[You are about to enter Community Zero, which is a huge public space. Are you ready?]
Everything is being reorganized. In Meteor's eyes, countless color block pixels are gradually distorted and deformed. They exchange positions with each other, hiding the memory fragments of Hot Wind, and they are about to become a new space.
Meteor said: "I'm ready, everything is at your disposal."
At this moment, he officially stepped into the Internet of Shinto City from the Jester's review agency. The earth and sky of the virtual space appeared, and the buildings and public transportation system were re-coupled.
Pedestrians with different expressions [rising from the ground]——
——Why is it said [rising from the ground]?
In the eyes of Meteor, these characters are separated from a part of the soil, and then evolve into the characters' bones, muscles, internal organs, fascia, skin, and hair. They wear clothes from the inside to the outside, and finally run smoothly and naturally.
Information, information, endless information.
Everything comes to life and becomes a prosperous society.
This is the living Guandong City. The streets are bustling with people, there is a long queue in front of the Regent International Grand Theater, and a sightseeing tram slowly drives by on the urban track ahead.
Further away, you can see the countryside outside Guandong City, with advertising lights for "Oriental Hollywood" placed on the mountainside.
When I raised my head, I saw that the sky was blue and cloudless. I could only see the warm and dazzling sun and a few eye-catching linear aircraft clouds.
The sounds of discussion, quarrels, laughter, and chasing.
The cooking oil is boiling, and the bass from the stereo shop is roaring.
The sweet recitation of car advertisements and the missing person revelation from the broadcasting station.
Meteor was almost overwhelmed by the turbulent and chaotic flow of information. He turned around in a full circle before he could clearly see where he was. From the strange pedestrians coming and going, he saw different clothes that had traveled through thousands of years--
When my eyes moved to the road sign, I realized that this was Kujukurihama in Kanto City in [Elysium Space].
[Take your heart back, Meteor Boy, don’t forget why you came here.]
Meteor is very sincere: "What am I doing here?"
[Looking for the dog! Looking for your black brother! And your safe brother!]
Meteor was stunned for a while and finally came back to his senses.
"Oh oh oh oh! You are right!"
Despite this, he still couldn't take his eyes away——
——In the program preview section of the Grand Theater, there is a talk show.
While listening to Hot Wind's instructions, Meteor stopped in front of the small window of the talk show column.
He doesn't dare to deal with these strange and weird souls, so let's start with their cultural repertoire and see what people of this era really like?
When he stood still in front of the window——
——The host immediately stood up and came to the camera, as if he was doing a live broadcast.
"Young man! I have a story to tell you!"
Meteor was infected by the other party's enthusiastic demeanor. He immediately put aside Hot Wind's warning and almost buried his head in the window.
The host said vividly.
"Judging from your appearance! You should be an angry young man who hates rich people! I have to teach you the right medicine according to your aptitude! Let me tell you the story of banker!"
Meteor didn't quite understand what the host meant -
——Is it the electronic signal belonging to the hot air in the body that caused the host to make a wrong judgment?
Hatred of the rich? Angry youth?
Meteor is a child born with a golden key in his mouth. He never thinks that wealth can be equated with evil, and he is not a cynical person.
The host started chattering on and on, talking about things mentioned in [Rigoletto]'s test questions.
“What can save unemployment? Save poor people from eternal poverty?”
"At this point there's probably a small group of people saying - they should have kids."
The host winked at Meteor, even though the guy looked like a forty-year-old uncle with a slovenly beard - the man was so energetic that he was afraid that Meteor would lose his patience and try his best to grab Meteor's attention.
"Children are durable consumer goods. To raise them, you need to buy all kinds of things. It costs a lot of money, right? It is definitely more expensive than raising a dog!"
The host said with a smile.
"But why don't we raise dogs? After all, if you raise a dog, it will know how to repay a favor - if you raise children, they will only blame you."
Onomatopoeias of yin and yang appeared.
