Chapter 3: “Basically safe.”
The system’s efficiency was incredible. In less than two minutes, it displayed the navigation route and signaled that Xiang Nanli could go check in directly.
Due to a tight budget, Xiang Nanli chose the cheapest subway option, which cost 5 credit points for a ticket. To understand the purchasing power of credit points, he specifically checked the vending machines and small shops at the subway station to gather data on commodity prices.
In the underground city, ordinary supermarkets didn’t carry fresh food at all; it was all various synthetic products. The absolute cheapest items were around 8 credit points.
For example: nutrient fluid that met the daily survival requirement, nutrient paste that required a bit of personal processing, assorted compressed biscuits, and canned food with unknown ingredients. The pre-packaged meals that were so controversial back in his day had now become high-end banquet delicacies.
The price of water, however, wasn’t too expensive. It was universally priced at 1 credit point for 500 milliliters. After all, people still needed to live.
Xiang Nanli stared thoughtfully at the vending machine display. “Food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. Let’s set aside clothing and shelter for now. Eleven credit points a day can meet minimum survival needs. If I budget strictly, I could even get by on 7 to 8 points. The basic monthly living expense is roughly 3000. So I’m guessing the average salary in Gusu City doesn’t exceed 4500.”
System: “You guessed wrong. The average salary here is 2200. The breathing fee decreases as the degree of mechanization increases. Take Andrew, for example: his mechanization is at 99%, so he only needs to pay one percent of the original breathing fee.”
Xiang Nanli paused.
So he was the one paying full price for breathing.
Clearly, the Human Alliance’s policy encouraged cybernetic modification. Whether for the capitalists selling the products or the necessity of resisting the harsh external environment for survival, mechanization aligned with the interests of the majority in this society.
Xiang Nanli, after all, was a primitive man freshly thawed from a cryo-pod; his thinking trended conservative. He sat in the subway car, looking at his metallic-gleaming peers around him, and remained silent.
Small screens on both sides of the subway were broadcasting the news.
“Recently, the Gusu City Surface Investigation Team sent back a message reporting traces of the aberrant species ‘Crawler’ outside the city…”
According to the files in his system, the Investigation Team was a special armed force of the city, existing to “observe, record, and reclaim humanity.” The members of these teams were called “Investigators,” and only graduates from select universities were eligible to apply.
When the underground cities were first completed, Investigation Team members were nearly the most respected individuals, hailed as the “Surface Defense Line.” However, as humanity continuously retreated further underground, “reclaiming humanity” devolved into a mere slogan—a joke.
The Investigation Teams underwent constant layoffs, and their fiscal budgets shrank, but they remained a permanent institution within the Human Alliance. Currently, Gusu City had a total of 7 Investigation Teams comprising 140 personnel. They conducted a surface investigation once a month.
A massive humanoid creature appeared on the screen. Its skin was blood-red with charred black marks, dripping with viscous, rotting flesh. The Crawler squirmed on the surface, dragging itself forward while emitting strange roars. Its head retained a basic shape, but the surface was a gory mess, especially around the mouth, where strings of dark red flesh stretched apart when it opened its jaws.
Several uniformed, armed Investigators stood on a yellowish-brown hill nearby. In comparison, they looked as small as mice confronting a lion.
Xiang Nanli narrowed his eyes slightly.
The handsome blond guy he saw right after waking from the cryo-pod had worn a uniform just like that. And then Xiang Nanli was sent to a supposedly legitimate hospital that didn’t look very legitimate at all.
Perhaps Xiang Nanli should celebrate. Luckily, it was the regular army that picked him up. Otherwise, his organs would probably be circulating in some underground black market right now, and he wouldn’t even have reached the thawing stage.
“The Crawler did not initiate an attack; therefore, the Investigators took no action. This is the third Crawler spotted this month. They are crawling deeper into the Barren Zone. Winter is not typically the active season for Crawlers. Experts speculate that something there might be attracting them, or it could be a bio-magnetic disturbance… The specific situation requires further investigation.”
In the carriage, someone whispered, “They won’t even kill that? They’re getting more and more useless. All they know is how to eat off the government’s dime.”
The broadcast transitioned to commercials: Immortality Tech’s subsidiaries hawking cybernetic prosthetics, Immortality Tech’s financial institutions pushing credit loans, and Immortality Tech’s charities running refugee aid campaigns.
