CH 1

"Xu Yang, a second-level neural network engineer, this month income consist of 7,500 this month, and arrears of 4,606,300. After deducting 7,500 for repayment, the remaining arrears are 4,598,800. The actual income this month is 0."

Xu Yang numbly pulled out the cash card, and the content on the screen switched to the slogan "Your service makes Gaoge Kyushu more prosperous", with a circular smiley face.

Gaoge Kyushu is one of the giant enterprises in the eastern hemisphere. It has gained advantages in the previous corporate civil wars. The thriving enterprise has fully equipped departments and sufficient manpower, it prioritizes vehicle development, industrial production, and security services.

Xu Yang is a "company man", which is a term used to refer to those who stay in the company from birth till death.

His parents were also company men, they were busy with work and had no time to take care of him. They died very early, at the age of 35.

According to the company, they have fulfilled their consumption obligations and labor obligations and were model employees of the company.

The company not only nurtured his growth but also helped provide expenses for his accommodation, studies, medical, and other expenses. These expenses grew to be around 500000 by the time he graduated. He needed to pay it back by working hard.

He had borrowed more than 4 million to install body strength augmentation implants on himself, to enhance his work efficiency to avoid being eliminated by machines.

So the loan is even more difficult to repay.

The situation of other company men is similar to him. The more you work, the greater the debt you owe the company. In order to repay the debt, you have to work hard.

One way to reduce loans is to have children.

Every time a child is born, the company's debt will be reduced by 25%. This is the only reason why the company's employees have not gone extinct. They have accepted the fact that their descendants will become the company's men. 

Xu Yang returned to his workstation and opened the lunch box in front of him. Inside the lunchbox was a piece of nutritional paste. It looked like white mud and tasted bland, but he liked it very much, it was efficient and easy to eat.

He has no income, therefore he sleeps at the company, and his food and expenses were covered by the company. He receives consumer coupons issued by the company every month, which can be used to buy products that he has no time to use anyway.

These products are meant to be bought to meet the company's metrics. They are not meant to be used.

"You, hurry up with your report."

"The East District collected 30 witch babies from 28 families, 2 defective ones, 18 with industrial potential, 6 with combat potential, and 4 with unknown potential."

"The performance for this month is enough."

Xu Yang wanted to take a break(1), but he was disturbed by whispers of other company men in the distant workstation, so he might as well continue working.

He pulled out the data cable from his right wrist and inserted it into the wiring slot.

Xu Yang's mind has been integrated into the technology named "Digital Mind".

The Digital Mind is modern cutting-edge technology that converts biological neural currents into electrical signals. The Digital Mind panel took shape in Xu Yang's mind and the security system of the entire company building appears unobstructed within his mind, connecting every camera, alarm device, automatic defense equipment, machine security, and laser trap to him.

As a trained neural network engineer, Xu Yang can use his Digital Mind to connect to common networks. Most modern electrical equipment is added to the same network, which is convenient for unified management.

Xu Yang supervises and controls them through his consciousness. He doesn't need to move a single muscle. These devices can be inspected, controlled, and modified with his consciousness. With the help of implants, his brain is similar to an advanced computer.

His task is to check the hidden dangers of the company's built-in defense system. This is an extremely boring task. He needs to maintain thousands of devices and guard against the intrusion of hostile hackers.

However, today is different.

The first camera Xu Yang encountered had already been checked.

He quickly inspected the equipment of the entire company and was surprised to find that they had all been inspected. He hurriedly opened the log and found that a set of AI called "Tian Gong" did his work for Xu Yang.

How is this possible?

Xu Yang's heart beat wildly. His performance is counted on a daily basis, just because this equipment had already been maintained today, does not mean that Xu Yang can rest, it just means that he just lost a day's worth of work.

If the performance is not sufficient, there will be a fine!

He quickly opened the terminal in his hand and contacted the upper-level supervisor Huang Na.

"Sister Huang, why don't I have to work today, haha." Xu Yang feeling uneased sent a message hypocritically.

"Well, the technical department has developed a new model, code-named 'Tiangong'. It has many functions, and it can also check the company's security system daily. It was launched after the stress test."

"What about me?"

"You're doing fine, relax."

Xu Yang was about to scold, instead, he clenched his fist and let it go.

"If I don't work today, I will lose my performance." Xu Yang hesitated and added another message, "Please assign me some work."

If a person does not work, he will die.

"I'm sorry, everyone has done their due diligence today. I don't have any work for you."

Xu Yang was instantly paralyzed, he understood what the company was doing.

I have been optimized.

An advanced AI equipped with some marginal function, and capable of doing complex calculations can eliminate me.

The speed at which people become stronger simply can't keep up with technology... (2)

If there are no jobs to do, not only there will be no salary at the end of the month, but there will be huge penalties for failing to complete performance... 

Ai, there is no vacation and no time to do private work to earn extra money. The company's men work all year round, and the precision machine-like company does not give anyone breathing room.

The only way to survive is to voluntarily resign and find a job outside. If he leaves voluntarily, the company does not have to give him any compensation, at the same time, he still has to pay back the tremendous amount of money he owed to the company.