The host held her throat and pretended to have a high-pitched female voice.
"Dad! Why does a sum of money come into our bank account every month?"
"Oh! My daughter! That's my salary."
"Oh! So is that salary? I thought it was a meal. After all, the uncle next door treated me to dinner and it cost so much for one meal! He is a banker! He is a successful person!"
"What the hell! I'd rather have a dog - at least my dog won't hate dog food."
The host returned to normal, even a little hysterical. He lay down in front of the camera and bared his teeth with the shooting star.
"What is a loser? Dear listeners?"
"What makes us losers? It seems that there is no such word in society - there are no losers."
"Are you no longer worthy of being a human being because you failed?"
"Skip this heavy topic! Let's learn how to write a cool article?"
The host forced a smile and winked at Ah Xing again——
"——Fuck economists, fuck public opinion."
"We should carefully select their legal representatives and board members from the top 500 companies in Shinto City, and then invite these bankers to TV programs."
"You must have seen it!"
The host pointed at Ah Xing's nose with an ambiguous and lewd smile.
"You must have seen Korean celebrities eating salad and fitness meals every day to cultivate every piece of meat on their body, making them look convex and elegant."
"Select the ones who have made the greatest contributions to mankind among these bankers——"
"——Oh! I didn't say anything sarcastic! I never meant to say anything sarcastic! I'm just that simple and straightforward!"
The host emphasized.
"The elites have propped up human society! It is the elites who have saved the poor! It is these most powerful and greatest essences of all mankind that have brought happiness to mankind! This is what Banker said!"
"So we have to select those who have made the greatest contributions to mankind! Any number will do! Five? Or ten?!"
"Let these people line up, hang the noose, and then face the camera and prepare to hang."
The host poked at the lower left corner of the screen to emphasize.
"We can add a window to purchase value-added services here! Every citizen can purchase this service. If the number exceeds the certain number, they will be executed immediately."
"There needs to be a good-looking and articulate anchor to participate in the execution ceremony."
"They will shout loudly - Family members! Today's price! Is it okay!? If not, I will have a good discussion with the organizer! Buy two bankers and get an economist for free! Three heads, buy two and get one free!"
Meteor's eyes widened, almost touching the screen.
"Now you don't have to worry about financial problems!" the host said with a smile: "After all, there are so many people willing to consume! This advertising effect is much better than Elon Musk farting on Twitter!"
"If hanging isn't exciting enough, how about bringing in the guillotine?"
The host's spit almost splashed out of the window.
"We will also launch a 16:1 toy model, listeners! You will definitely want to buy this kind of souvenir! Chop off banker's head with your own hands at home every day! How enjoyable!"
"No no no! No no no!"
"One more thing! There is also a very important ceremony!"
The host said seriously.
"After Banker dies, no one will question you, no one will belittle you."
"Your boss will immediately become a good girl, like an innocent high school student in school who has no sexual experience. I'm afraid you will send him to the gallows one day."
"He will never talk to you about artificial intelligence again or make you feel vulnerable——"
"——After all, a banker's job is to make people feel vulnerable all the time."
"You will always feel that your labor is cheap or even meaningless."
"Hey! Man! Why do I work here?"
The host frowned and complained to the air.
"Why do you want me to tighten these screws? I don't understand? I don't understand? What am I doing?"
"Why do I have to process these reports? Why do I have to write these words? Why have I built more than thirty engines, but what do these engines mean to me?"
"Why can machines do my job? Do they do it quickly and well? Have I really become a failure? But society does not allow failure. Have I lost my qualifications as a human being?"
The style of the painting changed. The host showed a bright smile and winked at Ah Xing again.
"Bankers always say this - your labor is worthless, as if artificial intelligence grows from the soil."
"We will waver, doubt our abilities, and worry about being replaced by some novelty. We will eventually become half-dead machines like artificial intelligence."
"I"
[Gone! Meteor!]
