Players Invade Cyberpunk

Expensive

was David's first impression of this clothing store.

He rarely even passed by such large malls in company squares, let alone went in to take a look.

The bright lobby, with its meticulously polished smooth floors reflecting the intricately carved crystal chandeliers on the ceiling, even the air carried a faint fragrance, completely different from the urine stench-filled streets outside, it was like two different worlds.

In the brightly lit display window stood a curvaceous mannequin, constantly changing her poses just to showcase the 90,000 Euro Jin evening gown she was wearing.

"Do you like this dress, sir?"

The voice coming from beside him startled David. Turning around, he saw a female attendant, her suit immaculate, her features graceful, eyes focused, expression natural, every move and expression honed to perfection as if rehearsed a thousand times.

Except her skin was plated with a layer of chrome to satisfy the customer's curiosity.

Even the words coming out of her mouth were so fluent, like they were pre-rehearsed.

"This is an evening gown designed by Lawrence Raphael, a designer we hired from Ralph Lauren, made with solid materials, a hundred percent highland goat cashmere from European biotechnology. It uses a Victorian-era classic style..."

As the attendant spoke, the woman in the display window also twirled the corners of her skirt in sync with her words, smiling, not feeling at all that there was anything wrong with her actions.

David couldn't completely understand what the attendant was saying, the cold air blowing from the ceiling gave him chills.

David knew this was the function of a behavior chip.

He had heard about it before, even used similar things.

Using pre-designed programs and certain auxiliary algorithms to replace the user's consciousness and act on their behalf.

Basketball, martial arts...

The more advanced the chip, the more fine and detailed it can handle, the more realistic it becomes.

But the problem is, when the chip is in use, you have no consciousness, you lose all memory of the period as if you were blacked out from getting too drunk.

Just like the attendant beside him and the mannequin in the cabinet, they aren't corporate dogs, corporate dogs wouldn't take on such low-standard service jobs as receptionists.

They are women who owe a high-interest loan to the company, selling their bodies to the company to pay off their debts.

The company would transform them like sex dolls to control every inch of their facial nerves so they can make various expressions, then implant behavior chips, making them work here to pay off their debts over twenty to forty years.

These people might not even be worth as much as the clothes they are wearing.

If a client needs it, they even have to meet all the client's needs.

Can they still be considered human?

Or are they entirely a tool?

David didn't know.

He just felt this place was cursed, did rich people really have such strange fetishes?

But if he wasn't wearing a Huang Ban school uniform, this attendant probably wouldn't have paid attention to him.

"David, what do you think of these clothes?"

"Sigh..." David looked helplessly at his mother waving a black dress with golden trimmings in front of him.

He didn't know why she suddenly seemed like a different person today, having dragged him to such a luxury store to buy a dress when she normally wouldn't even buy new clothes in a year.

And it was the first time David understood what it felt like to accompany a woman shopping. It was even tougher than dealing with his classmates, dragging and delaying, this was already the tenth dress Gloria had brought to him to ask the question.

David glanced at the label on the dress, much cheaper than the one in the display window, but it was still 40,000, just for a dress that almost matched his semester tuition, and even the clothes upstairs would add another zero to that base.

He dragged Gloria to the side and whispered, "Mom, the clothes here are expensive, even if Mr. Lin advanced your salary, you shouldn't waste it like this!"

Lin Miao gave Gloria an annual salary of 100,000, which was less compared to regular corporate dogs, but Lin Miao had advanced her half a year's salary.

"Of course I know."

Gloria wasn't vain; if she hadn't seen Lucy at Lin Miao's house yesterday, she wouldn't have come to such a place to buy clothes either.

Spending so much money at once upset her too.

However, with her current salary as a chief physician and the company's shareholder rescue award, it wouldn't affect her life.

"But, this is to have dinner with Mr. Lin. If I dress inappropriately, it would embarrass him."

"He has helped our family so much, I can't disappoint him, and I need to do well this time."

So what kind of situation would warrant you coming to a place like this to buy such an expensive dress...

Filled with complaints, David resigned himself to his fate.

He looked at the dresses that Gloria kept comparing and said weakly,

"It looks good, how about this one then."

"Really? But I think the previous one..."

David jolted, if this dragged on further it'd be dark by the time they finished.

"Just this one! This one will do, Mr. Lin will surely like it."

...…

Evening

Embers Nightclub's underground parking

This place lacked nothing but luxury cars

From hundreds of thousands worth Chevrolet El Caminos to millions worth Rayfields and flying cars, everything was here, a regular gathering spot for the city's wealthy, you might even occasionally spot those who controlled the city and even the world.