Ark is a huge city built underground.
More precisely, it is a human dwelling located 50 levels below the Surface.
About a hundred years ago, when the first Rapture invasion took place and the human Allied forces suffered a major defeat, the Human high officials, who had nowhere to escape, began to build a safe and stable underground city, and the name of this underground city was Ark.
Of course, not all humans are qualified to enter the Ark.
Since resources underground are scarce, the Ark can only support a small part of the population. So, at that time, high-ranking Human officials, after internally appointing a group of elites and scientists, adopted a lottery system to distribute Ark admission tickets "fairly and honestly" to selected humans.
Of course, most of those chosen humans ended up failing to enter the Ark, as it was the Ark that recognized the tickets, not the people; their tickets were stolen or obtained by the conglomerate, but some lucky individuals managed to keep their tickets to the end and enter the Ark.
And over time, about a hundred years have passed since the Ark was completed.
In this hundred years, most of the elites that originally formed The Ark had aged.
The remaining new generations also gradually formed a new society as the years passed.
Among them, at the top of the pyramid were, firstly, the Lord military officers who belonged to the "Central Government," and secondly, the CEOs who managed the various large corporations; the two together ruled the upper echelons of the Ark, responsible for maintaining social stability while never forgetting to weed out dissidents.
In general, most corporations will support military personnel from their own factions within the Central Government to increase their corporate voice in the government.
Companies such as Elysion, Tetra, and Missilis have all signed mutually beneficial contracts with many commanders.
However, in order to maintain the stability of their regime and reduce interference from corporations, high-ranking Central Government officials devised a very brutal promotion system; under this system, in order to rise through the ranks of the military, one had to go to the Surface and fight with Rapture, which, although cruel, significantly reduced the influence of CEOs in the Central Government.
Such is the situation at the highest level.
Below him was a class known as the "nobility."
Despite being called aristocrats, in the Year Of The Ark, they were just a group of wealthy people, perhaps merchants or small business leaders; they had money in their pockets but no power, and their greatest pleasure was to live a trendy and luxurious lifestyle, while also being the main consumers in the entertainment industry.
Below the nobility was the class of citizens.
The general public of the Ark can belong to this class; they usually have a "Citizen Card Chip" implanted in their bodies, and those who have this chip can enjoy some small benefits, such as compulsory education, the right to work within the Ark, etc. Of course, this was not the most important thing; the most important thing was the right to bathe in the Eternal Sky.
The Eternal Sky is the blue sky of the Ark, which is formed by a virtual holographic background combined with an artificial sun.
Like the sun, it radiates heat at certain times of the day, bringing light and hope to the citizens of the Ark.
However, the heat of the Eternal Sky is limited; it is only able to supply the Ark. Therefore, those who do not have a "Citizen Card" will not be able to enjoy the Eternal Sky. They will be driven from the Ark by patrolmen, and from then on, they will be trapped in the Outer Rim, which has no sunlight, and lead a difficult life.
Most of the Outer Rim residents ' livelihoods depend on a few lifts to the Surface to scavenge on the Surface. If lucky, they can retrieve the remains of Rapture and Nikke or some medicinal plants, vegetables, and food, and then sell them to the Ark's inhabitants for recycling and research. If unlucky, they can die on the Surface.
In addition, the Outer Rim is also one of the Ark's main sources for acquiring brains.
In such an anarchic place, many orphans are born but not raised.
The Ark will pay to buy newborn girls or women who are willing to donate their brains. When their brains were strong enough to be modified, they would be taken to military factories to be manufactured into mass-produced Nikkes, and dedicated their entire lives to the Ark from then on.
However, given their already extremely difficult initial circumstances, after transforming into Nikke, they could even have their own small dormitory in Ark and receive a monthly salary. Whether this is a good or bad thing that obliterates humanity and human rights depends on the perspective of each one.
Finally, putting all this aside, there is one existence that surpasses all humans.
It's the" AI " Ark, Enikk.
The original goal of humans in founding Ark was to build an underground utopia, so they unanimously agreed to let a very powerful AI manage all aspects of Ark, and Enikk was born from here.
