"Rust city"
Compared to the central city district, Rust City No. 003 in front of me has no defenses whatsoever.
The numbering of Rust City as 003, just like the central city district, is due to the real-world configuration, where typically there is one central city district accompanied by a Rust City nearby.
That is, a 'half-numbered people' city paired with a 'discarded people' city.
The edge of Rust City is lined with dilapidated houses, similar to the slum areas of old times.
Dim, quiet, desolate.
A young boy, carrying a large amount of food on his back, stands within the city.
This is a small square, but the fountain has long dried up, and the stone bricks are cracked.
There is still no one around.
But.
Qin Yiguan slightly lowers his head and clearly hears the rustling sounds coming from the darkness and corners around him.
As if countless eerie beings are hiding in the darkness, already surrounding the boy.
The boy tightens his backpack straps and coughs loudly, "Come out."
"Ya ya ya ya..."
"Wahaha..."
Then, thirty-four mischievous kids roll out from various corners like rolling gourds, some hugging Qin Yiguan's legs, some running into walls.
The oldest among them is no more than six or seven, the youngest three or four, with snot bubbles and drool.
The boy laughs and opens his backpack, pouring out a variety of fresh fruits, "Today's snack is for everyone, no fighting."
"Little bear, don't try to crack a coconut with your baby teeth!"
"Well, that tooth is now free."
"And don't use your head to bump..."
The group of children grabs the fruits and begins to feast joyfully.
The boy stands aside.
These are the children of Rust City, some suffering from various physical diseases, and others from impoverished families unable to afford the operational costs of nutritional pods.
In short, they are all little discarded people.
Their daily diet consists of energy blocks that even dogs would refuse. Now, Qin Yiguan bringing them fruits is like a taste explosion, an extremely delicious treat.
At this moment.
Qin Yiguan sees, not far away,
A little girl about five or six years old in a red dress and ponytail, looking hesitant and fearful, constantly touching her index fingers together, and lowering her head, too scared to come forward.
The boy smiles, picks up a big red apple, approaches the girl, and squats down, "Here."
The little girl secretly swallows, "Um...what day is it today?"
The boy glances at his watch, "Tuesday."
The girl's eyes suddenly light up, "Daddy said, if it's Tuesday, I can be friends with Brother Yiguan!"
Then the girl takes the apple, bites into it, her eyes curving into crescents.
The boy squatting on the ground smiles warmly, "Brother is not what he used to be, now able to control himself well. From now on, you can be friends with Brother every day."
The girl takes a few bites of the apple, then reaches into her pocket and slowly pulls out a plastic candy wrapper folded into a paper crane.
Qin Yiguan remembers, this candy wrapper is from the candy he gave to the little girl last week.
"Brother Yiguan."
"This is my return gift."
The girl smiles happily, holding the paper crane in her hand, handing it to the boy.
For the big brother who often brings her fruits, there's not much she can do, so she turns the skills she learned in kindergarten into a small token of appreciation.
The boy lifts the paper crane against the light, translucent and heartwarming, and warmly says, "Thank you, little one."
At this moment.
The thousands of households in Rust City begin to light up, from a few lights to brightly lit.
Adults are waking up from the virtual world.
Ahead, the door of an apartment opens, and a middle-aged couple appears at the door, stretching comfortably.
A mischievous child with snot bubbles runs towards the couple, holding a durian high above his head.
The child shouts excitedly, "Daddy! Mommy! Brother Yiguan invited us to eat poop today!"
This crisp voice echoes through the night sky.
Residents look around in confusion—Who is so shameless?
Under the moonlight.
The boy standing in the wind.
His body stiffens slightly.
Little ingrate, repaying kindness with enmity, ruining my reputation.
Is durian the same as poop?
Just asking, why make such a classification?
After a moment.
Rust City comes alive.
The bustling sounds of conversation and laughter fill the air, and the lights grow brighter.
It's like a city that never sleeps.
