The following is a real-world crime.
Car A was traveling in the left lane of the expressway, while 711nb was in the center lane. A small stone flew out of 711nb's rear window, striking Car A's body. 711nb overtook, switched on hazard lights, slowed down, and shouted out the window. Assuming a scrape had occurred, Car A pulled over with 711nb into the emergency lane. This spot definitely lacked surveillance cameras.
In reality, the occupants of 711nb would cite their car's damaged body to extort Car A for several hundred yuan. Why several hundred? Because if they demanded more, Car A would just call their insurance company directly.
In the Yita World, Ding Shi and Chu Yu, clad in black agent suits, stepped out of the vehicle. The other driver got out as well and said, "Brother, we're on the same side—both agents."
Ding Shi raised his gun. "Strip. Right now."
"What do you mean?"
Ding Shi shot him in the head, looted the corpse, stripped off his clothes, and tossed them to Brother Kai in the back seat. Once Brother Kai finished changing, Ding Shi and Brother Kai hauled Ritian out of the trunk and shoved him into the back seat of Car A.
An agent's Car B pulled over to the side. A pretty woman stepped out, in the mood to watch the fun, and teased, "Is this the player carrying the X pathogen? Nobody said we had to take him alive."
Chu Yu fired, killing her. Delighted, Chu Yu hurried over to loot the body—finally, she wouldn't have to wear smelly men's clothes anymore. Snuggling up to beauties was the best; a pretty woman's clothes smelled so much nicer.
Brother Kai and Ding Shi hauled Ritian back out of Car A and shoved him into Car B. The entire time he was being moved, Ritian let out trembling groans of agony: "Ahhh..."
Chu Yu siphoned gas with a fuel canister, checking the time. "Five minutes already."
Agent Car C drove by, slowing down to see what was happening. Ding Shi brandished his pistol. "What the hell are you looking at? Scram!"
The AI broadcast the location of the X pathogen every half hour within a hundred-meter radius. Agent C didn't suspect anything amiss, simply assuming these agents had teamed up to kill the target and were stealing gas on the side.
What Agent C didn't understand was why they were siphoning fuel. Had they run through an entire tank already? Still, teaming up was a great idea.
Agent C soon found like-minded Agent D and Agent E on the expressway. After conferring in the emergency lane, the three agreed to form a team and play rock-paper-scissors to decide who got the X pathogen once they secured it. As for whether they would actually honor a game of rock-paper-scissors once they had it, that would depend on personal ethics.
Unfortunately, their campaign died before it even began. Car B caught up to them. Chu Yu, Ding Shi, and Brother Kai piled out together. While Agents C, D, and E were still debating whether they really needed such a large team, the three from Team Yuyu unleashed a slaughter. Brother Kai popped his killing cherry as well; the aftermath of his first kill turned out better than he had feared.
...
Seven hundred and fifty kilometers from Jibei Province.
A three-kilometer tunnel left the already weary driver, Brother Kai, drowsy. He kept chatting with his companions, but his eyelids grew heavier and heavier. He tried fighting it by pinching his own flesh, but with little effect. Then his eyes closed. In the very next second, an inner alarm jolted him awake. Lingering dread sent adrenaline surging through him as he steadied the steering wheel.
What he failed to realize, however, was that in that single second, the car crossed the solid line—and was caught on camera.
Just as the VV711 emerged from the tunnel, a police car parked in the median divider near the exit wailed its siren and fell in behind them.
Ding Shi woke with a start from his sleep and looked back. "What's going on?"
In the passenger seat, Chu Yu said, "Pull over."
The War Police officer stepped out, tapped on the window, and stated his business: "You crossed the solid line in the tunnel. Fifteen-yuan fine."
Chu Yu handed over the money immediately.
"Driver's license," the War Police officer said.
After inspecting Brother Kai's driver's license, the War Police officer returned it, bent over to check inside the car to confirm it wasn't overloaded, and uploaded photos of the four occupants in the process.
"Drive safely. You may go," the War Police officer said.
The VV711 continued on its way. Everyone was in a relatively relaxed mood; in another six hours, they would reach Jibei Province. In addition to robbing agents, they also robbed robots and players. At first, Chu Yu and Brother Kai had felt constrained, always feeling that such conduct was wrong. Gradually, feelings of guilt weighed on them because Ding Shi had shouldered everything and done most of the dirty work.
What truly motivated them to break their inhibitions was something Ding Shi had said: "This is just a casual instance."
Without a push, people never step outside their comfort zones.
However, they didn't know that today, the fifth day of the instance, only a single large beacon remained on the AI agents' map—the big bright point formed by the four of them carrying the X pathogen.
Agents across the entire map teleported to nearby cities one after another, requisitioned vehicles and weapons, and charged toward them. After all, this was the agents' last chance. If they couldn't secure the X pathogen and kill the players holding it, they would become the lowest class in Sixiang City.
Inside the car, the four also touched upon the topic of Sixiang City. Each had a different take on Sixiang City's system. Ritian belonged to the egalitarian camp; he disliked Sixiang City's system of dividing people into tiers.
Brother Kai belonged to the evolutionary camp. He believed systems were neither good nor bad in themselves; as long as they provided a favorable environment for social development, errors would be corrected and sound practices carried forward.
Ding Shi belonged to the environmental camp. He believed that although Sixiang City divided people into tiers, it provided everyone with a fair starting point and a fair environment for social mobility. Through their own efforts, residents of North Community could afford a home in Southwest Community, and residents of Southwest Community could afford an East Villa.
To everyone's surprise, Chu Yu belonged to the supportive camp. "Why are college entrance exam scores so important?" she asked.
"Isn't that obvious?" Brother Kai replied. "Higher scores mean a better school, better job opportunities, and higher income."
Chu Yu said, "See? That step alone divides people into tiers. We constantly preach that everyone is equal, but in reality, that's impossible. Otherwise, everyone eats from the same big pot, society becomes a stagnant pond, and nobody is willing to work hard. In the beginning, human nature is inherently selfish; competitiveness and envy are human nature, as well as the driving forces of progress. People want to live better than their neighbors; they want to earn more than their colleagues."
Chu Yu continued, "North Community has several possible paths. First, everyone organizes a collective stroll to demand that the authorities provide the same resources as Southwest Community. But why don't they ask the authorities to provide the resources of the East Villas? Because they know the authorities cannot satisfy demands for everyone to live in East Villas and be city managers. That sort of public sentiment is futile.
"Second, everyone works hard individually, relying on their own abilities to leap out of North Community and achieve upward mobility. That makes life agonizing for people in North Community, because everyone gets sucked into an endless rat race. This trend quickly spreads to Southwest Community—if they don't advance, they fall back into North Community. Following this path, people easily lose faith in life and become numb and self-serving."
Chu Yu said, "Suppose the Southwest and East Communities didn't exist. Residents of North Community would love their community and consider themselves very happy. After all, the work isn't terribly exhausting, and life is decent enough. What's infuriating is that the residents of the Southwest and East Communities live better than they do and hold power they don't. That's what stings.
"So I think Sixiang City's system is very good: merit-based advancement. Only exceptional people get to enjoy a better life, and exceptional people can provide living space for those who aren't quite as outstanding."
Ritian was unconvinced. "What about East Community's policy allowing people to take three spouses? Do you support that too?"
Chapter 58