Cyber ​​Ghost Record

Chapter 9: Money

At noon on June 28, the hovercar flew away from the security bureau.

Looking out the car window, Suger saw that the tall buildings resembled capacitors densely packed on a circuit board, and through their gaps, he could see the sky above fragmented by the upturned eaves.

It's already noon, and not a single ray of sunlight has escaped.

The city seemed unplanned; in its dimly lit environment, the cold, hard steel and concrete blended with the style of ancient Eastern architecture.

Beneath the protruding gable endplates of the building's exterior, glossy advertisements are displayed on silicon crystal screens. Nearby, the exterior walls of old buildings resemble whale skin parasitized by barnacles, sucking up signs stained with grease and rain.

Various holographic images display goods that Suger has never seen before, but there are very few pedestrians among the undulating aerial pavilions.

The scene changed dramatically the moment Suger put on his glasses, revealing a bizarre blend of bustling activity and desolation.

The damp and gloomy environment became refreshing and bright. The once empty overpasses and streets were now bustling with men, women, and children, as the sun god patrolled overhead.

The population density here is higher than any city that Suger has ever seen.

After a moment of surprise, he removed his blindfold.

The city has changed again.

Between reality and virtuality, between prosperity and desolation, there is only this one line.

He immediately understood the meaning of "perspective".

……

The hovercar passed through Yingchuan City and arrived at the Fuxue area in the southwest of the city. The bottom of the car lit up with vortex-like blue light that adapted to the changes in the magnetic field gradient, and slowly descended into an apartment.

This is the atrium surrounded by four apartment buildings. The pool is almost dry, and the stagnant water reflects the neon lights like waste electrolyte. There are some iron frames and platforms scattered around.

Su Ge stepped off the hovercar and saw the holographic characters "Lu Ying Ting" floating in mid-air. Its yellow light made the environment look even darker.

If he were wearing his glasses, it should be bright here. But when he looked up, he could only see the shadows of skyscrapers; unsurprisingly, this open-air design allowed no light at all.

Suger entered the apartment building on the west side, passed through the access control, and took the elevator to the 15th floor.

As he walked down the corridor, every door he passed was tightly shut. Aside from the advertising slogans displayed on the walls, only the sound of his footsteps could be heard.

The apartment was as quiet as an unfinished building.

He stopped at the door of Room 21, and the access control immediately recognized him. This was supposed to be a very convenient feature, but it reminded Suger of the doctor who had scanned him that night.

He was stunned again when he saw the scene in the room.

For the inhabitants of this era, even the narrowest physical space can accommodate an endless virtual world. But in Suger's eyes, all he saw was a fifteen-square-meter cage, with no furniture except for four white walls.

He put on his glasses. The room's furnishings remained unchanged, except for the nurse from the sanatorium who appeared before him.

She changed into a long black dress and a blue silk blouse with flowing sleeves, and now looked more like an assistant or secretary.

"Welcome to your new home, Mr. Su."

Suger took a step back. At that moment, he began to wonder if he had been taken to a place other than the target, and if the doors and windows would be locked once he entered the room.

"Where is this place?" he asked warily.

"This is the most ideal accommodation specially selected for you based on your individual circumstances."

The assistant turned his body to the side, as if to make it easier for Suger to have a clear view of the house.

“You call this the ideal residence?” Soger raised his voice.

“Yes, Mr. Su. What I’m showing you now is the biggest advantage of this apartment: it offers an accessible space.” “An accessible space?” Su looked at the empty room. “What would I need that for?”

The assistant explained, "As you just saw, modern society has changed a lot compared to the era you live in. The vast majority of social activities take place in the spiritual realm, so if you want to integrate into society, you need to enter the spiritual realm."

"The mainstream modern approach is to access the spiritual realm through brain-computer interfaces. However, this may not be feasible for you in the near future, both physiologically and economically. Therefore, you will have to choose another method—using external devices that simulate sensory perception to interact with the spiritual realm."

“When using this device, you often need an accessible environment to avoid collateral damage when the activities in the spirit world are projected into the real world.”

"However, you may have misunderstood something. You see, this is a complete home when you don't need an accessible environment."

As the assistant spoke, the floor near the window rose up and unfolded into a simple bed. The wall on the left slid open to reveal a cabinet, and a table slowly extended from the wall on the right.

"Please come in and have a look."

Suger's furrowed brows relaxed slightly as he entered the room, where he saw a toilet on the right rear side, next to which was a square sink and a mirror.

“Few people need an accessible environment now, but it is definitely the most suitable option for you.”

"This place is too small."

"If you have enough financial resources, you can move to a larger and more comfortable home."

"My purchase of the hibernation program should also include other services after I wake up. You have an obligation to provide accommodation and the necessary funds..."

“You’ve made a mistake, Mr. Su.”

His assistant interrupted him for the first time.

"The Red Hill Medical Association is a charitable organization affiliated with the Red Hill Foundation. Every account and business transaction is completely transparent. The ultimate responsible party for your hibernation project has long since gone bankrupt. The Red Hill Medical Association's treatment and guidance for you is a purely charitable act."

The assistant's tone remained gentle, but the distant, disinfectant-like quality of her voice had transformed into a capable and unquestionable professional demeanor.

“Perfect timing, Mr. Su. Let me take this opportunity to help you sort out your current financial situation.”

“Go on,” Su Ge said, walking to the chair and sitting down.

"You are currently in debt. On the evening of June 23, 2243, due to your personal actions, a vision device and a flexible exoskeleton were damaged. These are the property of the Hongshan Medical Association, with values ​​of 89.32 yuan and 539.54 yuan respectively."

"The rent for this apartment is 6 yuan per day, which you would not have been able to afford. However, the Hongshan Medical Association has provided you with a flexible interest-free loan of up to 8500 yuan. This money will help you get through this difficult period before you can obtain a stable income. For example, I have prepaid one week's rent of 42 yuan for you."

"In addition, besides the Hongshan Medical Association, you also have a debt with the Security Bureau. The treatment you received at the Security Bureau incurred a cost of 321.10 yuan, which the Hongshan Medical Association has already paid on your behalf."

"The above-mentioned debts, totaling 949.96 yuan, have been included in your loan."

After his assistant finished speaking, Su Ge breathed a sigh of relief. The rent was unexpectedly cheap in this era. Two hundred years had passed, and there had been no inflation; in fact, prices were even lower.

"Check for me, I should have money in my account..."

The organization had considered the various unexpected situations that Suger might encounter when he woke up from hibernation. Although the hibernation project had gone bankrupt, he still had emergency funds. He hibernated under a false identity and had two million in his bank account.

When he tried to recall the card number, he got stuck and realized that he had forgotten that long string of numbers.

The assistant waited quietly, then changed his question to, "Can you find the bank cards under my name?"

"Okay, let me check your bank cards." The assistant paused for only half a second before saying, "We found your personal savings card, card number 6217-0054-1013-8132-83X."

"To check your balance, the password is 43460817."

Suger was glad he still remembered the password. He was both nervous and curious. Two hundred years had passed. How much would the balance in the card be now?

(End of this chapter)