Chapter 2769: Urban Roller Coaster

Levi and Zhan Erliu acted together, while Xu Huo sat briefly before parting from him. The matter concerning Black Sea Technology Company quickly reached a conclusion, especially with the intervention of the District Government. The use of the legally regulated interrogation potions became less cumbersome, and thus, the final results were soon announced.

Before being discovered, everyone turned a blind eye, but once exposed, the District Government had to deal with the implicated higher-ups in the local enforcement departments. Black Sea Technology also faced penalties, but since Towen Smith was dead, he took the blame naturally. As for the Punishment City, it wasn’t as the Collection of Information Terminal rumored—being an underground live broadcast venue authorized by the local enforcement department for Black Sea Technology. Rather, it was a newly built Punishment City, not yet fully operational; the government had merely been exploited by loopholes.

Of course, the players who died in Punishment City were glossed over. Despite the District Government being annoyed by the matter, they had to suppress their anger. If the public knew how easily the Enforcement Department’s players were defeated, it might cause panic.

Naturally, the Enforcement Department was investigating the players who escaped from Punishment City, but they hadn’t had any breakthroughs for the time being. Occasionally, some clues appeared, but they were just smokescreens released by Outer Zone players. Moreover, using this incident as an opportunity, a few Outer Zone players instigated trouble, though it wasn’t a large disturbance.

The situation completely calmed down.

While the local government was busy tracking Xu Huo’s whereabouts, he had already reached the largest transportation hub on the route map. Unlike other cities known for their scenic views or cultural heritage, the highlight here was the extensive transportation network connecting heaven and earth, also called the "urban roller coaster."

This transportation hub city restricted aircraft, so the rail transportation bore much of the transport pressure.

The intercity train Xu Huo boarded was almost winding through all the above-ground and underground transportation channels. This was a tour route; there were many fellow tourists, most attracted by the underground holographic show.

Reportedly, in order to increase revenue, the government employed the latest holographic projectors to create a massive technological cave underground, with different themes for each section of the route.

As the vehicle entered the underground, Xu Huo saw the future city, interstellar travel, wormhole shuttle, and time travel in succession.

Interstellar travel and wormhole shuttle mostly captured cosmic scenery, while the future city was depicted using a more advanced Wormhole Points as a blueprint, with real location names blurred. The time travel was themed around this city, recreating its past scenes based on records from different times.

After viewing much unrealistic content, the nostalgic style was quite appealing, and Xu Huo also saw the figures of two generations of Chief Governors among them. Although these two came from different families and weren’t related by blood, their appearances were remarkably similar, looking like father and son.

Out of curiosity, he investigated the relevant information and found that both Chief Governors had been involved in a gene editing crime case—not that they were supporters, but their names appeared in the "victim" list disclosed by personnel involved in gene editing.

That case happened many years ago; the two Chief Governors were only a few years apart. Their parents, knowingly or unknowingly, had them participate in gene editing experiments. The matter was revealed because the doctor conducting the experiment made some modifications based on personal preference, leading to many grown children looking alike—though these children truly inherited their parents’ genes. The astonishing coincidence resulted in the doctor’s preselection of experiment participants, termed "mass production" at the time.

Both Chief Governors were "mass production" outcomes, yet unlike other victims who opted for cosmetic surgery to conceal their past, they didn’t mind exposing their victim status, even using it as a convenient excuse for self-benefit whenever appropriate.

Both Chief Governors were quite old, and gene editing crimes were at least decades old. During this period, Zone 022 gradually improved relevant laws, making gene editing absolutely prohibited in this district.

However, the success of these two has shown some people the benefits, thus there are persistent calls for the legalization of gene editing.

Of course, the adverse effects of gene editing had long been announced to the public; both Chief Governors had publicly revealed they suffered from new genetic diseases. Moreover, their diseases weren’t inherited from their parents but had been passed down to their descendants.

"Gene editing legalization" was merely a voice within a limited scope.

Having come through the underground, the train reached the surface, moving at a high altitude, offering a panoramic view of the city.

Firework displays appeared in the distance, with a large floating projection saying "Happy Birthday," clearly visible from any angle of the city.

"Isn’t the Chief Governor’s youngest daughter’s birthday party over?" Someone discussed on the train.

"Rich people spend a long time preparing for birthdays; just arranging the guest list for the banquet takes them a long time," another replied, adding with envy, "Being the Chief Governor’s daughter must be wonderful. Even casually taking a doll out would skyrocket its value. I’d accept having a genetic disease for that."

Someone nearby mocked his wishful thinking, yet others said, "I noticed the Chief Governor celebrates for his youngest daughter every year, but I’ve never seen her, and I wonder what genetic disease prevents her from showing her face."

"Probably she’s seriously ill, which is why such a grand birthday party happens,"

This wasn’t a topic to delve into in public, so the chit-chat quickly moved on, transitioning to discussing the upcoming sculpture exhibit, with people saying they should queue up to buy meerkat dolls in the meantime.

Xu Huo checked the time on the Collection of Information Terminal and booked a ticket to the sculpture exhibit.

When disembarking, the woman ahead of him staggered a bit, and he reached out to steady her. Upon turning back, he realized her face was covered with boils.

Noticing his gaze, the woman quickly pulled up her scarf, whispered a thank you, and hurried away.

Given Zone 022’s welfare, it was rare to see someone with severe skin diseases on the street. Even if one couldn’t afford long-term treatment, the government would find a way to help; furthermore, the Evolution Potion available to ordinary people was quite effective, making severe skin diseases almost non-existent. Seeing such an individual was abnormal.

Sure enough, not long after, the woman was stopped by the Law Enforcement Team, but after checking her identification, they let her go, reminding her not to wander in public and to hurry home if she had nothing to do.

She was also going to the sculpture exhibit; by the time Xu Huo arrived, she was already in the middle of the queue.