The Creators: From Night City

Page 426

A passenger with a presidential mustache held a wine glass, gazing at a Japanese-style garden on the island below, wallowing in melancholy and affectation.

"Mr. Kishida likes cherry blossoms, but I remember that there are no outdoor cherry blossom gardens in Japan anymore."

The saying goes, "Many hands make light work," and this kind of thing happens everywhere.

"Dopplersan, I have my own cherry blossom ecological garden, it's very beautiful, those flowers only bloom for me."

Kishida finished his smug act and contentedly sipped his high-end drink.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to arrive at the main island of 'Olympus' in the Acadia Islands. The airship will soon land at the central airport. We have prepared a luxurious and comfortable resort beach and suites for you to enjoy."

Jiang Bing sat by the window, looking down at the azure sea below, and couldn't help but be slightly surprised by the extravagance of Weill Financial Management Company.

The world's marine environment has long been a mess. The large number of self-reproducing torpedoes and autonomous warfare weapons deployed by various companies in the ocean are far more dangerous than sharks. Coupled with a huge number of biological viruses, the seawater has long been severely polluted.

However, in order to create a coastline that complements the sun-drenched beaches, a magnificent seawall was built around the Acadia Islands, dividing the seawater into inner and outer sections.

The outside is the polluted high seas, while the inside is clean, purified seawater.

From a distance, it's impossible to discern that there's such an invisible watershed in the sea.

The hovercar landed at the airport, and before they even left the cabin, a special shuttle bus came to pick up the distinguished 'members' and drove them to their accommodations.

"Dear Mr. Kenneth Winters, welcome to the Arcadia Islands, welcome to paradise on earth."

The handsome, curvaceous tour guide greeted Jiang Bing warmly, his lingering gaze drifting subtly over the 'Raven' dressed as Jiang Bing's secretary behind him before he began to methodically explain the basic situation on the island.

This is a service that every new member receives upon arrival on the island. Professional guides will answer all the questions members have, big or small, and even accompany them throughout their 'happy time'.

This is why all private tour guides have the image of a supermodel with a curvaceous figure and a hot face.

This approach effectively eliminates any initial barriers that our valued members may have about this 'place of enjoyment,' and of course, it also helps to better promote consumption.

"Olympus is the core hub and main activity area of ​​the entire Arcadia Islands."

"The island boasts world-class restaurants, private art galleries, ultra-luxury villas, a golf course, and a 'world garden' that uses advanced technology to simulate different climates, which can meet all your requirements."

Of course, she didn't mention the underlying condition, which was that you had to be rich, a huge amount of money.

"All requirements?"

Jiang Bing asked with a playful expression.

"Yes, all requirements."

"Then I want to eat something different, like you."

The tour guide's face stiffened instantly, but he quickly forced a smile and said, "Of course, no problem, Mr. Kenneth. Whatever your request, the company will do its best to fulfill it for you."

Looking at the other party's terrified yet forced smile, Jiang Bingming realized that all the employees on this island were deeply controlled by this Weil Financial Management Company, and even the danger of being 'eaten up' by customers could not shake their determination to 'stick to their posts'.

“Look at you, your face is all pale. I was just teasing you. Why would I put you on the dinner table? If anyone’s going to eat you, it’ll be in bed.” ’Kenny Winters’ laughed lewdly and took the opportunity to touch the beautiful tour guide’s face, perfectly portraying the image of a nouveau riche who had suddenly become wealthy.

The other person visibly let out a long sigh of relief, her face pale as she continued her explanation.

"There are no bombs inside her, no behavioral chips, and no mind-monitoring prosthetics. It seems that Weill Financial Management Company is controlling her through other means." His brief encounter with her had given him a complete understanding of the woman before him, inside and out.

"Debt, or power?" Jiang Bing pondered to himself.

