Lin Qi returned to the Cyber World before the broadcast finished.
「March 1, 2089, 00:55」
Though he had gone and returned, no time had passed in the Cyber World. The only proof of the Doomsday World's reality was the Crimson Crystal Stone dissolving under his tongue.
'After experiencing the concentration of Spiritual Particles in the Doomsday World, Meditating in the Cyber World feels really strange now.'
It was his break time, so Lin Qi could only lie on his bed and use Meditation to replace sleep.
To properly maintain his disguise as a Wizard, Lin Qi had to perform flawlessly, even in the smallest details of his life.
The Cyber World's methods for monitoring individuals weren't limited to the cameras placed in plain sight.
Network algorithms were also a key component.
「March 1, 2089, 08:10」
Lin Qi stood before the sink, his gaze a little sharper than usual.
'I've already absorbed four Crimson Crystal Stones. If all goes well, I'll be able to absorb all twelve after two more rest days, and my physical fitness will reach the level of a Tier One Martial Artist.'
'I'll layer a Martial Artist persona over my Wizard identity. It's the most common of the Extraordinary Professions. With my status as an L-level Researcher, I can easily obtain the professional files for Martial Artists. But I'll need more cover, like proactively leaving some traces on the institute's internal network, and having some enhancement Potions added to the Prosthetic Clinic's order forms.'
Lin Qi shaved the stubble from his face, his brow furrowed slightly.
Traveling to the Doomsday World through the Door caused time in the Cyber World to stop. This was a good thing, as it wouldn't easily expose the Door's existence.
The problem, however, was that the time Lin Qi personally experienced had effectively doubled.
A few, or even a few dozen, trips would be fine. But over a longer period, say a decade or more, the change in his age would become very obvious.
This was very detrimental to Lin Qi's disguise. Even if it didn't expose the Door's existence, it could still lead to his Wizard identity being implicated.
'There won't be any issues in the short term, but in the long run, I'll need more cover. For instance, faking more prosthetic implants.'
'As long as I look like I'm over 90% prosthetic, as long as it seems like there isn't enough flesh left on my whole body to make a plate of dumplings, then the changes in my age won't attract any attention.'
The cyber madman persona needed to be continuously reinforced. At the same time, Lin Qi also needed to acquire more knowledge about prosthetic design as soon as possible.
Only by being promoted to A-level Researcher could he gain permission to read more books.
In the Cyber World, even knowledge was firmly controlled by megacorporations.
His thoughts sorted, Lin Qi walked out of the bathroom, instructed his assistant Xiaoai to turn off all the lights in the house, then headed to the top floor of the apartment building and boarded his flying vehicle.
Today was March 1st. As was his custom, Lin Qi was due for a trip home.
Of course, "going home" really meant visiting the No. 1 Prosthetic Clinic to perform a periodic upgrade on the Exoskeleton he passed off as a Prosthetic Body, and, while he was at it, to see his father, Doctor Lin, and his sister, Lin Xin.
Steering the flying vehicle with one hand, he opened the vehicle's storage compartment with his right hand and fumbled around until he found a chip.
Reaching behind his neck, he ejected the Advanced Fighting Chip from the slot in his external Intelligent Brain and inserted the new one.
[LOADING... ADVANCED LANGUAGE APPLICATION CHIP]
Every time he went back, he inevitably got into an argument with Lin Xin.
That not-so-adorable little sister of his seemed to be going through a rebellious phase this year.
...
Flying vehicles were a rare sight in the outskirts of Red Fruit City, as most of its residents didn't have a pilot's license.
The main mode of transportation consisted of various four-wheeled electric vehicles with cool exteriors and flashy, gaudy neon lights.
A few nostalgic types with spare cash would buy internal combustion vehicles manufactured by Liu's Heavy Industries, which required them to pay a regular atmospheric management tax to Red Fruit City's treasury.
The sight of Lin Qi piloting a flying vehicle and parking it on the street in front of the Prosthetic Clinic drew a lot of attention.
"A corporate employee? Why is he out here on the edge of Red Fruit City?"
"You don't even know that? And you still dare come to the No. 1 Prosthetic Clinic to get chromed? Boss Lin's son is an L-level Researcher at the corp. No. 1 gets its supplies shipped directly from them."
"This Prosthetic Clinic has corporate backing? Doesn't that mean we're totally exposed?"
"Don't worry. The boss here hasn't forgotten his roots. This place will always be an underground clinic."
Two gang members who had just walked out of the No. 1 Prosthetic Clinic exchanged a few quiet words when they saw Lin Qi arrive.
When Lin Qi stepped out of his vehicle, the two gang members scurried away like rats exposed to daylight.
Lin Qi was long used to this. His father's business had never been exactly legal. If a day ever went by without a few gang members visiting the No. 1 Clinic, Lin Qi would have to wonder if his old man had finally succumbed to cyber psychosis and kicked the bucket.
Inside the clinic, the lights were bright. No fewer than twenty business licenses hung on the wall, indicating that this was one of the most legitimate prosthetic clinics in all of Red Fruit City.
The licenses would have been far more convincing if not for the clearly second-hand, battle-scarred "A-A-0045" model prosthetic arm sitting on the table beneath them.
Prosthetics of A-Class and above were controlled items, and the No. 1 Prosthetic Clinic had no authority to procure them.
Looking at the black paint on the prosthetic's surface, Lin Qi had reason to suspect that this A-Class arm had been stripped by some gang member off an HGPD officer or a member of the Red Fruit Anti-Riot Mobile Team.
It was the standard-issue coating for a standard-issue model.
"What are you looking at, my dear brother? That prosthetic arm the Evil Fire Gang ripped off a squad member from the Intercontinental Stability Trauma Emergency Company?"
"Are you in that much of a hurry to become a cyber madman?"
The young woman's voice was light and pleasant, like the chime of silver pearls on a jade plate, but her words held not a shred of respect for her brother.
Lin Qi didn't indulge her. "The emergency response teams for low-level members are useless. But for you, my dear sister, I bought the Platinum Member plan from the Intercontinental Stability Trauma Emergency Company. It costs one hundred fifty thousand Credit Points a year."
"If you're ever in danger, a squad of at least three mobile members with full A-Class prosthetic implants will arrive within 15 minutes."
"If you're unfortunate enough to lose consciousness, your respected brother has also purchased the value-added emergency prosthetic implantation service for you. In just six hours, you can receive the very same model of Prosthetic Body that your respected brother possesses."
"And you should feel honored that these Prosthetic Bodies were all personally designed by your respected brother."
Lin Qi looked at Lin Xin, who was standing on the stairs.
Lin Xin wore a black trench coat paired with ripped jeans that had been fashionable decades ago. Tucked into her waistband was an A-Class kinetic pistol.
Unlike Lin Qi, Lin Xin had no trace of prosthetic implants anywhere on her body and, in fact, held a considerable loathing for the practice.
Hardly what one would expect from a child raised by a Prosthetic Doctor.