicious.

His investigations were not in vain, and even the masked man he encountered was not accidental.

He had suspected that the mass disappearances of hibernators were linked to a criminal gang targeting the vulnerable. But at this moment, he realized that a much larger secret might be hidden behind these hibernators.

Bai Miao's voice echoed in his mind.

"A hibernator almost achieved ascension, and he cooperated with the Security Bureau for thirteen years, helping to solve 1,432 criminal cases. Moreover, he was able to conceal his identity under this cooperative relationship. He must have a vast network of interests, and he might even be one of the masterminds behind the Yingchuan underworld to have accomplished all this..."

Indeed, this was something no hibernator should be able to do. Yang Guan realized that he had been trapped in a misconception all along. He had consistently equated hibernators with victims—a form of sympathy, but also arrogance. But what if they weren't victims?

Yang Guanxin's mind conjured up the image of Su Ge. He recalled Su Ge's experiences: he encountered a demon, acquired a military exoskeleton, and survived an attack by an Asura. He was incredibly lucky; now he was thriving in Yingchuan, a recipient of the City Hero Medal, and a formal intelligence officer for the Security Bureau. He always appeared as a victim, passively walking the line between the law and reality.

But recently, Suger has started taking the initiative, using his position as a representative of the Deer Valley Group to control a group of smugglers. In this recent case, he proactively hired a "water ghost" to investigate the missing informant's communication channels. Suger had filed this with the security bureau beforehand, and afterwards, he uploaded the water ghost's data logs from logging into the dark web—the procedure was legal and compliant. He still felt something was amiss; the amiss lay in the rapid shift in Suger's approach from passive to active. He suspected some unknown factor had catalyzed Suger's growth.

Perhaps someone is guiding him, perhaps...

"Perhaps we should change our perspective on the investigation," Yang Guan told himself.

"If he really is a hibernator, then his experience is legendary."

Bai Miao summarized the situation regarding the corpse.

"We cannot definitively confirm the identity of this body yet." Yang Guan shook his head cautiously. "He died silently, and there are too many suspicious points in this matter."

"Speaking of which, weren't you always investigating those missing hibernators?"

"Nothing was found."

Yang Guan concealed his true thoughts and brushed past Bai Miao.

He knew he could write a report that the suspected hibernating body would be enough to make the security services take the hibernating population seriously.

But his intuition told him that the closer he got to the truth, the more he needed to hold onto his own ideas.

He recalled the night his identity was stolen by the masked man; neither the security bureau nor his partner could save him.

He realized he might be in even greater danger, like the chaotic virus involved in the brain-computer interface of a corpse.

He looked towards the elevator at the end of the corridor, which led to the underground evidence room. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.

He needed a weapon, a truly effective weapon, capable of fighting demons and monsters, or even more terrifying enemies. ...

Three hundred hovercars, supporting silver mirrors, formed an array above Yangsheng Street, allowing the sunlight from the city's top to be seamlessly transmitted to the dark, sunless streets below through these atomically smooth mirrors.

Posters and scraps of paper, dried and peeling off from the perpetually damp streets and walls, are swept into the air by the wind from the high-rise buildings, passing through giant, colorful aerial projections.

That was a person's projection.

"People can't imagine how I used this body, which has no implants, to fight against that weapon of war and rescue a group of children from its clutches..."

His voice echoed throughout the entire block.

"Even though the security bureau released some of the footage, many people still don't believe that I'm just an ordinary person. The only line of defense I use to maintain my humanity is an exoskeleton that doesn't need to pierce my spine or tear away flesh..."

People looked up as they listened to his speech, at which point they opened their brain-computer interfaces and accepted the brain-computer interface cleaning service provided by the Deer Valley Group. The price of this service was only some painless and insignificant concept implantation.

Su Xing showed them a natural body wrapped in a bodysuit, promoting the Deer Valley Group's high-performance exoskeleton, non-invasive brain-computer interface, and bio-modification solutions...

"This city has eliminated too many modified individuals, but you have the right to know that from this moment on, your flesh and blood will not need to be embedded with prosthetics, and nanofibers will not need to grow under your skin..."

The projection raises its fist.

"You define the boundary between flesh and machine."

On the east side of the projection, on the 76th floor of the building, Su Ge watched the giant projection outside the window fade away, finally lowered his fist, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Two days after his official appointment, the Deer Valley Group finally arranged his first formal commercial promotional event as their spokesperson. In the morning, he accompanied the CEO to a meeting attended by representatives from the Council, the Drug Administration, the Deer Valley Group, and other pharmaceutical companies. Among those dozens of pharmaceutical companies, he saw the name of Nexton Biopharmaceuticals—the manufacturer of his two kidney transplants. He was a little worried; if the Deer Valley Group found out he had been forced to receive a transplant from a competitor, they might directly sue him for breach of contract.

Fortunately, the Lugu Group did not require him to undergo a medical examination until the business activity ended.

He stepped out of the projection equipment, grabbed his jacket and draped it over his shoulders. The heavy feel of the aluminum pillbox in his right pocket calmed him slightly. The speech he had just given had made him very uncomfortable. It wasn't just being projected on Yangsheng Street; it was also reportedly being streamed live in the Spirit Realm. He had wanted the Deer Valley Group to use his virtual avatar for publicity, but the young executive insisted that he appear in person, as if that was the only way to demonstrate some kind of sincerity. He compromised, on the condition that at least when his avatar was displayed to everyone, his face be changed. The executive didn't refuse his final request, because it was as insignificant as an actor choosing their own costume.

"Good performance," the executive commented. "Consciously controlling the contraction of the diaphragm when speaking makes your speech more emotionally engaging."

“I’ve tried my best. You can definitely adjust my voice.”

"That would make it lose its sense of realism."

“Your pursuit of realism is even more rigorous than those people from the Spiritual Society.” Soger paused. “When do you plan to discuss cooperation with the Spiritual Society?”

"With them?" the executive officer feigned surprise. "Why?"

“Your promise,” Soger said, “I will cooperate with your marketing campaign, and you will cooperate with our investigation.”

(End of this chapter)