"Through professional international agreements, this archipelago has been recognized as the private territory of Weil Corporation, enjoying a high degree of autonomy and legal immunity, and is not subject to the jurisdiction of any single country," the beautiful tour guide continued her work.

"And the satellite island we are about to visit is the marine entertainment island known as 'Neptune'."

The shuttle bus drove onto the flat sea bridge. In the gentle sea breeze, the tour guide's voice was as sweet and warm as ever, as if the absurd conversation just now had never happened.

“Luxury themed suites extending into the sea are built on the edge of ‘Neptune’ Island, allowing you to spend the whole day in close proximity to marine life and fully appreciate the charm of the ocean.”

The tour guide glanced at the silent 'Raven' with a knowing look and hinted, "The suite also features a professional transparent diving bell, a perfect private space where you can experience a different kind of 'pleasure'."

"In addition, Neptune Island also has a private submarine base that can take people deep into the Atlantic Ocean basin to experience the beauty of the deep sea firsthand."

There's also a huge, transparent aquarium where you can swim with whale sharks, and one of the world's most private casinos. The island's activities are completely isolated from the main island, ensuring absolute privacy while you enjoy your entertainment.

The lives of the rich are indeed colorful; Jiang Bing had only heard of most of these facilities and had never seen them before.

The shuttle bus continued along the circular sea bridge, and the tour guide continued to introduce the islands on the other side.

"'Helios,' the island of health and regeneration, is home to the world's top anti-aging centers, gene therapy clinics, and intensive care facilities. Here you can enjoy treatments using cutting-edge medical technologies that are not yet publicly available or are not convenient to disclose. We have a medical team with lifelong confidentiality agreements to serve you wholeheartedly."

Jiang Bing nodded knowingly and casually marked this place as a key target for blasting on the terrain map.

"What's the purpose of that island over there?" Seeing that the tour guide didn't explain the idea of ​​the other satellite islands, Jiang Bing, playing 'Kenny Winters', took the initiative to ask.

The Acadia Islands require staff to be 'always responsive,' so even on highly sensitive questions, tour guides can only offer explanations of non-classified information.

“This island is called ‘Kronos’ and it’s responsible for the data and security of the entire archipelago, Mr. Kennage. As for more specific information, I don’t have the authority to know.”

Jiang Bing nodded knowingly, and then highlighted the island's strategic value on the topographic map, while indicating to 'Raven' that they should make a trip there later.

"Finally, allow me to introduce you to this year's 'Bloody Battle Royale' competition venue." The tour guide's emotions suddenly became high-spirited.

Crete!

Chapter 868 The Show Begins

The shuttle bus stopped at just the right spot in front of a viewing platform, and the tour guide handed over a pair of binoculars.

This is a man-made island, in which stands a complex mechanical maze.

'The Minotaur labyrinth, huh?' Jiang Bing thought to himself.

"The entire island was created through land reclamation. Due to its distance from the mainland and the scarcity of sand and gravel resources, the foundation of the archipelago was constructed using giant prefabricated caissons combined with volcanic rock and environmentally friendly reinforced concrete technology. The three satellite islands also adopted the same method."

As the tour guide explained, he gestured for the shuttle bus to continue moving.

"Of course, you can rest assured about safety. This process is not a simple piling up of materials, but uses nanotechnology to solidify the foundation, making it able to withstand the highest level of hurricanes and tsunamis. Combined with the breakwaters built around the island, there is absolutely no need to worry about the danger from ocean storms."

To be honest, the Arcadia Islands, as the headquarters of Well Financial Management Company, have indeed done an excellent job in infrastructure construction, so much so that Jiang Bing didn't want to destroy it for a moment.

But everything here disgusted him. The air was thick with the smell of desire, and money and power grew unchecked to their extremes, the evil flowers that bloomed here constantly stimulating his senses.

This place must be purified.

The people here also need purification.

Soon, the people eager for indulgence didn't keep Jiang Bing waiting long. Just as dusk fell, the welcome banquet held inside the 'Pantheon Clubhouse' began as scheduled.

