Love, death, and false man

Chapter 11.11. Ancient Ritual

9/13—14:21
[The address for military supplies is Haijiao No. 1 Dance Hall, No. 30 Chaoyin Road, East District, Binhai City; the storage box number is 66.]

[According to the communication protocol numbered 20304469, I will relay Lieutenant Sylvia Christie's orders to assign you a mission.]

[You can consult me ​​in real time regarding mission information, target data, military equipment information, military tribunals, communications, and other related questions. Your mission is not limited to eliminating the false agents; it also includes gathering intelligence on the Soul Eater and the Old Gods' Church. I will relay the intelligence you gather to the lieutenant. For other questions, please consult the troubleshooting section. I will remain silent.]

# # #
Fang Yan took the bus to the designated location indicated by the retinal UI.

That's right, I did sign the communication agreement and the [hunting channel] agreement in the illusion. Now I can switch to it on my own and kill anyone, anytime, anywhere.

An additional input box has been added to the FAQ section.

Are you a real person? Or some kind of intelligent program?

Even if suspicious instructions are added to the intelligent program, this suspicion can still be revoked after the system code is read. Only the natural order can choose arbitrary and persistent suspicion or spontaneous self-destruction. I am unilaterally transparent to the organization's servers, so you can completely trust me. I will self-destruct upon exposure. According to the 20304469 protocol, you will be quickly assigned other contact persons.

# # #
Fang Yan squinted, his relaxed mood after the tanker incident abruptly halted. A military court? Would he be tried if he overstepped his bounds? Arbitrary, persistent suspicion and self-destruction... it sounded a bit terrifying. Upon closer reflection, his situation was quite similar.

So you're a real person?

【…】

# # #
Are you male or female? If you're a girl, it might help me hunt down fake humans.

【…】

# # #
Is it that serious?

Fang Yan was still unwilling to give up and sent a few more suggestive messages, but the radio remained silent.

The other party only replies to specific questions, and all you can see are cold, empty text messages. How wonderful it would be if it were a female contact who could send you voice messages. Is it really possible to experience sex before you die?

The reason for choosing a nightclub was that it aligned with his network of relationships, since his maternal grandfather frequented nightclubs. This made sense, allowing him to better infiltrate the big data algorithm set up by the Soul Absorber.

Fang Yan had already learned that he might belong to the Salvation Army's Seventh Army Group, and he vaguely heard the lieutenant saying that.

The Old Gods' Church? The lieutenant has used those words before. You have to answer that question, right?
What is the Old Gods' Church?

【…】

# # #
"Is it really that heartless?"

Fang Yan understood. There were only two possibilities: his liaison was a complete idiot, or his job was extremely serious, allowing no jokes and requiring him to be constantly on edge.

The other liaisons were quickly dispatched, but only text messages were sent. This meant that even if the previous liaison was dead, killed by a fake or something else, and replaced by another, it would be difficult to detect.

I had no choice but to ask for clarification and repeat the question.

The history controlled by numbers 0-1 gradually made it the sole ruler, and the "helmsman" in "broad control" was replaced by an actual entity. This seriously challenged religious groups that spanned all forms of history, and the Old God Papacy was the united front of all religions.

# # #
Is God the leader of the Old Gods' Church?

These religious groups still use gravitational particle accelerators to allow free will to act on the processes of the universe when causality and the laws of physics fail. God is a virtual concept composed of cultural symbols. The God they manifest in is also based on actual existence and is one of the main ideologies against the Soul-Sucker.

# # #
[Besides our army, the Lord of Souls, and the Old Gods' Church, are there any other organizations?]

It exists, but can be ignored.

# # #
Fang Yan pondered that the unconditional elimination of false people was understandable, as the Legion and the Holy See were not on good terms and there was no possibility of cooperation.

His eyes were unfocused, staring straight ahead as he muttered to himself, prompting the woman to his left with her child to sit in the last row.

In the blink of an eye, we arrived at the station near the Cape No. 1 Dance Hall.

Fang Yan still didn't know what a dance hall was.

9/13—14:32
The dance hall was located in a somewhat secluded spot on the third floor of an office building. "20 yuan, scan it yourself."

