Cyber ​​Ghost Record

Chapter 72, Section 71: Identity

The lights were off, but the humming of electricity seemed to still echo in the vast darkness.

As Suger left the underground printing plant, the water stains at his feet reflecting the embers of the red indicator lights outside the roller shutter door. A cockroach robot slipped out of his pocket and crawled down the seam of his trousers. This thing wasn't connected to a wireless power transmission protocol, but its internal disposable solid-state battery could still power it to monitor the area for three weeks. If no one discovered this place after three weeks, that would be enough to demonstrate its security and secrecy.

"The scope of smuggling is very broad."

Shen Ke's voice was unpredictable.

"What has this place sold?" he asked.

“Medicines, weapons, technology, prosthetics… and intelligence?” she replied, “everything that is forbidden but needed.”

Suger paused for a few seconds, then said, "Let's make this clear first, we don't deal drugs."

"The definition of drugs is also very broad. Remember that glass of wine you drank? Actually, that can also be considered a digital drug."

Suger recalled "Outside the Walls," the bar where he first entered with her, and then the feelings anchored deep in his mind.

"And weapons," he added, as he recalled the children in the orphanage under Yue Guocheng's gun.

"Hmm." Shen Ke glanced back. "I know."

Suger felt that her gaze had a penetrating quality, as if she knew he would soon abandon his "reserve".

"You think I'm a hypocrite?"

"No." Shen Ke walked up the stairs of the out-of-service elevator. "You're not a hypocrite, you're just an adventurer."

"adventurer?"

"Some things are dangerous, so they are not allowed. Others are monopolized by the authorities simply because they are highly profitable."

She stopped leaning against the handrail, each eyelash glowing faintly in the darkness, her green eyes following Suger toward the top of the elevator.

“Drug dealers and arms dealers may feel a pang of conscience when they see the dead and addicts. But a salt smuggler in feudal times would rarely have any moral concerns; he would only feel that he was taking a risk.”

She disappeared from the elevator again, reappearing ahead, her translucent silhouette glowing like fireflies. The passageway was unusually dark, revealing only the blurry outlines of the ventilation ducts and light fixtures at the top; deeper inside lay bottomless darkness.

Socrates had a feeling that she was leading him into an abyss.

He traversed underground passages and elevators, the noise of the ventilation system drowned out by the surrounding din. He retrieved his vision from the storage station at the foot of his capsule apartment building; on it were missed calls from Yang Guan and a video email. He opened the email, and Yang Guan's virtual image appeared on the screen of his vision. Through his half-body avatar, he could see water ghosts lurking between bars and restaurants.

"The bureau has assigned you a new identity."

"And what's this new identity?" Suger asked.

“Your previous identity information was incomplete, which is why your identity was discovered.” Yang Guan paused. “To be honest, this isn’t a technical issue. Actually… the bureau might not have paid enough attention to you before…”

"now what?"

“You’ve proven your abilities, and the bureau is considering increasing your informant allowance.” Yang Guan then added, “If the next mission goes smoothly.”

Socrates was unmoved by the "increased allowance," even if his allowance were doubled, it would be a drop in the bucket to cover his financial shortfall. But he still raised an eyebrow in feigned surprise.

"Is everything ready at Luyingting Apartment?" Yang Guan asked again.

"what happened?"

“Your key is in the email,” Yang Guan said. “I’ve arranged a new place for you. Get there first, and we’ll talk about the rest later.”

The hovercar landed on the street.

Two minutes later, the hovercar landed on the aerial platform. The location was still in the west of the city, but the altitude was 800 meters higher, and the cityscape was completely different. He walked into the Yunbo Hotel on the east side of Shangqingyang Street; the hotel's sign faced the Qingyang Palace, which was even higher up. The lights outside the sightseeing elevator shaft plummeted rapidly, and soon he entered suite 8302 in Zone A.

The door opened, revealing a suite that was still only thirty square meters in size, not much larger than a capsule apartment. However, the four walls, bathed in natural light, projected tens of thousands of themed images 24 hours a day. Suger entered the room, the movable floor moving with his steps with almost imperceptible delay. He walked on mahogany flooring, and to the east was a terrace overlooking the mountain, filled with lush greenery.

He walked to the window and sat down. The mahogany chair had a soft, enveloping feel, and this small luxury suite seemed to contain an independent world.

Yang Guan reappeared.

"You are now the regional manager of Lugu Group in Yingchuan City."

"Lugu Group?"

"A multinational conglomerate with significant achievements in the fields of medicine, biology, and prosthetics."

"I don't know anything about these businesses." "I'll send you the relevant information."

