The hut is less than five square meters and has no windows.
Naturally there would be no curtains.
The materials used in manufacturing it are of very low quality, just ordinary bricks and stones, and the ceiling is covered with a layer of iron plate made of steel waste. Water is a luxury here, and of course there is no washbasin.
There is a metal toilet that looks like a toilet fixed in the corner.
The principle of this thing has not been innovated much after the nuclear war. It uses disgusting wastewater pumped from the wastewater pool of the manufacturing workshop in the town as a means of cleaning.
However, most people in the wasteland are free and wild, so there are disgusting urine stains everywhere on the ground and walls around the toilet, as well as some very suspicious marks and spots.
There was nothing that could be called decoration in the house that reeked of stench.
However, Lao Jiang still found a yellowed poster hanging on the peeling wall. On the poster was a woman posing in a seductive manner, wearing clothes that were very high-tech but unusually simple.
She had dyed her hair in a very strange way, with seven colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet gathered in her short hair, and she also had heavy smoky makeup on.
She has a good figure.
What should be exposed and what shouldn’t be exposed are all there.
The poster is also covered with suspicious white spots.
There are so many of them that even the soft poster itself becomes stiff.
There were bottles and cans on the ground, which looked like local "drinks", cigarette butts, and torn and dirty clothes everywhere. Lao Jiang couldn't even find a place to stand.
But after patrolling this "hell" a few times, he still found something interesting.
Right next to the guy curled up on the "bed" in the corner, on the scrap metal table with only three legs, it was the only place without cigarette butts and ash.
There were two or three small cards.
“The lottery…is the painkiller for the poor.”
Jiang Xia looked at the thing, then looked at the frightened owner of the room. He held the three unscratched lottery tickets in his hand and looked at them. They were made of poor quality paper and were scribbled all over.
A few seconds later, he said to Roger beside him:
“What’s the winning rate of this thing?”
"To fool fools. "
Roger didn't care about the dirtiness of this damn place.
He swept everything on the scrap metal table to the ground, sat on it, leaned against the wall, crossed his legs, and changed into a comfortable posture.
Smoking a cigar, in this dark place where rats live, he said to Jiang Xia:
"The Eternal Life Association has a monopoly on it. The Eternal Life Association issues it and the Eternal Life Association draws prizes. The prize is drawn every seven days, and the highest prize is a capsule room in Free Citizen City.
The special prize is a candlelight dinner with the civic goddess Ivy.
But as far as I know, for seven or eight years in a row, the winners of the special prize seem to be high-ranking officials of the Eternal Life Society.
Do you understand?
Candlelight dinner, bath together, and then, legal entertainment. "
"Who is Ivy?"
Lao Jiang dropped the lottery ticket, and it was quickly grabbed by the guy curled up in the corner.
He held the three cheap lottery tickets tightly as if he were holding the future.
"That's her."
Roger pointed to the poster on the wall that was covered with suspicious spots and said sarcastically:
"The lead singer of the band 'Freedom' officially formed by the Eternal Life Society, a real bitch, my ex-girlfriend when I was seventeen, and also my first woman.
Of course I later found out that I was probably her... um, number sixty-ninth 'collection'.
You know what the weirdest thing is?"
Black Fox flicked the ash off his cigarette and said with a look of despair:
"That year, she was only fourteen years old."
"Hmm."
Jiang Xia squinted his eyes and whistled several times.
Full of sarcasm and sympathy.
But there is nothing more to ask.
After seeing with his own eyes the quality of life of the lower class people in the wasteland under normal conditions, Lao Jiang just wanted to leave this dirty five-square-meter hell as soon as possible.
"How do you use this thing?"
He was playing with the little external device in his hand.
It is black, rectangular, about the length of an index finger, and looks like a USB flash drive. There are silver contacts and slide rails on the inner side.
"Just stick it in your ear."
Roger didn't know where he got out a similar thing. He tossed it up and down and said to Lao Jiang:
“The chip comes with a connection activation program. You can think of it as an external information receiver or a personal network node.
Only by using it can you connect to the data system of Elysium.
The civilian version does not have an identity lock, but has the lowest permissions. However, it is quite suitable for occasional "travel".
