“If only this were Cyberpunk or Kowloon Walled City, then I could achieve mechanical ascension, or have a Hong Kong entertainment harem…”

He muttered to himself. Evelyn couldn’t be bothered to respond and began to explain: “This whole area is the stacked building district. During the years of conflict, the population surged and there was nowhere to live, so these clusters of buildings emerged.

After peace was restored, the stacked buildings became a historical leftover issue, and you can find them in many places. The government couldn’t relocate everyone at once, so they simply managed them as communities and built a lot of convenient facilities.”

“So there’s a new city too?”

“Yeah, you can get there by bus.”

“Your buses are self-driving now, right?”

“Not just that, there are also autonomous taxis. You just enter your destination.”

The two strolled around casually. He noticed some greenery and fitness equipment, and there was even a market, clinic, and school. When they reached a small plaza, he pointed at a five-story building on the right: “What’s that?”

“The community center.”

They walked over and, sure enough, there was a big sign: Tianhai City Hope Community Integrated Service Center.

There were also old slogans painted on the wall: “Take the lead in maintaining stability, take the lead in rebuilding our hometown, promote social development, promote community harmony.”

Next door was the police station.

As they continued wandering, suddenly a woman ran over, calling out, “Little Evelyn!”

“Mrs. Cooper!”

The woman was in her thirties, neat and clean, with kind eyes. She looked at William Clark curiously: “And who’s this?”

“My friend.”

“Oh, I was just about to look for you. It’s nothing urgent, just wanted to chat.”

Mrs. Cooper pulled her aside and spoke earnestly: “Master Yuan is gone, everyone’s very sad. We know you were close, so we’re worried you might not take it well and something might happen.

Look around, isn’t this nice? Make more friends, get involved in activities, and you’ll adjust soon. If you have any difficulties, just let me know.”

Evelyn was obedient and nodded repeatedly.

After chatting for a while, Mrs. Cooper left. William Clark had listened in and asked, “Who was that?”

“A former neighbor. She moved in with her husband after getting married. You should walk around more, help out the old ladies, bully the kids a bit. The community will come for a visit soon—just say what I taught you.

Then they’ll investigate, observe if you have any mental issues, and in a few months you’ll get your household registration.”

“Mm! I trust you, I trust the government!”

William Clark nodded vigorously: “Grassroots work in 2049 is still going strong!”

…

After a lap around, Evelyn went to collect recyclables.

William Clark hid in the room by himself, looking like a total freeloader.

It was nearly evening when she finally kicked the door open with a bang, carrying a big box inside. Her hair was even messier, her face smudged with dirt, and her forehead was covered in sweat—she must have worked hard.

“Back already?”

“Yeah. What’s that?”

Evelyn was looking at something hanging from the beam on the dividing line, like a teru teru bozu, but it was a poop-yellow screaming chicken.

“That’s my doorbell. Give it a squeeze.”

“Aaaoo~~~~ aaaoo~~~~~”

She squeezed the screaming chicken, looking confused but a little amused, then started taking things out: “I bought you a towel, and also some toiletries and tableware.”

“Thank you!”

What a fierce but kind-hearted kid.

William Clark borrowed her computer and had been searching for information all afternoon. This world was extremely similar to Earth, and its historical and cultural development was ambiguous—for example, there was no Confucius here, but there was another supreme sage…

He got up to help tidy up, then sat back down and said, “Good timing, you’re back. There’s something I don’t quite get.”

As he spoke, he clicked a few times, and suddenly a man popped up in the lower right corner of the computer screen.

The man had a handsome face, elegant manners, and a delicate temperament. He looked exactly like a real person, and even spoke: “Dear Highness, is there anything I can do for you?”

Chapter 7: Virtual Number Two

“This, this…”

He looked at Evelyn. The girl was hit with a social death moment—her face went from white to red, then red to purple, and finally she practically vaporized, with white steam puffing from her head.

“So this is a virtual person, and also serves as an intelligent assistant?” he laughed.

“…”

She covered her face tightly, curling her toes into the floor, which creaked under her.

“No need to be shy. I’m even more of a nerd than you—I was learning to be a Transformer just a few days ago.”

William Clark curiously examined the man. They said he was indistinguishable from a real person, but on closer look, he still seemed unnatural, especially the skin and micro-expressions. He clicked casually, and detailed information popped up:

“Grace Turner, age 23, height 180, gentle and knowledgeable, a hopeless romantic, burdened with a family curse since childhood, born frail, bearing everything alone…”

This thick melodramatic vibe didn’t affect him, but what was odd was a progress bar-like thing labeled 2397.

“What does 2397 mean?”

“Number of likes.”

“Likes?”

Evelyn put her hands down and explained, “Every virtual star has a like count. The more likes, the higher the star rating, and the higher the rating, the better the resources they get. Like songs, movies, ads—the most popular ones can earn hundreds of millions a year!”

“So how many stars do you have?”

“You need 100,000 likes for one star.”

Poor thing!

William Clark was finding it harder and harder to maintain his slacker attitude, and asked, “How are virtual stars made? Can you show me?”