After eating too much at dinner, Qin Xuezhong didn't sleep well.
But the next morning, she still felt cheerful.
After washing up, she headed out to work. The subway swayed, packed with weary people just like in any world.
She arrived at the office early, and before long, the three colleagues from yesterday showed up.
Qin Xuezhong also met the gamer, a pale, blond, blue-eyed mixed-race boy who looked a bit introverted. Jin Anan introduced him as Xie Kedu.
Noticing Qin Xuezhong looked a bit tired, Xue Zhishi spoke encouragingly: "Xiao Qin, good job! You're already in sync with the office on your first day. Where did you go out last night?"
Qin Xuezhong glanced at the three of them, each with darker circles under their eyes than the last.
She nervously replied, "I had a pretty good time last night, ate a bit too much, and didn't sleep well."
Xue Zhishi laughed heartily: "Don't be nervous; the nightlife in Xigu Valley just ended. Everyone is like this—you'll get used to it."
Qin Xuezhong was confused: ???
It's only the second morning, and he says the nightlife just ended? What kind of lives do you guys lead?
Next, Anan excitedly chatted about how she bought a new model of a bionic person last night, made with data from a certain internet celebrity virtual idol, sharing its new features with everyone.
Seeing her colleagues act this way, Qin Xuezhong grew bolder and decided to do something she had never done before.
—Take a nap in the office.
Just as she leaned down, Jin Anan pulled her up and led her to a high-end massage pod in the corner of the office, suggesting it was "more comfortable."
Looking at Xue Zhishi's encouraging gaze, Qin Xuezhong felt this place was like paradise!
She set her first goal in this new world: Stay steady.
Keep both sides steady—absolutely no trouble, no spotlight, no promotions—just enjoy life here!
The massage pod was so comfortable that she almost immediately fell asleep.
She had a restful nap until noon and then went to the cafeteria with her three colleagues. After lunch, she took the initiative to find Xue Zhishi to ask if there was anything she needed to do.
She wanted to familiarize herself with the work as soon as possible, so if there was something to do, she could finish it quickly and not hold up the team, which would allow everyone to happily slack off together.
Old Xue frowned when he heard her question, "Xiao Qin, are you always this proactive at work?"
This should have been a compliment, but Xue Zhishi's expression didn't quite match.
Qin Xuezhong replied, "Not really… I just want to get familiar quickly to avoid causing trouble later…"
Upon hearing this answer, Xue Zhishi's expression softened a bit, but he still worriedly reminded her, "Having that mindset is a good thing. But about work, don't be too proactive. In the office, there's no rush, but outside it's easy to be taken advantage of… If others see you being so proactive, they'll give you tasks, and the more tasks you have, the more trouble it becomes. Understand what I mean?"
Xiao Qin thought, I get it! I totally get it! Old Xue, you're my kindred spirit! I'll follow you forever!
She kept a calm and sincere expression: "I understand, I'll be careful."
Only then did Xue Zhishi nod in satisfaction, "Today I was also supposed to activate your badge and introduce you to the business."
Saying this, he pulled out a small box from under the desk.
"The work in the Analysis Department is actually about reading the last memories of the deceased."
"As long as the deceased signed a permission form when alive, if they die unexpectedly and there's no evidence, the crime scene will send the body back for us to read their last memories."
"Basically…" Xue Zhishi hesitated for a moment, seemingly considering how to phrase it, "it can be quite dull because the last memories are very chaotic and can take a long time to analyze—usually over three hours."
Sitting next to a corpse for three hours?
Seemingly afraid of scaring Qin Xuezhong, Xue Zhishi quickly explained, "The analysis is done with our badge's automatic parsing, which makes it mentally tiring. During that time, we usually find something to help us relax."
"Jin Anan watches concerts, Xie Kedu plays casual games, and I listen to operas," Xue Zhishi said with a smile, "You should also find something to do so you don't get bored."
Qin Xuezhong suddenly understood.
No wonder people outside say that the Analysis Department has mental issues; these folks are entertaining themselves next to corpses…
Xue Zhishi opened the box and took out a brand-new badge, palm-sized, with the circular logo of the security department on the front and intricate circuitry on the back.
He handed the badge to Qin Xuezhong, "Let's go, I'll take you for an experience."
Experience? Experience with a corpse? This is… going to the morgue?
With a nervous heart, Qin Xuezhong followed Xue Zhishi out of the office.
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The two didn't even take the elevator, instead walking directly around to the other side of the B3 floor. It was only then that Qin Xuezhong realized that the Analysis Department's office was actually on the same floor as the morgue!
Now she understood even more why the other colleagues kept their distance from the Analysis Department.
Xue Zhishi explained, "After all, our work deals with last memories, so being close by is more convenient…"
Before he could finish speaking, Qin Xuezhong heard a commotion not far away.
"Do you know where you are?! Making a scene here! Be careful, or you'll all get arrested!" came a triumphant voice.
"Arrest me? On what grounds?! Because you're unscrupulous?!" responded a desperate female voice.
"Hmph, us unscrupulous?" the first person scoffed, "Don't forget, it was your husband who killed someone!"
"Kill someone?" the woman was agitated, "You're the ones causing trouble! You started it!"
Amidst their heated exchange, there was plenty of noise from the crowd around them.