"Click"
Under Old Jiang's gaze, Rogge stuck the thing above his ear. A small blue light lit up. Jiang Xia also raised his hand and gently pushed the small iron sheet of the chip information receiver.
The thing was stuck there firmly.
A progress bar for the initial connection appeared in Lao Jiang's left eye. As the progress bar moved forward, he could feel the sound of electrical surges in his brain becoming clearer and clearer.
It seemed as if there was some force pulling his soul and mind towards an unknown place.
With his sea of ​​consciousness opened and his soul revealed, Lao Jiang didn't like this feeling at all. Mortals cannot perceive the existence of souls, so naturally it doesn't matter to him.
But he can clearly perceive the activities of his own soul.
"Don't resist."
Rogge's voice rang out over the chip communication.
Remind:
"This process is not consciousness uploading, but quantum thinking technology. It uses your chip to stimulate brain wave activity and create a virtual scene similar to holographic projection.
It's like dreaming.
A dream that brings together all the imaginations of all living beings in the world.
You won't be hurt in it. The chip's safety overload device will prevent your brain from being shocked. Don't worry, even though I hate this thing.
But in terms of security, it is indeed harmless.
Unless Emma has completed soul coding and uploading technology, you can do anything you want in Elysium."
Roger's voice was getting weaker.
Because the moment Lao Jiang closed his eyes, a white light appeared in his mind and quickly filled every area in front of his eyes.
There was also a very pleasant, neutral voice ringing in his mind.
"Welcome to the paradise."
"Buzz"
The blinding white light disappeared in the next moment.
Just like opening his eyes for the first time after waking up, before Lao Jiang opened his eyes, he heard the faint and melodious sound of a violin echoing in his ears.
His sharp mind allowed him to sense the surrounding atmosphere immediately.
Through the holographic simulation of data, the fragrance of the soil after the rain mixed with the fragrance of plants, lingering around the old river.
The moment he opened his eyes completely, he saw a white sky, a clear blue sky, floating clouds, and branches above his head hanging down diagonally.
Another breeze blew.
It’s like returning to the memories of a previous life.
There was no trace of the gloomy and silent sky of the real wasteland, nor the ever-present noise in the head.
Jiang Xia sat up among the green grass.
He seemed to be in a perfectly maintained central park in the city. Not far in front of him, there was a group of people sitting on chairs, drinking happily.
There was also a band playing lyrical music for them.
Further away, on the stone platform in the center of the park, a larger-scale banquet was being held. Men and women were wearing neat and elegant solid-colored suits and long skirts, like a group of respectable people having afternoon tea.
Of course, there are also guys who maintain the image of the wasteland, wearing leather jackets, with exaggerated hair, riding skateboards and shouting through this beautiful but unremarkable place.
Jiang Xia stood up.
He looked down at his hands. His right hand was still flesh and blood, while his left hand was a silver, slightly hideous mechanical prosthesis. The clothes on his body were also perfectly restored.
The touch is still there.
Hearing and sense of smell were not affected.
Everything is simulated almost perfectly, and it is impossible to tell the difference between real and fake.
He didn't speak.
Instead, continue to observe your surroundings.
Soon, Jiang Xia discovered that the outline of this large park was drawn according to the outline of a real town, with only the shape of the buildings and the surrounding environment changed.
"When you first enter Elysium, you can change your appearance freely, but once it is confirmed, if you want to change it again, you have to go through a complicated and lengthy application process."
A familiar voice sounded behind Jiang Xia.
He turned around and saw Roger walking out of the woods.
But he no longer looked like the sloppy gang leader. Instead, he was wearing a well-fitting grey casual suit, and his hair was oiled and combed to the side, making it shiny.
The messy beard was also trimmed into a very decent moustache.
The most important thing is his face.
From Lao Jiang's impression that the face was full of wrinkles like that of an old man in his 70s or 80s, he has become very young and has no scars anymore. His face looks more like that of a man in his 30s.
Frankly speaking, it's pretty handsome.
The temperament shaped by experience gives this face the stability and appeal of a middle-aged man.
"Welcome to Paradise, Jiang."
Rogge put his hands in his trouser pockets and greeted Lao Jiang politely.
Jiang Xia did not answer.
He was busy "pinching his face".
