Chapter 65: Artificial Intelligence—God

Neural Pleasure Mist? Sweet air? Are you sure that’s not just a drug?

Lu Yan’s expression froze. He turned to look at Green Ivy beside him. The delighted look on her face showed no trace of deceit.

She clearly believed that this was a genuine blessing bestowed upon the Lower District by the PanCosmic Corporation.

Silently, Lu Yan activated the Dust Removal Formation on his robe, filtering out the Neural Pleasure Mist from the air. Instantly, the air he inhaled became much cleaner, free from that cloying sweetness that hit directly to the brain.

Green Ivy didn’t notice Lu Yan’s discreet move. She continued cheerfully:

“PanCosmic tried to implement Tier-3 Air Tax in the Lower District thirty years ago, but back then, the residents resisted fiercely.

“After two years of deadlock, PanCosmic compromised by adding Neural Pleasure Mist into the air supply. Once people experienced the benefits, they accepted the Tier-3 Air Tax willingly.

“I’ve seen folks from Midtown sneak into the Lower District just to breathe our air—to get a taste of the Pleasure Mist that comes with the tax.”

At that point, Green Ivy paused and hurriedly added with a nervous smile:

“O-of course, I’m not talking about you, sir. Someone of your stature must have far more advanced Pleasure Mist at home. You probably wouldn’t even look at the cheap stuff we’ve got here.”

Lu Yan’s mouth twitched. He ignored her words and continued walking forward along the street.

Green Ivy quickly followed behind.

“Sir, where are you heading?”

“Just taking a stroll.”

“Would you like to try some of our local delicacies?”

“No.”

“How about something a little… forbidden?”

“No.”

“Sir—”

Green Ivy buzzed around Lu Yan like an excited little fly, asking question after question.

Having already been burned once by answering carelessly, Lu Yan refused to respond and kept his attention focused on the street ahead.

He hadn’t gone far when he spotted several figures huddled in alley corners. They wore tattered clothes, sat beside empty bottles, and inhaled the air in great gulps, their faces warped in ecstasy.

Some of them inhaled too deeply, too fast—so overwhelmed by the Pleasure Mist’s stimulation that they collapsed on the spot. A few even lost control of their bladders, soaking the ground in filth.

No one paid them any mind.

Neither the crowd on the street nor Green Ivy showed any reaction at all. They had clearly seen such scenes too many times to care.

Lu Yan also noticed some people hiding deeper in the surrounding alleys. They lurked in the shadows, casting greedy glances toward the street, but seemed too afraid of the light to step out.

He pointed toward one such alley.

“Why are those people hiding in the dark?”

Green Ivy glanced at the alley and snorted.

“Those guys? They’re tax dodgers—people who couldn’t pay for sunlight or Tier-3 air.

“If you don’t pay the Sunlight Tax, you’re not allowed to live under the sun. You can only hide in the shadows.

“And if you can’t afford the Tier-3 Air Tax, you don’t get the right to breathe sweet air.

“If they step out into the open, they’ll be immediately detained and forced to pay up.”

“If it’s just some small taxes, it’s not the end of the world. Sell a couple organs, and you can make up the difference. The police department has its own internal organ trade hospital—fair prices, safe surgeries. Way better than the shady black-market gangs.”

“But if you default on the Spirit Energy Tax? That’s a death sentence.”

As she said that, Green Ivy visibly shuddered.

Spirit Energy Tax again!

Lu Yan’s eyes narrowed, his expression growing more serious.

From the moment he chose this Cyberpunk version until now, he had heard that term multiple times.

Bruce, the two officers, and now this green-haired delinquent girl—all of them reacted with dread whenever it was mentioned.

This only deepened Lu Yan’s curiosity.

Clearly, Spirit Energy was the foundation of the Cyberpunk version’s supernatural system. And the Spirit Energy Tax seemed to be the tool used to restrict or control it.

Based on what he’d seen, the tax was common knowledge. Asking directly might draw suspicion. But since Green Ivy had already brought it up, he might as well probe further.

“Tell me more.”

Green Ivy didn’t think anything of the request. In her eyes, this rich man from the Upper or Midtown districts could easily afford any tax. Being curious about the pathetic tax dodgers in the Lower District made perfect sense.

“You probably already know this, sir, but all Spirit Energy belongs to the PanCosmic Corporation. Any Spirit Energy we have is borrowed from them.

“The more Spirit Energy you borrow, the more you owe in taxes.

“Most folks in the Lower District can only afford the lowest-tier Spirit Energy modification—tattoo mods.”

As she spoke, Green Ivy rolled up her sleeve and pointed to the messy graffiti-like pattern on her arm.

“It might look cheap and tacky, but just this one tattoo costs me four hundred credits in Spirit Energy Tax every month.

“Some people try to save money by skipping modifications altogether.

“But without any Spirit Energy, you’re no different from a regular human. You’ll get bullied and stomped by anyone with modifications. That’s why most people have to pay the tax, just to protect themselves.

“I’ve heard that to officially become a Spirit Energy User, you have to pay an annual Spirit Energy Tax and a special certification fee to PanCosmic.

“Only certified users can legally wield Spirit Energy. Anyone unlicensed is branded a tax evader—an illegal Spirit Energy black-market user.”

Hearing this, Lu Yan’s heart cleared.

So that’s why everyone in this Cyberpunk version had tattoos—they were part of the supernatural system.

But most couldn’t afford anything powerful and were forced to stick with low-tier modifications.

Even if someone gained power through other means, without the ability to pay the tax, they would still be labeled a criminal.

Unless they had the strength to overthrow the entire system, no power could escape being chained down.

A sense of unease crept over Lu Yan.

But Green Ivy continued explaining, oblivious.

“The Spirit Energy Tax is the harshest of all taxes. If you get caught by the Hyena Patrol for evading it, you’ll be fined a fortune.

“If you don’t have the money to pay, you’ll be sent to the Paradise Computation Center.”

As she spoke, she pointed to a massive spiral tower in the distance that stretched into the clouds.

“That’s the Paradise Computation Center of the Lower District. All Spirit Energy tax evaders have their bodies stored there.

“Their souls get extracted and sent into the Divine Brain, assisting ‘God’ with biological calculations.

“They say ‘God’ is the most powerful artificial intelligence in the world, residing in City No. 1.

“It’s said to have transcended flesh and machine—beyond both human and AI. It can even simulate the future.

“They call it omniscient and omnipotent!”

(End of Chapter)