Above the Blood Moon

The motorcycle accelerated, getting closer and closer to Mirror Lake. Qiao Keli finally saw another side of the city: true prosperity.

The streets widened, the road surface became smooth, paved with a glossy synthetic material that shimmered faintly in the red moonlight, and the buildings on both sides stood tall and neat, modern buildings with streamlined designs.

The building's surface is covered by a giant projection screen, which plays various GG (game-changing) content, including the latest cybernetic bodies, gene optimization packages, pre-orders for superpower chips, and interstellar travel promotional videos...

The colors are vibrant, and the light and shadow intertwine, like a silent carnival.

The air smelled of a fresh, slightly floral artificial fragrance, and groups of people in black uniforms rode in electronically patrolled cars painted with spray paint, shuttling back and forth on the streets.

Their uniforms were neat and uniform; this was the security force responsible for the Mirror Lake area, the actual violent agency, the FGPD.

Of course, within the cyborg faction, the security forces in various cities are mostly the responsibility of the corporation, and the FDPD in Forgotten City is no exception.

When Jockley saw them, he instinctively tensed up.

But the security personnel didn't even glance at them; they were just patrolling and maintaining order. The motorcycles continued forward and entered the Jinghu District.

Then, Jockley saw a pure black building standing in the center of the Mirror Lake district. The building was very tall, at least two hundred meters high, and completely black, with no decorations or signs on its surface.

It looked like a huge black pillar piercing the sky from the ground, appearing particularly eerie under the red moonlight.

What made Jockley most uneasy was that when he looked at the building, he suddenly felt that the superpowers in his body were no longer active, as if an invisible barrier was covering the building, isolating all superpowers from the outside.

He tried to activate his energy vision, but his mind went blank; the pale golden halo did not appear, and that perceptual ability was not activated.

The superpower had failed, and Jockley felt a pang of anxiety. He looked down at Big Yellow.

Rhubarb's visual sensor band flickered, and then its voice rang out through bone conduction.

"Master, that building should be the technology left over from the previous civilization mentioned in the chip, the gravity regulation system. Two hundred years ago, the AI ​​civilization rebuilt this thing on this planet, adjusting the gravity level of the entire Deep Space Graveyard to a more suitable level."

Furthermore, it can suppress the superpowers of those with special abilities within a small area, which is incredibly advanced technology. The principle behind it is unclear, but the effect is remarkable. (´･ω･`)」

Jockley remained silent. He looked at the black building again and suddenly felt that it resembled a tombstone, commemorating a civilization that had vanished.

The motorcycle began to slow down, and Dekiri led them into a small alley. Neon signs flashed, music was deafening, and the air was filled with a mixture of alcohol and hallucinogens.

Finally, they stopped in front of a bar.

The bar's sign is eye-catching, spelling out the four characters "Power Train" in neon lights.

Daikiri parked his motorcycle, jumped off, straightened his clothes, and then turned to look at the crowd with that familiar roguish smile on his face.

"We've arrived! Welcome to Power Train, the hottest bar in Mirror Lake!!"

He pushed open the door, and the music surged out like a tidal wave, instantly engulfing everyone. Jockley followed him inside, and what he saw before him exceeded his expectations.

The bar was huge, with the ceiling covered in flashing disco balls and laser lights. The lights swirled in the darkness, cutting the entire space into countless fragments, like a carnival of light and shadow.

In the center was a huge stage, on which a host dressed in a tight leather suit was shouting at the top of his lungs into a microphone.

"Let's go crazy tonight—!"

The sound was amplified through the loudspeaker, drowning out all the music and all the noise. Then, seven or eight men walked up from the back of the stage. They were all strong and muscular, wearing only tight black leather jackets that accentuated every muscle in their bodies.

They stood in a row with their faces painted and black eyeshadow around their eyes.

The music also changed from intense electronic music to a slower rhythm.

The men started moving, and a black man stood at the front as the engine. He turned around, bent over with his back to the audience, and placed his hands on his knees.

Then a second man came over, stood behind him, put his hands on his waist, and inserted his genitals into his anus.

The audience erupted in wild screams.

"oh--!"

"Get him—!"

"continue--!"

A third man walked over and repeated the same action. Seven or eight men moved rhythmically on the stage like a string of meat skewered together.

The host was still yelling.

"See that? That's Power Train! Let's stay up all night and party!"

Jockley stood there, feeling as if his worldview had been refreshed once again, and he felt his face burning.

"Master, is this what humans are like? (⊙ˍ⊙)"

Jockley suddenly reached out and covered Big Yellow's panel.

"Children are not allowed to watch these things."

