Chapter 187.2 – We Are V587 (2)

◎ Where to Get Fake IDs? ◎

“Is there a problem?”

“No, but your household registration has already moved to District B10. I don’t have direct operational authority, so I can only help you apply above.”

“District B10?”

“Yes, the Northern Base, one of the founding areas of the Bauhinia Alliance. You’re quite impressive; it’s challenging to get in there.”

Song Ke remained silent. In her memory, she had always been an unregistered person. When did she obtain a household registration in District B?

“Please help me with the application.”

“Alright, I need to collect your biological information first.”

Handling the biological information collection was a tablet named Minnie, an artificial intelligence.

Precise instruments scanned Song Ke’s irises, and a holographic projection with countless micro-lights suddenly appeared, analyzing and overlapping in the air:

“Recognition failed.”

“Error code: CK007.”

“What does that mean?” Song Ke looked puzzled.

Minnie’s synthesized voice came from the tablet, “CK007, target object is non-human. Please refrain from teasing the machine.”

The girl who had casually come to watch was jaw-dropped. “You’re not human? I’m sorry, I didn’t curse at you, but… you’re not human?”

She sneaked a glance at Song Ke’s face, hidden under the hood. After careful observation, she whispered, “Her skin is so pale, and the color of her pupils is off. No wonder she refuses to take off the hat. So, is she an artificial intelligence, or an animal turned intelligent? It seems… Tongwan next door has an animal awakener.”

Song Ke remained silent for a while, then said, “Ah… sorry.”

Forgot that after the reconstruction of her body, all hidden genes were activated. In her current state, she couldn’t exactly be considered “human.”

The girl hesitated and asked, “So, are you still reissuing it? If you’re an animal awakener, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow when the human verification room is open.”

Song Ke cleared her throat, “Do you know where to get fake IDs?”

The girl’s face was blank, “Huh? Ah—!!!” I’m an official personnel, you know? Is it appropriate for you to ask me this?

She turned off the camera, bit her lower lip, and stared at Song Ke with a conflicted and struggling expression, “Well, technically I shouldn’t tell you this, but a couple of days ago, when I was at a concert, I encountered someone using a fake ID. It was so well-made that even the servers in District C couldn’t detect it. The person bragged about it to me accidentally, and of course, I, with a strong sense of professional ethics, reported him.”

“According to his confession, he got the fake ID in Sin City.”

Six months ago, the Bauhinia Alliance had found an alternative energy source, and the low-level district starships gradually resumed operation.

However, the route to Sin City in District F180 was still infrequent. The latest trip was scheduled for the early morning, and missing it meant waiting for another week.

…

Song Ke stood by the platform, hands in her pockets, and brushed shoulders with a hurried passenger, quietly disappearing.

On the luggage of that person, a chameleon had perched at some point. Its protruding eyeballs slowly turned, seamlessly blending with the surroundings.

The cabin door closed slowly, heading towards the distant Sin City.

In Ferrara, ruled by the super AI, everything operated normally, and nobody knew that there were actually two masters here.

Cameras were everywhere, capturing blurry silhouettes, connecting through the vast data world with a certain silver branch.

*

Northern Base.

The tranquil Garden Apartments.

A communication request forcefully connected, and the silver-haired, ice blue-eyed Lu Xiaoyu suddenly appeared in the projection. “I have good news. Do you want to hear it?”

A slender figure stood by the French window, swaying strong liquor between fingers, silently overlooking the night view below. “Speak.”

“Last night, at the awakener center in Ferrara, someone attempted to activate Song Ke’s credentials.”

The glass suddenly stopped, and a few drops of golden liquid spilled. The shadow cast on the half-obscured side of the face, with a teardrop mole near the corner of the eye, seemingly on the verge of dropping but didn’t.

“Send me the footage.”

The screen automatically played the recorded footage from the camera. A tall figure appeared from various angles, fully covered from head to toe, making it impossible to discern the face.

“The person disappeared at the starship port. There were a total of 31 flights that day, heading to 17 destinations.”

“I still have some loose ends to tie up here. Should I wait for you, or do you want to check on your own?”

A silver cane leaned against the ground. The speaker was tall but had a slight limp in his right leg. “It doesn’t matter, just one less driver.”

“…” Lu Xiaoyu narrowed his eyes and ended the communication with an expressionless face.

*

District F180, Sin City.

Filled with violence and crime, a chaotic underground city.

There was no natural light here. Song Ke took off her coat, maneuvering through the thugs who were engaged in a brawl, and turned into the depths of the street.

According to the intelligence she had obtained, she quickly found the target person: “Boss Cheng? I heard you’re the most famous merchant in Trading Street.”

Cheng Yi, with half of her head shaved and the other half adorned with long purple hair, lifted her head: “You flatter me. What business does the guest want to do?”

“Create a fake ID.”

“So coincidental?” Cheng Yi surreptitiously sized her up, his eyes glinting sharply. “If you place an order now, I’ll give you a 10% discount. One Level-4 crystal or ten Level-3 crystals. Pay half the deposit today, and I’ll deliver it tomorrow.”

Song Ke nodded. “Okay.”

There should be many fierce beasts and zombies in the desert. A Level-4 crystal might be difficult for others, but for her, it was easy.

Cheng Yi was satisfied, spreading her hands. “I like straightforward people. Come, the deposit.”

Song Ke hesitated for a moment. “Can we do it tomorrow? I don’t have the money right now.”

