บท 5: Hello, robbery
Jonathan got a leave, yet another serious problem arose, he didn't know where his home was.
For a few seconds, he stood lost in the corridor, his eyes flitting around before coming to rest on a lavatory sign ahead. A plan formed in his mind and he strode into the restroom. Upon entering a cubicle, he pulled from his pocket a silver bracelet that Dr. Neil had given him, slipping it onto his wrist.
A string of characters flashed across the bracelet: "Power On."
Next, the characters morphed into the time: 19:38. At first glance, it appeared nothing more than an ordinary digital wristwatch.
Jonathan, like an elderly man grappling with a smartphone for the first time, sat on the toilet lid, clumsily trying to navigate it.
"I need help... there are no discernible buttons on this bracelet," Jonathan muttered to himself, perspiration dotting his forehead. He began to empathize with the older generation, floundering in a world steeped in advanced technology. He could only stroke the bracelet, trying to discover its hidden features.
He pressed one side.
"Biological information confirmed," the bracelet projected, revealing its various functions.
"Signal jamming, instant communication, encrypted connection, location tracking, self-destruction..." Jonathan read each function, a chill running down his spine. "Hold the power button for three seconds and throw it away. More powerful than a mini bomb?"
So, it was also a miniature weapon?
Thankfully, he hadn't pressed the side too long, or he would have been blown to pieces.
He took out a black chip, the size of a fingernail. According to Dr. Neil, this chip contained all the information about "Security Officer Jonathan," of course including the location of his home.
After positioning the chip onto the bracelet, a projected screen flashed: "Data Reading... Reading... Read Complete."
The first page brought forth an extensive array of personal details about Jonathan.
His parents, victims of a deadly terrorist attack on a hover train years ago, had left him a sizeable insurance payout, which he used it go to the Black Sea College, specializing in criminal investigation technology. Upon graduation, he joined the enforcement department as a security officer intern. His current residence was 331 Baker Street, Harbor District, Black Sea City.
The information was incredibly detailed, including his life trajectory, unnoticeable little habits, bank passcode, and transaction history.
Wait a moment! The information showed that he had taken a loan from the bank, and it wasn't a small sum... How could this be? Didn't he have the insurance payout? Why did he need a loan?
When Jonathan saw the reason, his eyes went wide.
It was because the tuition fee for the Black Sea College was astronomically high! The yearly fee was more than 200,000 dollars. He had spent all his insurance money and was still in debt of 300,000.
In debt for 300,000!
Jonathan's pupils dilated in shock.
If he was to play "Security Officer Jonathan" for a considerable length of time, then inheriting the original's debt was inevitable.
Was this what they called Crossing? Not only was he undercover, but he also had to shoulder a loan of 300,000!
A pall of sorrow draped over Jonathan's face. It took him a substantial amount of time to regain his composure.
He swiftly encrypted a connection to the network, searching for the route from the Enforcement Building to Baker Street in the Harbor District.
"Take Hover Rail number 13 from the Enforcement Building station to Baker Street station," Jonathan exhaled in relief, thankful for the Internet. of course, when you are in doubt, Google was the best choice.
The data showed that "Security Officer Jonathan" usually took the hover rail, so he would do the same way to return home.
The information Dr. Neil had given him spanned more than two hundred pages, not just about Jonathan, but also others like Captain Martin whom he had just met, and the other members of the Seventh Squad to which he was assigned. He studied his own information carefully, glanced through the others, then turned off the bracelet's projection.
He couldn't linger here too long.
Emerging from the cubicle, Jonathan washed his face at the sink. Through the mirror, he saw his own pale reflection, and behind him, a fire safety map hung on the wall, having the floor plan of the Enforcement Building. He turned and studied it carefully, confirming the location of the exits before leaving the restroom.
"Intern Security Officer Jonathan, are you feeling unwell due to post-operative weakness?" the AI, Moss, suddenly asked. "I noticed your restroom visit was somewhat lengthy. Considering your physical condition, if you don't emerge within the next minute, I will send a help request to the nearest staff member to confirm you haven't fainted."
???
What was this AI doing?
Was the AI keeping tabs even on his bathroom breaks?
"I do feel a bit under the weather," Jonathan replied calmly.
"Do you need me to call the medical center?" Moss offered.
Suppressing a profanity, Jonathan responded, "No, thank you... I plan on resting at home."
"Would you like someone to escort you home?" Moss inquired.
Moss was less an AI and more an AI butler.
"I appreciate your offer," he refused, "but I can manage on my own."
"You're welcome, serving you is my duty," Moss replied.
Returning home solo carried the risk of getting lost, but having a companion could potentially blow his cover. Opting for the lesser of two evils, he chose to venture alone.
Jonathan found the elevator according to the map he memorized and descended to the first floor. The first floor was an open hall with a receptionist at the front desk. Jonathan stepped into the hall and looked out through the glass doors.
It was raining outside, the grey curtain of rain making the outside view unclear. Sensing his approach, the glass doors slid open, allowing a wave of cool, damp air to billow in.
