Munch's memories of his father were always hazy. From the time I can remember, the image of my father has always been associated with his hurried back. Every time he picked up Munch with his arms and spun him around in the air, Munch would always stare blankly at the mole on his nose, which became the only memory between the two of them.
There is no memory of Anthony's involvement after the age of four. He grew up with another man, Ovid Bryan, who ran a private library called Lava Harbor in Tozcana. Munch was fostered since he was a child. Although his life was ordinary, Ovid was with him at every important node in his life, teaching him to be brave and responsible, and also taught him to face the pain and ridicule in life. Three years ago, under the obelisk, Ovid's words rang in his ears again.
Three years ago, August 26 was the day when the city’s obelisk was unveiled. The streets of Totzcana were empty, and crowds gathered from all directions in the central square of the city. Munch, led by the gray-bearded Ovid, also arrived. "Remember this moment and everything that happened here. One day, the sunshine will dispel all the haze again."
Surrounded by everyone, Sammy Anderson walked onto the podium. Behind him was the obelisk covered with a huge red cloth. Sammy gave an impassioned speech to the crowd. "...Those who look up to the gods will have glory; their faces will be as warm as the sun. Those who follow the devil will have disaster; their faces will be as cold as ice. History has given us lessons, and history has given us answers! We Remember the contributors! They deserve eternal light, and we spurn the traitors! They must accept judgment, even if death frees them!
Anthony Garcia, a former well-known biomodification expert in the Upper Realm and the core founder of the Association for Equal Rights to Survival, is known to the world as another one, the betrayer of the Upper Realm! Ever since he did that thing, he was destined to be engraved in shame forever! …
Let us cheer! Insult! Let the monument behind me rotate forever! Become an immortal memory! "Sammy pressed the start button of the monument. The fire erupted from all around and burned the red curtain to ashes. The magnetic levitation device lifted the monument. Amid the cheers of the crowd, it rotated around the center. Sammy's photo was placed high. At the top, Anthony's photo is engulfed in darkness from that moment on.
Ovid whispered in Monk's ear, "Although Antony rarely stays with you, based on my understanding of him, he will never do anything betrayal. He must have his own reasons." A strong hand placed on Munch's shoulder, "I believe that one day, he will return to glory."
At that time, these words did not cause any ripples in Munch's heart, and he turned to Ovid with a coping smile. In his heart, Anthony Garcia was just an empty name that had nothing to do with his father's identity. So when he was able to change his surname again, he firmly chose the surname "Brian".
Three years later today, the same date, the same place. Munch stared at the photo on the monument again, his eyes more mature and steady. He still didn't know how to define the person in front of him, but the recurring characters and strange dreams in his mind recently made him feel that things were not simple. , perhaps reconsider what Ovid said under the obelisk.
Munch stepped out of the shadow area under the umbrella, and the sunlight shone on his face again. He stretched out his hand to block the light in front of his eyes, looked at Anthony's photo, and then walked towards the supply point. A long and slant shadow stretched out behind him, and the area gradually increased. expand. When the shadow and the obelisk merged together, the commemorative obelisk stopped rotating. Due to the uneven distribution of the magnetic levitation support force on the top of the triangular cone, the simulated sunlight projected changes its angle and just shines on Anthony's dynamic photo, accurately dividing his face into two halves, one half bright and one half dark. After Munch walked away, the shadow was separated from the monument, and everything returned to normal.
…
There was already a queue of dozens of meters long at the material distribution point No. 0216. Munch silently came to the end of the queue and slowly squirmed forward with the crowd. Monk put his hand on his backpack, and Bain gently licked the palm of his hand with his tongue. The warm touch temporarily relaxed his irritable mood.
Munch crossed a light blue luminous area on the ground. The light swept across Munch's face. The identity authentication was completed. The arm implant received an official prompt: "You have entered the material distribution point No. 0216. The action of crossing means It means you have confirmed all the terms of the Material Distribution Committee. The material list has been sent, please check it."
Munch clicks for details. What was handed out today was: one small potato, one portion of red pepper slices, two portions of minced cauliflower, one packet of young leaf mixture, and three tubes of single-daily doses of energy injection. Because of the 10% reward, Munch can also choose half a small pumpkin. Hmm... not bad. At least there is a whole potato, and often what you get is an organic mixture of powder and pieces.
