The most urgent thing now is to find a place to stay here, so the two of them won’t end up on the streets.

Paul thought for a moment and replied, “My place won’t work, I have roommates, but I can find you guys a place to stay.”

“Thanks, bro.” Jack Spencer lightly punched his own chest.

“And help me get a set of neural system, how about that? I owe you one. The last set got fried by that bald guy’s junk. I’ll pay you back when I have money.”

Of course, Jack Spencer was just making this up. He didn’t have any neural system in his head at all, but if he wanted to survive here, he had to have one.

Along the way, Jack Spencer had noticed that in this world, everyone had this kind of neural system in their heads.

Not having one was like not having a phone in modern society—you couldn’t get by at all.

Not to mention this guy wouldn’t give it to him, even if Paul had given him 30 @ earlier, he didn’t even have a network account to install it.

Paul crossed his arms, tapping his gold tooth with his pitch-black fingernails, thinking for a while. “Alright, but this is the last favor, okay? Stop always trying to take advantage of me.”

“How is this taking advantage of you? We’re bros, aren’t we? Bros should help each other, right?” Brian Carter hooked his arm around the other’s shoulder. Compared to Jack Spencer, he seemed to be adapting even faster.

Chapter 14: The Place to Stay

“OK, bro, so are we going back in to keep playing, or heading to the place now?” As soon as {宋6pus} said this, the building behind them let out a heavy gasp and shot a burst of white fireworks.

“Play what? Let’s go to the place first.” After all the chaos today, Jack Spencer was wound so tight he was about to snap. All he wanted now was to find somewhere to rest.

This guy Paul was really something—just escaped death and came straight to a place like this.

As the car started moving, Jack Spencer looked out the window at the bizarre, dazzling world outside, feeling a constant sense of unreality.

After a while, he looked over at Paul driving. This guy couldn’t even drive properly—he’d started livestreaming again.

Even though he seemed pretty unreliable, he was loyal. “Old 6, not to criticize, but you’re broke and you still don’t know how to save money. Treating people, buying drinks? You were so generous at first, I thought you were some rich kid.”

“Shit, what are you talking about? The @ I risked my life for is supposed to be saved?” {宋6pus} said, flooring the gas and speeding up. “If you have money, you gotta spend it like crazy. If you die before you finish spending it, that’s a real loss.”

Jack Spencer shook his head slightly. He really couldn’t understand this guy’s views on money and life.

He’d seen future worlds in movies and on TV before, but he never imagined the real future would be like this.

Just then, a Chinese billboard flashed by quickly. Jack Spencer knew he’d entered Queens.

The car sped through the city’s uneven buildings. As time passed, more and more trash appeared along the road. The buildings around them still flashed with neon, but were clearly getting shabbier.

When he saw a wobbly old man without pants peeing by the roadside, Jack Spencer couldn’t hold back anymore. “Where exactly are you taking us?”

“A place to stay. Look, it’s that building up ahead.”

Following his finger, Jack Spencer looked through the car window and saw a skyscraper.

The building was strange. The lower dozen or so floors were clearly inhabited, with lights on and ads on the walls, but the upper part was still just scaffolding—completely out of place.

It didn’t seem abandoned, since people lived below, but it wasn’t finished either, since the top wasn’t sealed.

The car door opened, and Jack Spencer, frowning, followed Paul toward the half-finished skyscraper.

As the rain was blocked by the concrete, Jack Spencer saw people sheltering from the rain. They looked dazed, their bodies twisted, almost indistinguishable from zombies. The stench of excrement filled the air, with feces and garbage bags everywhere.

“I really don’t think this is a good place,” Jack Spencer said, covering his nose.

“Bro, don’t worry, these are just some poor junkies who’ve wasted themselves. They look scary, but they’re not dangerous.”

As if to prove his point, Paul pulled out a gun and fired a few shots at the roof.

At the sound of gunfire, the people scattered along the walls like startled hamsters.

“See? If anyone comes asking you for food or cigarettes, just do this and they’ll behave.”

After passing through the homeless, they entered the elevator. Paul Harris pressed the button for the 18th floor.

When they got out, Jack Spencer found it was barely acceptable—at least the disgusting smell was gone.

“The stairs separate two worlds. The trash below won’t affect your life up here, don’t worry.” As Paul spoke, he went to the third door in the hallway. After scanning his iris, he pushed the door open and went in.

Inside, there was a musty smell, but it looked fairly clean. The apartment wasn’t big—just over 30 square meters. One bedroom, one living room, one bathroom.