The Underclass - Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Galaxy didn't know why An Hua had shown up here, but her arrival at least allowed Galaxy to breathe a sigh of relief.
Lu Qi seemed genuinely insane; Galaxy severely suspected that if she fell into her hands, she would be torn limb from limb and die without an intact corpse.
However, An Hua's expression was exceptionally grim. She stared at Galaxy almost morbidly, remaining silent for a long time before asking, "Why are you here?"
Galaxy glared at her. "Because she offered me a higher price."
"Heh," An Hua scoffed. "And the result? If it weren't for me, you would have been rendered into organic tissue and flushed into the Hades River by now."
"Do you want me to talk to you in this position?" Galaxy snapped. "Can you untie me first?"
"Fine." An Hua released her bindings. She stood by the lab table, her anger unquelled. Raising her stun baton, she viciously smashed it into Lu Qi's equipment. The high-polymer instruments cracked and shattered just like that.
Galaxy jumped. She glanced at Lu Qi, who lay motionless on the floor, and briefly prayed in her heart that the woman was still alive.
Of course, if she was dead, it didn't matter—it had nothing to do with Galaxy anyway.
Lu Qi's background and status were on par with An Hua's; if there was any fallout, An Hua would be the one dealing with it.
But Galaxy underestimated the pettiness of the rich.
The next morning, when she woke up in her dilapidated bed, her smart-brain was automatically playing the daily news.
Lu Qi, daughter of the Minister of Security, was murdered in her laboratory last night. Our nation has lost an outstanding scientist, and the killer remains at large. The suspect is extremely dangerous and possesses advanced technology, having destroyed every camera in the lab so that only a profile shot was captured. A reward of 120,000 Galleons will be given to anyone providing leads.
This was probably the most valuable Galaxy would ever be in her entire life—seeing her own face plastered on that wanted poster.
She felt total disbelief.
So the news was implying that she, a victim who nearly died at Lu Qi's hands, had somehow destroyed the smart cameras, fought her way in and out of the lab, and disabled the most advanced, 300-billion-pixel surveillance system equipped with automatic facial and DNA locking?
How did she know about those specs? Because every time she walked past the smart camera at An Hua's place, her DNA sequence was instantly scanned and logged.
In this day and age, poor people didn't just lack privacy; their bodies were practically transparent.
There was no way the authorities didn't know An Hua was the real killer.
That meant there was only one possibility.
The opposing faction had lost the political struggle against An Hua's family and subsequently redirected their fury onto Galaxy.
Furious, Galaxy immediately rummaged through her apartment, packing her bags to go on the run.
Even though 120,000 Galleons might only buy a toilet in the slums, it was a toilet! Just paying rent in the slums alone, that money could cover five years! The temptation was massive!
If she hadn't been the protagonist of the wanted poster, she would have been out roaming the city 24/7 trying to catch the fugitive.
But now she was the goddamn protagonist, which was terrible.
Her primary task right now was figuring out how to get to An Hua and demand justice.
But after sneaking through the city's darkest sewers—not even daring to take the hyper-rail—she finally arrived at An Hua's residence, only to find herself locked out.
Normally, she had unrestricted access to An Hua's entire laboratory, but right now, she was barred from entry.
Her familiar Butler No. 1 was patrolling the gate. The realistic android face leaned in, scanned Galaxy's genetic sequence, and then ruthlessly announced, "Illegal intruder. Illegal intruder. Class-A fugitive Galaxy approaching. Initiating alarm protocols."
Galaxy turned pale with shock. She kicked the wall viciously as the alarm blared louder. Seeing mechanical enforcers sprinting toward her, she turned and ran for her life.
The area where An Hua lived was a quiet, affluent neighborhood. The shrill sirens of the mechanical enforcers quickly drew complaints from the wealthy residents and were swiftly silenced.
This was the first time Galaxy felt thankful for the cruel entitlement of the privileged class, as it granted her a brief reprieve.
She found the sewer grate she had come through, but suddenly, the sound of running footsteps echoed behind her. A woman in a police uniform charged toward her, wielding a firearm and a stun baton.
The woman's face bore a look of arrogant contempt. Being a police officer wasn't a respected profession in this era; mechanical enforcers had long since stolen their jobs, leaving humans to do menial tasks.
This was a rare opportunity. If she caught Galaxy, the bounty would be enough for her to quit this job and move to a normal civilian district. A hint of greed flashed in her eyes.
Galaxy backed away, pleading, "I didn't kill Lu Qi. An Hua did it."
The officer let out a laugh. "Miss, you can save that for the courtroom."
With that, she leveled her weapon at Galaxy.
Galaxy's legs gave out in terror, and she slumped to the ground. Putting on an awkward, fawning smile, she said, "Please don't hurt me. If I'm not in one piece, you might not get the full bounty. I surrender. Just take me in."
Hearing this, the officer lowered her gun, approaching her with only the baton drawn.
Those deep brown eyes were filled with yearning and anticipation for the future.
Galaxy didn't dare make eye contact, submissively keeping her gaze fixed on the officer's boots.
The officer probably knew Galaxy was framed. The moment she became a wanted fugitive, all of her data was uploaded to the cloud for every cop and AI to see.
Galaxy: Unemployed drifter, working five odd jobs to pay rent, former prodigy, current failure.
Everything was transparently displayed for the world.
Maybe her employer, An Hua, could hide behind the scenes, but anyone could tell that Galaxy was incapable of murdering Lu Qi.
But nobody cared.
Galaxy was just a pathetic scapegoat, and everyone knew it.
As the officer drew closer, Galaxy extended her hands, pleading pitifully, "Please, be gentle."
The officer pressed the tip of the blade against Galaxy's neck and reached back for her handcuffs.
Seizing the moment, Galaxy grabbed the sharp blade with one hand and kicked out at the officer with her foot.
Her gaze instantly turned razor-sharp. The officer was tackled to the ground, and the two began to wrestle desperately near the sewer entrance.
"You all know it wasn't me! Why! Why!" Galaxy roared, choking the woman's neck.
The officer brought her knee up and kicked Galaxy in the back, sending her flying. Wiping the blood from her mouth, the officer cursed, "You crazy bitch, what does this have to do with me? I just want the money, you hear me? My sister is lying in a hospital ward with exorbitant medical bills. Even working five jobs, I can't afford it. But if I catch you, I can get her the best advanced tech treatment!"
Her answer was a gunshot. The officer's eyes widened in shock.
Galaxy's chest heaved. In her hand was the photon gun she had stolen from the officer during the scuffle, and in the officer's chest was a thumb-sized bloody hole.
Moments later, the woman crumpled to the ground, dying with her eyes open.
Galaxy's hands shook violently. She crawled over to check the officer's breathing and, sensing she wasn't completely dead yet, let out a sigh of relief.
Covered in blood, she pulled out her deactivated smart-brain, dialed the emergency medical hotline, and then smashed the device viciously against the ground.
Grabbing the officer's gun and blade for self-defense, Galaxy reopened the sewer grate, threw herself in, and began to run frantically.
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