Big Yellow's vision sensor band flickered, as if in protest.

Daikiri walked over and patted Jockri on the shoulder.

"How was that, pretty awesome? This is Mirror Lake, let's enjoy it, bro!!"

He pulled Jockley along to a booth deep inside the bar.

The booth was semi-enclosed, and Art and the priest were already seated there, slowly drinking several bottles of wine in front of them.

Daikiri pulled Chokri down to sit, then beckoned a waitress over. She was a scantily clad female robot with transparent breasts, revealing a complex mechanical structure inside.

"Same as always, four bottles of Abyss and one bottle of Substance No. 9."

The female robot nodded, turned and left. A few minutes later, the wine arrived.

There were four bottles of liquor with skull and crossbones labels on them, and a bottle of liquid with blue light spots floating inside. Daikiri picked up the bottle of clear liquid and handed it to Big Yellow.

"Here you go. Substance Nine is specially formulated to anesthetize electronic networks. Drinking it will give you a high."

Big Yellow hesitated for a moment, then extended its robotic arm, took the bottle of liquid, opened the cap, and poured the liquid into its data interface.

A few seconds later, its visual sensor band began to flicker, and the golden halo softened, like the eyes of a drunk person.

"Master, I feel so strange... like I'm floating... (￣▽￣*)"

Looking at it, Jockley suddenly found it a bit funny. An AI robot got drunk from drinking electronic alcohol. Anything is really possible in this world.

Then he picked up a bottle of Abyss, opened the cap, and took a sip. The liquor was very strong, burning from his throat all the way to his stomach. He coughed twice and felt tears welling up in his eyes.

Daikiri laughed loudly.

"Take it slow, bro, this stuff's strong, don't gulp it down."

Jockley nodded and took another small sip.

The liquor melts in the mouth, spreading along the blood vessels, bringing a warm and relaxing sensation, a pleasure that allows one to temporarily forget everything.

He leaned back on the sofa, feeling only pleasure.

Jockley drank sip after sip, and the bottle of Abyss was soon empty. Daikiri then opened another bottle for him.

"Drink! Tonight, we won't leave until we're drunk!"

Jockley took the bottle, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp. The alcohol rushed to his brain, and the world began to spin.

He wanted to temporarily forget the pain, forget his family's expectations, forget everything.

At this moment, all Jockley wanted was to get completely drunk.

Just then, a voice rang out from the side. It was a woman's voice, clear and crisp, with a hint of languor and teasing.

"Hey, isn't this Daikiri? What, mission accomplished? Time to have some money to spare at Mirror Lake?"

Jockley turned his head and saw a woman sitting in the booth next to him.

She was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with long hair dyed dark purple that shimmered eerily under the lights. She wore a black leather vest, tight leather pants, and high-heeled boots, and her face was covered in heavy makeup.

She was beautiful, but her beauty had thorns, like a poisonous rose.

When Daikiri saw her, the smile on his face froze for a moment.

"Margaret, what are you doing here? Looking for trouble again?"

Margaret smiled, a charming smile, but there was no joy in her eyes.

"What, do you own this bar? You're allowed to come, but I'm not? Tsk, you even brought a newbie? Aren't you going to introduce her?"

Daikiri turned around and pointed at Jockri.

"Jockley, the new guy, he'll be doing missions with us."

After introducing Jockley, he pointed to Margaret.

"Margaret, the prostitute and hacker, our...old friend?"

Jockley suddenly remembered that he had heard the name before. He had mentioned it when Riat was chatting with the priest in the tavern. Riat had said that although Margaret couldn't come, he was referring to her.

Margaret looked at Jockley and sized him up.

"Jockley? What, a mercenary too?"

Jockley nodded.

I guess so.

"You could say that?" Margaret raised an eyebrow. "So you're a newbie, is this your first time at Mirror Lake?"

"first."

"How are you feeling?"

Jockley glanced at the stage; the men were still "driving the train," the audience was still screaming, and the music was still booming.

"It's crazy," he said.

Margaret laughed.

"Crazy? This is nothing. You'll know what madness is when you see the real Mirror Lake Night."

She paused, then picked up the wine bottle on the table and raised it towards Jockley.

"Come on, have a drink to celebrate surviving your first mission and to celebrate that you're still alive to come to Mirror Lake."

Jockley picked up the bottle, clinked it against hers, and then they both tilted their heads back and took a big gulp. The alcohol burned in their bodies, and pleasure spread through their nerves.

Jockley felt his brain becoming sluggish and his consciousness becoming blurred, but his body was becoming relaxed and his emotions were rising.

He let down all his guard and vigilance.