Cyber ​​Ghost Record

Chapter 59 Fifty-Eight: Rebirth
[Consciousness Anchor Successfully Activated]

[Brain-computer interface has been disconnected]

In room 824, Egyptian fish projections swam through the spiderwebs.

Yang Guan slowly put down his cigarette and looked around at the desolate scene.

When "Jiangning" stopped concealing himself, he activated his consciousness anchor, shattering the illusion created by the other party.

But he understood that the fact that it had given him the opportunity to activate his consciousness anchor meant that it had already achieved its purpose.

"Peeling..."

He muttered something and touched his face; his reflection was seen in the window.

His prosthetic eye began playing the recorded footage, and Jiang Ning smiled and said:
You'll know once you peel it.

Regardless, he recorded the evidence.

He pushed aside the chair, turned and walked out of the room. In the dead silence, the sound of the chair hitting the ground and his footsteps were very clear.

He was tense—the guy wouldn't let him leave easily, but he encountered no obstacles until he left the apartment.

This is not normal.

He harbored some unease, but at this moment, his defenses against demons and monsters were only enhanced by an additional mental anchor compared to ordinary people. Standing on the corner staircase, with light shining down from above, he glanced back in confusion before hastily leaving.

That thing must have done something.

Perhaps it just didn't want him to die near the apartment.

Yang Guan pondered, quickened his pace, and walked through the flickering light and shadow in the streets and alleys.

He suppressed the urge to open the brain-computer interface with the security agency.

If he shuts down his brain-computer interface, even if that guy wants to harm him, it will have to directly affect the real world.

Out-of-control hovercars, collapsing scaffolding...

He carefully observed his surroundings and chose a safe route.
Eight minutes passed, and nothing happened. He walked through the dark alley's gray-blue shadows and saw the police station across the street in the distance, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Once he gets there, he can open his brain-computer interface to contact the security agency.

Suddenly, a clang rang out, and the unexpected sound of a gong made Yang Guan stop in his tracks.

In an instant, several enormous figures blocked his way.

A valiant deity in a gold-and-red-trimmed python robe, a white-clad horse-faced figure with a long tongue sticking out, and a short, stout, black-faced god wearing an indigo floral crown...

The figure of a deity appeared at the alley entrance. Yang Guan looked up under the neon lights, appearing as small as an ant.

A palanquin carrying a sword floated in mid-air, with a spirit medium dressed in pink and jade carrying a wooden sword on his shoulder, his voice ethereal.

[Wild ghosts roam the streets, lonely souls wander the roads!]

The resounding verdict echoed from all directions.

Yang Guan felt dizzy and disoriented. At this moment, he finally understood what that demon had done.

It stripped it of its citizenship.

This is skinning.

"Wrong!" he quickly protested, "I'm not a wandering ghost, I..."

At the same time, he realized that the argument was pointless, so he quickly activated his brain and, with his mind focused on the present, he didn't believe that guy would dare to do anything else.

[Citizen identity verification...]

[Not approved]

[ECoG recognition...]

【fail】

[BCI Permission Activation...]

【fail……】

A series of red alerts filled Yang Guan's field of vision.

The deity before them looked down indifferently amidst the crimson light and shadow.

His mind went blank, and he was instantly covered in a cold sweat.

There is another way!

"Emergency contact..."

He clenched his fists and kept muttering to himself.

"Bai Miao, Bai Miao... answer... answer it..."

Bai Miao appeared at the alley entrance, her long black hair reflecting divine light. She frowned, glanced behind her, and then looked at Yang Guan.

"Bai Miao!" Yang Guan breathed a sigh of relief. He was using anonymous communication, and thankfully she answered.

"Who are you?" Bai Miao interrupted him.

"It's me, Yang Guan!" Yang Guan's voice rose several octaves. "The situation is urgent. Listen to me, I just recorded evidence, and now..."

"This guy……"

Bai Miao muttered annoyedly and then cut off the communication.

……

In the Security Bureau's residence, she sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the night outside, and Yang Guan's contact information appeared in her field of vision.

Hey, where did you go today?

Two seconds later, "Yang Guan" replied.

I was feeling cooped up at home, so I went out for a walk to clear my head.

A second later, "he" sent another message:

【What's wrong? 】

It's nothing serious; something is impersonating you.

【what? 】

The method is clumsy; besides capturing your facial recognition data, there's nothing else they do.

……

At the entrance of the ancient Chu Street, Yang Guan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, his neck stiff as he raised his head.

The wandering deity slowly approached.

In the end, all he saw was the cloud-shaped boot sole raised by the heroic deity.

……

Piles of cardboard boxes were stacks of worn-out prosthetic shells and broken ceramic blades. Yang Guan lay amidst the garbage, staring blankly at the layers of high-rise buildings and skyrails covered by barbed wire.

