[Midnight Column: Let’s take a look at today’s major headlines in the Dream City. Invited by Kael Technology, a scholar exchange group from Sin City arrived in the Dream City this afternoon. As revealed by internal staff of Kael Technology, the two parties have conducted in-depth research and discussions on a certain cross-era new technology, which has been unanimously recognized and highly evaluated by the scholars from Sin City. Kael Technology also announced that they will hold an open-air new product launch in three days. Let’s wait and see]
[Hey hey hey! This is the Night Love Radio, your source of fun. We are dedicated to finding all the mysterious and strange tales in the Dream City. Today’s tale, emerging on various forums, is the new sensation… the Murderous Ghost!]
“[Good evening, Dream City! It’s time for everyone’s favorite gang fight segment. According to official police statistics, there were 201 armed conflicts in the Dream City today, 144 of which occurred in District 13. Let’s see if ‘Black Fire Gang,’ this promising dark horse, can become the new underground emperor of District 13]
[Global Night Report: The Sin City Upper Council drafted a renaming bill today. Once passed, the old name ‘Sin City’ might become history. However, reports indicate that most members are debating between the new names ‘Demon City’ or ‘Sin Garden’]
[Breaking news: A fire broke out in the hangar of the Emergency Squad’s building, the cause is unclear. The fire has been temporarily controlled. The person in charge of the Emergency Squad stated that all data is safe and did not rule out a deliberate hacker attack. The investigation will continue]
In front of a huge wrap-around LCD TV, Eileen was constantly switching channels with a remote control. The colorful TV screen and the neon lights of the city outside the window complemented each other, as if to suggest that the real life in the Dream City starts at night.
After leaving the Kael Technology Building and returning to the hotel, Renji focused all his attention on the employment instructions and company documents delivered by the staff, flipping through them on the sofa. Meanwhile, Eileen, having nothing else to do, began watching TV.
After flipping through several channels, Eileen found most of them uninteresting, except for the “Night Love Radio” program, which seemed quite appealing to a young girl.
Eileen stopped at this channel, listening intently to the urban legend being introduced in the program, named “Murderous Ghost.”
[It is said that when night falls and the neon lights flicker in the Dream City, under the glitz and glamor, in the shadows of the building tops and between buildings, where the lights can’t reach, a pair of eyes watches every passerby in the streets and alleys]
[The Murderous Ghost harbors an extreme hatred for women, specifically targeting young and beautiful females. Once it identifies its prey, the Murderous Ghost uses curses to manipulate the victim, leading them step by step away from the crowd, into the dimly lit alleys where few people tread]
[And the next day, when the police mobile unit arrives, all that’s left of the victim is a ‘chopped up’ body]
[Some say the Murderous Ghost is a crazed butcher from a closed down meat factory, still repeating the act of slaughtering, while others believe it’s a black market cybernetic doctor, performing exquisite surgeries]
[So far, the police department has not issued any statement regarding the ‘Murderous Ghost,’ and the truth of this urban legend remains unknown. Our station will continue to follow this story and advise all the beautiful and single women of the Dream City to go out less at night, not to walk alone, or perhaps one night, an extra hand might appear on your shoulder]
“Hey.”
“Ahhhhhhhh~!”
A piercing scream echoed in the room. Renji sighed as he looked across at the girl who, startled like a frightened rabbit by a pat on the shoulder, had jumped up and darted away.
“Doctor! Can you not scare people like that!” Eileen said, still in a state of shock, patting her chest.
“I called you several times, and you didn’t respond.”
“I was focusing on gathering information for us.”
“Gathering information that led you to urban legends, right?” Renji said, glancing at the TV where the “Murderous Ghost” urban legend program, which had deeply engrossed the girl, was playing.
Eileen suddenly became speechless, embarrassedly lowering her head, but feeling a bit aggrieved, she muttered under her breath, “With the trouble-making spirit like yours,?it’s no surprise if you encounter it.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing, nothing!”
Eileen waved her hands dismissively and quickly changed the subject, “So Doctor, have you thought of any other ways for us to enter Dream Zero?”
“Almost, after all, the methods are written in the employee manual.”
“Employee manual?”
The girl was puzzled. She had also read Kael Technology’s employee manual, which mainly contained the company’s rules and regulations for employees.
