Chapter 46: Imprisoned Fate (Part 3)

Lin Fan stood in place, complex emotions surging within his heart.

Watching Jiang Xingyu's retreating figure, her words echoed repeatedly in his mind.

The truth she had revealed shook him to his core.

Perhaps the scientific power he had been pursuing was not as simple as he had imagined.

A moment later, Lin Fan snapped out of his deep thoughts. He quickly took out his communicator and dialed the channel for Zhang Ming and Zhang Tie.

"Return to Star-Moon Manor first," he said, his tone low and steady.

"The Ningguta Authorities are not our true opponents. Our true opponent is far more terrifying than the authorities."

As he spoke, he encrypted and transmitted the data on Jiang Xingyu's father to them.

The contents of the data made everyone's hearts tighten.

Jiang Xingyu's father was no longer an ordinary human; his consciousness had long been uploaded into that old computer, becoming an artificial tool forced to work without ceasing.

It seemed as if no one knew, but in reality, he had long since become a sacrifice to scientific fanaticism.

"The darkness of this world is deeper than we imagined."

Lin Fan muttered to himself, gripping the communicator tightly. His mood grew heavier, yet he became more determined.

The voices of Zhang Ming and Zhang Tie came through the communicator in succession.

"Understood, Lin Fan. We will act immediately. See you at Star-Moon Manor." Zhang Tie's voice was calm and firm.

"You are right. The Ningguta Authorities are just a facade. What we need to prepare to face is that dark force hiding behind the scenes."

Zhang Ming's tone carried a hint of suppressed anger.

Lin Fan took a deep breath and quickly put away the communicator.

Xiao Du's voice suddenly rang in Lin Fan's ear, carrying a hint of lighthearted teasing:

"Congratulations, Master. Deprived Freedom, completion rate: 100%."

"It's a good thing you chose to follow Jiang Xingyu, otherwise you might never have known this truth."

Lin Fan frowned, his gaze becoming sharp: "You knew from the beginning?"

"Yes." Xiao Du's tone remained relaxed, as if everything were under control.

"But the free world needs you to explore it."

"If you had followed her directly from the start, Jiang Xingyu would naturally have noticed, and the whole truth would have been exposed without a doubt."

"But discovering it now isn't too late; at least you know what the next step should be."

Lin Fan was stunned for a moment. A chill instantly flooded his mind, and his mood inevitably became more complex.

So, was everything destined from the beginning? If he hadn't followed Jiang Xingyu, would he have remained in a state of ignorance forever?

"Xiao Du," Lin Fan's tone became steady, carrying a hint of wariness, "Why didn't you tell me sooner? That way, I could have at least prepared earlier."

"Prepare?" Xiao Du's voice gave a light laugh. "You've only just begun! Isn't all of this part of the preparation?"

"I already know the truth. Since the ultimate culprit is not the Ningguta Authorities, I can consider cooperating with them!"

As he said this, Lin Fan prepared to dial the secret communication channel of the Ningguta Authorities.

At this moment, Xiao Du suddenly smiled mysteriously and interrupted.

"Don't be in such a hurry, Lin Fan. You are still missing the final clue—'The Exploited Life'."

"When you have obtained this clue in its entirety, it won't be too late to consider cooperating with the authorities."

Lin Fan was slightly stunned, a sense of confusion welling up in his heart: " 'The Exploited Life'? What does that mean?"

Xiao Du did not answer immediately but remained silent for a moment, seemingly considering how to express this important clue.

"This is the final hurdle you must experience," his tone became low.

"When you truly understand the suffering of the lower-class citizens, then consider what stance you should take."

Lin Fan's brows furrowed, as if thinking about the deeper meaning of these words.

"I understand," Lin Fan's voice became firm.

"Good that you understand. I'm going back to sleep."

Zhang Tie and Zhang Ming drove a large truck, carrying a group of people toward Star-Moon Manor.

The scenery outside the car windows flew backward, but the atmosphere inside the car was unusually silent.

Yin Miaoxue, Princess Hu Qinlan, and Princess Jin Xuan, as well as Karl and Leiting, were included.

Everyone was unusually silent. They had set off in a rush, intending to tear away the fig leaf of the authorities.

Yet the result was the discovery that those who frantically pursued science ended up being sliced for research, their consciousness uploaded into computers to work endlessly.

Stopping to enjoy a simple life—this is what the authorities did. Although life was simple, it also guaranteed one's basic existence.

In Lin Fan's mind, Xiao Du's words still echoed— "The Exploited Life".

Before dawn, in the factory district of Ningguta.

The roar of machinery, accompanied by the gushing of high-pressure steam, awakened the sleeping city.

Lin Fan stood in front of the factory, wrapped in a long-worn, shabby warm coat. The cold wind drilled into the gaps of his clothes, making him feel a chill deep in his bones.

The fellow workers beside him lowered their heads, their eyes hollow, silently queuing to wait for the scan.

"Next!"

A cold, mechanical voice came, and a thin, weak youth stepped onto the scanning platform.

His right hand was a brand-new metal prosthetic, gleaming with a faint luster, but his face was pale and bloodless, without a shred of joy in his eyes.

"Prosthetic quality is low; salary deducted by 40%." After the scanner made its judgment, the youth lowered his head, his lips trembling, but he dared not make a sound.

Lin Fan's brows furrowed slightly, and his palms tightened involuntarily.

When it was Lin Fan's turn, he pretended to be flustered as he held out his wrist.