The mechanism for sending and viewing material lists has undergone several important changes under the leadership of the Tozcana City Material Distribution Committee. When the government aid system was first implemented, the list of supplies was announced one day in advance through various media channels such as television and radio, claiming to be subject to the supervision of the city. It lasted for eleven days and triggered two large-scale demonstrations. People receiving relief and receiving native food have joined various public welfare organizations to protest that the materials provided are too simple, difficult to swallow, and undermine the dignity of the people receiving relief. They call on everyone to boycott.
The material distribution committee was forced to carry out its first reform. We began to accept donations from all walks of life to improve the level of relief food. We no longer publish the list of supplies, only the amount of daily donations. Later, because the donation amount was too small, this link had to be cancelled. During the follow-up implementation process, large-scale demonstrations were still triggered. People who received relief and people who received native food united with various public welfare organizations to claim that this move damaged their right to know the list and decide whether to accept it based on the list of supplies. Options for Relief.
The material distribution committee was forced to carry out a second reform and begin to implement the current system. First, increase scrutiny of relief eligibility and add various additional conditions, such as Munch's psychological safety certification being one of them. Secondly, with each material distribution point as the center, an electronic authentication wall is set up within a radius of 100 meters. If you cross the electronic wall, you will automatically know all the terms of material relief by default and gain the right to view the material list. This move significantly reduced protest behavior. You will get the list when you enter the electronic wall, which does not deprive you of the right to know in advance, but also uses the cost of silence in queuing to screen the people who receive the supplies. Those who are willing to line up are those who have real needs for supplies, not those charity organizations that like to shout slogans.
The crowd was still moving slowly, and a few people in front of Munch were chatting to pass the time. He poked his head over, wanting to hear the content of the chat.
"Did you read the news this morning? Another disappearance occurred." The middle-aged woman with blond hair whispered, her expression full of shock, and the wrinkles on her forehead were obvious.
"It's the tenth day of this month. If there is no connection, who would believe it?" An old man in his seventies held a delicate crutch in his left hand and put his right hand on his back. "It is said that the organs of these missing young people have been bought and digested by the upper class. Fresh bodies are always in short supply, and there are not many young people who have not yet had their bodies implanted." The old man looked around, and the young people around him were nervous. Covered his sleeves.
Everyone smelled the gossip from the old man's words, and their attention was attracted. In order to stay in their original team, they could only move their bodies as close to the old man as possible. The old man was right in front of Munch, and Munch heard every word of what he said clearly.
"So there is an ulterior secret hidden behind the disappearance? Maybe it is related to the mysterious religion as mentioned in the news?" The blond woman turned her head and looked at the old man with a look of curiosity.
"Who can tell me clearly that the Association for Equal Living Rights founded by Anthony Garcia had an upright name and its main purpose was to speak out for all kinds of life. I also joined it. In the end, it was not because of his identity as a traitor that he was arrested by the City Security Bureau. Treat it as an illegal organization. I think this disappearance case is planned behind the scenes by the Adam Laboratory, using various young bodies as experimental blueprints to develop a new generation of body tissues. It can also be regarded as a punishment for them not to carry out body implants." A figure Young men similar to Munch stood in the queue next to Munch, wearing exaggerated metal earrings, bald heads, and tattoos with unknown meanings on their scalps. There are implants on both left and right arms, exuding a cyberpunk atmosphere.
"The Eternal Life Society. Have you heard of it?" The old man said expressionlessly, his eyes cautious. "A mysterious organization that replaces young organs in exchange for a longer life, until immortality." The Immortality Society? This was the first time Munch heard it. He put his head close and waited for the old man to continue telling the story.
A drone flew over him and reminded him with a sharp mechanical sound, "It has been detected that you said prohibited content in the electronic wall. This behavior can easily cause uneasy associations, illegal attempts and the spread of fear. Please stop immediately." And released the waveband that can cause eardrum pain around the old man. Everyone within the band had painful expressions on their faces. Monk reached into his bag and covered Bain's ears, and then realized that dogs' physiological response bands are different from humans.
In order to reduce protest marches, all behaviors and words after entering the electronic wall must be monitored by the material distribution committee, including various officially banned words and violent movements exceeding the level of pushing, which will trigger warnings and trigger drones. Intervention, serious violations will result in disqualification from receiving materials.
The blonde woman screamed in pain and couldn't help but curse the manager behind the drone under her breath. Dirty words triggered banned words, drones began to gather, and successive warnings silenced the restless crowd, like the wind blowing through burnt dead leaves, driving away the last trace of life.
