Chapter 4

As Fang Sheng left with ambitious aspirations, leaving behind endless discussions on the black street, Fang Zhao did not dwell much on Fang Sheng’s affairs.

Betrayal and loyalty, perhaps everyone will encounter them in their lifetime. In the post-apocalyptic world, such things are even more common. Blood ties can turn into deep-seated hatred.

The original owner of this body definitely wanted to take revenge, but the most pressing matter was to create a new song for Silver Wing Media. Otherwise, if he failed to submit it on time, he would not only lose the good job within reach but also miss the last chance to participate in the new talent competition this season. His future life would become even harder.

It was late May, and according to the three-month season cycle, the "New Talent Chart" on the music list, which was exclusive to newcomers, had already passed two-thirds of its time. This period every year was the most intense for new talents to compete, and it was also the time when major entertainment companies watched the most closely.

Those who stood out would definitely gain both fame and fortune, and their future paths would be smoother. The company would naturally invest more resources to promote them. However, if one did not achieve good results in the new talent season, they would be preliminarily judged as having no bright future, making their future development uncertain.

The original owner valued this opportunity very much. With only two days left until June, Fang Zhao did not have much time. At this point, wasting time to compete with Fang Sheng for the copyright of those three songs would be counterproductive. Without any evidence, and with the other side clearly prepared, it might take two seasons to win the copyright, and he would lose the current opportunity.

After returning the items to the store, Fang Zhao walked a hundred meters with the dog and arrived at a pharmacy. The drugs the original owner used to attempt suicide were hard to buy at regular pharmacies, as those dangerous drugs required a medical prescription. However, the black street had its own rules, and one could always find a way to buy them.

The pharmacy was not large and was quite empty during the daytime. A person in a white coat was sleeping on the counter. When Fang Zhao entered, the scanner at the door made a ringing sound.

The person勉强 raised his head, still half-asleep, and yawned as he looked toward the door. Seeing Fang Zhao, he was clearly taken aback.

The pharmacy owner was very surprised. He remembered that this young man had come in yesterday with a "I don't want to live" attitude to buy drugs. He had tried to persuade him, but the young man did not listen. He thought another person would silently disappear from the black street, as such things were common. When people couldn't survive, they would commit suicide, like insects at the corner of the black street, their deaths causing no ripples.

But now, seeing Fang Zhao again, the pharmacy owner was quite astonished. Even though he prided himself on having seen many cases, he never expected to see someone with a completely different mental state today.

Could it be that this person didn't come to buy drugs for suicide yesterday? The owner wondered.

That didn't seem right. He trusted his professional judgment as a doctor. The young man's purpose in buying drugs yesterday was almost certainly for suicide, but something had changed.

However, his surprise was only momentary, and he quickly returned to his usual state.

The black street had people who fell to their deaths and others who rose up overnight.

"Buying drugs?" the owner asked.

"No, can you check what's wrong with it?" Fang Zhao handed the dog to the owner.

The owner leaned back, disdainfully. "I'm not a veterinarian."

Fang Zhao didn't say more, just asked, "Can you check?" There were no veterinarians nearby, and clinics were rare and expensive. But in his memory, the original owner had seen this owner treat a bird before.

"…I'll try," the owner said. Since he had nothing to do, he might as well take the business. Even if the fee was low, it was still a profit.

The equipment was available, and while the owner couldn't perform complex examinations, he could do some basic checks.

Fang Zhao noticed the equipment the owner used, combining it with his memories. Technology had indeed advanced a lot. Bulky instruments had become lightweight, and single-function devices had become multifunctional, with operations becoming more user-friendly. Even a person without a medical background could use these instruments for a basic check-up, let alone a professional doctor?

After about two minutes, the owner concluded, "Nothing serious, just malnutrition. It's hungry. It will be fine once it eats."

People in the new era preferred large dogs. In the post-apocalyptic world, some dogs had gone berserk and became enemies of humans, while others were trained as guard dogs to fight alongside humans. When all electronic tools failed, they were a great help. Some cities even had statues of dogs to commemorate their contributions in the world war. Fang Zhao's former team had also raised dogs.

Another part of the dogs, neither berserk nor chosen as guard dogs, survived in the wild, with very few making it.