The only thing related to Dream Zero was in the “Confidentiality and Security” section, which forbade employees from bringing any electronics or cybernetic parts purchased from the black market. It also warned employees not to believe any black market products claiming to provide access to Dream Zero, labeled as “Black Dream” terminals.
If discovered, not only would the employee be fired, but if the black market product carried a virus that infiltrated and damaged Kael Technology’s internal network, the employee would also face huge compensation and a series of serious charges like leaking secrets, which could lead to imprisonment.
No part of the manual seemed to suggest a way to enter Dream Zero.
Suddenly, Eileen seemed to understand something.
“Doctor, you’re not thinking of buying one of those Black Dream terminals from the black market, are you?”
“Since it’s mentioned in the employee manual, it’s worth a try.”
Seeing that Renji was actually planning to do so, Eileen immediately thought of the painful lesson she had learned previously when she bought a Dream terminal from the black market and then found out it was useless. She immediately raised her objections:
“But the problem is, as outsiders who don’t know anything, even if we really buy it, it’s definitely going to be a fake, right? I don’t think it’s a good idea. Isn’t it a bit presumptuous?”
Indeed, Renji did not deny this. Even if there were good things on the black market, only a true expert could pick them out. Most who follow the trend into the black market end up being exploited.
However,
“Don’t you forget we are three not two”
As soon as Renji finished speaking, and before Eileen could react, the Dream terminal he had been wearing near his ear, which had been disguised with optical camouflage, suddenly revealed itself. Subsequently, the terminal began projecting externally, and the image of a virtual maid appeared in the hotel room.
[Hello Miss, nice to meet you for the first time. I am number 86, a maid robot exclusively for my master. May I ask your name?] 86 asked with an ironic tone.
“Ah, sorry 86! I just came to a new place, and since you’ve always been in this form, so uh hehe, my bad, my bad!”
Eileen apologized to the maid with her hands clasped together. Renji was somewhat accustomed to their bickering and quickly got to the point, asking the virtually appearing maid:
“86, can you handle a terminal from the black market?”
[*Puffing out my chest*. As long as master touches the terminal for more than three seconds, 86 can complete a full scan of the terminal]
After receiving the maid’s affirmative response, Renji nodded and began to organize his follow-up plan for the two.
“The best option is still to quickly rise through the ranks at Kael Technology, gain sufficient permissions, and then use their mature and stable channels to enter Dream Zero.”
“Of course, we can’t put all our eggs in one basket, so our second preparation is to try and find a device on the black market with 86’s ability that can access Dream Zero. Even if such a device is unstable, it will at least allow us to understand Dream Zero.”
After Renji finished speaking, Eileen immediately raised her hand with a question.
“Speak.”
“Doctor, why don’t we just have 86 hack into Kael Technology?”
[Master has already had me try that, but the security level of the company’s network is far more stringent than I had imagined. I can attempt to forcefully hack in, but doing so is very risky and there’s a not insignificant chance of being detected by Kael Technology’s technical department] 86 said dejectedly due to its inability.
“It’s okay 86, we trust Doctor Renji~! Right, Doctor? Our next step is”
Before Eileen finished speaking, Renji was already searching for his coat on the coat rack, preparing to go out. The girl quickly caught on, and 86, ending its virtual image projection, continued in its invisible terminal form, worn on Renji’s ear.
After leaving the room and getting downstairs in the hotel, Renji called a car. While waiting for it, he pondered their destination and asked the girl beside him.
“Do you have any good suggestions for where we’re going next?”
“How about going to District 13?” Eileen had a sudden idea.
“District 13?” 𝘪𝘳.𝘤𝑜
“Yes, I saw on the TV report that District 13 is quite chaotic, with some gang fighting over territory. Based on my experience, such chaotic areas are usually the best places for the black market!”
“You were actually gathering intelligence…”
“Hmph, I tell you, that Murderous Ghost will definitely, uh, never mind, let’s drop that,” Eileen thought, considering her young and pretty appearance, she would be an ideal target for a real Murderous Ghost.
In the time it took for their conversation, an automated, driverless taxi arrived in front of Renji. It was rare to see a human driver in the Dream City anymore. 𝘳.𝑐𝘰
After getting in the car, Renji thought for a moment and then said to the virtual driver:
“Let’s go to District 13, and then… find the biggest bar there.”
This content is taken from 𝘳𝑎.𝒸ℴ