Xue Zhishi and Qin Xuezhong exchanged glances and quickly walked over.
There were many people gathered at the morgue entrance.
On one side were individuals dressed in cheap clothing, their bodies showing signs of mechanical modifications; Qin Xuezhong recognized them as workers from the slums.
On the other side were well-groomed individuals in sharp suits, exuding a sense of hypocrisy from head to toe.
In between the two groups were several visibly impatient patrol officers, struggling to maintain order.
Seeing Xue Zhishi and Qin Xuezhong approach, the patrol officers visibly relaxed, sternly controlling both groups before hurriedly coming over to explain the situation to Xue Zhishi.
After listening for a bit and checking some information, Qin Xuezhong was shocked to the core.
In Xigu City, there was a specialized type of "amputation clinic."
As the name suggests, it provided amputation services for ordinary people!
A hundred years ago, as the number of prosthetic modifications increased, many ordinary people found themselves unable to find jobs.
Those who replaced their limbs with cheap mechanical prosthetics or expensive biomechanical ones had superior strength and agility compared to regular humans.
Many factories began hiring these modified individuals, significantly boosting production efficiency.
In the high unemployment environment of Xigu City, some people began opting for amputations to replace their limbs with stronger prosthetics in hopes of securing a job.
Gradually, amputation clinics specifically catering to these individuals started to emerge.
The surgeries were initially free of charge.
The clinics would collaborate with factories to install specified prosthetics and assign jobs. They would take 10% of the salary from the first six months or year as a surgical fee.
The amputated limbs would be processed into various materials, sold to those in need, providing some extra income for the clients.
This had formed a massive industrial chain in Xigu City.
Due to its size, many people attempted to siphon off extra money from various links in the chain.
In this instance, the clinic had likely been too overconfident and went too far.
Not only did they use a particularly cheap and unstable mechanical arm, they signed a contract with a dubious factory, and they even embezzled the money meant for the original limbs.
The individuals seeking amputations, already struggling financially, found themselves plunged into a deep abyss because of this.
One worker, infuriated, caused a scene at the clinic.
The clinic's manager took him to a meeting room to talk.
When the door opened again, the manager was already dead, and both sides called the police.
The patrol officers first handcuffed the worker for temporary detention. Then the worker's wife and coworkers, along with the clinic staff, fought their way into the public security bureau with the corpse.
The woman said, "This idiot came in and started yelling at my husband, even laid hands on him. My husband tried to push him away, but the mechanical arm malfunctioned and accidentally killed him."
Meanwhile, the clinic staff argued, "Director Liu has always been respected and courteous to everyone. There's no way it's as you say! Murderer, don't slander him here!"
Although both sides were agitated, the patrol officers and Xue Zhishi remained expressionless, disregarding everything as they carried their boxes into the morgue.
The patrol officer shouted, "Alright! Go back and wait for notice! If you cause more trouble, you'll all be locked up!"
The clinic staff nodded with fake smiles, "Yes, yes, thank you for your hard work, officer."
Their expressions clearly indicated they were colluding, and the woman looked on with suspicion, asking, "You want me to go back now? I'm not leaving! I want to watch you! I want to wait for results!"
The patrol officer scolded, "Do you think this is a marketplace?! Everyone out!"
Just before entering, Qin Xuezhong caught a glimpse of the clinic staff, smugly whispering something into their phone.
Meanwhile, the woman stood outside, her face filled with despair and confusion, feeling at a loss.
After making the call, the clinic staff disdainfully glanced at the anxious workers.
He was well aware of Director Liu's personality—irritable, easily agitated, and prone to violence.
The truth was probably as the woman said: Director Liu had gotten physical, and the worker's cheap mechanical arm had malfunctioned, resulting in an accidental death.
If it came down to it, the clinic would be mostly at fault.
But it didn't matter; none of this would happen.
He had just made the call and knew that his request to tamper with evidence would be passed through an intermediary to some secret dirty work dispatch system.
The recipients were undercover agents or corrupt police officers in the Baystream precinct, tasked with dirty work.
They would use their authority to recreate a version of the last memories, altering the truth and silencing those damn workers, even ensuring they were compensated.
This way, these people would have to go back to work obediently, too afraid to cause trouble again.
Hmph, the rules of Xigu City were not something the rats from the slums could navigate.
He knew reading the last memories would take at least three to four hours, plenty of time for those inside to complete their work.
When the reading was done, someone would come to collect the data and swap it out.
He had just begun to feel relieved when he suddenly received a cold message from the intermediary:
[From: Unknown]
[Due to the case being closed, your request has been forcibly terminated. Please place a new order if you need further assistance. Thank you for using our service, and have a nice day.]
Moments later, another message arrived:
[From: Xigu City Dispute Resolution Determination System – Case 0817AC13ER]
[Your clinic has been found guilty of violating federal prosthetic modification regulations, Xigu City business operation laws, and health safety laws.]
[500,000 credit points have been deducted from your clinic's account as compensation for the victim. Relevant personnel will contact you for follow-up handling and rectification, please cooperate.]
[Have a nice day!]
At the same time, the woman and the workers were already cheering in disbelief—she must have also received the system notification and compensation.
The clinic staff felt darkness closing in on him; he had barely taken a few steps out! How could there be a ruling already?!
What on earth had happened?!