Whoever claimed crime doesn’t pay should probably take a good long look at the frankly obscene amounts of “pay” I made off with, after only a single well planned heist. And then maybe think long and hard about their stance on so called morality. Not that something so plainly false would ever have been uttered by a born resident of this world. Here, where it’s as if criminal dealings have been refined into a high art.

  Jun chuckled.

  Even the most unscrupulous, untrustworthy bastards from back home might as well be country rubes when compared to even the most honest of law abiding citizens here.

  “So much to learn. And yet so little time,” he lamented.

  An idle tune on his lips, he let himself be carried along with the milling throng through what the locals referred to as the “commercial sector.”

  And while, much to his chagrin, when he’d first arrived all of the flashing lights, strangely moving pictures, not to mention the sheer congested mass of unwashed humanity, had nearly sent him into paroxysms of animalistic terror, he could say with confidence he’d gotten over his debilitating fear by this point, and now couldn’t get enough of the hyperactive metropolis.

  Peering up through the near constant drizzle, he once more admired the glass and steel monoliths which made up the city proper. Residences which he’d been assured, on more than one occasion, people worked and lived in on a regular basis.

  Incredible.

  Towering structures, no two of them identical, which reflected the neon flashing of floating advertisements, even as they challenged the very heavens themselves—like their architects no doubt intended.

  Pausing before a busy intersection in a bid to find his bearings, he was unsurprised, though thoroughly thoroughly amused, when a particularly animated squirrel creature popped into being not five paces in front of him, and tried, unsuccessfully, to sell him some sort of colorful breakfast food.

  It was just too bad food tasted like burnt ash within the trial worlds or he might’ve even been tempted to try it. Even though it couldn’t talk, the squirrel was… oddly persuasive. In fact, by the time the little holo-creature looked about ready to give up the ghost, he was actually starting to feel bad for the guy.

  Finally, with one last look of naked resentment—somewhat uncalled for under the circumstances, he thought—it gathered up its bowl of Squirrelly Pebbles?, and zoomed away on its hovering board.

  To be immediately replaced by a half naked woman, as was apparently the norm for this place, promising services he found much harder to decline.

  Nevertheless!

  He actually did have things to do that day. Things that probably shouldn’t be put off. And so, with a backwards glance reminiscent to that of his erstwhile squirrelly companion, Jun quickly oriented himself, then merged back into the milling crowd.

  “Never a dull moment,” he hummed to himself.

  It hadn’t taken much to fleece one of the three largest multinational corporations in existence.

  The very same that, combined, boast a total monopoly on this world, its dwindling resources, and, let’s not forget, the susceptible minds of its population therein. All he’d really needed to do was get scouted by a crack team of jaded professionals for the peculiar properties of his blood, then just play his part accordingly.

  But of course it’s never as simple as that.

  Not nearly.

  As it turned out, the client that initially contracted them just so happened to be another of those pesky multinational conglomerates, the simple job they were expecting turned out to be way more dangerous than they bargained for—the theft of some super experimental technology or another—and to top it all off, at least as far as his humble share was concerned, his fellow heist mates never intended to pay up.

  In the end, he’d effectively been thrust into the most peril, with the least amount of information to go on, and had been forced to outmaneuver a textbook betrayal in the making while constantly keeping his eyes on the ultimate prize.

  Which meant that in the end he not only managed to outlive, if not necessarily outwit, his opponents, but he came away stupidly rich on top of that.

  We’re talking the kind of wealth he couldn’t spend in a multitude of lifetimes if he was actively trying.

  Still.

  It didn’t mean he couldn’t give it a good old college try.

  And since he was skeptical about whether his newfound wealth would remain his once he finally completed this trial, there was really no reason why he shouldn’t go all out. He had a few trillion credits burning a hole in his pocket, and he thought he knew just the place to spend it.

  He stepped into the shamelessly decadent establishment and was greeted by the same mellow tones and generic message he was already becoming used to receiving by now.

  “Welcome back honored customer.”

  Apparently it didn’t matter whether he was, in fact, a regular, or was walking into a place for the very first time. The androgynous, disembodied voice that seemed so universal around these parts would greet him the very same regardless. As if they not only knew one another, but actually went way back, thank you very much.

  Although, I’ll admit it is rather nice to immediately feel like I’m at home. Huh. I wonder if there’s something to that.

  Dress shoes clacking on the polished marble floor, he immediately made for one of several reception desks manned by what he hoped was actually a person—holo-displays and colorful advertisements bombarding him all the while.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Hope being the operative word, since you never really knew with these sorts of places.

  Having dressed up for the part—strolling purposefully forward in a black and crimson three piece suit, with accompanying jewel encrusted cane just for the hell of it—he did his best to curtail any unnecessary gawking on his end.

  Unfortunately, he wasn’t entirely successful.

  The place was practically a sudo-cathedral. It was a massive multi-tiered atrium. All open spaces, curvy walkways, and floor to ceiling windows. And if that weren’t enough, the place was utterly pristine. Not a speck of dirt anywhere to be found.

  Smoothly slotting himself in behind a long queue, all the while ignoring the strange looks his little ensemble was garnering—it wasn’t his fault the denizens of this trial world had uniquely poor taste—he resigned himself to a short wait, and so finally let the never-ending stream of colorful promotions wash over him.

  To his right, an ad for the place he was currently in residence began to play. It began with the entrance of a hummingbird of all things, and a rather generic sounding melody.