Using the current face as a blueprint, and adding a few special effects and modifications, the ancient-style long gown on his body quickly changed its appearance and turned into a black long windbreaker.
The lining also turns into a gray plaid casual suit.
He was not wearing a tie, but the two buttons below his neck were open, and around his neck hung a small silver chain with a thin bullet at the end.
Finally, Lao Jiang raised his hand, and a pair of frog-eye glasses appeared out of thin air in his hand in the data simulation, and he put them on his eyes.
"Pa pa pa"
Rogge's applause came from in front of him, and he looked at Jiang Xia's modified image with an appreciative look.
explain:
“The way you dress reminds me of the male models my grandfather described to me before the nuclear war. I’m actually very surprised that you’re a wanderer from another world.
How did you capture this classic nostalgic style so quickly? "
"Because I am a person who appreciates beauty and has a unique eye."
Jiang Xia picked up a cigarette and put it in his lips.
He fished out the familiar brass lighter from his pocket, held it in front of his eyes for a few seconds, and then, with a hint of nostalgia, lit a cigarette for himself.
As the first wisp of smoke rose, he turned around, with the corners of his windbreaker swaying.
He said:
"I was just imitating myself...acting as myself. Wow, that place looks nice."
Jiang Xia raised his finger and pointed to a villa area outside the park.
From his angle, he could just see what was happening at the edge of the glass house on the second floor of the villa, hidden by several big trees.
A man with a perfect body.
A woman with a graceful figure and alluring charm.
Two people were on the edge of the second floor of the villa, right under the sun, naked and doing something that should have been very private, but they didn't care about the attention from others.
It's like putting your whole self into it.
The sunlight poured down, unexpectedly giving the scene an added sense of body art, blending in perfectly with the peaceful atmosphere around it, without the slightest bit of abruptness.
"That man is next door to us now."
Rogge took a step forward and stood side by side with Jiang Xia on the grass. He looked at that place, at the couple, and said calmly:
"In your words, you are in a five-square-meter hell. The woman should be farther away, maybe in another town.
Don't get me wrong.
They are not a couple.
Their relationship is very pure.”
Rogge turned his head, patted Jiang Xia on the shoulder, pointed at the "respectable people" who were enjoying afternoon tea in the park behind him, and stretched out his finger, making a circle.
In a tone of despair, he said to Lao Jiang:
“And these people are now in town.
A life-and-death war was taking place less than a hundred meters away from them, and perhaps a stray bullet would fly in and blow their heads off at the next moment.
But look.
No one cares.
They would rather die for this moment of comfort.
If it weren't for the body also needs food and water.
Believe me, they will spend 24 hours here, enjoying their afternoon tea, their own dinner, and their own concerts.
Enjoy your own masturbation cup...
Pretend that everything is fine, pretend that the nuclear war never happened, pretend that they are not living in a wasteland, but in a carefree world.
Here.
They can enjoy abundance and peace.
They can freely enjoy delicacies and drinks that have long been extinct in the real world, and the taste simulated by data is exactly the same.
They can transform themselves into handsome men and beautiful women and grasp all good things in their hands.
They could party and dance all night long.
They can drive long distances and admire historical sites that have long been destroyed.
They can comfort each other.
Even beyond gender.
Everything is fake anyway.
But this kind of fake is so real.
As long as you keep telling yourself that this is the real world and everything outside is an intermittent nightmare, you can feel at ease and live well here.
That's right.
As long as you can deceive yourself.
But it's not difficult at all.
Look at these people in front of me, Jiang.
They fooled themselves so easily.”
Rogge's fingers, which were clasping Jiang Xia's shoulders, were clasped tightly at this moment.
He closed his eyes.
Whispered:
“My grandfather told me that when the six city-states joined forces to create the Elysium Protocol, they intended it to be the grave of human civilization, the last bit of dignity we would have before our demise.
If extinction is unstoppable.
Then at least we can toast to the end of the world with fond memories.
But sadly…
Life will always find a way.
We turned our own grave into a 'paradise'.
In despair, we chose to escape and built a new world with the power of technology. We proudly declared that we had built a paradise after the end of the world.
Outside of our paradise, terrible things are still happening.
But no one is paying attention to it anymore.
The wasteland is finished.
The moment the Elysium program was built... it lost all hope."