Chapter 44

Exiting the virtual network, Sun Ran opened his eyes. After waiting for the nutrient solution in the tank to drain, he then filled the tank with hot water and took a comfortable fifteen-minute hot bath. After getting dressed, he waited for another five minutes before the bedroom door opened, and Lan Xin appeared.

Since they were preparing to travel to the Garden District, she had specially changed into a high-quality outfit that accentuated her perfect figure. She had also carefully groomed herself, making her appearance even more exquisite and alluring, as if she had stepped out of a painting. Sun Ran was once again amazed, and his anticipation for the upcoming meeting with Bai Tingxuan and Ke'er grew.

When he was on Earth and incarnated as Pengzu, he had only two conditions for his wife: a good personality and good looks. For this reason, he had carefully selected from among ordinary players, so whether it was Lan Xin, Bai Tingxuan, or Ke'er, their appearances were beyond reproach.

"Stop daydreaming, let's go," Lan Xin said with a light tone. Any woman would be pleased to see her charm attracting her beloved.

"Oh, right," Sun Ran snapped back to reality.

Ke'er and Bai Tingxuan both lived in District 55, on the first level, but their residences were quite far apart, requiring at least an hour's ride in a hover car. Therefore, they agreed to meet at the long-distance station No. 35, which was centrally located between their residences.

Half an hour later, Sun Ran and Lan Xin arrived at the station. As soon as they got out of the car, they heard a soft and tender voice: "Sis Xin, Sun Ran, I'm here."

Following the voice, Sun Ran saw a bright and lively girl waving at them. It was Ke'er.

She wore a white T-shirt that accentuated her ample chest, and white seven-eighths pants that revealed her porcelain-like calves. She carried a backpack and wore a sun hat, with her shoulder-length hair tied into a ponytail, revealing a face as smooth as a peeled egg. Her outfit was fresh, lively, and bright, like a soft and warm light in the gray steel city.

"Such a beautiful girl," Sun Ran couldn't help but exclaim. The real person and the virtual world were different, with completely different auras.

"What, do you have something on your mind?" Lan Xin looked at him with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

"No, how could I? I just appreciate it."

Ke'er had already run up to them, looking at Lan Xin and grinning, "Sis Xin, you're still so beautiful."

"You're just sweet-talking me," Lan Xin smiled with her eyes half-closed.

"Then you must be a rose bush," Ke'er turned to Sun Ran, walked around him, and then said with satisfaction, "Much more real than in the virtual world, just as handsome, but a bit older. I'll call you Uncle."

"Uncle?" Sun Ran asked in surprise, "How old are you this year?"

"I'm eighteen. You're twenty-four, so there's a generation gap. Shouldn't I call you Uncle?" Ke'er countered.

A six-year difference, a generation gap... Sun Ran was a bit taken aback.

"Hey, Sis Xuan, over here," Ke'er waved, spotting Bai Tingxuan in the crowd.

Sun Ran turned to see a beautiful urban woman walking towards them. It was Bai Tingxuan, with her slightly wavy shoulder-length hair, wearing a white floral-collar shirt, black casual pants, and a black collared coat. She exuded an intellectual and elegant charm.

Sun Ran was once again captivated, feeling an overwhelming sense of happiness.

With the alluring and spirited Lan Xin by his side, he was about to travel to the Garden District with these three beautiful women, each with their own unique charm. A thought popped into his head: if he could turn the virtual into reality and experience their beauty, he would have no regrets in life.

Bai Tingxuan walked over and smiled, "You've been here for a while, right?"

"Not really, we just arrived," Ke'er replied. Sun Ran and Lan Xin nodded.

"That's good," Bai Tingxuan sighed in relief. She looked around and saw that many people, both men and women, were staring at them, making her feel a bit uncomfortable. "Let's get in the car."

It was inevitable that the three women, each with their own unique charm and beauty, would attract attention. Sun Ran, the only man, became the object of envy, jealousy, and even resentment from the surrounding men.

Although there were many beautiful women in modern times, it was unfair for one person to monopolize so many resources. Some men thought he might be cursed for it.

Sun Ran, of course, felt very pleased. He chatted and laughed with the three women as they got into the high-end tour hover car they had rented for a thousand credit points.

This car was the best model on the first level, with a spacious interior and all kinds of facilities, like a small house.

"Let's go," Ke'er pressed the start button after everyone was seated, like a child with a new toy.

The car started smoothly, and the scenery outside the window quickly passed by, showing its excellent acceleration.

Since they were heading to the Garden District, the car flew out of the station and began to ascend through various lanes, changing over thirty lanes and rising more than a thousand meters to reach the exit to the Garden District.

There was a checkpoint here, manned by a real human and guarded by intelligent brain-armed robots. There were only ten robots, but each was extremely powerful. If a fight broke out, they could easily withstand an armed attack of a thousand people. They stood motionless on either side of the checkpoint, their dark blue electronic eyes scanning the passing vehicles.

The four people in the car were all going to the Garden District for the first time and found the scene very novel.

