The Collection of The End

——AD.2158.1.1——

Familiar ceiling...

Anderson opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling lamp with a small crack for a while.

He felt as if he had a strange dream. Although he felt that the content was very important, he couldn't remember anything when he recalled it carefully.

This kind of thing has not happened for the first time, since he started to conduct "psychological assessment", it has appeared more than once.

And its consequences...

Anderson shook his head, rolled over and got out of the bed to open the curtains, and a faint light came through.

The sky is already bright, but the clouds covering the sky can only see through the faint light like charcoal that is about to burn out, setting off the spire buildings outside the window as if trapping his prison walls.

This is the surface of Zion, a "retro city" called "Gotham".

Since his "psychological evaluation" had "serious problems", the "Commander Locke" ignored Morpheus's protest and directly moved the evaluation site from the castle to the surface of Zion. The urgency seemed to think Anderson could remove it with bare hands. The same as for the gods.

In a sense, this is also his performance.

Anderson glanced at the almost unchanged scene outside the window, and began to wash and clean up.

According to Morpheus, Zion is a place where people who have just left the matrix and cannot adapt to live, so everything here is imitating the Earth in 1999.

Since it is impossible to determine the real time of the universe and the future when Grox did not appear, Fort God fixed Zion's time in this year, that is, after December 31, 1999, it is January 1, 1999.

There will be no development in technology, and people who descend from the castle are not allowed to use advanced technology in the public.

People who are content with the status quo and do not want to make progress are naturally very satisfied, and those who are interested in understanding the universe and overthrowing Grox can also choose to go to the "Fortress of God" and face the truth.

Since Anderson himself is under "psychological evaluation" and is banned from networking, including the antique network in 1999, these things do not matter to him.

The only doubt is that Anderson is convinced that he has never heard of such a "Gotham City" in New Jersey. However, since his knowledge is obtained from the matrix, it is the matrix for some reason. Restore some real cities, or the castle added some cities that did not exist in history?

After getting a general understanding of the relationship between Zion and the castle, and the authority of the parliament, Anderson speculated that it should be the former, because it is meaningless to create a non-existent city out of thin air, and the parliament must vote to pass it.

On the contrary, "Gotham" originally existed in the matrix, but for some reason, the city was deleted in the subsequent "version update", which is much more likely.

It is further inferred that after showing "psychological problems", I was transferred to this city to continue the evaluation. It is likely that there are similar reasons-what kind of chemical reaction will a non-existent encounter in a non-existent city?

I don’t know what the reaction is, but if I say something "I have a dream but don’t remember the content" in today’s psychological evaluation, the time limit for the "psychological evaluation" will probably be increased by another half year.

After half a year and half a year, it has been a year and a half. He was a "savior" who could not do anything to stay in Zion. Obviously it was a ghost who did not believe in the existence of the savior. Morpheus probably already Mad.

However, thinking about it carefully, I was fished out of the matrix and fought for several battles, "resurrected from the dead", and eliminated the agents of the matrix. This perfectly conforms to the prophecy of the "savior", but Grox strangely did not have any. Does the reaction prove that he is not a "savior" at all?

No, no, Anderson shook his head again and again to stop him from continuing to belittle himself.

It should be said that he is the "Savior Neo" only if he is connected to the Internet. Ordinarily staying in the real world is just a programmer "Thomas A. Anderson" who has no power.

So, the tone of today’s conversation with the psychological assessor is also determined, and we will never reveal our “abnormality”. Only by ending the assessment as soon as possible and returning to the Normandy can we truly exert our strength.

Anderson, neatly dressed and carrying a briefcase, opened the door of the apartment and started a new day like countless office workers in Gotham.

————

Gotham General Hospital.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Anderson, although your'mental state' has improved significantly, the evaluation result still failed," said a psychologist dressed like a doctor while typing something on the computer in front of him: "Need to increase Three-month observation period."

"Oh." Anderson responded with no surprises.

