Chereads / Halo of Infinite Code / Chapter 9 - Lake City

Chapter 9 - Lake City

After sorting out the information he got from the screen, the first thing that came to his mind was fate is a bitch, and there is nothing to say about it. He always doubted higher powers, but seeing this, most likely fate exists in this world or, most likely, every world. He sighed because the irony is the person who made Alexander's life hell and took everything from him, and now he died by the hand of the same body. There are too many similarities to call this a coincidence.

He made up his mind that he'll do everything in his power to survive and never be someone else's puppet. After coming into this world, he understands something: everything you want, you can only get by your own power.

He also thought about how he killed two people because he never saw the blood of the person, so he doesn't feel any emotions. But thinking about everything he's done till now, he knows very well that when it comes to most emotions, he was like a computer—an emotionless machine.

Also, he felt like losing a part of himself. This might be a side effect of the ability he got from awakening. He didn't want to be an emotionless machine because no matter how powerful you are, if you can't enjoy something, then you're no different from zombies.

He has to hurry in the creation of his second brain [Codified artificial brain] so he can use the brain to control his powers perfectly. He will use the main brain for daily activities so he won't lose his emotions. He can be an emotionless machine and still have his emotions, allowing him to experience the happiness and joy of life. He decided to choose both of them at the same time.

Getting what he needed, he headed straight to room number 177 for the purpose of creating his new identity, staying away from trouble, and getting access to the City library. Arriving inside the room, he saw a female robot, and seeing this, he again doubted the technology of this world.

"Please give me your card," the female robot said.

He handed his card for payment, and then she asked about the identity he wanted. He had already thought about what identity he wanted, so he described the information.

"Name: Vance Astrophel

Age: 19

Gender: Male

Occupation: Researcher"

He gave basic information about what he wanted, and then he went through the process of identity creation. Before he underwent this process, he changed his appearance and covered his whole body with a protective data membrane. It cost him 50 Origin points because he changed his physical data and saved it with his [Save Authority], so he'll be using this identity for a long time.

He couldn't expose his identity, and he wanted to remain unknown as much as possible. Although he felt the pain of losing his precious Origin Points, he knew he could earn more. There were always some good people in the world who would throw themselves at his feet to become loot.

After confirming his identity and obtaining an ID card, which would serve for everything from now on, it cost him 400k credit points along with a simple house in the city. With only 100k credits remaining, he decided to head outside. There was no point in waiting or running around in the black market like a heedless chicken and getting into unnecessary problems.

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[City gate of the Lake City]

Two guardians are chatting amongst themselves but stopped their conversation because they saw someone approaching. After taking a closer look, both of them were momentarily stunned. The newcomer is a boy with blonde hair and green eyes, wearing a white shirt, black pants, and a coat hanging casually on his shoulder.

He looks like a celebrity, but the weird thing is there isn't any celebrity who goes out of the city alone; they always go with their guardians. Both of them came to their senses and began to do their job, which is to identify any traveler who comes to the city.

"Please identify yourself," one of the guardians said.

"Mr. Astrophel."

After checking the identity card, he greeted the person, and the person also greeted the guardian before going inside the city.

This is Azkaar in his second identity. After arriving inside the city, he saw many humans, demi-humans, etc. He expected this type of situation, having seen the city's condition in Armin's memories. He knew the situation even before coming here, so he headed towards the house he acquired from the black market.

On his way to his house, he observed the city and concluded that the Zenith Empire still uses old-fashioned housing, as he did not spot any skyscrapers. He also knew the reason for this – the focus on building protection for everyone, allowing for easier evacuation in emergency situations.

The city has a combination of RPG game-like aesthetics, resembling a medieval period with a slight infusion of technology, making it unique. On his way, he also witnessed many people using demi-humans as slaves, employing collars to restrain them and treating them like animals. Witnessing this, he felt disgusted towards such behavior.

One must never forget their history, but judging the situation, he knew humans never cared about it in the first place. There was a time when humans were slaves and food for vampires and demons, yet he couldn't understand how easily they seemed to forget such things.

He saw the situation clearly, recognizing he wasn't a hero, so it wasn't his immediate concern. However, if he needed people for his purposes in the future, he decided to take action to improve the situation for demi-humans. While not a hero, he believed in providing them with a better future based on their abilities and contributions.

In his mind, all species and races are the same; when he needs them, he'll compensate them equally for their work. If someone tries to harm him, regardless of their race or species, they become nothing more than loot. He believes in a level of equality that transcends every boundaries, viewing every creature as equal in his eyes. Thus, he sees everything as [Numerical Data], eliminating any form of discrimination.

He did have a favorite race, which was still humans, acknowledging that he, too, was human and couldn't escape that fact. However, this favoritism didn't come with any perks or a special place in his mind for them.

He was lost in thought but suddenly snapped back to reality as he found himself in front of his house. Having a GPS map in his identity card proved useful. He scanned the map, and the system took care of everything, guiding him along the route to his house while a part of his consciousness followed the system-created path.

His house wasn't large from the outside, resembling a normal two-story building. Preferring solitude, he requested a house in a location with minimal foot traffic. After tapping his card on the door, he entered to discover a compact interior—a small kitchen, one bedroom for sleeping, and even a training room with reinforced walls equipped with a noise cancellation spell.

Entering his living room, he noticed a single bed, and everything appeared new. A smile crossed his face; in both lives, this was the first house he could truly call home. Not bothering to check other rooms, he longed for a peaceful sleep. Taking safety precautions for any detected hostility, he undressed, closed his eyes, and heard a system notification in the background.

[Safety Protocol Activated]

[System will instantly exterminate any target upon the detection of hostile intentions]

Paranoid bastard! This guy is too cautious. Well, if someone came here for suicide, they'll sure become his loot.