Ah Xing opened his mouth, almost stunned by this abstract entertainment.
"Is what he said true?"
[Of course it is false - the bankers in Shinto City have long been killed by artificial intelligence. In finance, how can the human brain compare to the electronic brain?]
Ah Xing scratched his head vigorously: "Then why is there still such a show?"
[Because people like to read, like your martial arts novels.]
[An era in need of heroes is sad, because wherever there is oppression, resistance is needed.]
[In an era when comic book heroes emerged in endlessly in the United States, the crime rate was the highest.]
[If we no longer need martial arts stories, it means that society is thriving.]
[In Little Guandong's [Elysium Space], you can see this kind of story, which actually shows that in our history, there has been a huge gap between the rich and the poor. When artificial intelligence technology just started, its ownership was in the hands of bankers.
]
[The conglomerates with huge productivity have monopolized all walks of life - people's lives have fallen into eternal poverty.]
[So this kind of short play became popular, and our daily entertainment activity is to buy this kind of storytelling talk show in the virtual space to satisfy our inner fantasies. Like the play just now, it was actually written by artificial intelligence - similar template
There are many, many kinds of copies.]
Meteor: "What happened next? Did this show come true?"
[Of course it came true. Why do you think I became a vicious criminal?]
Meteor fell silent——
——Refeng’s few words seemed to contain a huge amount of information.
This ghost living in his body may have been a great changer during his lifetime.
His DNA blueprint is still regarded as a very precious resource by the gods of Shinto City. The soldiers of the violent organization are all his clones.
But this destructive power seems too powerful and too terrifying.
In order to eliminate this fear, Liao Feng became the security center's number one enemy, and his wife became the top courtesan in the entertainment industry, a replica that everyone can have.
Once serious characters in history appear ridiculous, it seems that any negative emotions about them will naturally disappear.
[We have to go, Shooting Star.]
Ryusei breathed hard, and he was still immersed in the impact of information on the streets of Kujukurihama - just like a color blind person who has regained the ability to recognize colors, it will take some time to adapt.
This Internet public space is too crowded and too narrow.
People coming and going are interacting all the time, using a variety of body language and actual behaviors to communicate and interact.
Advertisements for a wide variety of modules were dazzling, and Meteor was surprised to find that various modules representing basic functional skills had become products available for purchase.
For example, the module [Electric Guitar Interpretation - Jimi Hendrix].
Its advertising space plays the playing skills of guitar masters in a loop, and the graphic description indicates that as long as vne installs this module, users will obtain the corresponding music theory knowledge and playing skills. There is no need for years of study. With just one click, you can
Can have a rock and roll life.
Many module product advertisements are like rushing rivers and seas, almost drowning the meteors.
But he felt that he was trapped in absolute poverty and nothingness——
——It seems that having everything means having nothing.
[Let’s go! Let’s go!]
Meteor finally woke up: "Where to go?"
[I'm going to find an old friend of mine to buy some weapons and get information from him.]
Meteor: "Okay!"
[Go to the nearest phone booth.]
Meteor immediately ran to the nearest public phone booth. He didn't understand why the landscape of the last century still appeared in this virtual space where everything is connected.
[This is a sense of reassurance and part of hauntology.]
[Many products that are behind the times give us a feeling of warmth and hope.]
[We will miss the things of the past, and miss an era that did not exist. We have not experienced this era personally, but we can appreciate the beauty of that era from related works of art.]
[The role of the phone booth in [Elysium Space] is to serve as a bridge to access the private spaces of other users - precisely because the phone booth has a relatively private space, its red paint, its guardrails, and all its designs have been retained.
Its unique position in the history of art has made it a symbol of [Elysium Space].]
Meteor pushed open the phone booth door.
[Including the street scene you see, the sky and the earth, the sun and the mountains and rivers.]
[Just like your era, there are many trendy music genres that are very retro - such as vaporwave and dreamcore.]
