Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 968 - 768: Drifting in Shangjing Entertainment_2

Chapter 968: Chapter 768: Drifting in Shangjing Entertainment_2

"Uh— not really—"

"Take me on a tour around the city," Nakamura Mizuki interrupted A40, "Please."

Having seen her mother do it when she was a child, she also put her hands together, leaned forward, and bowed deeply.

"Wow, I guess there’s no helping it then, I’ll show you around District 24," A40 took Nakamura Mizuki on a stroll through the city.

She found everything to be very clean and tidy; as a newly developed area, District 24 was entirely designed with the theme of "facing the future."

Nakamura Mizuki easily picked up on the numerous interconnected channels; every building was linked by high-speed networks, reporting their trash, logistics, and trade records.

Most streets were part of this seamless connection of information exchange, making the district itself seem like an intelligent system, with every unit’s situation clear and easy to manage and tally.

It was just like a chessboard; Nakamura Mizuki constructed related models in her Digital Mind and discovered that Nestor Corporation had maximized the efficiency of city management.

Coming back to her senses, she saw many people wearing uniforms of different associations, looking around on the streets, aimlessly wandering, but occasionally they would quickly cross the street to pick up garbage or take care of the elderly, among other things. Some were engaged in group work, such as snow sweeping, checking street equipment, and patrol for public safety.

"What are those people? Homeless? Attempting to attack the isolated, to steal from machinery equipment?" Nakamura Mizuki asked, pointing.

"They are probably social volunteers," A40 said, looking into the distance.

"Volunteers?" Nakamura Mizuki felt as if she heard a concept that only existed in bulky dictionaries.

"Wow, because now both food and accommodation are free, the number of people volunteering and doing charity work has increased; organizations like these are registering one after another, calling on people to help the needy and to serve the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled, including going to hospitals and remote rural areas. Nestor Corporation is also advocating it. If you did this in the past, you’d starve to death or be looked down upon. Now, this is considered doing good deeds, and you’re respected as a diligent youngster," explained A40, trying to describe what it knew.

"On the West Coast, if someone wanted to do ’social service,’ ’volunteer work,’ they would quickly be captured, turned into a sacrifice, degenerate into material for biochemical modifications and mechanized toys, etc. Or they would be robbed, limbs chopped off, organs scooped out and then thrown into a trash bin. I’ve seen many irrational men and women trying to work selflessly, entering dangerous areas trying to do some improvements and repairs, free clinics, or relief for the poor, all of them ended up dying disgustingly," Nakamura Mizuki observed the people.

Voluntary service, asking for nothing in return.

These people were clearly a minority in society, possessing a "naturally altruistic" temperament. Nakamura Mizuki made a judgment.

They would immediately want to help when they see someone hurt, consider donating a little money when seeing others suffer, feel happy for someone else’s happiness, and sad for someone else’s sorrow. Nakamura Mizuki observed.

Due to the nature of the society, such people had virtually gone extinct.

And in this wonderful environment of "zero-pressure society," had this naturally altruistic behavior been revived?

This was also inevitable, Nakamura Mizuki suddenly realized.

Because this society no longer punished and scorned good people.

Nakamura Mizuki walked into a park, where the environment made her slow down for the first time in her life.

Everything was orderly; there were few pedestrians around, mostly people out walking dogs or playing with children.

"This is different from the propaganda, the West Coast’s online media all say that Nestor Corporation is going bankrupt, society is panicking, internal conflicts and contradictions are deep," Nakamura Mizuki observed the surroundings.

It was unbelievably quiet, only the sound of engines from Shuttle Machines passing by in the sky, very tranquil, unlike the West Coast where violence could break out at any moment.

"Nothing hard to understand, with brave warriors like me protecting this place, plus many hardworking men and women supporting the company’s operation," A40 dismissively said.

Serenity, harmony, everyone for themselves.

Nakamura Mizuki saw many people taking their Synthetic Human partners out. Taking a Synthetic Human as a significant other is very suitable. They lack any displeasing functions and will not make unreasonable demands; they silently keep company, execute users’ instructions, and use themselves to warm every lonely night of the users.

This is... utterly ordinary, a place very suitable for living.

This place also has areas similar to any regular corporate city where financial activities are still booming.

She crossed a big bridge, leaving District 24 and arriving at a place lined with office buildings.

Nakamura Mizuki saw those familiar names, Kyoto Infinity, Enomoto Bank, Golden Sun Insurance Company, Carosi Media Group, Dawn Investment Company. Their operations in Shangjing were still thriving, and some real estate companies were still surviving. Now, they manage luxury residence upgrades and have expanded the scale of their overseas real estate brokerage, satisfying people’s endless material needs.

It’s lunchtime, tens of thousands of corporate people in black uniforms bustlingly leave their workplaces to head to the familiar restaurants downstairs for food; for them, it’s a routine from point A to point B. Many others didn’t even show up, getting things done quickly with Nutrient Paste.

This used to be Nakamura Mizuki’s habit as well; she had set a fixed schedule for eating and self-cleansing.

Now, her body was also sending out the physiological signals as scheduled, reminding her that it was time to replenish energy to prepare for the afternoon’s busyness.

The company people with expressionless faces passed by her one after another. They chased the direction of Funds and stock market fluctuations; an apparently ordinary middle-aged man might hold billions’ worth of shares.

Shangjing is still the financial center of the Northern Archipelago, and this is unlikely to change.

These are my... peers! Nakamura Mizuki stared at these company people.

The wild dogs and wolves of the finance world!

She knew them all too well.

Her job was a senior sales manager at an insurance company, starting from an entry-level sales representative and growing to manage her own team. Aside from the help provided by her hacking skills, she had given her all.

From health, self-esteem to conscience, just give whatever the company asks for.

Empowerment, stratification, tracks, cycles, resources, traffic, feedback, channels, layout, niche markets... Watching these Shangjing company people coming and going, Nakamura Mizuki felt her past work life returning to her. Those reports, meetings, lies, and deceptions...

She was far too accustomed to it.

She was supposed to join these beasts, gather food to fill her stomach, and then enter a new round of competitive struggle, risking her life for money.

But Nakamura Mizuki felt relaxed, extremely relaxed. A sense of unprecedented laziness prevailed.

Nakamura Mizuki stood on the street.

Then she stepped back.

"Why are you walking backwards! If you fall, it’s on me!" A40 holding a knife, watched Nakamura Mizuki closely.

"Trying something new." She closed her eyes and stepped back, retreating from the bridge.

Oh people, love yourselves!

Nakamura Mizuki revised her schedule and gave herself a long vacation.