The banquet also served as the opening ceremony for the 'Bloody Battle Royale'.

There were only about 80 members attending the banquet, and not everyone was interested in the twisted and stimulating activity of 'Bloody Battle Royale' that distorts human nature.

When all available desires are satisfied, spiritual emptiness will seize the opportunity to emerge. Some people have spiritual pursuits that match their wealth. Although they are rich, they are not indulging in pleasure and can control their wealth with their spirit.

A typical example is Saburo Arasaka.

This old man is definitely richer than a country, but he doesn't think about eating, drinking, gambling and whoring at all. His mind is full of how to make Arasaka great again. Regardless of whether his thoughts are good or bad, his behavior can definitely be called a different kind of "positive energy".

The guests at this banquet were all typical 'slaves to desire'.

Money did not make them successful; instead, it enslaved them.

When lust, appetite, vanity, and sensory stimulation become sluggish and tiresome, they fall into inner emptiness and crave stronger stimulation.

The hall, designed in the style of ancient Rome, was filled with expensive flowers. Each bouquet of these luxury items, flown in that day, could easily sell for four figures outside, but at this moment they were just scraps to decorate the banquet hall.

The fragrance, made by mixing myrrh and cedar, fills the room with a strange, post-rain ozone scent.

The rough marble perfectly replicates the fluting of Roman columns and the acanthus leaf pattern of Corinthian capitals, but these ancient buildings are filled with a huge number of tiny optical fibers, which emit a soft golden light under the catalysis of electricity, illuminating the entire hall and making the banquet hall seem like a mythical 'pantheon'.

The dome overhead is equipped with a holographic projector, which cleverly scatters streaks of golden fire, serving as natural skylight.

Jupiter, Juno, Minerva, and other artistically rendered statues of gods are everywhere. With the help of holographic technology and the surrounding light and shadow, the metal skin of these statues presents a flowing, liquid metal-like texture, as if it has come to life in the shimmering light and shadow.

Young boys and girls, dressed in modified versions of "Toga" and "Stolla" costumes, wearing "laurel wreaths," carrying various plates, walked barefoot and with their breasts exposed throughout the banquet hall.

Their movements were elegant and efficient, neat and swift, clearly indicating extensive training or that they were being controlled by some pre-set behavioral system.

Jiang Bing stopped a girl of Black descent, took a glass of wine from the tray, and confirmed that she belonged to the latter group.

The related prosthetic modifications locked their self-awareness, turning technological advancements into an excellent prison for human consciousness.

Through the perfect smile, impeccable manners, and meticulously crafted exterior, Jiang Bing 'saw' the desperate soul within.

Her soul is weeping.

For a moment, Jiang Bing felt as if he had returned to 'Ya Nan' and seen those 'superiors' again.

His heightened senses allowed him to hear every filthy word, every heavy breath, and every sordid exchange of interests in the entire banquet hall. He could see every lewd smile and frivolous movement, and he could clearly understand the messages contained in every invisible radio wave.

This banquet hall appears so luxurious and elegant, yet it harbors countless unspeakable sins.

He silently issued the command to start the mass projector and preheat it, and specifically noted that the lunar rocks to be used as ammunition should be replaced with larger quantities.

Soon, as members arrived one after another, the banquet hall became increasingly lively.

The 'higher-ups' were impeccably dressed and exchanged pleasantries with each other.

With just a few glances, Jiang Bing noticed several frequent viewers of television or the internet, as well as some hidden financial tycoons who were subtly emerging from the shadows.

He held a wine glass, huddled in a corner of the banquet hall, his eyes gleaming.

His will traveled along the omnipresent radio waves, along the rocks, metal, glass, and cables, slowly permeating the entire hall.

Security system, lighting system, environmental control unit, dome curved LED giant screen, intelligent wall and column fiber optic system, invisible sound system, service and interaction system, communication interference/shielding system.

