Jiang Cheng fell silent too.
The virtual world was like this—even if she was the Jiang Family Consortium’s operations executor, in the virtual world she’d still be toyed with.
“Zhang Lesi” was also someone very close to her, “one of her own.”
She hadn’t expected her real self to be like this.
The file was pulled up.
“Zhang Lesi” really had been a doctor.
She was already 131 years old, nearing the end of her life.
She’d long retired.
A doctor’s income was quite generous. She should have enjoyed her old age in comfort.
But she was too soft-hearted. At the pleading of a pair of parents, she’d treated a child.
The family of three were all natural humans. Natural humans without gene matching optimization inevitably had many defects.
That child had congenital genetic defects. Even hospitals had refused to take the case.
The probability of saving him was very low, the probability of death very high. Because the parents knelt and begged her, she’d softened.
The child didn’t survive.
The parents turned hostile and sued her.
It was bad—because of her age, her medical license had expired and couldn’t be renewed.
She was practicing medicine illegally.
Not only did she have to pay civil compensation to the parties, but because of illegal practice, to avoid prison she had to pay a heavy fine.
She lost everything in that lawsuit. From a wealthy retired doctor to a penniless old woman.
Jiang Cheng’s head ached with anger: “One after another—why are they all like this.”
No wonder she could become friends with “Su Yu.”
Why were all the people around her like this.
Seeing Jiang Cheng grinding her teeth in anger, Uncle Jiang’s lips curved slightly.
“Stop smiling. I know you’re smiling.” Jiang Cheng said. “You arranged it all.”
“Not so.” Uncle Jiang cheerfully denied. “The key to a large-scale consensus matrix is ‘consensus’—everyone interacts with each other. Being able to come together is because they attract each other. People’s likes and dislikes cannot be arranged.”
It was Jiang Cheng who attracted such people.
It was Jiang Cheng who chose such people.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you.” Jiang Cheng mocked.
“Fine, I won’t argue with you.”
“Arrange something for Lesi, let her live out her old age in comfort.”
—
“Song Jingshuo” signed and walked out of the meeting room.
The door of another meeting room also opened, and the several lawyers he’d seen earlier walked out.
“Song Jingshuo” waited for them to leave, then walked to the doorway. Sure enough, inside were “Li Jiangbing” and “Su Yu.”
He stood at the door and asked: “What did they talk to you about?”
“Li Jiangbing” was still in a dazed state. Seeing “Song Jingshuo” was like seeing his anchor. He quickly grabbed him: “They—they…”
These people promised to provide “Su Yu” with free treatment, including chemotherapy and replacement of bones and organs.
They also promised to replace his body with a bio-cultivated body, letting him go from sub-human back to human, with full citizenship.
The promises were too good—so good it was hard to believe, sounding like scammers.
“We signed.” “Li Jiangbing” said. “Because we two… what do we two have that anyone could scam?”
You had to possess something to have value worth scamming.
Two poor wretches had nothing—not even the physical bodies ordinary people had.
Even a corpse could sell for some money. They had nothing.
They signed with eyes closed.
“Song Jingshuo” smiled: “Not scammers. Don’t worry. Just accept it.”
“Li Jiangbing” was too familiar with him. Seeing that smile, he knew: “You know what’s going on? Tell us quickly.”
“Song Jingshuo” raised his eyes to look at the logo on the wall: “Do you recognize that character?”
“Li Jiangbing” of course didn’t recognize it. He’d lost his body to the accident when very young, and like “Xiao Huang,” he’d come out to make a living early.
“Song Jingshuo” said: “Su Yu recognizes it, right.”
“Su Yu” said: “Let me look.”
“Su Yu’s” bones were all soft. She could only lie flat—she couldn’t even turn her head. Above her face was a screen, with a camera replacing her eyes.
The camera rotated, aiming at the wall.
“Su Yu” looked for a moment. Sure enough, she recognized it: “Jiang.”
“Li Jiangbing”: “Jiang?”
“Jiangbing.” “Su Yu” was silent for a moment, then gently told him, “It’s Jiang Cheng’s Jiang.”
“Li Jiangbing” froze.
He turned to look at “Song Jingshuo.”
“Song Jingshuo” nodded, confirming his guess.
“Li Jiangbing” froze even more: “She…”
“Song Jingshuo” gazed at that family emblem: “You know about this medical group. But actually, many of the big corporations you’ve heard of belong to the Jiang Family Consortium. Her family is one of the Federation’s top wealthy families.”
“The thing her family is most famous for is spatial technology patents.”
“The Jiang family built its fortune on that.”
Under normal circumstances, ordinary people like them would never know these top billionaires’ names, what they looked like, or how old they were.
But now, over 120 hours, they’d shared life and death with her for ten months.
“Li Jiangbing’s” nose stung.
After waking up, he hadn’t dared ask about her, afraid she’d look down on him as a sub-human.
But it turned out she was watching over them.
He rubbed his nose with his hand to mask his emotions. Looking up, he saw the floating camera spheres in the air.
“Li Jiangbing” immediately bared his big teeth and waved wildly at the camera sphere, shouting loudly: “Thank you—!”
Jiang Cheng watched in her office and laughed out loud: “Silly.”
Their real personalities were exactly the same as in the “world.”
After all, after accepting their “persona,” what each person displayed was their own true personality.
—
Legal returned to report to her: “He signed.”
That was “Song Jingshuo.”
Jiang Cheng had offered him two choices—
A high-paying position.
With their connection, as long as he didn’t make any major mistakes, she could protect him until retirement, letting him live out his old age in comfort.
Or, an investment opportunity.
She’d give him a chance to see if he could make a comeback.
