The Creatures that We Are

Gao Yang paused. It was surprising, yet somehow expected.

Everything since opening the Gates felt like a dream or illusion to him. It made sense that the dream's creator would place obstacles to prevent him from “going home.” Such barriers would force him to solve problems proactively, deepening his emotional investment in the dream until reality and illusion became indistinguishable.

Gao Yang took a deep breath to center himself. He didn't need to go home; he simply wanted to avoid staying at Closure.

He wandered around, looking at the streets around him. Things weren’t as beautiful and prosperous inside Moon City, at least not the streetblock he was passing through.

The buildings were old. The renovated and rebuilt architectures differed in style. Even the universally installed facilities and roaming holograms didn’t conceal the chaos and wear of the whole area.

Industrial wastewater and trash littered the roads. While pedestrians were few, homeless people gathered in unusual numbers. Most wore tattered industrial-style robes, huddling in groups of three to five at street corners. Many had lost limbs, replaced by cheap mechanical prosthetics.

Their vacant eyes and numb expressions told the same story—the S Chips in their necks connected to public Neunet ports, their consciousness drifting through artificial space to escape lives of poverty and hunger.

Gao Yang had to watch his steps to avoid stepping on the “living dead”.

“Cutie.”

He turned at the call. A gaudy brothel's pink holographic display framed a voluptuous blonde in thick makeup. Her translucent garter dress, fishnet stockings, and black heels left little to the imagination.

She struck a seductive pose at Gao Yang with a smile that offered cheap thrills. “Looking for some fun? It’ll only cost you 10 credits once, and you’ll get a milliliter of Red Aphro for free, a good time guaranteed.”

Red Aphro was a common psychedelic circulating the black market. It stimulated the neurons to amplify senses, often used in the sex industry and illegal roaming of the Neunet.

Gao Yang considered the woman to learn more details about the dream. Her eyes were both hard and cold like marbles, clearly cheap prosthetic eyes with terrible vision. The movement of her curling her finger was stiff. It was likely an old mechanical prosthetic with artificial skin. Gao Yang would bet real money that she couldn’t even use a pair of chopsticks properly.

There were signs of augmentations on other parts of her body, too. She was half artificial.

Gao Yang thought for a moment before asking coolly, “Where’s 94 Darkhorse Street of District Seven?”

Recognizing his lack of interest, her smile vanished and her tone cooled. “Brat, nothing’s free in Moon City. It’ll cost you 5 credits.”

“That expensive?” Gao Yang didn’t actually care; he simply bargained out of habit.

“It’s not expensive.” The blond woman walked out of the window display with a calculated look on her face. “You’re obviously a Jupiter Traveler. You haven’t woken up for long, have you? You’ve forgotten everything?”

Gao Yang stayed silent.

“Haha, your map isn’t working right, is it?” The woman crossed her arms, assessing him while he remained quiet. “This is Moon City. The cloud gets hacked hundreds of times every day. Many of I Chip’s functions stop working often.” The woman tapped on her temple. “You still need this when it matters.”

“I’ll give you 2 credits,” Gao Yang said. “Take it, or I’ll ask someone else.”

“Fine.” The blond woman accepted the deal. “A credit is a credit.”

She extended her right hand, projecting a holographic trade window from her I Chip.

Gao Yang activated the payment screen, adjusting the amount to one credit before completing the transaction.

“Tell me where to go, and I’ll give you the rest.”

The woman flipped her hair and sauntered ahead. “It’s not far. I’ll take you there.”

Gao Yang wordlessly followed.

The woman clearly had ulterior motives beyond being helpful. She probed for information while they walked, and Gao Yang responded selectively, often choosing silence.

“You’re lucky to run into me, brat.”

“I’m warning you, it’s difficult for a Jupiter Traveler like you to survive in Moon City. Why don’t I introduce you to a group that’ll support you?”

“Not interested? Then you’ll need a weapon to protect yourself with, at least. I’ve got a friend who sells quite a selection. Wanna check it out? The price is fair.”

“No need,” Gao Yang shot her down.

The woman scoffed and cursed under her breath, “Tramp.”

Minutes later, they entered a narrow, dark alley. Though Gao Yang had been deliberately careless until now, his instincts flickered to alertness at the first hint of danger. Even in a dream, he despised being deceived.

“How much longer is it going to take?” He watched the blonde woman while discreetly activating his I Chip to call the police.

The blond woman didn’t turn around. “Not long. Turn left at the end of the alley and we’ll be there.”

His call attempt met a connection error alert.

The woman turned around then, sneering. “Why, little man. Trying to call the police?”

Gao Yang said nothing, noting the metal sphere vibrating in her hand.

She held it up like a sales demonstration. “A ball jammer. It interferes with all transmission over a ten-meter radius. Want it? I’ll sell it to you cheaply.”

“Sure. How much?” Gao Yang said to stall time as he looked for a solution.

The woman's smile vanished as she pocketed the device. “I’ve changed my mind. Won’t it be better to just rob you?”

Thud. As Gao Yang moved to step back, a whoosh of air preceded the crack of something hard against his skull.

Pain exploded through his head. The world spun, and he found himself sprawled on the ground.

Fighting unconsciousness, he forced his eyes open to see his attacker: a shirtless man with a black wolf tattooed across his chest, wearing leather pants and scuffed boots. A baseball bat hung from one hand, while a holographic wolf mask covered his face, baring white teeth.

The man spat, kicked Gao Yang over, then crouched to grab his left hand, activating the I Chip for a credit transfer.

“Don’t go too hard and kill him! I don’t want to get involved in a murder!” The blond woman came over panickedly, throwing the ball jammer to the man.

The man caught it and shoved it into his pocket, saying disparagingly, “If the Jupiter Maddog dies, he dies. Who cares when so many die in Moon City every day? …Fuck! Just over thirty credits? It might as well be nothing.”

“Don’t forget that half of it is mine.”

“Haha, didn’t you strike a deal with him? You led the way, and he would give you 2 credits. I’m in a good mood today. How about I give you 5? Ain’t I nice?”

“That’s not what we agreed on!”

“You think you can bargain with me, slut?”

“Don’t, don’t force my hand, or I’ll take you down with me…”

“Haha, take me down with you? Why, are you going to turn yourself in? I don’t really care, but you should think long and hard about it. You have a precious daughter, don’t you?”

“You—”

“Your girl’s pretty. She hasn’t had much augmentations, has she? Why don’t you let me train her? I’m sure she’ll be worth much more as a hooker—”

“You dare get a finger on her, I’ll kill…agh!”

The man leaped up, silencing her with a brutal punch.

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