At the end of the street, a silent, white, pebble-shaped maglev car glided in.
Qin Yiguan frowned and observed, "This, does not belong to Rust City."
The car stopped in front of a modest apartment.
A young man in his twenties with short hair, carefully assisted his elderly mother out of the apartment and gently helped her into the maglev car, where she comfortably sat down.
The short-haired young man glanced back, saw Qin Yiguan standing among a group of children, smiled slightly, and approached.
"Brother Lu."
Qin Yiguan puzzled, "What is this?"
The short-haired young man referred to as Brother Lu looked at the boy and said with a smile, "I'm moving to the Central City District, just wanted to say goodbye."
The boy was taken aback, "Central City District? But you clearly..."
Brother Lu was poor, born with a congenital brain defect, and took care of his aging mother by himself.
But in just a few days not seen,
Brother Lu was actually able to move into the Central City District, where housing and nanny robots are incredibly expensive.
And moreover,
Entering the Central City District meant... he got approved for a nutrition pod?
Brother Lu said cheerfully, "I've also applied for a nutrition pod for my mother, so from now on, we won't have to worry about physical illnesses anymore."
Qin Yiguan was again startled, "Two nutrition pods?"
Brother Lu smiled, whispered in the boy's ear, "I found a way to get rich overnight in the Metaverse, and used the money I made... to open some doors."
The boy's eyes widened slightly, looking puzzled at Brother Lu, who was usually very close to him.
At this moment, Brother Lu inadvertently clenched his naturally hanging hand.
Memories flashed in his pupils.
His login time was six hours, unlike Qin Yiguan, he needed to work for a living, covering a larger range of activities.
That day.
He drove the flyer, desperately rushing forward...forward...forward!
In his heart, he just wanted to escape this quagmire-like life.
Poverty, sickness, his mother's aging, the world's abandonment.
His login time was running out, but he never thought of turning back.
He didn't know how far he had broken through, just kept breaking through layers of fog.
Finally, he reached a new world.
A Metaverse map he had never heard of before.
He found an opportunity, a chance to strike gold.
He dug frantically...
His hands were covered in blood...
The surroundings twisted strangely...
Finally, a shining object appeared in his palm...
"Brother Lu?"
The boy called out softly.
The young man known as Brother Lu suddenly shook his head, awakening from his memories, "Yiguan, I'm sorry, I can't tell you my method, because it might not be a good thing for you."
After saying this,
Brother Lu swiped his tech watch over Qin Yiguan's watch.
A message popped up on Qin Yiguan's watch, indicating a string of code was recorded but unreadable.
In this era, everyone owns a tech watch made by Gemini.
This device connects the Metaverse and reality.
It can store various information, as well as currency and money. People's earnings from working in the Metaverse are also stored in the watch.
At that moment, someone nearby exclaimed, "Little Lu is generous, he's made his fortune and hasn't forgotten the neighbors, distributing tens of thousands tonight!"
But Brother Lu scratched his head, turned to Qin Yiguan, and said, "Unfortunately, I had given away all the cash I had before meeting you. You're too late, there's none left for you..."
"As for what I left you..."
"Brother Lu believes in you, you'll one day break free from your shackles and travel far in the Metaverse."
"Then, this code will turn into a real item in the Metaverse."
"This item is very precious, it's also my keepsake for you."
"You always brought food to my mother, this is also my way of saying thanks."
The boy was taken aback, "You're too polite, Brother Lu."
In that moment, Brother Lu looked around Rust City, his eyes filled with affection and reluctance.
"If one day."
Brother Lu suddenly said calmly, "If you see me again and find... I'm dead, please bring my body back here and bury it in Rust City."
The boy was again startled.
But Brother Lu laughed heartily, "After all, you little guy can sneak into the Central City unnoticed. Come on! Be honest, have you ever peeped at beautiful women?"
"I can't even imagine, haha."
"What does it feel like to sneak into the Central City?"
"Peeping must be child's play for you, admit it, have you ever made a move!"