Chapter 6
Yes. I was a very suspicious-looking person.
He stood stock-still in the middle of a scene where an extremely dangerous criminal had just been apprehended, while wearing a large, pitch-black gas mask that Darth Vader might wear.
Any sane police officer would undoubtedly suspect someone this suspicious. And unfortunately, the Patrol Officer in front of me was perfectly sane.
I should have changed the color to white. Then I would have looked a little less suspicious. I curse my past self for thoughtlessly ordering a matte black one, thinking it would be inconspicuous.
I will perform an ID Check. Please cooperate.
The request for cooperation sounded more like a command than a plea. Of course. I had no right to refuse. If I did, I'd end up a bloody mess like that criminal.
Gulp.
I swallowed, looking at the blood and mechanical debris clinging to the Patrol Officer's uniform and exoskeleton.
As I nodded, the helmet's lens split into several segments, and Luminescent Elements emerged, projecting a laser.
Just stand still.
A Prison of Light enveloped my entire body, scanning for information. All I could do was stand frozen within it.
I'd been checked many times before, but this was the first time for such a thorough process. Damn it.
All I could rely on was the Cyberwatch on my wrist. It contained my Fake Data. *Please, just let me pass without being caught...* I squinted my burning eyes, feeling like I should be praying.
That's when it happened.
[Mask.]
“Huh?”
[Please remove your mask. I need to confirm your face.]
“Oh, oh. Yes.”
I must have been too tense; my mind went blank. Right, of course, they'd want to see my bare face. I should have reacted faster...
Fumbling, I raised my hand to my mask. I pinched the indented cheekbone area with my fingers and pressed firmly. With a click, the mask detached.
Being an expensive mask, it was quite easy to put on and take off. It conformed to my face shape, so wearing it for long periods wasn't a burden.
As I lowered the mask, revealing my face, the Patrol Officer nodded without much reaction and asked,
You're wearing a rather expensive-looking mask. Do you suffer from any related illnesses?
The question was tossed out casually. At first glance, it seemed innocuous...
This was a Trap Question, a Trap Question I'd fallen for countless times because of this conspicuous mask.
If I tried to get out of this situation by answering, 'Yes, I wear a mask because of a Respiratory Illness,' I'd be in big trouble.
Personal Information barely existed in this world, and that Patrol Officer was undoubtedly checking my Personal Details, including my Medical Data, right then.
Since my data stated I had no Chronic Illnesses, what if I answered that I suffered from a Respiratory Illness?
The answer was inconsistent with the records. I was extremely suspicious and was considered a Suspect Caught in the Act. I'd be screwed.
I'd be labeled a liar and dragged away.
Therefore, it was better to gloss over it with a similar excuse to the one I gave the rooster-haired guy earlier.
“No, I don't have any particular illness. It's just that I prioritize my health and safety, so I try to wear a mask whenever I go outside. The air quality is so bad, you know, just in case.”
[Hmm... Is that so?]
At my words, the thick Security Lens briefly scanned my face. *Right, I'm Asian. It's obvious just by looking at me. My data would also say Asian.*
I just hoped that the Patrol Officer also held Shimizu's prejudice that 'Asians are particularly sensitive about safety.' Please, just let it go. I'm not a criminal, just an Asian who values safety and health.
And then...
And... you're a Pure Asian. That's rare to see in the Lower Levels.
It worked. I got past it. The fact that he shifted the topic to Asians meant there was nothing more to question about the mask.
And this wasn't the first or second time I'd talked about my race. You could say it was a topic I was quite confident in. Those City Police bastards always have the same repertoire, though it's also because my characteristics are so distinct.
“Yes. I haven't been here long since migrating from Neo Tokyo City. The reason I live in the Lower Levels is, well, money. I had some personal circumstances.”
Neo Tokyo, or as it's also called, Neo Tokyo. It's a high-tech city where Pure Asians like me—people who are visibly Asian and one hundred percent Asian by blood—primarily reside. It's so high-tech that they say the city itself flies in the sky. Even Dusk City, which is quite advanced in its own right, can't hold a candle to Neo Tokyo, I heard.
