Overlord: The Blank Essence

Chapter 6: Chapter 5: New Tokyo (1)



[One Month Later]

New Tokyo was a massive, domed city with a total of seven gateways allowing entry, including an underground metro system established to transport people and resources from nearby smaller cities to New Tokyo.

It was established through the cooperation of five major Mega-Corps running the city to facilitate their financial control over neighboring cities and the resources present there. This project spanned several years and resulted in their almost absolute control over the region. As this network was a major source of revenue, it was well-maintained by the corporations.

It was 9:00 AM in the morning, and the 'sun' was already shining in the sky—a rare sight visible only to the city's residents. If one looked closely, they'd notice the blue sky divided into vaguely hexagon-like shapes, though faintly noticeable.

In the eastern area of New Tokyo, a large platform was situated known as 'Platform no. 6'. It was one of several large platforms established during the construction of the transportation network.

Exactly at 9:00 AM, the large white gate located in the middle of the platform opened. Simultaneously, the nearby open walls were sealed shut, and the entire facility was locked down.

Within minutes, a sleek, white-colored metro arrived at the platform. As it completely entered the city, its white doors shut, leaving the metro as the sole presence on the platform in the vacuum-sealed space.

Suddenly, white mist was released from several vents located throughout the walls of the platform, soon permeating the entire metro and platform. After a few minutes passed, vents opened, dissipating the mist.

[Announcement! Radiation levels have returned to safe levels!]

[Bio-Hazard levels are safe!]

[The gates are about to open!]

[Welcome to New Tokyo!]

[Please exit carefully!]

As the announcements were made, the doors on both sides of the metro opened. Several people exited from the right side, while bots unloaded cargo boxes from the left side onto the platform.

The highly automated process reflected the substantial investment made in building the transportation network.

Surprisingly, fewer than 30 people exited from the right side, despite the metro's considerable size. Given its primary purpose of moving resources from various satellite cities to New Tokyo, the low number of passengers was understandable.

It's main purpose was to move resources from various satellite cities to the domed city of New Tokyo and to generate profit for the Mega-Corps. Due to its mostly automated process and other factors, the movement of people between cities was minimal.

In fact, no one wanted to venture into the poisoned lands beyond the city, and gaining entry into the domed city from other cities felt almost like a dream. While not impossible, it was very rare—generally reserved for those specially recruited by a Mega-Corp to move from desolate satellite cities where survival was a challenge to the domed city, almost a small piece of heaven in this wretched world.

Anyway, it was almost impossible to see someone like that, but miracles do happen, and such a miracle was taking place today.

Normally, only a certain number of people traveled through the metro, and they were mostly acquaintances. However, today, an unfamiliar figure was among them—a young man in his early thirties, dressed in a professional suit, sitting silently in a corner. They had never seen him before, but after a few curious glances, most lost interest. After all, it was none of their business. They mostly assumed he was a new hire who had visited a satellite city using a different platform and was now returning.

In fact, the thought that he had been hired from outside never even crossed their minds. It wasn't that it was impossible, but it was just very, very rare.

Soon, they all lined up in front of a scanner platform that scanned their virtual IDs. Basically, they just entered through a sci-fi door that would request a certain code from their cranial interfaces, an encrypted virtual ID for all who lived in the city.

As resources were limited, every person in the city was to be recorded and controlled to manage them efficiently.

The line slowly reduced as people crossed through the door, and finally, it was the new hire's turn.

He stepped onto the platform, and a ping! sounded in his mind, displaying a notification in his view:

[Please Submit Your Civilian ID!]

Hearing this, he operated his implant and submitted his new and shiny ID.

[Approved! Welcome to New Tokyo! Citizen: Suzuki Satoru!]

After accepting the welcome, he exited the door platform and walked toward the main exit.

As the automatic glass doors opened in front of him, he exited the platform to witness a majestic sight.

It was the sky—no, not the sky, but the vast holographic expanse that crowned the city. Clearly artificial, a holographic mimicry of the original thing, but it still brought a tear to his eyes. The temperature of the place was also strange, most likely regulated.

It was like sunlight was lightly touching his skin, making a warm feeling course through his being. It was practically the first time he had felt such a feeling. His pale skin, which had never been touched by the sun, felt tingly at the sudden change in temperature.

A faint smile tugged at his lips. "So this," he murmured, "is what it feels like to stand in a dream made real."

To Suzuki Satoru, everything felt like a dream, although he could clearly recall everything he inherited from his 'previous life,' like the feeling of the actual sun touching his skin and much more that was probably unimaginable for anyone living in this poisoned world—it was still the first time his current body had felt such things.

The feeling of the sun, even an artificial one shining on his skin and feeling the warmth (artificial) generated by the city was a great relief that was embracing his cold body.

It was a euphoric experience. To give an example, his current situation was somewhat like that of a blind man seeing for the first time, or more accurately, a caveman who had never seen the sun and was experiencing it for the first time.

It was indeed an apt description.

He smiled at the thought.

After being overwhelmed by these feelings that were overflowing from his heart, he silently stood there for a while before taking a deep breath and exhaling. Feeling the clean air fill his lungs and the absence of a gas mask, even though he was outside, brought another smile to his lips.

"Anyway, let's go!"

Forgetting the melancholy he was feeling, he walked briskly toward a certain direction, where a man with a black suit and tie was standing. He had a small smile on his face and was clearly waving in his direction.

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