Ke'er looked at the metal-shimmering armed robots and praised, "So cool."

Lan Xin couldn't help but sneer, "Cool? According to my knowledge, the combat robots set up by the Federation at the checkpoints kill at least a hundred thousand people each year. On average, each robot kills more than ten people a year."

The Earth's population was too large, and there were all kinds of people. Some radicals considered these checkpoint robots to be the guards of the slums and frequently attacked them, trying to destroy the checkpoints. The Federation naturally did not show mercy to these rule-breakers.

This was not a secret; anyone who paid attention to the news would know.

Ke'er, hearing this for the first time, couldn't help but exclaim, "Is that true?"

Bai Tingxuan sighed, "It's true. But to be fair, these robots are defensive and do not actively kill. At the root of the problem is the solidification of the Federation's class system, which has left many people feeling hopeless."

Sun Ran, seeing the heavy topic ruin the mood of the trip, laughed, "Let's not talk about this. We live our own lives; why should we care about those lunatics?"

He knew the root cause of all this was the Earth's inability to provide enough resources, and the lack of technological breakthroughs to open new frontiers. In a long-term stable society, the solidification of social classes was inevitable, and no individual or institutional effort could change it, as human nature was inherently greedy.

The current situation was the result of the efforts of a group of elites. The path to advancement was narrow, but it wasn't completely blocked. Moreover, the radicals were often emotional and lacked talent. If they were allowed to act recklessly, human civilization would regress by a hundred years in a short time.

Lan Xin also realized she had been too emotional and calmed down, smiling, "Let's not talk about this. We're here to relax."

At the checkpoint, the public account of the Thorn Rose team was debited two thousand credit points as a tourism tax. According to the official explanation, this money was for social回馈, to be used for social welfare. The idea was that if you had the leisure to travel, you should contribute more to society.

"Really greedy," Ke'er muttered, seeing the credit points deducted. They had applied for a one-day tour of the Garden District, which cost two thousand credit points per day.

If you paid the required fee and followed the rules, the Federation's service was excellent.

"Enjoy your trip. The Federation will ensure your absolute safety and that you will not suffer any unfair treatment."

After the routine announcement, the tour car was allowed to proceed, entering the express lane. Ten minutes later, the car window lit up, and the Garden District appeared outside.

The gray steel buildings were gone, and the first thing that caught the eye was a clear blue sky, like a deep and perfect sapphire. The air was fresh and clear, with no trace of odor. The tallest buildings did not exceed a hundred meters, and every street was lined with trees and flower beds. Every area had a large park, where people could be seen exercising, courting, and enjoying themselves. Occasionally, sleek and elegant flying vehicles would pass by, traveling several times faster than hover cars. These were starships that could enter space at any time!

Compared to the dark and dirty slums, the Garden District was like heaven. Traveling from the slums to the Garden District was like going from hell to heaven!

"Truly beautiful."

"Like heaven."

"I want to stay here forever."

The three women leaned against the car window, admiring the beautiful scenery and couldn't help but exclaim.

Sun Ran was also seeing this scenery for the first time. Although he knew the Garden District was underground and the sky was a holographic illusion, it didn't stop him from appreciating its beauty.

Hearing the women's comments, Sun Ran suggested, "If you have no objections, once our total assets reach 3.5 million, we can apply as a team to move into the Garden District."

If it was a single application, the requirement would be one million credit points, but for a team, it would be reduced to 3.5 million for four people.

"Still a lot," Ke'er said with a pained expression.

"Sis Xin, let's calculate our total assets. I have over 150,000 credit points," Bai Tingxuan began to plan practically, fully agreeing with Sun Ran's suggestion.

"I only have 100,000," Ke'er immediately reported. She also agreed with Sun Ran's suggestion, as the place was truly attractive, and she really wanted to stay here forever.

Lan Xin was taken aback and checked her account, sweating, "Sun Ran and I together have about 60,000."

Together, the four had a total of 310,000 credit points, far from their goal.

"How can it be so little?" Bai Tingxuan was puzzled, remembering that Lan Xin had the highest income.

Sun Ran explained, "Lan Xin gave me a healthy heart, and all the money was spent. These 60,000 are from the recent mission."

Seeing the two women still puzzled, Sun Ran added, "I used to have a serious heart condition."

"Why didn't you say anything before?" Bai Tingxuan looked at him with reproach, and Ke'er agreed. If they had known Sun Ran was struggling with life and death, they wouldn't have stood by.

Lan Xin waved her hand, "Let's put these unpleasant things behind us. Sun Ran is now healthy, and everything is better."

Sun Ran nodded, "3.5 million is not much. If we work hard, we can earn it in less than a year. Perhaps in a year, we will be part of this beautiful world!"

He had the right to say this because, under his leadership, the Thorn Rose team earned 100,000 credit points from the Dark Medieval mission alone.

The three women were all excited, looked at each other, and extended their hands, clasping them together, "Let's work hard together!"

Sun Ran extended his large hand, covering the three white, tender hands, and smiled, "Let's work hard!"

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