The window ledge was Cold a narrow strip of synth stone,of a room having only one bed,Steel Ward room Table With Old Laptop on Top.
Neo Sat on the ledge one leg on it Where his hand rested and other lazily dangling from it,
In his ears, a relic of the Old World pulsed with a strange, hypnotic beat a melody from a time before the Apocalypse. He didn't know the name of the artist or the history of the small, rectangular device clipped to his belt, a silver-and-orange box with tactile buttons that clicked with satisfying weight. To him, it was just a tether to a ghost world, playing a song that felt like on the edge of a memory.
And when I'm back in Chicago, I feel it..." The lyrics meant nothing to him locations like "Chicago" were buried under miles of dust and Aether-scorched earth but the feeling of the music matched the view perfectly.
It was the last Gift she had given to him. a small, scuffed music player she'd bought for him from a grizzled trader in the Mid-District bazaar.Before That Bloody incident.It is the only Memory of his Mom that remained She was the one Who Bought It for Him from a trader in the Mid-District.
He remember The Shopkeeper Explaining How it was Restored From Trash To a Relic ,Which Was found To store The Ideals and Emotion Of Old World people In the Form of Songs.
Neo remembered his mother's gentle smile as she handed over the credits, her fingers brushing his as she placed the player in his palm. The casing had been warm from her touch, the buttons worn smooth by countless thumbs from a forgotten era. When he pressed play that night, the first song had poured out soft strings, a voice raw with longing.
Now, years later, he still carried it. The faint clicks of its mechanism, the faint crackle before each track, the sudden swell of melody they were the closest Memory he had of her
Outside, the 12th City was waking up.
Which was also Known as 'Neon City' and The City of Drifters.
It was 7:00 PM. The sun had long since dipped behind the jagged horizon of the wastes, leaving the atmosphere to be claimed by the neon glow of Aether powered Tech. Below, the city was a sprawling canyon of light. Massive skyscrapers, built from the bones of the old world and reinforced with glowing conduits, reached toward the clouds like grasping fingers.
The air was alive. Streams of taxis,Cars and cargo freighters blurred into ribbons of violet and gold, weaving through the "streets" of the upper canopy. Every surface was a canvas for light; holographic advertisements flickered in the haze, selling Aether-filters and Full dive Techs, their colors bleeding into the rising mist of the evening.
This was the height of human resurgence. After the Dark Apocalypse, they hadn't just survived; they had evolved. The Aether hummed in the very walls of his room, a constant, low-frequency reminder of the power that kept the darkness at bay.
Neo adjusted the foam pads of his headphones. Through the grime of the window, the Neon City looked like a circuit board made of stars. It was beautiful, crowded, and impossibly loud yet, up here, with the pop swirling in his head, he felt like the only person left in the world.
RingRing..
Neo's watch start Ringing he raised his hand and shut it.
'It's Time'
Neo reached down and clicked the "Stop" button on the metal box. The silence that rushed back in was heavy, physical. The neon didn't look quite as bright without the music.
He stood up, his boots thudding softly on the synth-stone floor, and looked at the door. The song was over, and the night was just beginning.
Neo stepped into the corridor and immediately froze. A couple was pressed against the wall, lost in an intimate tangle—kissing, licking, hands roaming with shameless hunger. His face twitched in mild disgust, then he sighed, raised his wrist, and tapped the smartwatch and select contact labeled 'Buffer'.
"Yoo, Neo! You ready for today's race?" A deep, rumbling voice answered almost instantly.
Buffer Neo's best friend had met him in a VR casino, a digital den where people gambled credits on virtual games. After the incident that had left Neo desperate for money, Buffer had shown him a lucrative hustle: enter unfamiliar casinos as supposed newbies, let the crowd bet against the Competition while Buffer stacked credits on Neo at long odds. They split the winnings clean.
Neo still didn't fully understand why he was so good. From childhood his senses had been razor-sharp. When he joined a gym, the trainer had taken one look at him dodging punches in sparring and declared him a "natural fighter" with monster instincts and reflexes. Neo's only explanation when asked how he did it: "I don't know…it just happens." He'd even considered registering with the Drifter Association once he turned eighteen.
"I'm always ready," Neo said with a smirk, starting toward the elevator. "You here yet?"
"Pulling up in a minute. Meet me down at Uncle Danny's."
"Roger that." Neo ended the call and stepped into the elevator just as the doors slid open.
He was on the twentieth floor. He pressed G, and the lift began its descent. In the mirrored wall he caught his reflection: white shirt under a black leather jacket, blue jeans, white-and-black sneakers, medium-length messy black hair with controlled layers, sharp purple eyes. Lean, chiseled frame.
Passengers came and went. A few girls stole glances of him. Finally the doors opened at ground level. Neo strode out of the building and crossed the street to Uncle Danny's food stall, parked permanently in front of the apartment complex. A thin Chinese man in casual beach shorts and a faded tank top was handing a steaming bowl to a customer.
"Hello, Uncle Dan. Business still booming, as always."
Neo slid onto a stool. His eyes swept the area, as if searching for someone.
"Where's Ammy? I need to ask her something."
Uncle Danny wiped his hands on a towel and sighed, rubbing his temple. "Business is good, but my daughter is killing me. Just an hour ago she cleaned out eighty percent of my five-year savings and vanished. God knows what she's doing with it."
Neo frowned. "She must've told you something. Ammy wouldn't take that kind of money without a reason."
He knew Ammy well. After the incident, she and her father had become the closest thing Neo had to family helping with his mother's hospital bills, Taking Care of him when credits were short. Ammy was responsible, caring. She didn't throw money away.There must be a Solid Reason.
"She said it's something that'll change our lives and completely legal. Some friend told her about it. Said only rich people usually get access, Which her friend is,she is helping her get in. Wouldn't tell me more just that it's a surprise. Now she's off with that friend to 'get whatever it is.'"
"She must be talking about Nexus Online," a deep voice Came from behind Neo.
A heavy hand landed on Neo's shoulder. Buffer dropped onto the stool beside him, grinning.
"Damn. Ammy's got some high-level connections if she already knows about it. I literally just heard today."
Buffer looked True to its name buffed to the core who would think he is a nineteen years old, built like a pro athlete, dark skin, brown eyes, cornrows hair style . No one would guess he was a VR-game Obsessive.
"Nexus Online?" Neo's interest rose. If even Buffer with all his gaming contacts had only just learned about it, how had Ammy already gone to buy in? Her friend had to be someone deep inside theGaming industry, She Might Even be Related to Developers.
"It's a full-dive VRMMORPG," Buffer said, voice buzzing with excitement. "Developed jointly by every major research and tech organization across all twelve cities."
Uncle Danny let out a low whistle. "Twelve cities working together? Last time that happened was…hell, I can't even remember. This has to be huge."
Neo's mind raced along the same lines, but he tabled it for later. Right now he needed food and a race to win.
"Big or not, we've got a race to run," Neo said. "We'll talk more after. Uncle, one Red Lantern Beef Noodle for me, and…"
He glanced at Buffer, who was visibly sulking over the change of subject.
Buffer caught Uncle Danny waiting and quickly added, "Steam Core Dumplings and two Plum Fiz drinks."
Uncle Danny nodded and disappeared into the cooking area.
"Red Lantern's spicy as hell," Buffer warned sternly. "Plum Fiz is mandatory."
"I know." Neo smiled,"But I also Knew You Would Say it". Neo Smiled and Starting Waiting For Food.
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