Chapter 489
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Chapter 489: Awakening
Amy wandered through cyberspace, deeply immersed in her memories.
She had grown up in a modest family in the Ring City. Though they were poor, her parents loved her, and her older brother doted on her. For young Amy, nothing mattered more than her family.
Even though they lived in a cramped room, eating cheap nutrient paste daily and enjoying flavorful food only on special occasions, Amy was content. As long as her family was together and happy, she had no complaints.
But in the lower levels of the Ring City, a safe and happy life was an elusive dream.
The city was rife with cybercriminals, unhinged digital psychopaths, and crushing debts that citizens inherited at birth. Fear and uncertainty were constant companions, while consumerism ran rampant.
Amy’s parents were low-level programmers—ordinary, unremarkable workers in a city overflowing with their kind. The oversupply of junior programmers ensured meager wages, which only shrank over time.
Elite programmers with advanced skills, capable of wielding “spell programs” or creating “spell chips,” occupied the upper echelons of society. Awakening to such power often meant ascending to the elite class.
At that time, Amy had not yet awakened her extraordinary abilities.
Her parents, however, saw her potential and sacrificed greatly to ensure she could attend school, something her older brother had never been afforded. Amy thrived in school, her intelligence and charm earning her many friends.
Then, one day, one of those friends mysteriously disappeared.
Confused and worried, Amy sought answers. Her teacher, emotionless, explained, “The Debt Collector from Rock Morgan took her. Her family couldn’t repay their debts.”
Amy was horrified. “What happens to her now?”
“Most likely dismantled,” the teacher said casually, lighting an e-cigarette. “Her organs will be harvested for rich clients. The brain will be used for mining. The rest… discarded.”
Amy couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“It’s all perfectly legal,” the teacher added, exhaling a plume of vapor. “In this city, the law serves those who make it—the board members of Rock Morgan.”
The classroom grew silent, the weight of the revelation heavy on everyone. Some students mourned their lost classmate, but most quietly accepted the tragedy as an unfortunate reality.
Amy, however, could not accept it.
Night after night, her mind was plagued by her friend’s smile, her voice, her dreams. The injustice of it all gnawed at her soul.
Determined to understand, she approached her teacher again, seeking clarity.
“Do you think it’s unfair, Amy?” the teacher asked, exhaling smoke. “It’s normal for someone your age to question the system, especially someone as bright as you.”
Amy said nothing, waiting for an answer.
“In truth, everyone in this city has value,” the teacher continued. “Our lives and bodies are assets. It’s only natural to use them to repay debts. Look at me—I’ve sold half my organs.”
“But why was her fate so cruel?” Amy pressed, still grappling with the enormity of it all.
“Because she didn’t try hard enough,” the teacher replied bluntly. “Amy, if you study hard and work diligently, you can rise above all this. The upper classes are filled with people who’ve earned their place through intelligence, hard work, and a bit of luck. Only the lazy and foolish complain about Rock Morgan.”
Amy listened in silence, absorbing the teacher’s words.
But deep down, she knew something was wrong.
She couldn’t shake the feeling
that the city’s system was
inherently flawed. Could it
really be the fault of the poor
for their suffering?
Unable to accept the status
quo, Amy began to question
everything. In her confusion
and unease, something within
her awakened.
The digital realm of the Ring
City—its hidden systems, its
secrets—became her domain.
She had become the
Cybertyrant, the tyrant of the
cyber world.
At first, her powers were
limited, allowing her only to
search for information. But
that was enough. She
unearthed the truth about her
friend’s fate.
Her organs had been
harvested and frozen for future
use. Her limbs were
transplanted to a wealthy
person’s pet—a grotesque
display of indulgence.
Heartbroken, Amy delved
deeper, uncovering the harsh
realities of the Ring City.
For the poor, life was a cycle of
debt, passed down through
generations. No matter how
hard they worked, the weight
of their obligations only grew
heavier. Few ever escaped.
For the wealthy, life was a
decadent dream. The elite
indulged in luxuries beyond
imagination, wasting
resources that could sustain
entire communities.
Amy realized the truth: the city
was designed to consume the
poor while the rich devoured
everything.
Her despair turned to resolve.
The system was a lie, a
grotesque machine that
needed to be dismantled.
Her reckless searches,
however, attracted the
attention of Rock Morgan’s
agents, the Maintainers. These
enforcers unleashed curses
upon her family, driving her
parents to suicide.
Amy was taken by Debt
Collectors to a lab, where she
was subjected to horrific
experiments. She lost her
limbs and suffered organ
failure, her body growing
weaker by the day.
But her extraordinary power
grew.
In the depths of despair, Amy
refused to succumb to
darkness. She clung to a
singular belief: she had a
purpose. She was destined to
correct the chaos of the Ring
City.
“I am the Savior of the Ring
City!” she declared, her spirit
unbroken.
After escaping the lab, she
survived as a hacker, using her
skills to aid the helpless while
secretly building her strength.
Eventually, she joined the
Babel Tower.
Through countless trials and
revelations, Amy came to trust
the Tower and its mission.
When the Noy Military
company took control of the
Babel Tower, she knew her
moment had arrived.
Rock Morgan’s reign of terror
would end.
Even when she discovered that
the true mastermind was a
deity, she was undeterred.
“Gods,” she thought, “can be
slain too.”