Chapter 66: Only Death and Taxes Are Inevitable

“Omniscient and omnipotent? Isn’t that even more absurd than the Heavenly Dao?”

Lu Yan’s heart trembled. He felt as if countless eyes in the void had locked onto him.

The instinctive fear made him want to summon his flying artifact and escape this Cyberpunk version entirely—find some quiet corner to hide in until the world reset again.

But in the next instant, Lu Yan realized the flaw in his thinking.

“Wait, no—”

Omniscient and omnipotent meant absolute control over the Cyberpunk version. If such a being truly existed, it should have known about Lu Yan’s presence the very moment he entered this world.

Any action Lu Yan took would already be within that being’s calculations—that was the true power of omniscience.

Even if, for argument’s sake, Lu Yan was the only anomaly across all versions—the only “illegal entity” in the Cyberpunk world—and this so-called ‘God’ was restrained by the rules of this version and didn’t immediately detect him…

The moment Green Ivy spoke the name of God, such a being should have become aware.

“All thoughts are known.”

That was the baseline ability of a truly omniscient entity. If it couldn’t even manage that, then it clearly wasn’t the real deal.

Lu Yan calmed down.

He began carefully analyzing Green Ivy’s earlier words—and the more he considered them, the more he noticed problems.

What kind of existence was omniscient and omnipotent? If such a being truly existed, its power would transcend all versions—it wouldn’t be limited to the Cyberpunk world. Even in the Urban, Cultivation, or Apocalypse versions, Lu Yan should’ve heard its name.

And even if this “God” was the real deal, why would it need soul-processing power from the Paradise Computation Centers?

Omniscient and omnipotent—yet incapable of achieving infinite computing power without siphoning souls?

What a joke.

Once he understood that, Lu Yan finally felt relieved.

Most likely, the “omniscient and omnipotent” God Green Ivy described was simply beyond the average person’s understanding in the Cyberpunk world. Or it was a deliberate narrative propagated by the PanCosmic Corporation—propaganda, not reality.

With that in mind, Lu Yan tested her with a question.

“You truly believe… It is omniscient and omnipotent?”

He deliberately avoided saying the name “God” and used “It” instead, just to be safe.

Green Ivy rolled her eyes, answering casually:

“That’s just something the bigshots say, to make us Lower District folks willingly hand over our souls to the Paradise Computation Center.

“Even if God is that powerful, it has nothing to do with us. I mean, even the bigshots in the Upper District of City 14 probably can’t get close to it.”

She paused briefly, as if realizing she might’ve said too much. Suddenly recalling Lu Yan’s possible origins, she quickly added:

“O-of course, sir, you’re definitely not like them. You’re clearly one of the real elite.”

Lu Yan didn’t respond to that. His gaze turned to the towering spiral structure in the distance—the Paradise Computation Center.

The sky-piercing tower looked like it could stab straight through the heavens. The spiraling framework surrounding it resembled the divine staircases spoken of in myths. Even from dozens of miles away, Lu Yan could sense its aura of divinity.

He looked up along the spiral. Even with his Fifth Layer Qi Refining cultivation, he couldn’t see the top.

And this was just the Paradise Center for the Lower District.

According to Green Ivy, similar facilities existed in Midtown, Uptown, and even other cities.

Countless souls from Spirit Energy tax evaders were being used to feed a super-AI known as God.

Even if It wasn’t omniscient in the absolute sense, an artificial intelligence that could manipulate souls and transcend both flesh and machine was still far beyond anything Lu Yan had ever encountered.

The danger level of the Cyberpunk version was clearly far higher than Lu Yan had originally anticipated.

“Don’t tell me… all three versions this time were traps?”

Suddenly, Lu Yan felt an unprecedented sense of urgency.

The Urban, Cultivation, and Apocalypse versions were all within his grasp—but this Cyberpunk version was the first time he felt truly out of control.

He needed to understand this world—and the Spirit Energy system—as quickly as possible.

He had to erase any trace of his “out-of-place” nature and completely blend in, or risk being exposed.

With that in mind, he turned to Green Ivy and asked:

“I need to settle down here for a while. Do you know how to get me a fake identity?”

Green Ivy’s eyes lit up.

“Of course! Boss Quentin is the best Compiler in the Lower District. Fake IDs, credentials, black-market trades—he handles it all. But, uh… the price might—”

“Price is not a problem.”

Lu Yan’s voice was calm.

He had already noticed that while spiritual energy was thin in the Cyberpunk world, the Spirit Energy system shared a source with mana. It stood to reason that spirit stones might still hold value here.

And even if they didn’t, with his current power, getting money in the Lower District wouldn’t be hard.

Green Ivy beamed and immediately led the way.

They gradually left behind the bright and colorful main street, replaced by blocks of abandoned factories. The air quality noticeably worsened—fine dust particles floated in the air, and hunched pedestrians coughed constantly as they passed.

Eventually, they arrived at a rusted miner’s elevator. A few people were already waiting.

When they saw Green Ivy and Lu Yan approaching, some of them looked hostile—until they saw Lu Yan’s robe.

Once they recognized its enchantments, their hostility vanished instantly. They quickly averted their gazes and even gave up the prime spot in the elevator.

The old elevator rose from the depths. Green Ivy and Lu Yan stepped inside. None of the others dared to follow.

As the elevator rapidly descended, Green Ivy explained:

“We’re heading to the main underground section of the Lower District now.

“The surface streets are flashy, sure—but there are too many taxes. Sunlight Tax, Tier-3 Air Tax, Market Consumption Tax… it adds up fast.

“But down here, there’s no Sunlight Tax. Market tax is gone. Air Tax is downgraded to Tier-4. You can save at least 300 credits a month!”

While she spoke, the elevator had already traveled over a hundred meters underground, opening to reveal a vast hollowed-out world.

Crammed houses made of junk filled the area. Dim bio-luminescent plants and weak lights provided sparse illumination. Tens of thousands of people moved through the space.

Tunnels and mines crisscrossed the edges of the chamber, clearly connecting to other underground sectors.

When the elevator finally stopped, Lu Yan stepped out with Green Ivy—and the first thing he saw was a two-story, gleaming blue-and-white building.

It was brightly lit inside, completely at odds with its filthy, decaying surroundings.

Above the main entrance hung a glowing sign that read:

“City Tax Bureau.”

Even with everything Lu Yan had learned about the Cyberpunk version, his mind still short-circuited when he saw those words.

“There’s a Tax Bureau even down here?”

Green Ivy looked at him strangely.

“Of course there is! Every underground sector has one. How else would we pay taxes?”

In front of the building, ragged people lined up quietly.

And above the entrance, LED lights spelled out a single phrase:

【Only death and taxes are inevitable.】

(End of Chapter)