As an AI Ark, Enikk has almost unlimited power and incredible computing capabilities. It can precisely monitor every corner of the Ark and react to any sudden situation with the most accurate and perfect response.
But there are always rumors that AI is not entirely fair and honest, because Enikk shows a tendency to be more biased towards people who are higher in position in dealing with many things.
Regarding the right or wrong of this, perhaps only those who have interacted directly with Enikk know.
....
Buzzing...
The Ark's huge elevator slowly descended.
Grim stood inside the elevator, waiting quietly, but every time he got on the elevator, he couldn't help his curiosity towards the structure of the Ark.
According to rumors, Ark has fifty levels, with Outpost being the closest to the Surface, at negative level one, and Ark being the furthest from the Surface, occupying space from negative level fifty to negative forty underground.
What are the other levels like?
Are there any restless monsters hidden there?
Or is the Ark itself a giant Rapture?
There have always been many conspiracy theories among the people.
Conspiracy theories such as "Eternal Sky is Rapture's technology", "Nikke's technology also comes from Rapture", "the failure of the second Surface Reclamation War happened because Ark didn't want to win at all", and "Rapture never existed, it was all a lie that the government made up to confine humans" are quite popular with some people.
As for Grim, he had no interest in seeking the truth at the moment.
Because of his outstanding military achievements and steadfast stance, it has frightened some high-ranking officials.
Especially whenever he went to the Ark for a face-to-face meeting with those high-ranking officials, Grim could always detect a strange glint in some people's eyes.
The gaze was as if to say: "What if this kid really defeated Rapture?"
"Hehe..."
"Don't think too much."
Grim shook his head, driving away disturbing thoughts.
Shortly thereafter, with a "ding," the elevator door opened, and he was greeted by blinding sunlight and a throng of people.
Accustomed to the tranquility of The Outpost, stepping back into this bustling city, Grim truly felt a dreamlike sensation of meeting heaven. It is difficult to imagine that in an era where the Surface has completely collapsed, such a modern city still exists underground.
"What a dazzling sunshine."
Grim squinted, instinctively protecting himself from the light of the sky above his head.
Just as he was standing there admiring the view of the Ark, a very cool motorcycle stopped beside him.
The owner of the vehicle was a woman Nikke with silvery-white hair and a black jacket. Once off the bike, she reaches out and pulls on Grim's shirt, seizing the opportunity to press him against the wall of the building and kiss him passionately.
"Sugar, next time we meet, don't just kiss me without talking. After kissing for a while, Grim saw that he was still not satisfied, so he could only gently push Sugar: "how about foreplay?"
"A little nervous? It's Okay, I'll buy you a cup of coffee with Sugar."
Sugar threw a can full of coffee from a motorcycle storage box.
Grim catches the sweet coffee and, without much formality, pulls the tab and drinks it all at once.
"This coffee is too sweet. Grim throws the empty can into a nearby recycling bin: "do you always drink it this sweet?"
Sugar nodded and said " " coffee without Sugar is like a cup of hot mud; drinking coffee like that will only get you in a bad mood all day. All right, enough about that, Partner, where are you going?"
"Missilis Headquarters."
"Are you going to negotiate with that despicable businessman again?"
"Sort of."
"Come on up, I'll take you."
"Then I won't be polite."
Grim sat in the back seat of the Black Typhoon. He wanted to praise the cool design of the bike when Sugar pulled it again and lifted it to the front seat.
Grim glared back at him: "What are you doing?"
He frowned and said " " sitting in the front will be safer."
"Nonsense."
"I think you just want to use me."
"Congratulations, you already know. So, let's start taking advantage of each other now."
Vroom vroom!
The Black typhoon roared, and amid the surprised and confused gazes of passers-by, Sugar rode the Black Typhoon, which was carrying Grim, speeding through the city.
Of course, he's an honest Nikke. Even while driving, he did not forget to attach his body to Grim's back, occasionally releasing one hand to quietly stroke Grim's burly chest.
"I miss you, Partner. How about we find a little alley first?"Sugar always spoke expressionlessly, as if she would remain calm even if the sky fell, but if anyone listened carefully to what she said, they might choke on the coffee they just drank.
