The night before the promotion

Chapter 32 Cloud City

The humidity in the Dream Pool is very high. The cold, damp air is mixed with a sweet fragrance. Fine water droplets hang all over the gray walls, and the shadowed corners are covered with mold and moss.

Zhou Si followed Madam Cui around the corner, and a huge underground space appeared in front of everyone. Rusty metal beams crisscrossed each other, and the towering iron sheets were covered with brown rust and corroded layer by layer.

This was a storage cabin somewhere in the port, but as the port was abandoned, it was occupied by Madam Cui and transformed into its current appearance.

The psychedelic light covered every corner of the sight, like a never-ending party. Everyone in it was under the influence of incense, indulging in cheap pleasure.

Li Weiyun looked around vigilantly. They were not here to visit.

In today's era of booming consciousness networks, people's demand for avatar connections is increasing, but not everyone has enough financial resources to buy an independent neural docking helmet or a more expensive neural docking cabin.

Thus, the Thought Network Connection Center came into being.

Just like Internet cafes were all the rage in the streets and alleys more than a decade ago, Shinian Network Connection Centers have now appeared in every corner of the city, providing customers with affordable services.

When Li Weiyun first became an inspector, his daily job was to patrol in such places. Most of these centers are dimly lit to avoid strong light exposure. Rows of massage chairs are neatly arranged. Customers put on neural connection helmets and fall asleep peacefully here.

Silence is the main theme here, and the only noise is the breathing of customers. Over time, people habitually call the Consciousness Network Connection Center "Dream Pool".

Similarly, where there are illegal Internet cafes, there are also illegal dream pools.

Under the constraints of the high wall and the big system, the incarnation body and the consciousness network are under strict supervision. In order to prevent their own consciousness from being traced by the high wall and the big system, hackers found many illegal ports from the loopholes in the consciousness network, and thus connected to the network anonymously.

Madam Cui’s dream pool is an anonymous dream pool.

Simple iron chairs were neatly arranged in rows, filled with skinny guests wearing crude neural connection helmets. The blue, green and red wires were exposed and randomly tied together with cable ties, extending to the darkness under the iron chairs.

The incense relaxed their nerves, allowing them to enter a deep connection and fall into the deepest level of dreams. Then their consciousness woke up in all corners of the world, controlling their cold bodies to walk in the world.

"How long do they usually sleep?"

Zhou Si looked at them curiously. These guests looked like death row prisoners sitting on the electric chair. Under the long-term surge of high-voltage current, their bodies were burned into withered charcoal.

"We wake them up every 24 hours to feed them and excrete, and then they fall asleep again," Madam Cui said slowly. "Don't worry. For these people, the existence of the flesh is just a dream. The steel body is the real part of their existence."

Xiang Ji looked at this bizarre scene, his expression did not change at all, but ripples began to form in his heart.

When working in Qingyuan City, Xiang Ji always felt that the biological enhancement technology had caused great alienation to humans at the physiological level, but now it seems that the alienation at the physiological level is far less than the distortion at the spiritual level.

"With 24-hour high-intensity connection, aren't these people afraid of their brains getting burned out?"

Li Weiyun approached a guest, whose arm had the same dense needle holes as Luo Yong's. "It sounds like each of them is a potential patient of the disease of consciousness."

Madam Cui was already used to it, "These patients are very common in Hidden Alley."

"Avatar workers from abroad are constantly squeezing out the local avatar labor market. In order to survive, many avatar workers can only extend their connection time, and then the separation disease begins to break out and spread in them."

Madam Cui approached a guest who had a gaunt face but a satisfied smile on his face. "Under the influence of the disease, their work efficiency began to decline and they were eliminated. In order to win the next job, they had to work harder, which then aggravated the disease."

It continued to walk towards the depths of the dream pool, and its neutral voice was like a cold AI, elaborating on the tragedy from the perspective of a bystander.

"It's like an unsolvable vicious cycle, until their rationality completely collapses and they are left with nothing."

Madam Cui's figure gradually disappeared into the darkness, and her voice was like a midnight elf, echoing in the wind.

Before leaving, Zhou Si looked back at the place. Countless guests were sitting in iron chairs with a look of enjoyment on their faces. They were packed together and as quiet as corpses in a morgue.

After passing through another iron gate, a faint blue light shone from all around. Zhou Si followed Madam Cui and walked on a suspended corridor. Below them were water tanks arranged in rows. Under the dim light, human bodies, both male and female, were curled up in the water tanks.

"Don't be nervous, everyone," Madam Cui said before Li Weiyun and others drew their guns to question them, "They all volunteered."

Li Weiyun raised his electromagnetic pistol and said sternly, "Volunteering, are you kidding?"

"They borrowed a loan from me, and the way to repay the loan is to become incarnated laborers and work for me without sleep," Madam Cui looked down at the water tanks below, which were like closely arranged beehives. "As for their bodies, they are placed with me as collateral. Only when the working hours are met, can the hostage consciousness be awakened from the flesh."

