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Chapter 23: Take it off yourself.
The weather was fine, with gentle golden sunlight casting a clear outline on An Wujiu’s delicate features. The tiny hairs that were invisible in the bunker and narrow, slender eyelid folds were now revealed before Shen Ti’s eyes.
The wind ruffled An Wujiu’s hair, and he lifted his hand to tuck a strand behind his ear.
“Not now,” An Wujiu said.
Shen Ti asked him why.
“Because you don’t want to talk about it right now,” An Wujiu pursed his lips, his gaze fixed on Shen Ti, which was as clear as the only lake in this wilderness.
“When you’re ready to talk, you’ll say it yourself.”
Due to An Wujiu’s earnest demeanor, the atmosphere between them shifted from playful to serious.
Shen Ti stopped joking and walked alongside him.
For both of them, it was a strange experience.
Having gone through so many rounds of the game, Shen Ti had never had a companion. The reason was simple: he didn’t need one, nor was he interested. Returning to reality together like this was his first time.
And for An Wujiu, who had amnesia, it was even more unfamiliar.
“You mentioned letting me take you in…” he tilted his head, “What about your home?”
Shen Ti smiled, “I don’t have a home. There’s nowhere for me to go.”
“So, where did you end up the last time you returned from the Holy Altar to reality?” An Wujiu’s brows furrowed slightly, giving him a touch of pitiable charm, but his words were direct, like an interrogating officer.
Shen Ti appeared deep in thought, paused, and then showed a look of finally remembering, “An underground club. I ordered a cocktail called the ‘Piano Man,’ a synthetic concoction.”
Hearing him talk about the underground club and cocktails, An Wujiu felt a twinge of curiosity.
“Was it good?”
“It was alright; it tasted like a bunch of chemical synthetics. But it packed a punch; after drinking it, I just passed out.”
An Wujiu continued to look at him with a tilted head and ask, “Where did you sleep?”
“At a booth in the club. I crashed there for the night. I woke up feeling sore all over in the morning.”
An Wujiu had the impression that underground clubs were chaotic places, often not entirely legal. It was just that the government’s control was limited, making it difficult to reach there. Behind those clubs were usually large capitalist conglomerates, seemingly places of entertainment but harboring many criminal activities.
Drugs, human trafficking, the sex industry, illegal cryptocurrency exchanges—countless sins.
“You actually dared to lie there all night in such a place,” An Wujiu said slowly. “I’ve heard that many people get drugged there. Those with better aptitudes are forced into sexual servitude, and those less qualified become organ donors.”
The term sounded very grand, but in reality, it meant allowing others to harvest organs and provide them to those who could afford it and were compatible. In the current environment of severe pollution, six out of every ten people need organ transplants due to diseases.
However, An Wujiu didn’t expect Shen Ti’s response to be so divergent after hearing his words.
“So, do you think I belong to the category of better aptitudes or the lesser ones?”
He had been walking non-stop, but upon hearing this question, An Wujiu halted his steps.
He turned around, carefully scrutinizing Shen Ti’s face, especially his eyes.
This person even had brown eyelashes, which would become somewhat translucent in bright sunlight.
Usually, being closely examined by someone would cause varying degrees of discomfort—a feeling of one’s appearance being scrutinized. But strangely, when An Wujiu stared, Shen Ti found it quite intriguing.
It was as if he was being scanned by sincere artificial intelligence.
The scan results were, “The better kind.”
An Wujiu withdrew his gaze and added a sentence in his own mind.
Definitely the best kind.
Shen Ti chuckled softly.
“How did you become like this?” An Wujiu continued walking forward, and Shen Ti followed along. “Completely honest and sincere when you’re good, but without scruples and no bottom line when you are bad.”
Of course, An Wujiu had no idea of the reasons.
So he continued walking in silence without giving an answer.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind swept through, accompanied by the loud noise of engines and the rotating of blades. An Wujiu turned back, his long hair billowing in the wind.
It was a modified old-fashioned aircraft, similar in size to helicopters from the past, with an elliptical spherical shape. The aircraft gradually descended, and the cracked windows followed suit as a person leaned out halfway, pushing up their flying goggles.
It was Wu You.
Considering the motorcycle that belonged to Zhong Yirou just moments ago, this was the second surprising thing An Wujiu had encountered since returning to reality.
Wu You operated the controls, opening the aircraft’s door. Inside, although it was worn, there were enough seats for two people.
He offered to give An Wujiu a ride, and before An Wujiu could respond, Shen Ti crouched and squeezed inside.
“The seats are quite comfortable.”
Wu You put his goggles back on. “I found it at the flea market. The previous owner was a fat guy who died from a sexually transmitted disease and a new type of tuberculosis.”
He added, “That’s how it was described in the product listing.”
