Chapter Four: Entering the City

The autonomous off-road vehicle slowly rolled into the toll station at the city's edge.

It was deserted, but as the car came to an automatic halt, a drone drifted leisurely toward them. It was painted a vibrant azure, its body spherical with a single large "eyeball" in the center, appearing entirely harmless.

Mo Wen felt a prickle of nerves; after all, the jumbled pile of corpses in the back seat was hardly standard cargo for a road trip. Beside him, however, K-Ai remained perfectly calm, waiting for the drone’s scan.

A green light swept over K-Ai’s body, causing his prosthetic eye to flicker.

"Beep. For this entry, 0.02 credits have been deducted. These funds are allocated to road maintenance and expansion. Please consult the [Group] official website for details on fund distribution."

The drone then turned its sensor toward the corpses in the back.

"Beep. Multiple bodies incomplete; prosthetic eyes detached. Morphology difficult to scan. Please lift the bodies and position them as upright as possible before the camera, ensuring the prosthetic eye locations are aligned with the head areas. Your cooperation will assist the deceased's relatives in receiving notification of their passing sooner, accelerating the processing of related affairs."

"If dissatisfied with this service, you are advised to scan the QR code at the toll station with a prosthetic eye or log in to the relevant website to invest in ‘Dream-Maker Entertainment’ – ‘Sisod City’ – ‘Border Autopsy Services.’ Current project funding: 14.2 credits; an estimated 15 credits are required to purchase a Coroner Type-III drone."

K-Ai, naturally, did not invest. He opened the door and dutifully dragged the bodies out, displaying them to the drone as instructed. For the more mangled remains, he took great care to ensure they didn't fall apart. For the bodies missing their prosthetic eyes, the drone completed the registration based on their physical build and K-Ai’s descriptions.

Mo Wen could grasp the general state of things, but this behavior felt far too mild—and far too abstract—compared to the capitalism he knew.

*Wait, how does the local law actually handle murder?!*

Regardless, there was no immediate crisis, and Mo Wen wasn't about to ask questions about such surreal behavior. But once the corpses were scanned, it was his turn.

The drone’s green light washed over Mo Wen. "Beep. Unable to identify prosthetic eye. No relevant information found in the local resident database."

"Hypothesis: An extreme 'Purist' from afar."

"Hello. May I ask if you are preparing to attack this city?"

Mo Wen was unsure. "Uh? No."

The drone paused. A moment later, a different model emerged from the toll station. It was much older, with a large screen in its center.

"Please hold out your hands to receive your identity chip."

Mo Wen did as told, and the old drone ejected a tiny chip into his palm.

"You have been granted temporary residency for the outer ring of Sisod City. You may use this chip for transactions or services requiring proof of identity within the city."

"Given that you have not undergone basic universal modification, it is recommended that you purchase an external link device at the toll station to facilitate your use of city services."

The screen on the old drone displayed three types of headsets resembling AR glasses. Their stock was low, and each cost over 5 credits. Considering the 0.02 credit entry fee and the 15 credits needed for an autopsy drone, this didn't seem cheap.

Mo Wen looked at K-Ai, seeking advice. He wasn't sure if he should spend the money here; perhaps there were second-hand dealers in the city with cheaper equipment.

K-Ai looked at the drone's screen and waved a hand at Mo Wen. "Hold on, don't rush to choose. These external devices are all too old—they stopped manufacturing them after universal modification became mandatory. These are at least twenty years old. Let me go online and ask a buddy who knows his way around vintage tech."

Mo Wen waited patiently with the drone.

A moment later, K-Ai pointed to the middle device. "Dream-Maker Type I. A classic from Dream-Maker Entertainment. I can't speak for other companies, but Dream-Maker is a 'District-Overlord' level conglomerate that also manages this city. Their products are guaranteed. You get what you pay for."

"The others are brands wiped out during the Corporate Wars. Even if you threw money at them, you’d never find parts for repairs."

"Since you're new to our city, your identity chip not only has zero balance, but it also carries the debt for opening the account. I’ll buy this device for you. Just keep in mind that you owe me 5.15 credits; no interest."

Without waiting for Mo Wen to reply, K-Ai scanned his prosthetic eye and purchased the device.

Mo Wen watched awkwardly as the drone returned to the toll station, retrieved the equipment, and handed it to him. He suspected this was a cyberpunk world where money was paramount, but for those not yet fully alienated by capital, perhaps a life debt still held more weight than credits? He wasn't certain, but that was the reality for now.

Mo Wen awkwardly inserted his identity chip into the AR-like link device, scanned himself according to the prompts, sat back in the car, and put it on.

The interface was highly intuitive. Mo Wen’s learning ability was sharp, and he quickly adapted, connecting to the network.

K-Ai wasn't surprised; his friend needed the network to understand this world more intuitively. He resumed driving, setting their destination to the best "Fixer" in the area.

The environment outside shifted from desolate to beautiful. Orderly buildings, clean streets, rows of greenery... compared to the outside, the city was always so idyllic. The thought of seeing his family and friends brought K-Ai a sense of relief, and the throbbing in his brain subsided as the free wireless charging took effect.

The gang leader’s communication came through just then: "K-Ai, I’ve received news of Tag and the others' deaths. Now, tell me exactly what happened."

K-Ai replied mentally: "A conflict broke out during the deal. The other party didn't have the money and prepared to shoot us. Big Brother Tag fought back and killed them all, but two of our brothers died as well."

"Afterward, a wanderer arrived. They misunderstood the situation and accidentally killed Tag and the others, but they spared me."

The leader sounded dissatisfied. "Misunderstood the situation? Tag was impulsive, wasn't he? Tell me, what kind of misunderstanding?"

K-Ai didn't tell the whole truth, trying to shoulder more of the blame himself. "I wanted to test the wanderer who was sneaking up on us, so I used my prosthetic eye flash to signal Tag..."

The leader sighed, frustrated. "You kid don't have X-ray vision, and with your counter-reconnaissance skills, you couldn't have spotted them before Tag. Fine. If you want to take the blame, take it. I’ll tell their families that you were the one who got them killed."

"When the time comes, you’ll have to deal with their issues. Whether they want to kill you, dismember you, or have you support them for the rest of their lives, you’ll have to accept it."

"And as for that wanderer..."

"According to the dashcam logs, you’re taking him to the 'Fixer.' Are you planning to let him trade our cargo with the middleman?"

"Regardless, get the goods back, or I will come and take them back myself."

K-Ai quickly promised, "Understood! I guarantee the mission will be completed."