Madam Cui sneered, "Do you want to see the contract I signed with them?"

Then, Madam Cui ignored Li Weiyu's threat and continued to move forward. Even if he shot her from behind, he could only kill a body.

It casually stretched out its fingers and picked out a water tank below.

“His name is Fu Yuan, he is an incarnation laborer who suffers from Lishi disease. His daughter was in a car accident recently, and he urgently needs money to buy Shouheng Life’s treatment plan to save his daughter’s right leg from being amputated.

But unfortunately, the disease caused Fu Yuan to lose control once, causing an innocent person to be injured. Fu Yuan spent more than a year in prison, which also caused his credit to be in a mess, and no bank was willing to lend him money. "

Madam Cui said mercilessly, "Team Leader Li, if you rescue him, he might not thank you at all. Instead, he might go crazy and fight you to the death."

"Oh, by the way," Mrs. Cui reminded, "the man who hit his daughter also suffers from schizophrenia. He was in a state of schizophrenia when the accident happened."

Li Weiyun stared at Madam Cui's back. His sense of justice and duty caused strong emotional fluctuations that burned his internal organs, but soon they were extinguished by the activated biological enhancement technology.

Personal emotions were suppressed and buried, and absolute rationality once again occupied Li Weiyun's mind. For the sake of the Elysium case, he could only compromise.

After a sigh, Li Weiyu put down his electromagnetic pistol, and Xiang Ji also fell silent.

Zhou Si did not participate in the conflict, but silently looked at the water tank below, looking at those pale bodies, and whispered softly, "As consciousness and body are no longer unified, many things are being distorted and alienated."

In the deathly silence, Li Weiyun said faintly, "Doctor Zhou, sometimes I am very scared."

Li Weiyun looked particularly gloomy, his nerves tense, like a fully drawn bowstring, "Technology has brought about changes in life, but at the same time, it has also shaken the original order and moral values ​​of human society."

He put away the electromagnetic pistol and looked forward, not daring to look at the water tank below. "I always feel that human society has risen because of technology, but now it is being bitten back by technology. Now we are in this rotten corner."

"I dare not imagine what the future of mankind will be like," Li Weiyun said self-deprecatingly, "Maybe I am too conservative?"

Zhou Si retracted his gaze, followed Madam Cui's footsteps, and said without turning his head.

"Pei Dong once told me about this dream. She dreamed that there would be no more human figures on the streets of the future city. Everyone lived in pigeon towers, indulging in the beautiful dream of becoming a shell. The whole society was lifeless, with only steel bodies walking on the land."

"But I would say we are on the eve of change, and no one knows what tomorrow will look like."

This time, the three-person team was much quieter than before. Passing through one iron gate after another, they gradually went deeper into Madam Cui's dream pool. Until the last gate opened, the air became dry and hot, and the buzzing sound of the fan was like a swarm of bees, lingering in their ears.

Behind the door is Mengchi's control center. Many monitors are hung on the wall, showing monitoring images, data charts, and some more complex information content.

Employees are working overtime here, maintaining the port connection while also dealing with the inspection of the high wall and large system. In the corners stand dormant humanoid avatars, wearing heavy armor, with arms transformed into machine guns, and ammunition belts extending from them without any cover, dragging on the ground. It can be seen that the security level here is one level higher.

Madam Cui said, "Team Leader Li, please send me the characteristic signal of that consciousness." Li Weiyun silently placed the mobile hard drive on the desktop, which contained the data obtained from the mountain tiger.

"Help them to compare and see which guest caused the trouble."

At Madam Cui's command, the employees read the hard drive data and began to compare them one by one against the local Mengchi database.

During the waiting period, silence and depression remained until Madam Cui broke the silence.

Madam Cui took the initiative to speak, "Doctor Zhou, besides these, is there any other information you need?"

"Why is it suddenly so kind?" Zhou Si looked at it puzzled.

"It's not a kind act, it's just an investment."

Madam Cui took a few steps forward and got very close to Zhou Si, so close that Zhou Si could hear the humming sound of the motor under its metal body.

"Since the incident you are investigating is related to the great changes in Shenwei Technology, I guess this will not end so easily, right?" It laughed sharply, "Chaos is the ladder to rise. I may be able to make a lot of money from it."

Zhou Si was surprised by Madam Cui's greed, "Aren't you afraid of being completely swallowed up by this chaos?"

"All investments are risky," it said fearlessly, "If I'm afraid of risk, why don't I just sell my second-hand avatar?"

Zhou Si took a step back and distanced himself from Madam Cui. He looked at Li Weiyu. The two of them did not communicate with each other, but each understood the other's thoughts.

"Very good, I do need some information," Zhou Si asked, "Do you know about the Land of Elysium?"

Madam Cui fell silent, while Zhou Si crossed his arms and remained patient.

Zhou Si hated communicating with the incarnation, especially with someone like Madam Cui, who had processed her voice.