"Do you have any questions? Mr. Anderson?" The assessor turned his head and glanced at him.

"The increased observation period is shortened, means I can pass it next time?" Anderson pretended to be a fool.

At this time, asking "Where is the problem" or confessing "I clearly have no problem" is a foolish act. The former means that the evaluator tries to speculate on the evaluation items, while the latter means that the evaluator already knows what the evaluation items are. All will increase the "term of imprisonment."

Ha... If you had figured out that this was not an assessment at all, but that the group of people who didn't believe in the existence of the "savior" were making trouble, they wouldn't say anything so honestly.

"Um... maybe." The assessor entered something again.

Undoubtedly, this answer is correct, and what I have been assessed is not the possibility of betrayal or spying at all, but "whether it can be integrated into human society" or "social acceptance".

If you show a tendency to accept your current life situation, those who don't believe in the existence of a "savior" may not "hide" themselves. After all, there is always a shortage of people on the front battlefield.

This faction that does not believe in the existence of the "savior" may also be fighting for a way out for mankind, but it does not want to adopt the method of "the savior fights a battle with the core program in virtual space and finishes his work". Instead, it accumulates strength and slowly plans It.

And in the face of an unknowingly many times the hard power gap, how they want to "map" is not known, maybe they don't know it themselves.

"Then, I'll leave, the company still has work this afternoon." Anderson got up and left.

"Hmm." The assessor glanced at him and added a few more words.

This is still a bonus item. When Anderson left the assessment room, he silently said that even if he may leave at any time, he must first complete his own work.

If nothing else, these three months will be the last time I can stay in Zion.

————

Gotham Daily News Agency.

"Hi Thomas, what was the result of the inspection?"

Just stepping into the company's door, Anderson met a black-haired woman in a white shirt, brown blazer and trousers. She seemed to be out in a hurry. When she saw him, her eyes lit up and she took the initiative to talk.

"Everything is normal. The restrictions will be lifted in about three months." Anderson nodded.

"That's just right," she grabbed Anderson's arm: "I have a clue of big news here, but there is less partner, you go with me!"

"Wait, Martha," Anderson was dragged out by her, and she couldn't force herself to break free for a while: "The editor asked me to see him when I came back."

"Ha, don't worry about James' old fool, he will only let you report on college football games." The woman directly pulled Anderson out of the newspaper.

Other newspaper colleagues passing by showed expressions of understanding and sympathy.

"Okay, Martha, I'll go by myself, you tell me where we are going first." After passing by and giving the editor a message, Anderson gently pushed her away.

From the second half of the "psychological evaluation", Anderson was assigned to the "Gotham Daily", but because he was not allowed to access the Internet and could not act as an editor, the position he held was a front reporter.

The editor-in-chief Jonah James is a person who pursues stability and peace. He doesn't like to report on major or controversial events. Unlike Martha Kane, she believes that newspapers with no content worth reading are better than waste paper, and take the initiative from time to time. Report on the scene of major incidents and even crimes.

Of course, illegal crimes, when Zion reproduced the earth in 1999 in pursuit of retrospect, with a huge population of 7 billion people, various malpractices at that time were inevitably reproduced, and criminals in line with the time background appeared. .

However, monitoring Zion at any time, the God Citadel, which can completely prevent it, has no intention of stopping it. Obviously, crime is also part of the "play" of this "retro world", but the cost is relatively high.

Think about it carefully. In the "Matrix World" where every detail is really controlled by Grox, there are similar behaviors. The super AI that controls humans also does not intend to control human cannibalism.

Obviously, no matter where it is, its technology is sufficient to ensure that the human being injured by the means of 1999 will not die, and the human behavior and psychology in similar incidents are objects worthy of research.

For the same reason, there is no death penalty in Zion. As far as Anderson knows, all criminals in Gotham will be sent to the "ArkhamAsylum" for treatment.

However, even if you don't die, there is no need to report on the risk of being hurt by criminals. Anderson has persuaded Martha several times, but she always insists on her own opinions.