There are no other ways, but to go outside and find a new job to pay back the money. Xu Yang thought blankly. Maybe there is more money to be earned outside the company, but that kind of quick money, usually means working against the company alliance, the risks are endless.

The company is different from the outside world. People from big companies were just poor screws in the workplace, and they were usually scarce outside. It is easy for them to find jobs because there went through company training and they have implants. What stopped them from fleeing, were execution by the company and the pursuit from the security department.

My Digital Mind configured by the company is the best model ever. It can connect to all electronic devices and has a strong hacking ability, which allowed my Digital Mind to casually access company goods. It is even easier to hack civilian products(3). Maybe I can really take private work as a neuro-hacker.

It's fine, as long as they don't dismantle me. The problem is that they are likely to diamante me. After all, the loan for this thing has not been repaid.

Can I earn 5,000 a month by selling my labor? Since the debt has to be repaid, how many years will it take to repay the debt? Paying off a corporate debt by doing shady work? How about after paying off?

Xu Yang feel the weight of the world was crushing him, as though he was trapped in the chair at the workstation.

He picked up a cigarette and smoked it desperately, he do this to numb himself every time his nerves were extremely tense.

Drift and live without purpose(4).

The terminal flickered slightly, Xu Yang looked sideways and found a new message from Huang Na.

"AI is now under maintenance for an hour, see what you can do." At the end of the message, there was a cheering emoji.

Xu Yang boredly opened the company system, and indeed saw that the AI ​​that replaced him was temporarily offline.

What can I do even if it is offline? Will it help me get my salary? What do you want me to do, when everything is handled by AI? 

Wait a minute...

Xu Yang took a deep breath, wickedness began to grow in his heart.

Run!

Let's run away!

The shopping vouchers that the company has given me over the years and the things I bought are all piled up in the dormitory. I can sell all of them and exchange them for 150,000. It will be enough for me to buy the earliest ticket and go into hiding in small places.

This is my only chance now to escape from the company!

When the AI ​​resumes operation, no matter what I do, it will be recorded in detail. At that time, everything will be restricted, and it will be impossible to do anything unorthodox.

At that time, I had to follow the arrangements made by the company and be eliminated by the machine. Even without jobs, the loans still accumulate, and in the end, I will be forced to leave the company voluntarily, which is no different from being kicked out like a dog. I can only suffer without severance pay or a single penny.

If I escape now, I can bring something with me to exchange for money.

This debt, I will not repay them! 

Xu Yang feels disgusted from the bottom of his heart when he remembers the moment his parents died from exhaustion at the company's workstation

How could I possibly give my life to such a black-hearted company!

Staying here for one more second is akin to destroying oneself.

Even if doing so will put me on the company's blacklist.

The major giant corporations are in bed together. No matter where he goes, he will become a wanted target, and the security department will try their best to catch him.

In all my many years, I have never heard of anyone who escaped from Gaoge Kyushu and survived. This is the most serious crime.

But... humans are adaptable by nature, Now I can walk away with the Digital Mind, and not have the Digital Mind dismantled. Of course, this is yet another crime.

Staying here means being a human battery that only works for eternity. Although I will be hunted down for betrayal, once I reach the outside world, the possibilities will be endless. 

To be a company dog ​​forever, or be free for even a few days.

Xu Yang had already made up his mind.

He casually grabbed a few things and put them in his bag. Every device around him was under the manipulation of his digital mind.

He turned off all cameras and motion sensors from his location to the dormitory and quickly leaves the station.

Acquaintances don't come, acquaintances don't come. Xu Yang thought silently.

Fortunately, no one passed by, everyone was working at their workstations.

Countless recorders and timers are connected to the built-in physiological chips of employees, they send feedback on every employee's every moves back to the monitoring software. Xu Yang turned off the software and secretly deleted his ID from the company's monitoring software.

This means that there is no going back for him. 

Every action is recorded. When the company's "Tiangong" AI resumes operation, Xu Yang can be located in an instant.

Xu Yang simply ran back to the dormitory, stuffed all the valuables into the backpack, and left while carrying his backpack, all the way to the taxi area.

The taxi-hailing area is very wide, and the view outside the prosperous city can be seen through the glass windows. There are many unmanned taxis in the parking spaces, and they can travel through the floating waterway. airway

He doesn't have to pay, he just needs to hack a car with his digital mind and make a clean getaway.

A taxi had just stopped in the taxi area, and a stubborn war witch got out of the car.

Xu Yang was stunned for a moment.

She was tall and beautiful, wearing sunglasses, her long black hair tied up, and a pair of giant peaks on her chest wrapped in metal armor. The streamlined and sturdy armor protects the vital points of her body, and there were no traces of transformation or implants can be seen. A large area of her ​​attractive skin is exposed, giving out an intimidating aura, stopping people from thinking unscrupulous thoughts. The power of fighting witches can destroy an entire street in a blink of an eye.

Witches are born with unique and powerful powers, some of which are unmatched by even the most advanced technology. The company breeds, captures, recruits, and trains witches in large numbers to serve their interests.