The light, like liquid gold, flowed upwards to the highest peak of the dome, then descended along the most advanced 'Raven's Throne' private communication base station on the market, slowly landing on the heads of everyone in the hall.

They stand at the pinnacle of society, remotely controlling others; today, Jiang Bingze stands at the pinnacle of humanity, controlling them.

Every bite and sip has its own destiny.

Soon, a large number of the wealthy individuals' own ICE devices, luxurious life support bodies, and body monitoring prosthetics were infiltrated by higher-dimensional forces, and all their personal communication terminals were permeated by golden flames.

At this moment, the members' identity information and privacy data were opened to Jiang Bing.

The Duke of Romanov, a financial oligarch of the Romanov dynasty in Tsarist Russia, and a hidden tycoon in the energy and metals industry, is over a hundred years old and still in remarkably good health.

The 'elegant lady' who discussed the geopolitical landscape of Eastern Europe with him was Isabella de la Cruz, the current matriarch of an extremely ancient Spanish noble family. She primarily invests in global art, wineries, and private equity, and possesses unfathomable wealth.

The man sitting on the sofa beside the two, leisurely smoking a cigar, is Prince Rajiv Singh, a member of the royal family of a wealthy small state in South Asia. Although he has no real power, he owns the country's largest gem mine and tea plantation, making him a typical idle prince.

The man and woman chatting and laughing beside a stone pillar are Sheikh Zayed al-Qasimi, a former royal member of a Middle Eastern oil-producing country, and a female genetic scientist who has won the Kalia Prize in Medicine.

One of them possesses a huge royal inheritance, while the other's top-notch laboratory was suddenly privatized several years ago, receiving an astonishing amount of funding.

It can be said that everyone in the banquet hall is a force to be reckoned with, someone that ordinary people can only look up to and never even dream of.

But at this moment, this place can be considered a unique 'time when humanity's stars shine'!

Chapter 869 This is what you call a battle royale

The ornate gate was slowly pushed open, and Jeffrey Weir, the master of the archipelago, made a dazzling entrance with his five great generals.

A warm smile graced everyone's face as they smiled at the people who provided for them in the hall.

Of course, Valkyria, who is in charge of cybersecurity, is an exception.

The blood in this former outstanding electronic warfare commander of the Israeli Mossad "Bayonet" Operations Group almost turned cold.

As the cybersecurity director, her network access bay was always connected to the local area network in the Acadia Islands and never disconnected.

This not only allows her to monitor the dynamics of the entire local area network in real time, but also enables her to sense every abnormal movement immediately, providing her with a keen 'perspective' at the network level.

But sometimes seeing things clearly isn't a good thing.

Through her prosthetic eye, the entire hall was filled with an omnipresent golden light.

All the network nodes, electronic devices, and even people in the entire hall were like puppets controlled by an unknown entity. Golden threads hung down from the sky, piercing through everyone's body and weaving a golden net.

Everyone in the net was chatting and laughing, unaware that the predator's fangs were already probing between their necks.

Valkyria wanted to scream, to wail, to shout to warn everyone, to escape this den of demons, but she could do nothing.

Her body felt heavy, her mind was rigid, her communication channels were blocked, her brain-computer interface was frantically displaying errors, and all the prosthetics in her body were instantly taken away from her, locked, and possessed.

Her throat had not been modified with a prosthetic, so she should have been able to make a sound. However, her fleshy throat had somehow become like a metal prosthetic, beyond her control.

All she could see was the dazzling golden light. The intense light forced her to shut her mouth and made her follow the crowd like a puppet, standing beside the podium.

She began frantically trying various methods to resist, but the results only made her more desperate.

It wasn't until she saw the figure in the corner, shimmering with a gentle golden light, watching her meaningfully and raising a glass in a gesture of respect, that she seemed to understand something and collapsed.

"It's him!"