"Let's go here," Martha took out a photo of the factory after seeing Anderson did follow up: "A group of criminals are going to rob the ACE chemical plant (ACEchemical), we grab a good position in advance and take the whole process. Tomorrow’s newspapers will sell out!"

"..." Anderson sighed silently.

Not to mention that machinery has enslaved most of human beings, and at this time, human technology is already sufficient for interstellar flight. Why would those criminals rob a chemical plant in a small area?

Sure enough, they should be thrown into a mental hospital.

————

ACE chemical plant.

"Come here, Thomas, pay attention to snaps!"

"I know, keep your voice down."

At this time, Anderson and Martha were hiding on the roof of the main building of the chemical plant, watching three men with red hoods pry open the back door of the plant and head straight to the warehouse of the chemical plant with a clear goal.

When he "stepped on a spot" in advance, Anderson had already got the ins and outs of the robbery from Martha.

This is not a robbery against cash or materials, but an act of sabotage. ACE Chemical Plant seems to have developed a more advanced solvent. According to expert evaluations, it can basically squeeze out all peers without this formula from the market. Therefore, After the news was leaked, its competitors sent people to destroy the formula and the finished product.

Martha is not expected to report a mere robbery, she will extend and attack several ACE competitors while reporting the incident.

Unsurprisingly, her article will be published after being modified by the editor-in-chief rather non-aggressive, but it is enough to cause a heated discussion.

Participating in this kind of reporting may become a bonus item for "integrating into society", probably.

Anderson raised the camera with the flash and shutter turned off, and snapped a few photos of the gangster entering the warehouse: "Let’s go now. There are only three of them, and the sabotage should take a long time."

"No, maybe it will be windy outside," Martha clicked and shot continuously as if film didn't cost money: "Wait for them to leave us before leaving-aren't you afraid?"

Anderson silently shut up. Everyone in the Gotham Daily knew that if Martha decides something, it is best not to confront her, because she will never get back, and will drag you over.

"Who would do it?" The reporter whispered to himself: "Although wearing a red hood, I think Black Jack is very likely, um, just write about them."

Flying to the pan, Anderson mourned for Blackjack for two seconds.

At this moment, there was a mess of fighting and things collapsing in the warehouse, and then three red head coverings came out with a thin man in an engineer's costume, one of which was still carrying a cylindrical container.

"No-help -!" The thin man desperately called for help, but he had already left work by now, and no one would pass by near the chemical plant.

"It seems that this engineer didn't go home after get off work. It's really unlucky, but what are they going to do?" Martha kept snapping shots with excitement, whispering to herself.

"..." Anderson narrowed his eyes and stared at the cylindrical container, where the biochemical warning sign was very conspicuous.

As a group of people approached the main factory building, their voices gradually became clear.

"...Rather than simply destroying it, it is better to directly create a leak," a red headgear said: "If ACE's new product contaminates half of Gotham, no one will pursue who did it. "

"How could it not be held accountable? Isn't this the culprit of the leak?" The other red hood holding the thin man shook his hand: "Drunk and acted randomly, and finally fell into the chemical raw material barrel to cause it to leak Mr?"

"No, you can't..." the thin engineer protested tremblingly.

"No, we can." The red hood holding him slammed into it with his forehead, knocking the engineer into a daze.

"Don't do unnecessary things," said the red hood carrying the cylindrical container, "leave the scene as soon as possible."

The other two responded, and began to set up the "biochemical leak" scene.

"This... a biochemical leak..." Martha's expression became tense: "Should we call the police?"

It must be too late to report to the police, and biochemical leaks are meaningless even if the culprit is caught.

"Help me get it." Anderson handed Martha the camera and briefcase, took off his coat, and untied his tie.

"Ah? What are you going to do?" Martha subconsciously turned the camera over.

"Being—" Anderson took out a black mask like an owl and put it on his face: "Batman."

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