Psychics don't die from gunfire

Chapter 864: A Conversation with Zenoya Edith

"Thank you so much for taking the time. Uh, by the way, would you like something to drink first? Soda, coffee, or a sugary soft drink?"

"A glass of soda, with plenty of fizz."

"Okay. Haha, the budget I was given from above is limited, so we can't afford service robots. We're encouraged to do things ourselves. Here's your soda, enjoy."

"Thank you."

"Would you like a piece of paper? You seem to be..."

"No need. I'm not really used to this kind of drink yet."

"Then what is this?"

"My hometown, well, it might seem ridiculous to you, a place that doesn't exist. But to me, it's always been real. I've never been able to accept the taste of soda water, its harshness, but a slight sting makes the memory clearer. That's how I see it."

".I see."

“Now, Ms. Zenoya Edith, on behalf of the Digital Life Management Division of the Committee on Scientific Ethics, I am here to begin this routine conversation with you.”

"please."

"Okay. Name."

"Zenoya Edith".

"Gender? Including but not limited to binary gender—"

"female."

"age?"

"Thirty-seven years and seven months old."

"Well, based on what we understand so far, some digital beings choose to give themselves a new name to symbolize a new life. Could you perhaps share a little about your thoughts on choosing to keep the name 'Zenoa Edith'?"

"Chief Knight of the Kingdom of Erathia, the 'Shattered Oracle' Legion. I was proud of this long ago, and I still am. I am Zenoya Edith, and I always will be."

"I understand. When a 'digital life' like yours comes into reality, it does so through the brain-computer interface of an internet user, causing the original owner's consciousness to be taken over."

"However, you belong to the better group. The original owner's consciousness was not damaged much, and you can discuss switching control of the body on your own. This is why you were granted the right to move freely. May I ask, how is your relationship with them going so far?"

"What is said behind one's back is not to be trusted."

".Um?"

"This is slang from the Kingdom of Erathia. Your question involves two people, and I don't think a one-sided account is convincing. Ahhhhhh—finally, it's out again!"

"Uh, judging from that tone... you must be the original owner of this body, Miss Deborah."

"It's me! Yes, it's me! Oh dear, I actually overheard your conversation! Xiaoze and I get along really well, really well!"

"My God! You have no idea how amazing Ozawa's swordsmanship is! I went to the martial arts club and asked Ozawa to fight for me! Even that bastard who secretly installed a swordsmanship enhancement chip was no match for him; Ozawa completely dominated him!"

"Haha, Ozawa said she was willing to teach me swordsmanship, but I thought it was too much trouble and didn't learn. Ah! I'm not just taking advantage of her! I also taught her how to play online games and how to make cinnamon rolls!"

“Yes, yes, Miss Deborah, I have received everything you said. Your friendship with Ms. Edith is indeed enviable, but could you please ask her to come out first?”

"Oh? Only for a short while! I still have so much to tell Xiaoze! For example, last week, hello." "She's naturally lively and always has so much to say, which is quite a headache for me. I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"Oh, no, not at all. Such boundless energy is a rare talent; I can only envy it. Anyway, let's move on to the next question: What are your opinions on the current placement and support of digital lives?"

"I don't have any objections. You've done a great job. I should emphasize that this is not flattery."

"Haha, it sounds like my colleagues are really awesome."

"To be honest, I am very satisfied with my current situation. You are willing to accept an outsider, no, an individual even lower than an outsider, instead of tying him to an iron bed and dissecting him like those mages in the tower do to the beastmen—I am already satisfied. You even registered an identity code for me and gave me a set of civil rights."

“Ms. Edith, I must correct you on this point. Our New Order Federation probably has a different definition of the term ‘alien race’ than you think.”

“Indeed, you don’t even have genes, so the biological concept of race doesn’t really apply to you—but what does that matter? In our view, you, and those ‘digital life forms’ like you, are an indisputable new race.”

"Although your new race has a bit too many internal divisions. Haha, just the ones I know of myself include Lakeside Murlocs, Thunder Elementals, Garudas, Sun Elf, Karakis Aliens, and a whole bunch of others."

"Digital life? Why can't it be a person? A simple, normal human being."

"Well, regarding this point, I can actually reveal a little. In fact, the classification of digital life forms like yourself, who identify as 'human,' into which race is still under discussion. Perhaps in the future, you can change the race on your identity code to human; that's..."

"I understand."

"Of course, these are still under discussion, and we will take your opinions into consideration. I am the one who is doing this."

“…Then let me say a few more words. Deborah told me that the racial identifier on my ID code could bring me a lot of benefits, at the very least I could receive a resettlement allowance from the government every month. But I don’t really care about those things.”

"Yes, I admit that money has great value; it can bring you a comfortable bed, hot mead, and people willing to serve you. But none of that matters to me. I can sleep in a stable just as well, and mead can be heated on a fire in the wilderness just as well. As for service, I have my own hands and feet."

“I want to be human—not just a line of code on an ID card, but to be treated as a ‘human being.’ I have lived for thirty-seven years and seven months, and I have lived as a human being from beginning to end.”

“Very valuable advice.”

On the other side, on the yellow-green patchwork sofa, an employee who had specially chosen casual clothes to show his friendliness nodded solemnly, stood up, and extended his right hand.

The metal prosthetic limb has a slightly cool touch.

“I will relay your thoughts to my superiors, Ms. Edith.” He paused. “Also, some good news: the consciousness separation surgery has entered the clinical phase, and it is expected that you will be able to have a new body soon. Uh, of course, the same goes for Ms. Deborah.”

"Grateful."

A girl dressed in a punk style walked out of the room, and the security guard outside handed her the items she had temporarily stored there. A heavy cylindrical bag slung across her body was taken by Zenoya Edith, and her body unconsciously relaxed a little.

The cylindrical bag was stuffed with odds and ends, but most importantly, it contained a full-steel baseball bat. A sharpened sword was inconvenient to carry on the street; it would attract the attention of security police. A baseball bat was much better.

As she walked down the corridor, she stopped. Through the window, across the street, several people in yellow vests were squatting, pointing at the road that had been partially destroyed by artillery fire, seemingly engaged in a heated discussion. After a few minutes, they picked up tools and began repairing the infrastructure damaged by the war.

Lifting up slightly to look out, airships carrying banners promoting post-disaster policies slowly flew over the city. Towering construction machinery, like mythical giants carrying mountains of stone, stood rumbling on the ravaged land. Along the streets, fragments of faded graffiti lay haphazardly in the ruins, then were shoveled into dump trucks along with them.

After a while, Zenoya Edith looked away, put on her baseball cap, and silently covered her long, dark green-streaked hair.

She took another step and walked out of the office building. There had been a light rain last night, and the air smelled of damp earth. The sunshine wasn't bad.

—Volume VII, "The Beginning of Calamity".

end.

(End of this chapter)