Communication between people not only relies on language, but also on tone, eye contact, body movements, and other micro-expressions. All of the above constitute the cornerstone of communication between people. When facing an incarnated body, all you can get is probably language and tone.

It felt like talking to a stone.

After a while, Madam Cui finally spoke up, "Doctor Zhou, you really got yourself into quite a bit of trouble."

Zhou Si showed some interest, "It seems like you have information about them?"

"Yes, but not many," Madam Cui briefly explained. "According to the intelligence I know, the Elysium is a mysterious group of incarnation killers. Their main target is related to the feathering technology."

"I know all of this. I need something more useful." Zhou Si said as he glanced at the monitor. The data comparison continued.

"More?" Madam Cui suddenly changed the subject. "Doctor Zhou, you have treated so many patients. You should have a clearer picture of them as a group."

"Of course," Zhou Si recalled and stated, "it requires a long period of connection with the incarnation body, and the incarnation body used is very different from the natural human body..."

All the above labels point to the same group, and the answer is obvious.

Zhou Si and Madam Cui said in unison, "Transform into laborers."

The mind network shortens the distance between people and the world, and the incarnation shell gives people an extremely tough steel body. With the rise of Shenwei technology, plateaus, Gobi deserts, permafrost, deep sea, and even space, wherever the mind network can cover and the steel body can reach, there will be human footprints.

The era of great development has arrived.

Thousands of people devoted themselves to the work of incarnated laborers, uploading their consciousness to incarnated bodies thousands of miles away. Human productivity reached an unprecedented peak, and the world moved to the next stage.

As the times rumble forward, and while technology pushes human civilization to new heights, it also piles up countless skulls on the altar of this civilization.

Madam Cui said coldly, "Lishi disease often occurs among incarnation laborers, and most of those who are willing to become incarnation laborers are at the bottom of society, or even marginalized."

"Doctor Zhou, what do you think the incarnated workers will seek after they suffer from the disease of dissociation?"

Zhou Si thought about it seriously. Most patients with the Lishi disease were like Luo Yong. They were addicted to their own dreams. Their consciousness was no longer unified with the body, but was completely dependent on steel. However, no matter how hard they tried, they could not get rid of the constraints of the flesh.

Just like the rows of zombies sitting on the iron chairs that we saw when we came here, they will eventually wake up and then fall asleep again.

So, what exactly do such a group of people desire?

Zhou Si subconsciously muttered to himself, "Get rid of the constraints of the flesh and completely become a part of the steel to achieve the unity of consciousness and body."

His eyes were dull for a moment, like a confused apprentice being enlightened by his master, and Zhou Si suddenly looked at Madam Cui.

"Flesh and blood are weak, but machinery rises."

When Mrs. Cui heard Zhou Si's answer, she had no expression on her face. Instead, she only had the metallic silver mask of the human incarnation, which reflected Zhou Si's distorted face.

Madam Cui accurately grasped the key points of the connection between various events, "Incarnation labor... No, all patients suffering from the disease of consciousness separation, their goal is not to recover, but to completely get rid of the constraints of the flesh, so the feathering technology must be their ultimate goal."

A crisp ticking sound was heard, and the data comparison was completed. Surveillance scenes and user portraits appeared on the monitor. The files were packaged and compressed and re-imported into the mobile hard drive.

Madam Cui picked up the mobile hard drive and said faintly, "Doctor Zhou, I will provide you with exclusive information."

"In the hidden alleys, there is a legend that in a place called Cloud City, patients with Lishi disease can completely break free from the limitations of the flesh and become one with steel."

Madam Cui said softly, "I don't know where Cloud City is, but being able to break free from the limitations of the flesh means it must be closely related to the feathering technique. If so, it may also be related to the Paradise.

As for those patients, the only thing we know is that the number of patients in the hidden alley has been greatly reduced in recent years. Maybe they have all found Cloud City."

Zhou Si did not comment on the information provided by Madam Cui. He just politely took the mobile hard drive and said, "Thank you for your help, Madam Cui."

After returning the mobile hard drive to Li Weiyun, Zhou Si said, "Let's go. This is the anonymous dream pool. The other party left nothing here except his facial information. We still need to spend some time to compare his personal information."

Li Weiyun nodded and carefully inserted the mobile hard drive into his bulletproof vest. Xiang Ji stood beside him like a guard with a sword.

"Doctor Zhou, wait a moment."

Madam Cui suddenly called Zhou Si who was leaving. Zhou Si turned his head cautiously, with all his muscles tensed to deal with any possible emergencies.

Fortunately, Madam Cui did not attack Zhou Si and others. She stood there like a statue beaten by the wind.

"Doctor Zhou, in fact, I have never thought that avatar cognitive dissociation is a disease. It is more like a catalyst. When humans come into contact with this technology that can change the world, it prompts humans to move towards a higher form of life."

The camera in the humanoid avatar rotates slightly, like interlaced apertures, nested layer by layer.

“Perhaps, the so-called normal people are the real patients—people who cling to their fragile flesh and blood and are unwilling to make any changes.”

(End of this chapter)