Kai

As Alexander's mind succumbed to fatigue, he couldn't help but ponder the challenges that lay ahead. The avatar he had created was undoubtedly a step in the right direction, but it was not the perfect solution he had hoped for. He needed something more, something that would provide an extra layer of protection and enhance his capabilities further.

As he drifted off to sleep, a faint memory from his past life surfaced—a project he had been working on back at Elysian Dynamics before his rebirth in Aeonia. The project involved neural interfaces that allowed humans to merge their consciousness with artificial intelligence, granting them unprecedented access to information and abilities. In his past life, the concept was ambitious and faced numerous ethical dilemmas, but in this advanced world of Aeonia, it might be the key to the edge he sought. Determined to explore this possibility further, he planned to discuss it with Ethan and see if they could adapt the concept for his current situation.

The next morning, Alexander was determined to explore this possibility further. As he made his way to find Ethan, Alexander noticed Kai, waiting just outside the orphanage... "Hey! where are you going? still have something to talk about," Kai said with a serious tone and dominant voice. Alexander understood the need for caution and secrecy, especially in this treacherous world, so he replied with amusement, knowing Kai's intention of keeping his secret affiliation with The CROX, "Your secret's safe with me, I know... so no worries."

Kai seemed slightly taken aback, as if he had expected Alexander to react differently. "You're not curious? As long as you're not in my way," he said.

"I've done my research, I know what you're after, and I don't intend to pry. I have my own business too," Alexander turned his back and walked away.

"Huh," Kai whispered with a confused look on his face...

After some time, Alexander went to the orphanage where Ethan resided, but nobody knew his whereabouts. "He was always the odd one of the bunch, you know. It's great knowing he made a friend outside this orphanage," the caretaker answered.

With no luck finding Ethan, Alexander had to postpone his discussion and decided to explore the city once more.

Gunfires and explosions were heard from a distance, and people were running in the opposite direction. As Alexander followed the noise, he cautiously made his way towards the source of the commotion. Above the tallest building he could find, he witnessed a fierce firefight between The CROX gang and a group of heavily armed mercenaries. Among the members of The CROX, he spotted Kai, skillfully maneuvering through the chaos with a combination of agility and calculated precision.

He knew that getting closer would put him directly in the crossfire, so he decided to stay hidden, feeling a mix of concern for Kai's safety and curiosity about the situation. It seemed that The CROX had gotten themselves involved in a dangerous conflict with these well-armed mercenaries, and Alexander wondered what could have led to such a clash.

From a distance, he watched as the battle intensified, with both sides exchanging gunfire and taking cover behind debris. It was clear that this was not a casual skirmish but a serious altercation with potentially deadly consequences.

After what felt like an eternity, the gunfire gradually subsided, and the mercenaries eventually retreated, leaving The CROX victorious but not without losses. Alexander waited for a moment, making sure it was safe before leaving the scene and the building. "This world sure is something! Last time I saw such things was when Russia attacked Ukraine," Alexander thought as he left the building.

On his way back to the orphanage, Alexander sensed a gaze and a presence through the densely populated streets and crossovers. He was no stranger to this scenario, having received death threats and assassination attempts on his life back on Earth. What perplexed him was that he was not in a position to receive such threats in this new world, at least not according to his reputation as a young guy with no name in such a large and advanced society. So he paused and surveyed the crowd; for a brief while, he recognized a familiar figure, which he attempted to follow but was unsuccessful; all he knew was that the figure wore a coat with metallic outlines. With nothing else to do, he returned to the orphanage.

Upon his return, he was greeted with warm welcome and great smiles from his younger orphans. "Hey, Lex is back!" one of the orphans shouted as he ran towards Alexander. Then the others followed. "Let's play," "Tell us more stories," "Look what I made." His fellow orphans excitedly interacted with Alexander. This was a new experience for him; the last time he felt this welcome was on his 10th birthday back on Earth.

So he spent time with them...

After some time, he noticed Kai being treated by the caretakers. "You got into fights again. You know how this is bad for the orphanage, right Kai?" The caretaker exclaimed with a worried look.

"Yeah, yeah, it was just a small fight, nothing big," Kai replied.

"Who knew they relied on you, knowing how young you are compared to them, you completely owned them," Alexander said as he approached them.

"Hey, it is not something to be admired Lex! Look, now your younger brother wants to be like you," the caretaker responded.

"Not like I wanted him to," Kai replied with an irritated voice and fierce gaze unto Alexander.

"It was just sports, nothing to be concerned about, ma'am," Alexander said with a smirk back at Kai.

"Sighs just be careful next time," the caretaker said as she walked away to attend to the others' needs.

"I don't know what's your game, but you better be out of my way!" Kai approached Alexander with a dominant voice. "I'm tired and I lost something today, I might take it out on you."

"I saw it, you know. I just wanna know something, then I will never bother you with your affairs," Alexander replied with seriousness.

"You better be, rooftop after dinner, we'll talk," Kai replied as he walked towards the bathroom.

[In the rooftop]

"So what is it? I don't want any trouble, especially in this orphanage. You better keep your word about my secret, or you'll find yourself in the dumpster," Kai said.

"First, tell me your story," Alexander asked.

[Kai narrated his story from the beginning...]