"Doing what?"
"Of course, I used your wrench to adjust my exhaust pipe."
Sugar seemed amused by his own joke. Grim glanced and vaguely saw the corners of his mouth raised.
"Sugar, a dirty joke that is immediately understood is no longer a dirty joke."
"Could it be that you, partner, know too much?"
"So, you want to do it?"
"Seriously, is it? It's a city. I don't want to end up on the front page of a newspaper for obscenity," Grim said.
"Hmm, anyway, most people in Ark know you're a freak who likes Nikke, so they should have gotten used to seeing you doing things with Nikke on the side of the road," Sugar said with a grin, teasing him.
"Getting used to your big head, yeah."
During their casual chat, Sugar drops Grim off in front of the Missilis headquarters building.
Just as Grim was about to jump off the bike, Sugar grabbed him again without a word and said, "get to the destination safely. Now it's the turn to receive the commission: kisses."
"Give me a kiss before you go."
Whoa!
"It feels good. I'll have a few more cups of sweet coffee when I get back."
"See you later, partner."
After a quick and passionate kiss with Grim, Sugar jumps into her Black Typhoon and disappears at the end of the road.
Grim watched him move away and couldn't help shaking his head.
What a unique character.
But thanks to him, Grim saves a lot of travel time, after all, cars are a rarity in the Ark years; not only are they expensive, slow, and very expensive to maintain, cars are generally bought by wealthy people to relax.
Although Grim also has a sports car given to him by Rupee, it mostly sits dusty in the garage, and is only occasionally driven around the Outpost when he is in a bad mood.
Just as he thinks of the car and prepares to enter the building, Grim is embraced affectionately by a Nikke who wraps his arm around his shoulder.
"Hey, baby, what brings you here?"
"You are not satisfied and want to do another test with me? Maxwell hugged Grim's shoulder, saying as she led him to the laboratory: "since your baby is so enthusiastic, Let's not waste any more time and we go straight to the test."
"Maxwell, I'm not here for the exam today. Grim explained as he took a can of lemon tea from his pocket and gave it to Maxwell: "the drink I bought you on the way, this."
Maxwell laughed out loud and said, " although drinking drinks will reduce the efficiency of the body, I can't refuse something that the baby gives me."
"Thank you, I'll take it."
"So, what is your purpose here?"
"I asked Syuen for a technology, probably a human modification technology that Missilis developed about thirty years ago. Do you remember it?"
As Missilis ' most prominent researcher, Maxwell thought for a moment then remembered the technology Grim was talking about: "you mean that one... In fact, strictly speaking, the project cannot be called a physical modification technology, but rather a study that specifically targets the spiritual level of man. Since many Nikkes have demonstrated powers similar to superpowers, we are working hard to develop those powers in humans as well."
"But the result is not very good."
"After all, for various reasons, this project has been abandoned and banned."
"So it means..."
"I'm just begging you."
"I already knew that."
Maxwell patted Grim on the shoulder with a hint of sympathy, comforting him: "it's Okay, honey, if you really want it, I still have blueprints here that contain various information about that technology. Although it may no longer be useful, it can still satisfy your curiosity. Anyway, just watch it, and don't tell me I gave it to you."
"Thank you, Maxwell."
"Please Wait a moment, I will transfer the electronic file to your mobile phone."
Grim's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of anger appeared between his eyebrows.
He didn't expect to be defeated by Syuen again.
Sure enough, the Little CEO never said a word of truth; trusting him was less reliable than trusting Anis would break his habit of leaving socks everywhere.
"You are a bitch, Syuen. Next time we meet, don't blame me for torturing you again."
Just as Grim is about to return, Maxwell's file is sent to his cell phone.
And at this moment, his long-silent system suddenly lit up.
"Detects technical blueprints that apply to you, creates similar capabilities for you..."
"Manufacturing is complete."
"The' Sandevistan ' capability is activated."
"Stimulates muscles in a short time, makes the user faster, stronger and improves perception, but causes a certain mental fatigue after use."
"Activate?"