He thought "Jiang Ning" would kill him, and he was prepared to die.

At this point, he had lost his identity; in a social sense, he was already a dead man.

But at least his body is still alive, he wasn't carrying any dangerous weapons, and his mind wasn't corrupted; he was simply expelled and unable to enter the city's restricted area.

He can no longer contact his old friends, and even if he could, it wouldn't change anything.

He couldn't connect to the public network, let alone enter the spiritual realm. He couldn't even return to Yingchuan City. A person without an identity cannot take any means of transportation or pass through checkpoints.

He lay there helplessly for a while before crawling out of the debris.

He moved through the city's underbelly, with electronic surveillance cameras flashing warnings of illegal intrusions from time to time.

He avoided those areas and wandered in the city's gray areas.

Every city has its gray areas, just as a clean cityscape requires a sewer system. His colleagues at the security bureau used to call these places "sewage pipes," and now he's become the waste flowing through those pipes.

He stopped in front of a bar.

These shady bars sell contraband, and their forbidden experiences can easily lead to contaminated data. He wanted to go in for a drink. But as an investigator, he couldn't have a private account; his assets had been lost along with his identity.

"Would you like a drink?"

A voice came from behind him, and he turned his head to see a woman.

The woman had shoulder-length black hair, green eyes, and a very small nose and mouth. Even with his brain-computer interface off, his seasoned eye recognized her poreless, hydrogel-like active skin.

"You don't look good."

She smiled back at Yang Guan's scrutinizing gaze.

This robot gave Yang Guan a strange sense of familiarity.

His prosthetic body is quite valuable in the gray area, but at this point he was too tired to have any doubts.

He failed, but at least his intuition didn't lose.

“Yes, of course I’ll drink,” he said.

……

"Just like that, it stole my identity."

At the bar, Yang Guan put down his glass and took a drag of his cigarette.

At this moment, he actually felt a little fortunate. Most of the permissions of his brain-computer interface could not be activated, but at least he could still receive sensory data, he could still get drunk, and the cigarette in his hand could still stimulate nicotine receptors.

"Do you believe me? Just the day before yesterday, I was an investigator."

“A bar like this.” He tapped his fingers on the table and chuckled. “I’ve shut down twelve of them.”

The bartender cast a wary glance at him.

“I believe you,” she said.

“You don’t believe me.” Yang Guan shook his head, his voice lowering. “Even my partner of two years doesn’t believe me.”

She remained noncommittal, turning her head to look at him.

"Investigators like you are rare. Why are you so determined to uncover the truth? It won't do you any good."

“There’s no reason why, that’s just how I am. But tonight I’ve learned something…” He squinted, his gaze sweeping across the bar, taking in the cheap prosthetics worn by the people in the booths. Finally, he looked at the obsidian countertop, gazing at his own reflection. “Abandoned guys really need someone to lend a hand. Sometimes… just one pull… and the situation is completely different…”

"It's a pity that no one is there to lend me a hand."

He sighed, picked up the glass, and took a sip of tequila. The spicy taste almost made him see his future life, like those Mexican gangsters of the past, dealing drugs, smuggling, and fighting in the streets.

“Don’t say that,” she said. “Things will change.”

"Thank you for your kind words." Yang Guan smiled bitterly, drowsily holding his forehead.

"I'm not trying to comfort you."

She put down her glass and left the bar.

The hint that flashed in Yi's eyes made Yang Guan's hand tremble, and the wine spilled onto the table.

[Citizenship verification successful]

Yang Guan, 29 years old, native of Yingchuan, citizen ID card...

【ECoG Recognition】

【success】

[BCI Permission Activation]

【success】

……

Some data was also transmitted to his brain-computer interface.

A mask, countless forged citizenships...

Yang Guan turned his head sharply, but the woman had already disappeared.

He rushed out of the bar.

In the darkness, only the damp streets reflected the neon lights.

……

early morning.

In Lu Yingting's apartment, Su Ge yawned and rubbed his eyes.

The breathing light beside the pillow blinked rhythmically.

He put on his glasses, and Yang Guan had accumulated dozens of missed calls.

He replied:

Sorry, I overslept yesterday.

It's good that you're still alive...

By the way, I have good news. I've investigated Jiang Ning's matter thoroughly; he definitely has problems.

Oh? What are the specific details?

"You seem quite calm. My experience last night was rather dramatic. A mysterious person helped me; I suspect divine intervention. In any case, the situation has improved significantly, I should be able to return to my post, and your case can continue."

【Yeah. 】

Su Ge looked exhausted, smiled, and sent another message:

【That's great. 】

(End of this chapter)