After Xiao patted Kirk's shoulder with a symbolic gesture and gave him a piece of advice, he continued down the street.
"Since I've ended up in Heywood without realizing it, I might as well drop by the Afterlife. Haven't been there in a long time…" Xiao thought to himself.
But Kirk was still tailing him.
"Xiao, Bro, come on! why don't you call me Xiao? Don't leave so fast! Can't you lend me a hand again?"
"Is money more important than your life?" Xiao asked, not slowing down, turning to glare at him.
Kirk had clashed with Xiao over money before, and now he shamelessly came asking for help.
In the original game, this kid had also tried to exploit local gangs in Heywood for profit — a wannabe big shot in the Valentino gang. He ended up caught, and his younger brother and two accomplices were executed on the spot. For money, he cared so little about his own safety or dignity that he harmed others and himself.
"Brother Xiao, this isn't just about money. I just want to earn some reputation… not be looked down on. Remember what you said back then? You were nobody, but you were famous all over!"
Hearing Xiao's tone, Kirk's voice turned slightly plaintive. Over the years, as Xiao rose step by step, he became a role model and the envy of every Heywood boy. Meanwhile, Kirk became Heywood's laughingstock — a cautionary tale among the Valentino gang. Everyone mocked him for falling out with his best friend over a small sum and missing a chance at redemption.
Now, he hoped to reclaim some respect — if only Xiao would cooperate.
"Got it." Xiao stopped, rubbed his mechanical prosthetic neck, and pulled out a chip from the brain-computer interface. He snapped a quick scan of Kirk's palm.
"Prove yourself. Sell this chip tonight. If you've got the guts, come find me at the Afterlife tomorrow!"
Kirk stared, baffled. Just a cheap chip? One could buy dozens for 100 euros. How could this turn the tide?
But seeing Xiao put his hands in his pockets and vanish down the street, he couldn't resist yelling after him:
"That's it? How am I supposed to succeed with this?!"
"Give it a shot. Whether you disappear by morning or become Heywood's top dog depends on you," Xiao called back, disappearing into the crowd.
"Boss… is this… okay?" Big Joe finally spoke up, timid in Xiao's presence.
"How should I know? Try it," Xiao replied casually.
Kirk didn't hesitate. He inserted the chip into the nerve socket at the back of his neck.
[Dimensional network connecting…]
[Connection successful.]
[Prosthetic adaptation system activated…]
[New user detected. You have been granted a 1-hour trial period. This time cannot be used for purchases.]
Streams of data flooded Kirk's vision through his prosthetic eyes. Almost immediately, he felt a strange lightness, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his body. A huge interface appeared, featuring a countdown clock of one hour at the top.
The webpage was divided into major sections: a mall, a library, forums and tasks, and personal development.
Kirk flopped onto a nearby chair and quickly explored the virtual mall. Unconsciously, the hour passed. When the countdown ended, the chip ejected automatically from his nerve socket, and his body returned to normal weight.
Reinserting it prompted him to recharge. The cost was reasonable: one dollar per hour of usage.
Over that first hour, Kirk discovered the chip's functions:
Mall: Buy and sell everything — food, medicine, weapons, equipment, appliances.
Library: Store of books — from elementary textbooks to classics and cutting-edge research. Xiao had uploaded his own tech to the shelves.
Tasks: Post missions for others; platform takes 10% tax — far lower than standard middlemen, who take 60% from mercenaries.
Forums: Free speech area for text, images, video, and live streaming. Users could reward others with time credits.
Personal Development: Build websites, host services, and create networks — all requiring computing power and rental time.
Kirk soon realized every action in this dimensional chip consumed time credits. Items could not be purchased with money directly; all interactions required time.
The sheer volume of content intimidated him. Xiao had essentially built his own IP ecosystem, a localized network rivaling what only megacorporations could attempt. All networks were monitored, and unauthorized domain creation could provoke the most elite hackers in the world.
Xiao wasn't just giving Kirk a test — he was pushing him to engage with a system few would dare to touch.