Shen Ti’s expression instantly soured. He shifted in his seat, and when he saw that An Wujiu had already seated himself, he reluctantly sat down as well.
“I’ve disinfected it seven or eight times.” Wu You muttered under his breath as he glanced at Shen Ti through the rearview mirror. “Scaredy-cat.”
An Wujiu also noticed that many components inside the aircraft were of different colors and varying conditions.
It looked like a hodgepodge of parts put together.
“You little rascal; you were really pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger.” Shen Ti said as he leaned back in his seat, causing it to make an unstable sound.
Indeed, it seemed that there were no high-quality items in the flea market.
“Who says that?” Wu You pressed the safety button and observed An Wujiu’s reaction through the rearview mirror.
An Wujiu also turned to look at him through the mirror.
“I noticed it the morning after our first day,” An Wujiu began, “You’re far from ordinary. The anxiety, impulsiveness, and timidity you displayed when entering the game were all disguises. Because you wanted me to sympathize with you or use you.”
Wu You remained noncommittal. “So, how did you figure it out?”
“After waking up that morning, I inspected Yang Ming and Lao Yu’s clothes. That was my biggest concern, as dragging them around could easily leave traces. But there were none with you. I guessed that before you moved them, you took off Yang Ming’s coat, and you dealt with Lao Yu’s shirt afterward.”
Wu You shrugged. “You’re quite clever; it’s been a pleasure working with you.”
With that, he asked An Wujiu for the destination. After some thought, An Wujiu provided the address of a hospital. Wu You nodded and called out a name, “Vivian.”
[Good morning, Xiao You.]
Wu You repeated the name of the hospital An Wujiu had mentioned, “Saint Georgia Hospital.”
[Understood, I’ll navigate for you right away.]
The intelligent navigation system of the aircraft emitted a naturally soft and gentle electronic female voice. Typically, male preferences for synthesized voices lean toward sweet and charming or commanding mature tones, but this one was notably different. Instead of gentle, it was more akin to loving.
Soon, blue lines appeared on the windshield of the aircraft, displaying a complex map and navigation route within 0.3 seconds.
[Based on the current aerial traffic conditions, I recommend the following two routes for you.]
Among the blue lines on the glass, one turned orange, while the other turned pink.
Wu You clicked on the pink route.
[Received. Navigation activated; estimated time: 19 minutes and 23 seconds.]
[Commencing flight, please ensure your safety.]
The aircraft sped along an invisible aerial route at an incredible speed. Soon, An Wujiu, pressed tightly against his seat, saw through the glass window as they left the wilderness behind and entered the city.
The city was not much different from his memories.
The murky air cast a grayish hue over everything. Looking down, the crowded slums and gathering places for the destitute resembled a monstrous creature nestled within the concrete forest. The grimy walls formed their shell, with tiny windows tightly packed together, like countless eyes gathered together.
It was an unsettling sight.
Holographic advertisements for adult content models, as tall as the government buildings in the background, constantly flickered due to the atmospheric interference, resembling an old television with a poor signal. The model held a small pink pill container, shook it, took one himself, and then displayed an ethereal expression.
In the advertisement, he stood on the sewage-covered floor of the Administrative Square, towering over the building’s slogan—Freedom, Health, Prosperity.
On the ground, people of all kinds passed between the model’s legs. Each person wore different VR devices, their eyes fixed forward, their expressions numb. None of them seemed to care about the enormous projection of genitals hanging above their heads.
Among the numb individuals, there were some who were hunched over, emaciated, and frail. There were young men and women, the elderly, and even children who appeared to be no more than four feet tall.
“This must be the most chaotic district in Philadelphia,” Shen Ti said, his hand supporting his face and a sarcastic smile on his lips. “The children born here probably come into the world already tainted.”
Wu You continued, “There are many of them, and most end up on Scrap Street. After all, contraceptives are expensive enough for them to buy ten small bags of abortion pills, and getting an abortion here would get them arrested, so they have no other choice.”
Orphanages were packed to the brim, like sardine cans.
An Wujiu asked, “Don’t these people go to the Holy Altar?”
“No, many people like them exist,” Wu You explained. “They just don’t survive the first round.”
Perhaps due to the air, An Wujiu felt suffocated. He raised his head to look upward. The city’s skyscrapers pierced the clouds like the Tower of Babel.
The aircraft adjusted its route slightly, and An Wujiu saw a relatively less towering building. The rooftop of that building was a beautiful rooftop garden, with sunlight piercing through the clouds, making the rare roses shine like rubies.
The garden resonated with the melodious sound of a violin, and you could faintly see men and women dancing while holding red wine glasses.
Freedom, health, and prosperity
An Wujiu let out a brief sigh, his headache growing as if the electrodes were stimulating his skin.
[Destination reached.]
That was fast.