As expected, “Song Jingshuo” chose the latter.
He wasn’t someone who’d easily admit defeat.
Legal said: “He said to tell you thanks.”
“He clearly mentioned your name.”
“Song Jingshuo” said after signing: “Tell Jiang Cheng thanks for me.”
Legal said: “I also conveyed your message.”
Legal told him: “She said she’ll wait for the day you walk up to her.”
After hearing Legal’s report, Jiang Cheng turned her eyes to the screen.
The camera turned to “Song Jingshuo.”
“Song Jingshuo” looked up and curved his lips at her.
When handsome guys get older, they become mature handsome guys.
Growing up like this, when young he must have been a huge playboy.
Jiang Cheng also curved her lips.
Jiang Cheng had Uncle Jiang pull up a list to see who’d gone to the service desk asking about her.
There really were quite a few people—all people with deep connections.
Many people also asked about others.
Someone searched everywhere and finally spotted their lover from the “world,” rushed over joyfully—but the other party had already done memory blocking and didn’t remember at all.
Some people extended the virtual into reality. Some people believed the virtual was just virtual—not clearing it would affect their reality.
Medical staff came to pick up “Li Jiangbing” and “Su Yu.”
“Song Jingshuo” said goodbye to them: “If I don’t leave now, I’ll miss today’s last ship.”
This former elite business professional extended his fist. Li Jiangbing extended his only carbon-based hand and bumped fists with him.
“Take care.”
“Take care.”
—
This was the last ship of the day.
“Gao Yuxuan” tugged “Zhao Yi’s” sleeve: “Let’s go.”
“Zhao Yi” didn’t move. He said: “Look at that person.”
“Gao Yuxuan” looked over.
Both were people they knew. In the “world,” the two of them had gotten together. “Gao Yuxuan” remembered they’d always been quite sweet.
But now, one side ran over joyfully. The other didn’t remember.
The other even said: “Sorry, I don’t remember. But I suggest you get memory blocking too.”
This person said: “The virtual is virtual. Don’t take it seriously.”
The person who didn’t remember quickly walked away after speaking, leaving the person who still remembered in place, clearly afraid of being pestered.
“Zhao Yi” watched, frozen.
He finally lowered his head and gave up.
On the ship, “Gao Yuxuan” was still comforting him: “Maybe she has a boyfriend. Or maybe she has a legal partner or is even married.”
Marriage in this era was different from ancient Earth. Legally recognized “partners” also had certain inheritance rights. Marriage spouses enjoyed full rights.
The difference was that “partners” could be more than one—multiple simultaneously allowed, with equal inheritance rights. “Marriage spouse” was only one—to change, you needed a divorce.
“Zhao Yi” said dejectedly: “You’re right.”
“Gao Yuxuan” seized the chance: “She might also be very old. Look, there are plenty of aunties and grandmas too. Jiang Cheng is an old auntie. She must be too old and embarrassed to continue with you.”
The ship took off, piercing through the atmosphere in seconds.
“Zhao Yi” gazed at the stars outside the porthole: “If that’s the case, then I was born too late.”
“Song Jingshuo” was also on this ship. The three of them sat together.
“Song Jingshuo” suddenly said: “Look.”
“Zhao Yi” and “Gao Yuxuan” both looked out the porthole—
A luxury private spacecraft.
This was a rare sight—being able to see one at such close range.
“Gao Yuxuan”: “Wow~”
“Song Jingshuo” seemed to have guessed who the ship’s owner was. He watched the spacecraft initiate its jump, whoosh—vanishing before his eyes.
Thank you, Jiang Cheng.
—
After handling all the bonds formed in the virtual world, Jiang Cheng watched everyone board the ship and leave, including that cat. She herself then set off by ship to the family’s home star to see the family mastermind.
Only one day into the journey, she received a message from the medical R&D center: “Caught an illegal intruder.”
Illegal intruders—just handle them yourself. But Uncle Jiang insisted on waking her while she was sleeping. Jiang Cheng knew there was a problem.
Sure enough, when the video connected, she frowned: “Didn’t he get on the ship?”
She’d watched him board the ship.
On the other end of the video, a security guard swung an electric baton at the young man’s face!
The young man’s head snapped sideways, spitting blood.
A red mark on his face, clear as day.
The security guard showed no mercy.
Because this intruder was a beast-person. Beast-people had strong physiques, famously tough.
And beast-people—what were they? Something even lower than sub-humans.
This beast-person was very handsome—bright black eyes, a high nose bridge.
A pair of black cat ears on his head, furry, and a long tail behind him.
Looked like a cat-person.
What did cat-people do in the beast-person race? Playthings?
The security guard’s viciousness carried obvious discrimination.
Another baton strike viciously knocked the young man to the ground!
But the powerfully built cat-type young man lightly rolled over, one hand pressing the ground.
His eyes cold, thin lips pressed tight, enduring with all his might.
In pure combat power, without using heat weapons, all these security guards combined weren’t his match.
But unfortunately, this was a civilized society, not a jungle where the strong prey on the weak.
This society was unfriendly to beast-people.
So unfriendly that when he entered the virtual world, his subconscious sent the system a message: “I don’t want to be human.”
The system received this message and adjusted the persona given to him.
So he became a cat.
Originally this was fine.
He sat on a bench watching those cats fight over food, vaguely feeling he shouldn’t be like this, yet wanting to submit to this kind of life, to completely become a cat.
Then there wouldn’t be the sorrow of wanting to be human while others didn’t treat them as human.
But just then, a girl saw him.
“New here?” She asked.
He didn’t answer her.
But she extended her hand to him.
“Kitty~”
Leave a Reply