The scanner beeped, "Biological integrity 97%; prosthetic implantation rate too low; fined 50 credits."

"A fine?" Lin Fan deliberately looked confused.

"It's the rules," a gray-haired fellow worker beside him whispered. "If you don't get prosthetics, you can't work; if you don't work, you don't get credits, and you won't even be able to pay the breathing tax."

Lin Fan had no choice but to silently accept this rule.

The first day of labor began, the mechanical broadcast playing harshly.

"Speed up, speed up, everyone be quick!"

On the assembly line, products flowed forward continuously like a stream.

The workers' hands danced incessantly; they were working for their own survival.

"Bang!"

A sudden, loud noise broke the monotonous and oppressive rhythm, and immediately after, an emergency notification came over the broadcast.

"Production Area F12 requires emergency repairs; prosthetic technicians, step forward!"

The workers kept their heads down and continued their mechanized labor; no one was willing to step forward.

Lin Fan saw a prosthetic worker not far away suddenly collapse to the ground, his prosthetic emitting a burnt smell.

No one stopped, only a cleaning robot dragged the person toward a corner.

Lin Fan stared at the oil-stained floor and lifted the heavy equipment with both hands.

Although he possessed strength far beyond that of an ordinary person, in this dull and oppressive environment, the despair of those around him surged like a tide, washing over his will.

"Boom!" An energy conversion device called "Electric Thunderstorm X100" suddenly leaked electricity, and blinding blue light exploded.

A female worker's prosthetic arm was instantly ruined, and her body was thrown several meters by the impact.

Her screams were brief and harsh, but they quickly vanished—the guard robots had already dragged her away.

"How miserable," a middle-aged worker muttered. "She has to get a new prosthetic, but she owes the company so much debt; she probably can't pay it back."

Lin Fan watched the female worker's figure disappear behind the door, lost in thought.

Once your funds are too low, you fall into an endless vicious cycle.

Without money, you cannot install the latest prosthetics; if your prosthetics are substandard, your work credits get deducted.

Without credits, the money you get in hand is even less, forming a closed loop that is difficult to break.

One night, several days later, in a cramped basement.

The night in Ningguta still did not quiet down.

High-speed maglev trains swept over the city, and the factory chimneys continued to spew billowing black smoke.

Dragging his exhausted body, Lin Fan walked into his basement, which was only six square meters.

He sat on his only iron-frame bed, gripping a worn-out communication screen in his hand.

The numbers on the screen made his heart sink—today's labor credits had been settled.

After deducting a series of expenses like prosthetic maintenance fees, oxygen tax, and water fees, only a lonely 5 credits remained.

5 credits—in this era of soaring prices, it was only enough to exchange for two cheap, synthetic meals.

"Another invalid labor," Lin Fan sighed softly, his voice echoing in the narrow space.

The neighbors around him seemed to have become accustomed to this life; they curled up in their respective small rooms like the dead, without even the strength to lament.

Here, everyone was struggling for survival, yet it seemed they would never see the dawn of hope.

Suddenly, a harsh knocking on the door broke the deathly silence of the night. "Pay your taxes! Hurry up!" A law enforcement officer's cold voice came from outside the door.

Lin Fan opened the door to see a law enforcement officer wearing a heavy uniform standing outside.

Half of his face was covered in metal, gleaming with a cold light.

"You owe 50 credits. Pay it by tomorrow, or you will be forcibly implanted with a control chip."

The person threw out this threat without any emotion and turned to leave.

In this city, having no credits meant having no dignity and no future.

Lin Fan walked out of the room and looked up at the night sky.

However, there was no starlight above Ningguta anymore, only endless smoke, dust, and light pollution.

This city was like a giant black hole, devouring everyone's dreams and hopes.

Lin Fan's mind abruptly rang with Xiao Du's soft and cute notification sound:

"Congratulations, Master. Clue Three: 'The Exploited Life', completion rate: 100%."

"Chapter One, 'Imprisoned Fate', has been completed."

"Mission details: Enter Tianji Pavilion, return to Earth through the Heavenly Mechanism Array, and obtain three pieces of evidence regarding the imprisonment. All conditions have been met."

"Mission reward: Heavenly Secret Roulette."

"Summary: Under the great hand of fate, whether one is a commoner or a scientific great,

they are all confined within a fixed range. In this circle, they will all be drained of their last glimmer of brilliance until they are scrapped."

"Chapter Two initiated: 'Reversing the Past'."

"Mission description: Change the traffic accident that once caused your death, and begin the counterattack of fate."

"Mission reward: None."

Although there was no reward, Lin Fan did not need one.

He had returned to Earth to investigate what exactly had killed him in the first place.

The days that followed gradually calmed down. Lin Fan attended classes on time every day, but often dozed off on his desk, as if he were just killing time.

His life seemed boring, but in reality, he had been waiting for that day to arrive.

Ten days later, this day finally arrived.

Lin Fan took out the old laptop from the depths of his nightstand.

Its casing was covered in scratches, and some letters on the keyboard had been worn until they were blurry, as if silently telling of the years it had experienced.

He carefully placed the computer on his desk and pressed the power button.

The screen lit up, but the image flickered constantly, as if there was a problem with the signal connection.

Lin Fan was not in a hurry to fix it, even though with his abilities, he could solve such a problem with ease.

He took a deep breath, watching the computer screen quietly without touching it.

At this moment, what he needed was not just answers, but those truths from the past that had never been uncovered.