[The aerial parking fee in this area is $50 per hour. Would you like to land…]
Wu You interrupted, “Set us down, then go to a place where you can park for free and wait.”
[Alright, Xiao You.]
Shen Ti intentionally mimicked Vivian’s tone, saying, “Alright, Xiao You,” which nearly got him trapped by Wu You manipulating the seatbelt when they were about to disembark.
As they descended, Wu You whispered to An Wujiu, “Why are you with someone like him?”
Someone like him?
An Wujiu glanced back at Shen Ti, who was stretching his arms like a cat, and said, “Rich people’s area, nice.”
“He’s the one who wanted to follow me,” An Wujiu replied directly.
Saint Georgia Hospital was the best hospital in Philadelphia.
Based on An Wujiu’s childhood memories, his family had originally settled in Shanghai, but due to work-related reasons, it seemed to be a collaboration between China and the United States on some project, and his father had come to Philadelphia alone. Later, their whole family temporarily moved here.
But why hadn’t they gone back afterward?
Memories of his childhood and teenage years were very fuzzy, and An Wujiu had no choice but to let them be. He, along with the other two, arrived at the hospital entrance. There were four uniformed security personnel outside the hospital gate to screen patients.
An Wujiu raised his eyes and noticed eight miniature cameras above the gate.
Soon, he felt strange again. Why was he so sensitive to surveillance?
“Please show your net income for the past three years and online banking transaction records,” a security guard with white gloves extended his hand to stop them.
“Do we need all this to see a doctor…”
Wu You turned silently, rolled his eyes, and lowered his cap even further.
An Wujiu spoke up, “I’m not here for treatment. I just want to consult…”
The security guard, like a low-level interactive robot, interrupted and repeated his previous words.
“Please show your net income for the past three years and online banking transaction records.”
With no other choice, An Wujiu thought of the Holy Altar. He opened the panel and displayed his balance for them.
“You still have over 53,000 points? That’s almost 600,000 USD when converted,” Wu You was somewhat shocked. “Did you just keep winning all this time?”
An Wujiu pursed his lips, treating it as an answer.
Finally, the security guard in front of them stopped behaving like a robot devoid of emotion. He waved toward the hospital entrance and said, “The consultation area is to the left after entering.”
An Wujiu nodded and entered the hospital, finding a place that was clean, advanced, and well-organized, in stark contrast to the previous neighborhood. Wu You didn’t follow him, saying he needed to watch over his aircraft, so he walked alone to the street across from the hospital.
They found the consultation interface, a massive floating electronic screen displaying other hospitals under the same system, some with rainbow logos and others with spiral DNA logos.
In the center was a prompt: [Touch the relevant section for consultation].
An Wujiu extended his hand, attempting to touch “Patient Inquiry” in the upper right corner.
But suddenly, his index finger paused in mid-air.
“What’s wrong?” Shen Ti asked.
An Wujiu turned his head and stared at Shen Ti’s hand, making an odd request, “Can I borrow your gloves?”
Shen Ti eyebrows frowned but then loosened.
Was this some kind of counter-surveillance habit of his?
An Wujiu thought he might be refused when he saw Shen Ti hesitate.
“Take them off yourself,” Shen Ti offered his hand.
It felt strange, but An Wujiu couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was strange about it. Still, the fact that Shen Ti was willing to lend his gloves was more than enough. He nodded and used his fingertips to pull at a small piece of leather finger cover, but he found it difficult to take it off this way. So, he used both hands, starting from the wrist, to peel off the black leather glove bit by bit.
He was cautious, as if he were peeling off the skin of a venomous snake that was shedding.
After taking it off, An Wujiu stared in amazement.
Shen Ti’s hand was covered in strange, contorted, purplish-black patterns, like tattoos but not quite; these lines interweaved and extended into the part hidden under the cuff that he couldn’t see.
“What are you looking at?” Shen Ti snatched the gloves from An Wujiu’s hand and, without saying anything, lowered his head to hold An Wujiu’s hand and put the glove on him.
When they touched, An Wujiu realized that those vine-like patterns were actually slightly raised, invisible to the naked eye but noticeable to the touch. In an instant, other images seemed to jump before his eyes, like inserted frames in a movie scene①.
Images of him tightly entwined by many snake-like things.
An overwhelming feeling of suffocation came over An Wujiu out of nowhere.
“Did my hand scare you?”
Shen Ti lowered his hand, uncommonly serious and not making any jokes. “That’s why I never show it to anyone.”
The author has something to say:
① Frame Interpolation: A video editing technique where a frame unrelated to the continuous frames is inserted during editing. For example, you’re watching a romantic movie, and suddenly, a ghostly figure appears, then disappears instantly, and the romantic movie continues.
The movie “Fight Club” has several instances of frame interpolation.
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