The person in front of me is the witch named Pan Ruiyi. Gaoge Kyushu used her for their military security operations. The witch's ability is being powerful in melee specialization. She is also a member of the Mobile Riot Suppression Team, routinely patrolling various areas in the Eastern Hemisphere.

The moment he recognized her, Xu Yang felt numb.

Now is not the time to be timid.

He walked quickly to a taxi, used his digital mind to connect with the vehicle remotely, and hacked the civilian-grade key it carried, with the intent to gain control of it and left quickly as possible.

"Hmph, escaping?" A faint voice sounded in his ears.

Xu Yang turned his head and was shocked to see that the witch had appeared behind him without him noticing. She sneered with contempt looks. The eyes behind the sunglasses seemed to devour Xu Yang right there and then.

Xu Yang's heart was beating wildly.

"No……"

"Don't worry." Pan Ruiyi chuckled, "I'm not working today, I am on vacation."

"..."

"How can I take action, when you are so weak? Pathetic weak person who succumbed to pressure, what the company needs are the strong, not the weakling."

"..."

"Let alone being a man, you don't even have the competence as an employee." Pan Ruiyi turned to look at the incomparably tall company building, "Even though you are so weak, you still want to survive?"

"Idiot, without the company, you can't do anything. Get out now, the farther you go, the better it is!"

In an instant, Pan Ruiyi disappeared without a trace like a shadow.

Xu Yang was speechless. He focused on hacking the car with his Digital Mind, and quickly got in, allowing the taxi to take him away from the company.

He sold all the things he didn't need and threw away the things he couldn't sell. He exchanged them for a total of 120,000 and he deposited them into the cash card.

Xu Yang bought a cigarette and took a deep breath on the cigarette, before throwing it on the ground. He then stomps on it, vowing never to smoke again and never return to work in any company. He swore that he would never let himself be insulted like that again.

He wants to take back everything that has been trampled on.

Company men who left the company have nothing to their name.

10 days later, Xu Yang hid in territory belonging to Kyoto Infinity, it is a giant enterprise known for its high-tech, entertainment, and animation industries.

Anjiu City is a big city under Kyoto Infinity, but Anjiu City is not a place that Xu Yang can afford to live in, so he lives in an underground city below it, which is Aizu City.

Xu Yang rented a small room in the underground city of Aizu. There he registered on the deep anonymous network that was beyond the control of the company and announced that he was a freelance neuro-hacker, having the same abilities as the employees from the company who have the same background as him. He had advanced hacking capabilities and can easily hack electronic products, and vehicles. He can also manipulate all surrounding devices connected to the Internet.

Xu Yang sent this message as soon as he made a clean getaway on the plane, but in the past 10 days, he did not receive any work contract. Instead for the past 10 days, he has resisted tens of thousands of attempts to track him. Apparently, Gaoge Kyushu was extremely angry at his escape.

The trials faced by the escapees are extremely severe, their brains will be dug out and made into personality matrixes, meaning only Xu Yang's ability and mind will remain, but his free will and emotions will not, he will become a person who selflessly serves the company.

The security department also went crazy searching for him all over the Eastern Hemisphere. They all wanted to take his head to advance their careers.

This is the price of escaping.

I heard, that people from big companies can easily make money once they escape successfully. 

When will it be my turn?

Xu Yang lay beside the computer, thinking vacantly about his future.

Nobody needs an unemployed, runaway neuro-network engineer.

It's only a matter of time before Xu Yang is targeted, as he couldn't afford decent security to protect himself with this pittance amount of money. Not to mention, jobs are not coming in, and people are coming for his head.

He heard rude scoldings in the dark corridor outside while looking at the status of the network address being tracked. He was apprehensive, fearing that hackers and gang members would come for him.

These days, Xu Yang can't sleep at night.

Do I have to go back to the company and reconcile with the company, just like the warning in the employee handbook?

Tik Tik-

A new conversation notification lit up in the lower right corner of the screen, Xu Yang widened his eyes, sat up quickly, and clicked on the message.

"Can you handle the security system?"

"Yes." Xu Yang quickly replied, "That's what my implant does, as long as it is a device that can send and receive signals online or a device connected to a public network, I can hack it."

"Can you deal with a complete set of company goods?"

"No problem." Xu Yang's Digital Mind is very high-quality. His Digital Mind has high authority and technical skills, so it is no problem for him to deal with other companies' products.

"It's very risky to do this."

"I'm not afraid of risks, how much is the reward?"

"100000000."

Xu Yang's fingers trembled and he quickly replied.

"Good."

Note 

(1)想眯眼休息会

Wanted to take a break by squinting his eyes.

Squinted his eyes, ready to take a break.

Wanted to take a break.

(2)人变强的速度根本赶不上科技

The speed at which people become stronger simply can't keep up with technology...

People can't keep up with the growth of technology.

(3)公司货随便进入，民用产品更是能轻松骇入

Company goods can be casually accessed, it is even easier to hack civilian products.

access company goods casually, and it is even easier to hack civilian products.

(4)苟且偷生

Drift and live without purpose.

Gaoge Kyushu 高阁九州

Aizu City 会津城

Anjiu City 安久市

Kyoto Infinity 京都无限