"Please remember to take an umbrella in heavy rain. Have a safe journey," the AI dutifully reminded him.
How thoughtful... Jonathan silently took a black umbrella from the public umbrella rack beside the glass doors, opened it, and walked into the curtain of rain.
He raised his eyes to the sky, feeling the raindrops splatter against his trouser legs and the glow of neon lights reflected in his eyes.
He found himself in a forest of steel, surrounded by towering skyscrapers that reached toward the heavens like silent giants. Hover rails zipped between the buildings along tracks in the city skyline, resembling predatory snakes prowling in a forest. The faces of the buildings were adorned with enormous, colorful electronic screens, flickering from one advertisement to the next. A skyship cruised across the leaden sky, trailing a bright, glowing banner of advertisement.
Giant and lifelike holographic images were projected into the air by holographic equipment. An actor in an advertisement spoke enticingly, "Rick Tech Company, mastering the cutting-edge bionic technology, creating your personalized prosthetic limb."
The sound of rain pattering on Jonathan's umbrella snapped him out of his brief trance.
His gaze traveled through the curtain of rain, observing the hurried people in the downpour. They were dressed in various ways, some in suits, some in plain attire, some fashionable, some in ragged clothes. But under the influence of the rain, they all seemed no different, soaked and in dilemma.
Jonathan looked around and saw the sign for the hover rail not far away, and headed towards it.
A handful of people were waiting at the stop, and Jonathan blended into the crowd, waiting for the hover rail along with them.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed many people with prosthetic limbs. The middle-aged man next to him had a mechanical hand with a miniature display on the back. The girl on his right, blowing bubblegum, had two mechanical legs.
Prosthetic limbs seemed to be the norm here, without attracting any peculiar glances.
After about three minutes, the hover rail arrived and the door slid open, The passengers at the stop boarded one by one, the identification device continuously announcing, "Facial recognition successful, payment completed... Facial recognition successful, payment completed..."
When it was Jonathan's turn, he stepped up, and the device gave the same announcement, "Facial recognition successful, payment completed."
He relaxed and found an empty seat in the carriage.
The rain tapped rhythmically against the windows. He looked out, at the dazzling neon lights casting various halos, reflecting in his eyes.
This kind of prosperity and ubiquitous high-tech projection was something that was unimaginable in his original world.
This world was like a toxic poppy - beautiful, and fascinating, but laced with danger.
Jonathan glanced at his wristband. It read 20:12.
Night had fallen, but Black Sea City didn't quiet down. There were even more neon lights and advertising projections, and the rain couldn't quench the city's liveliness.
Jonathan was an intruder, observing this new world. He meticulously read each fleeting word on the flickering billboards and carefully studied every passing airship and drone swarm.
The speeding hover rail pierced through the curtain of rain, passing through the massive holographic projections in mid-air. The light reflected in Jonathan's eyes changed as the scene outside the window changed.
In his heart, he murmured, "I'm here, New World."
...
"Harbor District, Baker Street, arriving. Please take your belongings and prepare to get out of the hover rail."
Jonathan opened his umbrella and stepped off the hover rail. As the doors sealed shut behind him, a starkly different panorama unfolded before him.
Baker Street in the Harbor District was pitch black, with no neon lights or billboards. There were only unevenly built residential buildings and cheap convenience stores on both sides of the street with lights on, and Puddles littered the bumpy road. Compared to the bustling district housing the Investigation Department's headquarters, Baker Street in the Harbor District was quite rundown. Yet, this rundown setting stirred a sense of familiarity in him.
The advanced technology and the bustling city constantly reminded Jonathan that he was an outsider. The backward simplicity of Baker Street gave Jonathan an illusion of returning home because the old district where he had lived for years in the first world also looked like this. It was old and dark, the street lights were broken, and the small shop downstairs kept the lights on until very late.
He recalled the map he had looked up before and headed in the direction of his home.
Just a few tens of meters into his walk, a wine bottle crashed next to Jonathan's feet. He halted to find a drunken old man slumped against a wall, mumbling incoherently.
He didn't say two words before he tipped his head back and fell asleep.
Jonathan stepped over the broken bottle and saw the walls on both sides of the street were covered with vibrant graffiti.
"Enforcement Department, get out of our home!" a line of red characters was scrawled on the wall, ending with a bloody skull.
It seemed that the people of Baker Street were not welcoming to outsiders, especially law enforcement. Moreover, the security on this street... looked extremely poor. The streets were dirty and messy, graffiti was everywhere, and drunkards were lying around unattended.
Jonathan's feeling of returning home disappeared instantly. Although his neighborhood was rundown, it was clean, and a garbage truck came to collect trash every morning.
Pedestrians on the street were very sparse. Jonathan passed through grimy alleys, trying to find his way home. Just as he was about to leave the alley, he saw a guy in a hoodie not far away. He was just about to hurry over to ask for directions when two men suddenly appeared around a corner, blocking his retreat.
They circled around Jonathan, brandishing small knives and threatening him menacingly, "Robbery!"
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