Xiang Nanli watched for a moment before looking away.
The name “Immortality Tech” was so familiar. It was the first company he registered, the first lab he built, the first time he rang the bell for an IPO, and the first time he appeared on the national news broadcast. The past glory was etched deep in his bones, yet it had absolutely nothing to do with him now.
“Luoyang, I’m entrusting Immortality Tech to you. Don’t let me down.”
Xiang Nanli thought to himself: The only student I meticulously selected really didn’t let me down. A millennium later, Immortality Tech had undeniably become the top-ranked mega-corporation in the Human Alliance.
If only Luoyang were still alive… forget it. He checked the records; that kid had been dead for centuries.
Xiang Nanli got off the train in District 9, where rent was relatively cheap. The status of this district was similar to an urban-rural fringe or a county town.
Unlike the orderly expanding cities on the surface, the underground cities were divided into different zones right from their inception—a perfect pyramid structure. Furthermore, checkpoints were set up between each district. Residents of District 9 did not have passes to enter the first eight districts, but residents of the upper districts faced no such restrictions.
The rich, the middle class, and the poor were distinctly separated.
Occasionally, a few individuals would leap through the dragon’s gate through sheer talent and opportunity, becoming prime examples heavily promoted by the media. This was to make everyone believe that class mobility still existed; it was just that you weren’t working hard enough.
Following the navigation, Xiang Nanli checked into the hotel. It cost 150 a day, but booking for 20 consecutive days discounted it to 138. It was a standard room. Though small and worn out, it had all the necessary amenities.
Xiang Nanli opened the nutrient paste he bought at the convenience store and took a bite. He raised an eyebrow slightly. “It’s surprisingly not terrible.”
Perhaps due to some blended additives, the nutrient paste tasted quite savory. Its texture was like a meat sausage—tender and bursting with juice upon biting. If heated in a microwave for 30 seconds, it would probably taste even better.
The system commented casually, “Additives aren’t expensive, after all.”
After finishing it, Xiang Nanli felt a distinct sense of fullness in his stomach.
“Does this expand in the stomach?” he asked. The portion size of the nutrient paste was quite small, hardly looking like enough for gastric juices to digest.
“No, it uses certain chemical compounds to induce a sensation close to satiety. In fact, many residents of the underground cities suffer from stomach diseases. Generally, around the age of 15, they will swap it out for a steel stomach for survival.”
Xiang Nanli: “…Don’t the residents have any complaints?”
“They do. The ones with the biggest complaints are either dead or on the surface.”
That sounded even more miserable.
Xiang Nanli decided to change the subject. “Alpha, where are my textbooks?”
“Inventory.”
It took Xiang Nanli a moment to realize that the ‘inventory’ it mentioned was the “Installed Software” section on his main personal info page.
He opened the personal info page, scrolled down, and sure enough, saw a pile of textbooks, all in an ‘unused’ state.
Damn, no wonder I searched for ages and couldn’t find cheaper materials. Knowledge that could be directly deposited into the brain like a top-up was impossible to pirate.
On the surface, this was an incredibly convenient thing. It even eliminated the gap between hard work and natural talent in learning.
But Xiang Nanli only found it absurd. “So what you’re saying is, what I bought is actually a string of electronic data, and I don’t even know if it’s been tampered with? What if someone slipped a bunch of messed-up ‘common sense’ into the software?”
Furthermore, the effect of this forced “consensus” was miles apart from knowledge acquired through diligent study.
The system replied without any emotion: “It is basically safe.”
Xiang Nanli said with a touch of sarcasm, “Fine, since I don’t really have a choice anyway. But it just occurred to me—aren’t you an offline AI? How did you order the materials? I haven’t even paid the internet bill yet.”
The system paused suspiciously for half a second before replying, “The internet billing system has been phased out. Wherever there is network coverage, I can be utilized.”
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Author’s Notes:
Investigation Team: The city’s special armed (elite) force, recruiting only graduates from accredited universities. Staff members are called “Investigators.”
Crawler: An aberrant creature (saprophyte class) born from nuclear pollution and unknown biological modification. Resembles a humanoid lizard, measuring between 5 to 15 meters in length.
Barren Zone: A general term for uncharted human territories, named after the concept of “wasteland reclamation.” Certain Barren Zones have specific designations.
Other Info: The Centaurus planet where Xiang Nanli is located is ten times the size of Earth and has a total of 7 satellites.