The man in the floral shirt sitting at the toll booth said this to Fang Yan.

"What do you mean? Do we need an entrance fee?"

Fang Yan was completely baffled.

The man in the floral shirt ignored him. Was this his first time here?

Fang Yanxin was heartbroken. He bought a cup of "tech fruit tea" and took the bus here. Now he had less than two hundred yuan left. They charged him another twenty, but he had no choice. It was a necessary expense to get the Salvation Army's military supplies.

He only had a flip phone, which couldn't be scanned, so he had to pay in cash.

Upon entering the dance hall, it turned out to be nothing like the activity center for middle-aged and elderly people that Fang Yan had imagined, a place where dancing and exercise were the norm.

The decor is somewhat outdated, and many of the dark red European-style upholstered leather sofas are peeling and cracked. The crystal chandelier does create a certain atmosphere, and although the lighting is dim, the various colored light strips on the floor flicker together, creating a somewhat psychedelic effect.

There were many booths and sofas, and men were seen drinking together with women in their arms.

There were rows of high chairs on both sides of the dance floor, where many scantily clad women aged between twenty and forty sat, while many others stood in a row, playing on their phones.

Many of them are young and beautiful, with outstanding figures and striking looks, some even possessing striking good looks. But to say they are at the level of models or celebrities, there really aren't any.

Fang Yan read their instantaneous thoughts and then glanced at the low-light area deep inside the dance floor.

It's like discovering some incredible new world.

For twenty yuan a song, which is only three minutes long, these female dance teachers can have a dance class and experience the art of physical expression.

Fang Yan suddenly froze on the spot. What's going on? What's going on?
However, he considered himself to be the more innocent type, so he had no idea what it actually felt like to have a physical body. Was it just ordinary skin? Or was it due to a different ratio of fat to soft tissue?
Fang Yan wasn't the only one who came for the first time; Old Shark also brought his friends along.

"That's fucking awesome, but I'm a little embarrassed to go up and invite you to dance."

"Just pat her on the shoulder, she'll follow you, you just dribble, and she can handle the rest."

The dialogue was quite professional.

Fang Yan seemed to be deep in thought, and his desire to perform the ancient ritual reached its peak. If it cost twenty yuan for three minutes, then all his living expenses could be used for about half an hour, but he would have to stop eating and taking transportation until the weekend.

Now is not the time. If I don't get enough nutrition, I will die in the battle against the fake people.

Besides, I'm the type who prefers pure love, and if I could, I really wouldn't want to enter a new world in a place like this. Considering how bad I am with women, I might come here when I'm on the verge of death.

Let's get the Salvation Army's supplies first.

Since the dancers are dressed quite lightly, and a cold front has swept through the coastal city, the heating is on full blast, and there are places to store clothes and personal belongings.

Fang Yan arrived at the storage area.

"License plate number".

The man in the short-sleeved shirt looked at Fang Yan with suspicion. This guy looked like a tough character, but he seemed very young, not even an adult yet.

Fangyan doesn't have any license plates.

"Just give me item number 66."

Fang Yan was speechless. Is this what life is like for a time-traveling agent? The rendezvous point is in such a strange place.

Seemingly triggering some implanted suggestion in the short-sleeved man's brain, he didn't hesitate to retrieve the items from storage compartment number 66.

"Damn, it's pretty heavy. Sanwan, come help me lift it."

It took two adult men to lift the airtight, metallic black briefcase onto the table; it was much larger than a typical briefcase.

Fang Yan certainly couldn't open it now.

The suitcase was indeed a bit heavy; I'll go home first.

His home had been found by the police, but it didn't matter. Fang Yan wasn't going to infiltrate the surface of society, but rather the data algorithms compiled by the Soul-Sucking Lord, existing outside of reality. He was an ordinary student with post-traumatic stress disorder, but it didn't affect his daily life. After finishing his summer job, he would continue his studies, studying hard on his combat chair to get into university.

The house remains a safe house.

Let's see what the supplies are. I glanced back at the dazzlingly beautiful dance teachers. See you again someday. I hope you weren't brainwashed by the Lord of Souls and became teachers.

(End of this chapter)