  “Here at SynthSkin Solutions LLC it has been our goal since the very beginning to be the sole biotech, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical provider you can trust completely, unthinkingly, and without reservations. With our wide range of high end products, critically acclaimed service, and attentive professionals with their decades worth of experience—each and every one of them eager to satisfy all of your cosmetic and upgradable needs—its no wonder that we consistently place first on the universal health and wellness ladder. Putting credits where our proverbial mouth is, year after year.”

  The guy two spots ahead of him, apparently listening in with half an ear, quietly snorted.

  “Whether it be that life saving artificial heart transplant, or a complete cosmetic overhaul, just know that SynthSkin Solutions LLC has been, and always will be, just a neural click away.”

  The image slowly faded to black on a smiling family, two kids waving enthusiastically at the viewer. Barely a second passed though, before a new series of disconnected images flashed by.

  “Visit our feed to see if you qualify for a free consultation!”

  “Come on down to the affiliated outlet in your area where we may be offering region specific discounts!”

  “New! The latest and greatest in cosmetic bioengineering… Elevate your “Wow!” factor to a whole ‘nother level.”

  “Now in strawberry mango flavor!”

  It went on like that for quite some time.

  “Greetings customer! Welcome to this, our officially licensed and privately owned SynthSkin Solutions LLC brand affiliate—for all your cosmetic and upgradable needs. My name is Mary. How may I help you today?”

  Jun started.

  Snapping his head up only to find he’d somehow reached the front of the line. Taking in the smiling attendant before him, he couldn’t say with complete certainty what he was looking at was, indeed, a person. There was just something so artificial in the way everyone who worked in this “retail” spoke, that he was having a hard time discerning truth from fiction.

  Not that it really mattered in a material sense, but, on an instinctual one? He’d be the first one to admit it creeped him out more than a little. Still, unease aside, it didn’t change what he’d come here to do. An old hand at this whole process by now, he replied almost immediately.

  “I’d like to see a catalog of your most advanced A class body mods, with an emphasis on enhanced mental processing, augmented reality, and a general boosting of basic physical parameters. I’d also like you to sort exclusively by overall compatibility, fast installation, and, if at all possible, make unobtrusive augmentation a priority.”

  It’d taken nearly half the day to get those hopelessly foreign words in that very particular order.

  A boatload of eavesdropping—and more awkward customer service experiences than he knew what to do with—later and, lo and behold, it would appear as though he’d managed it after all. To recite the magical incantation that would henceforth open up to him a whole new world of possibilities.

  “Of course! Here is a complete set of high end, A class body modifications that fit your specifications.”

  Before him a light blue holo-screen blipped into existence.

  “Here we have seven different procedures which should significantly boost your physical parameters, three which should greatly improve your senses, two geared toward augmenting your general reality, and another three aimed to greatly enhance your cognitive abilities! Which comes to… fifteen in total! Would you like me to direct you towards our financial advisor so that we might put together a payment plan that best suit’s your needs?”

  Only half listening by this point, Jun shamelessly ogled the scrolling list of augmentations.

  XFX 300 Universal OptiLink wt. Cranial Capacity Upgrade — Consists of a heavily optimized Optical & Combined Cranial Implant. Comes complete with increased RA storage, greater pattern recognition, greater assisted tracking, integrated weapon support systems, a reality augment premium+ subscription, and much much more.

  Integrated NanoCognition Booster — A nano-infused cognition booster meant to aid in the integration of high end ocular and cranial implants, enhancing the speed, efficiency, and depth of cognition.

  SynthLace NanoLab 3040 Pro — A musculoskeletal enhancement achieved through the careful threading of nanites, resulting in greater base strength and durability for both the skeleton and its musculature.

  Full Body Graft: The Executive Package — A vat-grown alternative to traditional body building, this organically modified, lab certified muscle tissue, once grafted onto the human body, should be practically indistinguishable from naturally toned musculature. By selecting the executive package you will immediately be equipped with the very peak of physical fitness, a money backed guarantee on general ease of maintenance, as well as a multiplicative effect on further strength training through more traditional means.

  Silk & Satin DermaWeave — A physical and cosmetic enhancement achieved through the careful threading of nanites, resulting in skin with resilience equal to that of military grade light body armor, without compromising on overall appearance or its silky smooth feel.

  NanoSurge Suite: Alpha Series X — A regenerative enhancement that consists of an infusion of surgical nanites specifically designed to knit together injuries on a cellular level. This is the latest and greatest series in the NanoSurge Suite line, boasting 14.5 times the average person’s regeneration.

  “I’ll take it.”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “I said I’ll take them.”

  “S-sir? Which ones?”

  “All of them,” he replied, a greedy gleam in his eyes.

  “I…” abruptly, the carefully curated “customer friendly” mask seemed to crack ever so slightly, letting the barest hint of exasperation show through.

  “Sir, I don’t think you understand what it is you’re asking. These aren’t your average D or C class augmentations. We’re talking about state of the art A Class modifications. That’s with a capital A. And not just any A Class modifications either. Top of the line implants requiring some of the best bio-surgeon’s in their respective fields to install. It is no exaggeration to say that the total cost of what you’re asking for could easily number in the several hundreds of billions of-”

  Without uttering a word, Jun reached forward and tapped his credit chip, the nifty little miracle maker, against the desk’s oddly shaped transactional lump.

  As a holo-screen blipped into existence, and a truly absurd string of numbers was suddenly reflected in the receptionist’s eyes, for the first time during their brief interaction, not just a hint of humanity slipped past her agreeable mask, but a riotous cascade of unchecked emotion. Incomprehension chief among them.

  Gods. He was going to miss being this obscenely stinking rich.