In the minds of the people here, it seems to be an image of a paradise, a Utopia. I wouldn't know, as I've never actually been there.
What's certain is that all of Dusk City harbors an immense fantasy about Asia, specifically East Asia.
You can tell just by looking at East Town, where I live. The entire district is surrounded by shops with East Asian-style Hanja signboards; Chinese-style fried food and Japanese noodle shops dominate the street stalls; and people with various skin tones proudly walk around in cheongsams or yukatas.
It was also a characteristic of Cyberpunk. A future city that evokes the exotic and unfamiliar mystique of the East, delivering a shock – isn't that the unwritten rule that naturally comes with cyberpunk?
They say the genre itself was born reflecting the fear during the 1980s Bubble Economy that Japan might surpass America and dominate the world, but I don't know about all that.
What's certain is that in this world, Japan and China are extremely closed off yet powerful nations with immense cultural influence.
Because of this, Dusk City is also deeply immersed in Orientalism; everyone wants to go to Sky-borne Neo Tokyo or Sealed Shanghai, and everyone wants to become East Asian. In fact, East Asianization Procedures are said to be gaining unusual popularity. It's truly a crazy world.
Anyway, most Pure Asians live affluent lives in their own countries and cities. Therefore, the majority of East Asians seen here in Dusk City are either 'Fake East Asians' who've undergone procedures, Mixed-race individuals, or Southeast Asians who aren't considered proper Asians... That's how it is.
This means there are few Pure Asians, who are perfectly Asian both in appearance and in data, as I do. Even if there are, they're mostly wealthy Tycoons who primarily reside in the Earthly Paradise of the Top Level, rather than living in the Lower Levels like me.
That's why the Patrol Officer mentioned that Pure Asians are a rare sight in the Lower Levels.
Neo Tokyo... isn't that what they call the City in the Sky? It's surprising that you've migrated from such a place.
Perhaps the Patrol Officer was also steeped in longing for Neo Tokyo, as his tone became much softer than before. And since my data was entered as being from Neo Tokyo, he had no choice but to believe it.
Since you have personal circumstances, I won't inquire further about your reasons for residing in the Lower Levels—understood. There are no other abnormalities. Your Nanomachine Reaction is normal, no criminal record, identity confirmed... Ah.
The Patrol Officer's Mechanical Lens, which had paused speaking, was now directed at my wrist, right where I wore my Watch Device.
My heart sank instantly. Was I caught? The Dummy Chip that manipulated Nanomachine Reactions, the Fake Biometric Data, and the Miniature Transmitter that guided ID Checks to read it—they were all inside this Cyberwatch. At least, that's what I'd been told.
I remembered what the Chairman said when he gave me this watch as a gift.
‘Even though it looks old, it incorporates the latest Military-grade Dummy Data Technology. That's why it's so bulky. As long as you wear this and don't take it off, you should be able to pass most types of inspections without issue, unless you get caught in a Detailed Examination by the Police Department, a Medical Institution, or a Military-industrial Corporation. Ah, if you happen to encounter a Special Police officer of Enforcer rank, equipped with Hacker Eyes, the story might change... but you won't have to worry about that.'
And the police officer in front of me was a Patrol Officer. While Patrol Officers are formidable and dangerous in their own right, they're not Enforcers. Enforcers intervene in major incidents like corporate wars or gang conflicts; their very existence is that of a living Combat Weapon, no different from monsters.
I'd heard that even the gang and Mafia Bosses who dominated the area would grovel before an Enforcer. For an ordinary Common Citizen like me, they were like distant acquaintances I'd never meet, and shouldn't meet.
So, the Watch's Deception Technology should have worked on the Patrol Officer in front of me, who wasn't an Enforcer.
*It should have... so why was he still staring at my wrist?*
Did I unconsciously tense one of my hands? What if he noticed something strange and told me to take off the watch?
I was on edge when he spoke.
That's an outdated piece of cyberware, I see. It's an old model that's not easy to acquire.