"What exactly do I need to do?"

"The bio-modification industry market in Yingchuan City is very chaotic. Lugu Group has its eye on this market, and your goal is to pave the way for Lugu Group's entry."

Socrates pondered for a moment. Rain dripped from the eaves of the terrace in the holographic wall. When the twelfth drop fell, he said, "I have a question."

"Ok?"

"If I encounter someone from the real Deer Valley Group, my identity will be exposed."

Yang Guan shook his head.

"Don't worry, Lugu Group will not do business in Yingchuan City."

"why?"

"The bio-modification industry has always been considered a sunset industry in the public discourse. For decades, this sunset industry has not yet faded, and it can still generate significant economic benefits. However, Yingchuan City is a religiously autonomous city-state. The bio-modification industry often appears alongside the concept of 'physical fundamentalism.' In the early stages of the development of physical fundamentalism, there were proposals to define it as heresy. Although this proposal has not yet been passed, there is no need for the Lugu Group to make this venture capital investment."

“You know the Deer Valley Group won’t do business here,” Suger said. “The Spirit Society knows that too.”

“For the Spiritual Society, if it can get the support of a multinational conglomerate, it can shed its identity as an ‘underground organization.’ Profit can cloud judgment, and what you have to do is achieve your goal before they come to their senses.”

Yang Guan's figure disappeared, replaced by dozens of document pages hanging in the air.

Suger suddenly wished he could have a brain-computer interface installed, so he would only need to input the data instead of memorizing it by rote.

“Su Xing…”

He pronounced his new name, and the scenery on the wall changed, switching to a mirror that reflected his image.

There were various outfits projected in the air. He slid his finger across the mirror, and his reflection changed into different clothes.

Shen Ke appeared to the side, examining Su Ge's dress-up game.

"Do I look like an investor?" he asked.

"This is a good set," Shen Ke said.

Socrates' fingers stopped. His image on the screen had changed to a raspberry-colored suit, with the name of the style—Heart of the Galaxy—displayed beside it. He moved his shoulders, and the fabric reflected light in shimmering patterns under the changing angles of the lamplight.

"That makes him look like a nouveau riche," he commented.

“The center of the Milky Way is filled with ethyl formate, and it smells like raspberries. That’s its design concept,” she said. “Ordinary brands sell styles, high-end brands sell stories.” She looked at Suger’s face; he had two blisters under his lips. “You don’t have a prosthetic body, which suits your professional image perfectly.”

“I haven’t done any bio-modification.” Soger looked at his body. He had been doing rehabilitation training every day since waking up, but he still couldn’t be described as muscular. “Won’t this arouse suspicion?”

“You haven’t had any modifications,” she said. “But times have changed, and your bone age is probably 27. If you lived in modern times, this would be your natural, unmodified state.”

After she finished speaking, she changed her appearance, and Suger saw an almost androgynous "man" with similar facial features, but with almost no male sexual characteristics such as beard or Adam's apple, and even his bones were more slender.

"Why it came out like this?"

"From an external perspective, the high density of radio frequency electromagnetic radiation in modern cities affects hormone synthesis. From an internal perspective, gender distinctions are no longer important in modern times. The reasons are complex. In short, as a modern natural person, your male characteristics are more prominent and you are stronger than the average person, and your strength is very natural. Originating from nature, yet surpassing nature, this is the philosophy pursued by bio-modification technology, and this philosophy is well reflected in you. This should also be the reason why the new identity that the investigator forged for you is related to the bio-modification industry."

Suger stood up, glanced at the raspberry-colored suit in the mirror, and placed an order. The physical item would be delivered to his room in less than half an hour. He turned off the mirror, switched the room's view mode to city, and the combined effect of the floor and wall projections made him feel as if he were in an extremely spacious room. He wasn't wearing a vision device, yet his senses were being deceived.

This feeling made Suger somewhat uneasy; for some reason, he thought of the "General".

The moment this thought crossed his mind, he felt a strong sense of being watched. Fantasies kept popping up; he imagined a pair of eyes hiding behind a curtain, staring intently at him.

Immediately, he turned off the landscape mode, the wall curtain went out, and three gray-white walls enveloped him in a cramped space. Outside the glass, the darkness of the city intertwined with neon lights, and floating cars and night wanderers drifted between the sky tracks.

There is no spy.

He was still sweating profusely and his heart was racing.

"It's time to take medicine."

She gently reminded him. He took out an aluminum box and lit one. A red light appeared, and blue smoke drifted in.

He breathed a sigh of relief and slumped into the chair, though the feeling of being watched still lingered.

(End of this chapter)