“Guest, I’m not rushing you,” Cheng Yi shook her head, “but if you want a fake ID, today is the last chance.”

“Why?” Song Ke frowned.

“I won’t hide it from you. I stumbled upon this business opportunity a few months ago because of some bugs in the AI group in District B. Hehe, taking advantage of the loophole. But now the bugs are about to be fixed, so I say it’s a coincidence. Once this opportunity is gone, there won’t be another one.”

Cheng was indeed a cunning merchant, effortlessly playing the game of hunger marketing. She even pretended to sigh: “I see you really want it, so I’ll wait for you until it gets dark, no later than that.”

Song Ke glanced at the artificial clock above. There was less than an hour until the “sunset” in the city of sin.

A penny really stumps a hero. Time is so tight. Where can she get a level 4 crystal?

Wait a minute, something’s not right. Why does she vaguely remember that she was once wealthy too?

In her memories, she could easily pull out handfuls of vibrant Level-4 crystals. Where was her money? Where was the empire she had built with her own hands?

Song Ke walked through the streets in frustration and settled in a trendy café. She knew there was no time to head to the desert, so she had to figure out a solution in the city.

Approaching her was a fair-skinned young man, delicately cradling a cup of coffee, walking with confidence without spilling a drop. He chose a seat right across from Song Ke, sat down, savored the aroma of the coffee, closed his eyes, and took a small sip.

Song Ke’s gaze fell on the coffee cup, bearing the cursive words: “Jade Estate’s Selected Summer Coffee.”

Glancing at the holographic signboard with prices, she realized he was a wealthy individual.

Observing the young man in front of her, his attire seemed simple, but on his left hand, he wore four dazzling crystal rings, three blue and one red, with a large pigeon blood gem on the middle finger.

—They were Level-4 crystals!

Song Ke glanced at the artificial clock again, realizing she was running out of time. What if she “borrowed” one?

Perhaps her gaze was too intense; the young man slowly lifted his head. His expression darkened slightly, but the moment he saw Song Ke’s face, his eyes widened. He stared for a few seconds, then quickly lowered his head, took a sip of coffee, glanced at Song Ke, took another sip, resembling an introverted otaku encountering a new anime figurine, instantly captivated.

A cute robot brought a cup of Jade Estate coffee and placed it in front of Song Ke.

“I didn’t order this,” Song Ke said.

“It’s right, Table 25,” the robot tilted its head in confusion.

“I’ll treat you. Enjoy the coffee,” the young man across from her spoke slowly, a suspicious blush appearing on his cheeks. “It’s delicious.”

Song Ke: “…” What should she do? She initially wanted to snatch the crystal from this unsuspecting victim, but it seemed difficult now.

“Hey, Jorik, did your brain just grow? Learning to chat up a girl?” a passerby laughed mockingly.

The young man swiftly turned his head, half of his face covered in thick fur, transforming into a wolf-like appearance, threatening with a low growl. The mocker shut up awkwardly, walking away and shaking his head, muttering, “The heavens are blind, such a rich idiot…”

Jorik turned back satisfied, returning to his shy demeanor, smiling awkwardly at Song Ke.

Internally anxious, Song Ke glanced at the artificial clock for the third time, closing her eyes and gathering her courage, “Can you lend me this Level-4 crystal?”

Jorik looked confused, “Huh?”

Before Song Ke could speak, a piercing city-wide alarm sounded.

“Oh no, someone’s pet has escaped!!”

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—

A large group of sandy-yellow mutant scorpions dashed through the streets, spewing bright yellow flames everywhere. Pedestrians dodged and cursed as the chaos unfolded.

Truly the city of sin, where all sorts of bizarre things could happen. Song Ke sighed deeply, stood up, ready to deal with the trouble first, and then have a serious conversation with Jorik.

“Ding—”

The elevator arrived, and a group of people in military uniforms emerged out of nowhere. Glancing around, they were all high-level awakeners.

Disciplined and without a word, they cleared the entire street.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The crisp sound of a cane striking the ground echoed as a handsome man with a limp walked slowly out from behind the group. He wore a purple bauhinia wreath on his collar.

“People from the Bauhinia Alliance. What are they here for?”

“Maybe they’re here to see Warden Hu, trying to persuade us to join?”

“Don’t overestimate our importance in District F. When did we become so significant?”

Song Ke was pushed to the back by the onlookers. Peering over the sea of heads, she saw the man with the cane. He had a breathtaking face, with deep and handsome features. There was a tiny mole at the corner of his eye, adding to his enchanting charm.

Song Ke’s mind buzzed, and her thoughts blurred. She felt a strange familiarity with this man, yet he was also a stranger.

Her arm was gently tapped, and in her confusion, Song Ke turned around, coincidentally missing the man’s gaze.

Jorik took off his crystal ring and held it up to Song Ke. “It’s for you.”

Zhuang Qingyan noticed a burning gaze and, with a slight movement of his mind, subconsciously followed the direction. Through the noisy crowd, he saw a youth with dark hair holding a large pigeon blood ring, looking at the astonished white-haired girl. The excitement rendered her speechless. The people around them clapped and cheered, and gave out enthusiastic encouragement.

Zhuang Qingyan lowered his eyes, indifferently retracting his gaze. He didn’t want to witness these beautiful scenes of mutual affection. It annoyed him.

**TN

AAAH! My baby Jorik is fine! I’m glad he’s free now. His relatives should rot in Death Prison. Hmph!