Thank goodness. He still hasn't told me to take it off. I let out a sigh of relief and spoke.
“Yes. It was a gift from my deceased parents. I have a personal attachment to it, so even though it's old, I still use it. It also functions perfectly fine.” [Ah... Is that so? You seem to have taken good care of it.]
It worked. It passed. Seeing him awkwardly turn his head, the Patrol Officer was completely fooled.
Parent-related excuses always work like a charm, don't they?
Is it due to the prejudice that East Asians value filial piety? If you indirectly claim that even an old Cyberwatch is a gift from your parents before they passed, and thus you can't discard it, everyone—unless they're a truly cold-blooded person—will just say, 'Ah... I see,' and let it go.
Just like with the mask earlier, stereotypes about Asians can be a very useful weapon if you know how to use them well. Especially in a city so full of fantasies about the East. Though these prejudices can sometimes be annoying.
And that Patrol Officer didn't seem to be a truly Cold-blooded Person either. He stepped back, clearing the way for me to pass. The exoskeleton's Laser Sensors had long since gone dark and quiet.
The inspection was over. I was free. Hallelujah.
I had been so tense during that short time; my back was completely drenched in cold sweat. It was my first day at work, and I'd already exhausted all my energy before even getting there.
Perhaps thinking I was still scared, seeing me walk hesitantly, the Patrol Officer let out a small laugh from beneath his helmet and said,
You said you haven't been in Dusk City long, right? You've probably never seen criminals apprehended so violently before. We might have seemed a bit frightening.
A bit? I almost pissed myself.
However, it's all to protect the daily lives of Citizens, to protect the city. Those gang members, unless their roots are pulled out, will keep popping up like rats, harassing people and committing acts of terror.
Fight to serve.
That's the motto of the DCPD.
“Hmm, I see.”
So, you don't need to be too afraid. The City Police always do their best for the safety of their Citizens.
Well. That wasn't a very convincing story.
It's only because I answered well. But what if I had answered even slightly incorrectly? If I had been dragged away, and I had been revealed to be an Unidentified Person and detained after an inspection?
I'd be sold off to the Corrupt Police, lose my organs, become a Test Subject or a Slave, or get a Criminal Label and be driven out to the slum.... Either way, it would have been hard to stay alive.
That was the DCPD. It was the Dusk City Police Department, an organization that fought people rather than protected them. It was a Megacorp-affiliated Private Enforcement Group that moved for corporate stability rather than urban safety. It was a cycle of Legal Violence several times more dangerous than illegal violence.
A significant number of citizens feared the city police more than gangs. And there was a clear reason for that.
But I wasn't so tactless as to blurt that out in front of the Patrol Officer. As I nodded several times, putting on a show of being deeply impressed by the Patrol Officer's words, I heard the sound of wind from somewhere.
Whoooooosh—
It was a familiar sound. It was the monorail.
A translucent, colossal train, levitating several meters above the rails by Superconducting Magnetic Repulsion, sped past the station and gradually decelerated. Its kilometer-long body, capable of covering all the platforms of nearby buildings with a single stop, had its front encased in an exterior wall made of Polymeric Carbon Allotrope.
That was the City Train, the trademark of the city that pierced through Dusk.
Watching the train gradually slow down as it aligned with the track, the Patrol Officer spoke.
[The train has arrived. I seem to have held you up for too long. You may go now.]“Ah, yes. Thank you. Then...
As I awkwardly bowed my head, the Patrol Officer gave a slight salute and spoke to my back as I headed towards the open monorail door.
[Have a pleasant journey, Nakamura Aaron-san.]
“......”
Right, he read my ID, so of course he knows my name.
With a sigh, I bowed to the Patrol Officer once more and stepped inside the train.
Nakamura Aaron. Or in the American style, Aaron Nakamura. It was my name in this world, a name I could never get used to, no matter how many times I heard it.
I need to retract something I said earlier. Familiar like home? Bullshit. It's still unfamiliar. I still haven't adapted to this city.