[These deliberately noisy lw audios are the voices of ghosts. Generations like you, born after 2000, unless you have awakened the power of regret medicine - otherwise, how can you miss the 1970s? How about the 1980s?
]
Meteor picked up the microphone: "Okay, Hot Wind, what should I do?"
[Access number user.]
After dialing the numbers along the dial, Meteor asked one more question.
“The Matrix, right?”
[Yes, the Matrix uses phone booths to transfer consciousness, and [Elysium] pursues a people-centered lifestyle.]
[The Shinto community will provide whatever people need. If people believe that the phone booth should become a portal, then in terms of ergonomic design, it should be used as a transmission beacon.]
Meteor: "No one answered the phone."
[Hit again.]
Meteor then turned the dial and triggered the automatic transfer service.
The [Jester] at the information review center greeted cordially: "It seems that this user does not want to interact with you. You are a newbie - this is a strange thing."
Meteor: "What's so strange?"
Rigoletto: "Because new people are new fun for [Elysium Space]. No one will refuse new fun."
Meteor: “What if I must visit?”
Fool: "I'm afraid not. Everyone should have a private space where they can repair their own spirit and find peace."
[Hang up the phone.]
Meteor immediately followed Hot Feng's instructions and hung up the phone.
[I hate this sissy, he always likes to tease me with a playful smile and a mean face - please try another approach.]
[Press your right hand on the dial!]
Meteor did as he was told——
——In the [Elysium Space], everyone lives with their own spiritual energy body, or the physical form of digital life consciousness.
Meteor's right arm was already part of the hot air. When he pressed the phone with his palm, he could see the dark mist beginning to erode the dial of the phone and get into the inside of the phone from the receiver.
[I'm in, you try again.]
Meteor did as he was told, took off the receiver and pressed the button——
——This time the visited area was successfully connected, and Hot Wind used brute force to crack the lock.
After a brief clutter, the whole sky and earth split open again, and thick black mist enveloped the entire space. When it dispersed, the meteor had arrived at a strange place.
It was a crypt, and there were piles of corpses piled on the open ground.
Meteor didn't dare to speak. He could smell the strong smell of rust and couldn't imagine what kind of monsters lived in this place.
An old acquaintance of Refeng is now hiding in this crypt, and he doesn't know what kind of black technology he is working on.
The corpses piled up like mountains, but the corpses had not rotted away. Like the strange corpses seen in the Howling Ridge Tunnel before, they all stayed at the moment before death and did not rot or rot.
As he got closer, Meteor finally saw a small room in the crypt.
It was a stone building built on the rock wall, with three floors.
[Knock on the door and call him.]
Meteor hesitated for a moment: "What are you shouting?"
[Old man Ishimura! My hot wind is back!]
Meteor knocked on the door hard and shouted loudly: "Old man Ishimura! My hot wind is back!"
After a while, I heard heavy and panicked footsteps coming from the wooden door.
An old man with white hair and beard tremblingly opened the door a crack and looked at Bu Liuxing outside the door in surprise.
[Don’t hesitate to grab his hair.]
Meteor asked: "Really? Are you serious?"
[Believe me, this guy is dishonest unless he beats him up.]
The old man who was called Old Man Ishimura by Hot Wind cursed angrily.
"Where did you come from, you little bastard! You're pretending to be a fool here! Did I allow you to visit my private space?! What nonsense did you just talk about? You said you were hot wind?! Oh my! -"
Before he finished speaking, Meteor grabbed the little old man's hair and punched him in the head.
The fierce punch was like a DD attack, hitting the old man Ishimura's head, causing a shock visible to the naked eye, and strings of codes were knocked out of his head - the scene was very magical.
Old Man Shicun's glasses flew far away. He tilted his head and said arrogantly when he came back to his senses.
"It turns out it's really hot wind! You would have hit me earlier! Where did all these things come from! Can I be dishonest?!"