This one in front of him, whether it was the descendant of those heroic dogs or one of the few surviving wild dogs, didn't look valuable. The owner mentally stamped it as "no future."

The owner then looked at Fang Zhao. He thought that if Fang Zhao couldn't even take care of himself, how could he take care of a dog with no value?

"This dog… you want to keep it?" the owner asked.

Fang Zhao looked at the dog, which wagged its tail when it saw him.

"I'll keep it," Fang Zhao said. It was the first living creature he saw upon waking, a kind of fate. Though he was currently short on money, Fang Zhao was confident he could turn things around quickly. He couldn't rely on the money left by the original owner forever.

The owner didn't say more. It was the other person's choice, and he just did his job for the money. Pointing at the dog, he said, "Its fur is all matted. It's been wandering for a long time. It won't clean up easily, wasting time and money. You might as well shave it."

"Shave it, how much?"

"Check-up is fifty, shaving is a hundred. But since you don't seem to have much money, I'll charge you fifty for the shave, a total of a hundred," the owner said. He wasn't overcharging; it was the market rate. As for why he was giving a discount… who knew what the future held for someone who could rise from despair? There weren't many such cases on the black street, but he had encountered a few. It was just a good deed, a profitable business for him, and even if the person died again, he wouldn't lose money.

Spending ten on his meal and a hundred on the dog, was he asking for trouble? Fang Zhao shook his head. But today, he was reborn, happy, and indulgent. As for whether the dog would stay or run away, that was up to it.

After transferring the money, Fang Zhao learned from the owner that it would take an hour to finish. He left the dog there and decided to walk around to better understand the world. Understanding was the first step to taking action.

Leaving the pharmacy, Fang Zhao took the elevator to the 50th floor and walked along the corridor to the end, where there was a platform and a station. People were already waiting for the train.

In front of him, the roads extended from the low to the high, like a spider web connecting the tall buildings, giving Fang Zhao a visual shock. The memory was far less vivid than what he saw with his own eyes.

Five hundred years.

The post-apocalyptic world had ended five hundred years ago.

The train arrived, and the nearly hundred-meter-long train slowed down. Following his memory, Fang Zhao used his wristband to scan the door of the nearest carriage and found a window seat.

It was two in the afternoon, and there weren't many people on the train. The seats were mostly empty.

As the train moved, the tall buildings quickly receded.

This area was full of uniform buildings, one after another, with little space between them, which was why there were so many black streets. But when the train left this area, the view suddenly opened up. Sunlight intermittently shone through the windows, and on the distant tall buildings, large screens displayed moving figures.

Celebrities, advertisements, promotions...

Technology had developed rapidly, and so had entertainment. After the apocalypse, everything had accelerated and updated. Fang Zhao found no trace of the pre-apocalyptic world.

"Look, it's Mi Yu!"

"Beautiful!"

"My idol! The wristband she endorsed is sold out. I can't even order it online..."

"I heard Mi Yu is having a concert. Have you bought tickets? The prices are sky-high online!"

Fang Zhao listened to the young girls in the front row, looking at the giant screen on the distant tall building. On the screen, a nearly perfect young woman was radiating brilliance, her every smile and frown exuding irresistible charm. Her face was flawless, and her figure was alluring. Her eyes, smiling and seemingly electric, made his heart skip a beat.

Indeed, she was a beauty, Fang Zhao agreed. In the post-apocalyptic world, everyone was busy surviving, and no one, regardless of gender, had the time to focus on their appearance. Such beauty was rare.

However, when Fang Zhao looked at the woman on the screen, he had a strange feeling. His memory quickly told him why.

She wasn't real.

Fang Zhao stared at the screen until it was out of sight.

"Virtual idol."

A perfect combination of technology and art.

A virtual idol was not a real, tangible person but a creation of technology, a work of art.

Virtual idols were born in the virtual world, looking no different from real humans. They once became extremely popular, pushing real-life superstars off their pedestals and almost forcing real-life idols to retire. Although real-life idols have regained their glory, the influence of virtual idols remains significant, a product recognized worldwide.

A media mogul who invested in real-life idols once commented: "Virtual idols are monsters born in the virtual world. If they are not eradicated, they will return as long as they have a chance to breathe, leading to the end of real-life idols!"

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**End of Chapter**