Chapter 113: What? Begging in Night Sin City? - It’s the Cyber Age—Still Playing a Traditional Villain?

Chapter 113: What? Begging in Night Sin City? Question: What could be worse than being woken up by an alarm on a workday morning? Answer: Being woken up by an alarm on a workday morning only to see news so infuriating it makes your blood boil. "The 'Forgotten Ones' set to return? City Hall shows willingness to accept them?" "What kind of nonsense is that? I've never even heard of them!" As it turns out, many ordinary citizens of Night Sin City had never heard of such a group. People live outside the city? Really? Could this be a joke? Is today not April Fools' Day? However, eager netizens quickly provided some helpful information, laying out all known details about the "Forgotten Ones." After browsing through the relevant information, the onlookers immediately expressed due interest. "No way! So, they're the descendants of criminals exiled from the city?" "And some couldn't survive in the city and willingly left... Damn, why are they coming back now?" "Apparently, the rust mists outside have become too dense, so they're seeking shelter..." "What, even City Hall would agree to this? Are they out of their minds?" "If they're called the 'Forgotten Ones,' can't we just actually forget them?" "No way, I can't accept this!" It's no wonder that everyone is up in arms. People quickly realized a critical issue. It's not just a handful but an entire population wanting to return—tens of thousands of people in total! Regardless of other problems, if Night Sin City suddenly sees an influx of this magnitude, a pressing problem immediately arises. Work environments will become even more competitive! The stress level for workers in Night Sin City, especially in Night City, is already high. From a young age, children compete academically; as they mature, they compete over who has more neural implants. Even the implants themselves vary in quality... When entering the workforce, the competition intensifies; you replace deteriorating body parts with prosthetics. Why get a mechanical stomach? Just to gain a "one extra hour of work" advantage over others. It's not like nutrient fluids taste good. The key is, this stuff is ridiculously expensive. If you can't pay it in full, you'd have to take out a loan! Then you find out it's a company loan, and your monthly salary is cut more than half. Life is hard enough, and now this? Suddenly having tens of thousands more competitors? What a joke! Especially since they might not be easy to compete against. It's becoming increasingly clear that if City Hall accepts these "Forgotten Ones," they would likely offer them favorable conditions and benefits, as hinted by recent information... Even the Sin City folks aren't happy about this, and while the working class in Night City faces the impact, so do the gang members. The truth is that the industry is extremely competitive now; being able to fight isn't enough... simply being able to fight doesn't offer more than being called a small thug. Thus, in their stance towards this matter, citizens of Night City and Sin City have reached a rare consensus. What on earth? Begging in Night Sin City? And that wasn't all; soon, a related interview further ignited the uproar. This was an interview with "Prism." "Secretary Ye, thank you for joining us. We want to ask about 'Prism Pharmaceuticals,' or more precisely, Chairwoman Xie Qingyan's, opinion on the potential return of the 'Forgotten Ones' to Night Sin City?" On screen, the reporter, charming with a sweet smile, posed the question. "Well... you know, Chairwoman Xie doesn't concern herself much with these affairs and focuses solely on advancing the medical field." Ye Shanshan, dressed in a gray suit, replied with a smile, maintaining a composed and elegant demeanor, "Thus, she prioritizes that aspect. As for the final decision, City Hall can decide." "And from this perspective, we believe this may not necessarily be a bad thing." "Oh? Could you explain further?" "Mm-hmm. As everyone knows, the 'rust mist' troubles residents in many ways, and 'Prism' has consistently developed drugs targeting the 'rust mist.'" Ye Shanshan continued earnestly, "Therefore, those 'Forgotten Ones,' who have had more exposure to 'rust mist,' likely possess considerable research, potentially bringing forth new insights we haven't discovered before." "In this regard, 'Prism' could..." The truthfulness of this interview was debatable, and people weren't inclined to delve into the subsequent academic discussions. However, the beginning successfully caught everyone’s attention. Why are the "Forgotten Ones" coming? Precisely because the concentration of "rust mist" outside has become unbearable! Everyone knows what "rust mist" is. Each of Night Sin City's 22 districts has specific measures to mitigate its harm. Even so, decreasing life expectancy and increasing complications year after year cause persistent distress. Moreover, many issues are irreversible. Sometimes even cloning organs won't alleviate conditions caused by "rust mist"... it's truly a monumental threat weighing heavily on everyone's heart. So. Without protective measures, living outside the city, the "Forgotten Ones" must face even harsher conditions! Heaven forbid! "They won't carry some transmissible disease, will they?" "Really? Will I lose my life, let alone work?" "Are we going to end up living with mutants..." "This is way too much, who can relate?" "Enough, I need a drink to calm down." "Bring one for me too." In such a public opinion environment, the situation developed faster than anyone imagined. Eventually, the "Forgotten Ones" were rumored to be bizarre, bloodthirsty creatures of mutation. ... Of course, such beliefs were untrue. Though they separated from Night Sin City and survived independently, painting them as savages was an exaggeration. While the "Forgotten Ones" hadn't evolved as rapidly as Night Sin City, the gap wasn't that vast. At least, they knew to seek shelter from rain, wouldn't pick food off the ground, and could skillfully use smartphones. In some areas, they even have unique expertise. It's not always the case that they lag behind Night Sin City. Thus, such rumors quickly reached their ears. And this made the leaders of the "Forgotten Ones" lose their cool. "Damn it! Night Sin City is pushing it too far!" (Chapter end)