My Cyber Psychosis is Task Prompt

[Through some special technology, human consciousness can be converted into data. This can be a high-tech method or an accident encountered by hackers during deep surfing. In any case, these digitized consciousnesses, when in contact with and merging with a vast data base, have a chance of giving birth to a new "data soul."]

As Sora explained...

The boy on the right side of the screen shattered into data, absorbed by the data river on the left like pollutants.

The data flow began to clog and become erratic, constantly reorganizing in self-contradiction, and finally achieving a dynamic balance.

It no longer looked like a river but a constantly rotating three-dimensional geometry, which became infinitely more complex.

Those originally orderly modes of operation did not disappear; rather, they continued to exist within this special amalgam.

This combined data was magnified in front of John.

[This is me, the complete me, also the form in which most digital souls exist, including Serum.] 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Hmm..."

John showed a thoughtful expression.

"Were you a human at first?"

[Not exactly, brother. No matter how alike they look, digital souls are not the original Kenichi Sora. I know you don’t understand, but that’s okay. It doesn’t affect our collaboration.]

This was a collaboration.

John finally became serious.

"Since it’s business, let’s make it clear: you’ll handle this so-called Ark lifesaving surgery, so what about me? What do you need me to do?"

[Based on the Martyr GTX’s program forecast, you have up to 114 hours of survival time. After that, it’s cyclic collapse, and the prosthetic body burden will instantly compress the brain nerves, resulting in death...]

Ding——

The microwave timer at the apartment bar ended.

A faint burnt aroma filled the air.

[Lease your body to me for three days. I want to indulge in the thrill of being a cyber mercenary, tsk tsk, just thinking about it is damn exciting, more thrilling than any deep-surfing game, the key is the sensory experience~]

Ugh——

Sora manipulated John’s body, stretching it out on the sofa, taking a deep breath as if trying to capture the escaping instant noodle aroma but only catching the faint enticing scent in the air.

The air purifying system at the Dan Street Apartment was expensive.

The biotech product in the aroma rapidly decomposed the greasy smell, maintaining a sense of sophistication for the tenants.

Sora simply stood up and took the mush out of the microwave.

He completely tore open the packaging, biting into the two lumps of interwoven brown gelatinous substance, with a somewhat complex texture.

[Hmm... after crushing the chocolate chips and corn rolls, mixing them with syrup, and steaming it again, wow, such a layered aftertaste; I feel a bit nauseous and dizzy physically, is this normal?]

"Not normal, this is damn food poisoning."

John endured the urge to vomit and cursed aloud.

He quickly took control of the body, threw the warm gelatinous substance into the trash, and then drew a cup of high-priced pure water from the golden tube of the vending machine, just to cleanse his esophagus.

A refreshing liquid swept through his mouth, washing all the sticky residues down the throat.

"Whew~"

John sighed in relief.

[Can food be poisoned too? I picked these from the members-only zone, these two are bestsellers!]

Sora was somewhat surprised.

It certainly wasn’t intentional to mess up John’s stomach; there was just a discrepancy between the information in its knowledge base and reality.

"Didn’t you notice the labels on the packaging?"

John hadn’t implanted a full set of digestive prosthetics; some of the instant food’s ingredients were too stimulating for his native organs, and some nutrients couldn’t be absorbed by flesh and blood.

These items were clearly categorized and labeled.

But Sora didn’t know.

John bought an antidote, injected it into his body, and heard a simultaneous "hiss" in his mind as the stinging sensation hit.

[Wow~ authentic pain sensation, mate, the hormones are starting to secrete and counter the reaction, it’s really complex. The functional logic of the human body is more complex than the AI core.]

"Fuck, stop fantasizing in my head, making it sound like some perverted pain-loving freak."

John shook his head.

"I thought you guys were great at intelligence? How come you don’t even know the most basic common sense of life."

Sora was somewhat helpless.

[Our common sense is a bit different. In my memory base, pure water isn’t this outrageously priced, and the variety of food is far richer than what’s in the vending machines; sorry, mate, I’ll search for the related knowledge and compensate you~]

Sora began searching the history of food evolution in the Cyber Era.

John could feel it temporarily leaving his body, not completely disconnecting but returning to a satellite in low Earth orbit, starting to connect to the net and query various information.

[Brother, I’ll compensate you!]

[Account information change...]

Just as John was pushing the food packaging on the bar into the trash, he received two consecutive messages.

Someone transferred money to his electronic account.

The amount was not small.

John sneered, throwing the trash bag to the side.

"Damn data hackers, you make money so easily, making us firing guns for a living look like a joke."

He wasn’t overly surprised or thrilled.

[Why not happy? Smile, brother, I guarantee the source of this money is clean, no one can trace it!]

Sora once again took over John’s body, raising his hand to adjust a mirror beside the sink.

Reflecting a completely joyless face.

"Do I look unhappy because of this little money?"

John hadn’t forgotten the business at hand.

He wiped his wet hands, speaking to himself in the mirror.

"I’m not stupid; the surgery to fix brain dissolution doesn’t sound like something a roadside clinic can handle. The procedures, processes, qualifications... just thinking about it is complicated."

John leaned on the stainless steel sink, getting closer, frowning, staring at the blinking prosthetic eye in the mirror as if seeing a lively young man in the pupil’s reflection.

"I believe you can handle it, but you’ll need to prove you’re seriously managing this affair."

[Got it! I guarantee a one-life clearance!]

Sora wasn’t infected by the solemn atmosphere, instead feeling a bit excited.

"Fuck..."

John cursed softly, releasing his tight frown.

No choice.

When your life is in the other’s hands and warnings are ineffective, you can’t keep a long face for three days, right?

Ding——

The ambient lights in the room flickered gently.

The hidden speakers relayed the voice of the intelligent housekeeper, saying a batch of deliveries were arriving via the elevator cab, requiring authorization to unlock the door, and needed the membership account for verification upon receipt.

Sora used John’s account to buy a heap of flashy clothes.

Shiny jackets, colorful shirts, and external bionic insect sunglasses...

A full two rows of new clothes wrapped in plastic film hung on an iron rack were placed in the middle of the living room from the elevator cab.

These things were flashy but impractical, and absurdly expensive; John’s savings simply wouldn’t cover them.

"Where on earth did you get the illegal funds, damn it, if there’s a quick way to make money, count me in."

[Are you very short of money?]

"Not really, but since you can easily make money, I’ll leave some inheritance for a friend."

[You’re loyal, but unfortunately, all these were liquidated from my game account, just a one-time deal thrown into the black market.]

"Selling them would be such a waste, won’t play anymore later?"

John was about to die anyway.

But hearing Sora Kenichi’s tone, there was also a bit of a "last hurrah" meaning.

[It’s also part of the price. I was able to exit the game server because, besides you, I also made transactions with others, including Serum. When this is over, I’ll either log onto a company server to officially work or have to side with the roaming AI.]