From a young age, he experienced the harsh realities of survival, where resources were scarce, and the powerful controlled everything. The society he grew up in was ruthless, with survival being a daily battle, and only the strongest and most dominant could carve out a place for themselves.

Kai was raised in the slums, a place rife with poverty and violence. His family barely scraped by, and he quickly learned that showing weakness meant being trampled upon.

Kai's father, a high military officer, was a stern and formidable figure, carrying the scars of battle both on his body and within his heart.

Growing up, Kai saw a side of his father that many didn't understand. He was a man of principles, unwavering in his dedication to his duty and the country he served. His military career demanded sacrifice, and he expected nothing less from his family. He believed that instilling discipline and strength in his loved ones was a way to prepare them for the harsh realities of life.

But when his father died in The War years ago, all the protection for the family was shattered, leaving them vulnerable and exposed. The loss of his father was a devastating blow that sent ripples of grief throughout the family, leaving them struggling to cope with the void he had left behind.

With their protector gone, the once peaceful neighborhood descended into chaos. Criminals, gangs, and mercenaries saw an opportunity to exploit the absence of the strong protection his father held. They swooped in like vultures, preying on the vulnerable residents who were left without his watchful eye and firm hand. Kai's family members were no exception from the crimes.

He witnessed firsthand how the absence of principled leadership had allowed darkness to encroach upon their community. Fear and uncertainty gripped the once tranquil streets, and the sense of safety they had once taken for granted was now a distant memory.

His female family members were raped, toyed upon, and sold. His younger brother became an errand boy to the criminals, doing everything they told him to. As for Kai, he was experimented with cyber augmentations from his arm to his torso, without him knowing what happened to the others. In the face of this turmoil, Kai felt a growing sense of responsibility to protect his family and neighbors, just as his father had done. He knew that he couldn't fill his father's shoes entirely, so he made his own path, one that showcased only strength. He realized that the strong would always prey on the weak when no one stronger set the limitations.

With this determination growing inside Kai, and at the right moment when he was now able to control the augmentations, he saw an opportunity to escape. Bit by bit, he stealthily killed everyone he considered a threat, finding his family in his neighborhood. He was devastated... seeing his mother and sister dismembered in a room full of dirty linens. Full of anger, he went on a rampage with tears under his eyes. With a little hope from his heart, he pursued to find his brother as he continued to kill everyone in the community. But to no avail, there was no sign of his brother. Tired and exhausted, both physically and mentally, he passed out. The last thing he remembered in those dark moments was being transported in a vehicle by a man with glowing blue eyes.

"Who knew... and you never talked to anyone about this?" Alexander said.

"And if they knew? Can they do anything?... Hey, I know you're not the type of guy to be concerned, but your interactions with the other orphans just don't feel genuine. Give it to me straight, what do you want now?" Kai now said quietly.

Alexander was taken aback when he heard this; someone had seen right through him in such a short period of time.

"Well, you're right in some ways. What I want to know is your connection to the city. I have this revolutionary idea, and I need your knowledge about the possibility of AI-Consciousness Merging. If you hear anything of any kind, tell me," Alexander presented Kai with the concept.

"You mean tech that connects programs and the brain? It's not new, you know. I've heard that corpo owners, military officials, and even the Founder of The Crox were said to have gone through this Merging. Cred was never a problem to them, though I never saw them firsthand," Kai responded.

"Huh... I guess that's it," Alexander replied with a disappointed look on his face. What he wanted to accomplish on Earth was already done by someone in this world.

"Hey, I know you're the curious business type, so how about this: I give you information, you keep the secret, Deal?" Kai bargained.

"Sure, no problem, just the way I like it," Alexander said, his face unchanged.

"Oh, and another thing, why did ma'am say it was bad for the orphanage that you were getting into fights? I mean, fights are common in this city," Alexander continued. Kai, on the other hand, seemed to disregard this and proceeded downstairs.

Alexander remained on the rooftop, lost in thought.

Back on Earth, the primary premise in business marketing and economics was to be the first to construct a new idea that many people would believe in and support. This concept has the potential to be sold, shared, and improved. Whatever you do, that concept will be profitable and will undoubtedly offer you authority. Alexander is disturbed since he does not fully comprehend the new world he has entered.

It was taxing for him to be in a new environment he knew nothing about. He reflected on his life on Earth and how he climbed to prominence. Back there, a child will always be a child, with no worries in the world and only wanting to experience it. As that child grows, eyes wide open from many viewpoints, he starts to think about global concerns, principles to live by, strategies to survive, and other such things. Similar to how one should first learn to count before attempting to solve Laplace equations. Learning to count is a fundamental skill that most humans acquire at a young age through teaching, experience, and practice. It becomes almost second nature to us, and we can apply it effortlessly in everyday situations. On the other hand, solving complex mathematical equations, such as Laplace equations, involves a step-by-step process of acquiring knowledge, building problem-solving strategies, and practicing with various examples. It doesn't just become natural to us to solve Laplace problems just because our brain feels like it.

What Alexander went through in this realm was similar to being taught to count all over again, except it required the solutions to a Laplace problem. Though he was able to preserve his hard-earned talents and knowledge from his previous existence on Earth, those abilities and knowledge were on par with everyone else here in Neo-Artheria, Aeonia.

This thought seemed to bring Alexander's morale down. But instead, he felt the urge to turn the situation into a motivating challenge. Understanding the World Mechanics was now at the top of his priority list.