Cyber Ghost Record

Chapter 35: The Cat

Chapter 35 Thirty-five: Cat

When he left, Su Ge did not return the way he came. The information from the drone unfolded in his mind, weaving a complex underground structure map of Fengyu, like an ant nest.

The plaza where Chengyang Gong is located is very close to the ground. Taking the elevator up three floors leads to the street. The street is called Jinggui Street, which comes from the seven constellations of the Vermilion Bird in the south of the Twenty-Eight Mansions: "Jinggui Liuxing Zhangyi Zhen".

This neighborhood is divided by constellations, but those living at the bottom of the city cannot see the starry sky; they can only see the reflections of neon lights and lamplight on the damp ground.

The elevator doors opened, and the night breeze carried the aroma of spices and sizzling oil. Su Ge suddenly remembered that Shen Ke seemed to have bought the dumplings on this very street.

Dietary habits changed dramatically in this era. Only sacrificial and offering rituals required natural foods, making them expensive.

However, thanks to extremely high productivity, even those with brain-computer interface disabilities are able to obtain agricultural products at low cost.

Suger stepped out of the elevator lobby plastered with advertisements. The narrow alley was lined with restaurants and cinemas, selling virtual experiences and renting high-end equipment, as well as rare physical goods and food.

Through the curtains and glass windows, you can see the customers inside. Their colorful hair and tattooed skin make it difficult to tell their race. In the kitchen, flames sizzle over the bottom of the pots, and boiling oil sizzles as it comes into contact with raw meat.

Suger remembered the smell of dumplings on the rooftop again. He really wanted to go in and order some fried dumplings, but he just wrapped his jacket tighter, walked through Jinggui Street, and found the nearest skyrail station.

He timed it perfectly, stepping inside just as the doors were about to close. The instant he entered the carriage, he used the reflection in the glass to check behind him. Few people ventured out in this era, and the carriage was nearly empty. He confirmed that no one had followed him onto the train, but he still felt unsafe.

The city night outside the window flew by. After the Skyrail had passed the 37th station and circled around half of Yingchuan City, Su Ge got off at Huasha West Street in Chongming District. This was the address he randomly chose to get off. The drone's map showed that there was a police station of the Security Bureau next to the Skyrail station.

He went straight to the police station and, upon entering, asked the AI on duty to help him contact Yang Guan of the Security Bureau's Special Investigations Team 3.

He doesn't understand the technology of this era and can't eliminate the tracking on his own, but he can use the capabilities of the security bureau.

As soon as Yang Guan's face appeared on the screen, Su Ge quickly said, "I suspect I'm being followed!"

"Stalking?" Yang Guan raised an eyebrow. "Did you see the stalker?"

Suger said in a low voice, "No, but I just feel like someone is following me."

Yang Guan frowned, "It's possible that our vision is being tracked..."

Socrates denied it, saying, "I didn't even bring my Vision." He paused for a moment and then added, "I'm afraid my Vision will be invaded again, so I haven't been wearing it lately."

"That's hard to confirm..." Yang Guan thought for a moment, "How about this, do you still remember how to get to the Vidyadhara Temple?"

A moment later, Suger left the police station and entered the skyrail.

After twelve stops, he got off at Sarnath and, three days later, arrived at the Dhritarashtra Temple once again.

This time, he didn't wear the Vision, and the augmented reality images of lotuses, bodhisattvas, dragons, and peacocks disappeared, leaving only holographic flames surrounding this pure land.

It was already late at night, but the Five-Colored Mountain Gate was still open. He entered through the South Gate, passing through the deep chanting and candlelight between the red walls. Twenty minutes later, when he came out through the West Gate, he had discarded his hooded jacket, and his holographic mask had transformed into a different appearance. The Gu Diao under his clothes had also slightly adjusted its size.

A few dozen steps from the temple, before re-entering the elevator, he dropped a piece of paper against the wall.

He took the monorail to Fuxue District, exited at Exit 8 of Quanjin Station, and entered another police station. Yang Guan's face was already on the screen, and the surveillance footage next to it showed a corner outside the west gate of Chiming Temple, with a clear view of the area around where Su Ge threw the note.

“The Pure Land of Vidyadhara is a pure land, and evil spirits will no longer follow you,” Yang Guan said. “If someone were following you, they would most likely pick up the note you threw away and read its contents. Twenty-seven minutes have passed and no one has appeared nearby, so it’s probably empty now. I have other things to do. If you’re worried, you can check again.”

The note Su Ge threw down contained no content; it was merely bait to counter tracking. He thanked Yang Guan, and after Yang Guan left, he continued to observe the surveillance footage. Ten minutes later, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed he had indeed successfully established his image. Other thoughts then surfaced in his mind—if his abilities could be maintained long enough and their influence far enough, he wouldn't need to risk his life anymore.

He can use robots as "avatars" to contact targets, or even directly hack into electronic devices near the target, in order to achieve his goals.

He left the police station and deactivated the holographic mask. He crossed the street, bought some food from a roadside vendor, and returned to the Lu Ying Ting apartment building.

The snow-covered area is adjacent to the city's central refrigeration system. He threw off his jacket, and the low nighttime temperature made him hug his arms and rub them together.

Meanwhile, the images of the Fengyu Mountain God who fell in the white mist and the kneeling reformers still lingered in his mind.

He had just met someone he could talk to, and now he was alone again. He couldn't help but sigh.

As I walked into the apartment atrium, I looked up and saw that the seal on the sixteenth floor was still clearly red and yellow.

Suddenly, Gu Diao sensed a faint rustling sound. He looked toward the source of the sound and saw a black cat walking onto the edge of the dried-up pool. Its fur was made even blacker by the marble, and its chrome-yellow eyes, reflecting the neon lights, stared at him intently.

"Hegel?"

Socrates called his cat's name again, crouched down, beckoned to it, and whispered, "Come here." Suddenly, he remembered something, rummaged in his pocket, took out some food, broke off a piece, and placed it in his palm.

The black cat remained unmoved, so Socrates gave in and tossed out the piece of food.

The food rations rolled down in front of the black cat, whose eyes remained fixed, but it suddenly spoke: "I don't want to eat this."

Cats can talk!

Suger's outstretched hand froze. After a moment of stunned silence, he suddenly realized that this was a bionic robot.

"What do you want to eat?" he asked.

"The food I ate was taken away by the security bureau," Black Cat said.

“You mean…” Su Ge paused, taken aback.

“That enchantress,” the black cat said.

Xiongbo—the name he had only recently heard echoed in Su Ge's mind.

Cheng Yanggong said that Xiong Bo ate a demon, but he did not expect to encounter it so soon.

It is located in Luyingting.

He then recalled that it was also present when he first met Shen Ke.