Mike walked down the street of the Lower City District.
The once bustling commercial street was now a silent and desolate street. The neon signs of the shops on both sides of the road had long been extinguished, and the dilapidated shop doors were cluttered with miscellaneous items.
Mike clearly remembered that two months ago, the cheapest shop on this bustling commercial street had a monthly rent of over eight thousand credit points.
But as the conflict between the Upper and Lower City Districts broke out, business on the commercial street gradually declined. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by novel✶fire.net
Then came the subsequent tax decree to pre-pay thirty years of taxes, and the enforcement teams launched a massive attack on the underground.
The shop owners were either sent to the Heaven Computation Center or hid in the Cave, leaving the commercial street utterly abandoned.
Mike used to pride himself as a resident of the Central City District, looking down on the people from the Lower City District.
In the end, he found himself envying those from the Lower City District who could at least escape into the Cave, rather than watching helplessly as his friends and family were taken to the Heaven Computation Center for failing to pay taxes.
Parents, brother, friends, colleagues... and soon, it would be his turn.
Thinking of this, Mike couldn’t help but curse out loud:
"Damn this Spiritual Energy Tax! Damn the Heaven Computation Center!"
As Mike cursed, a sudden cold wind blew through the desolate street, sending a chill straight into his soul and making him shiver involuntarily.
"It’s clearly still summer, why is it so cold?"
Hunched slightly, Mike felt as if there was something unclean on this street.
But having come this far, it seemed too late to back out.
Gritting his teeth, Mike muttered, "If there’s really a problem, at worst, it’s just death!
Even if I die, it’s better than suffering at the Heaven Computation Center."
Surveying the surrounding buildings, Mike entered an abandoned clubhouse.
Upon entering, Mike could feel the cold sensation intensify, as if trying to freeze his soul.
He cautiously asked, looking at the clutter inside the clubhouse.
The next moment, a hoarse voice slowly sounded.
"This is not where you should be."
Mike suddenly turned around, only to find a figure shrouded in black mist had appeared behind him at some unknown time; it was Lu Yan disguised and secretly back on the surface.
Mike struggled to suppress the fear in his heart, but his voice still carried a slight tremor.
"I saw online that you offer loans here?"
Lu Yan looked Mike up and down, a bit surprised that his wide-net approach had yielded results so quickly. The hoarse voice of his disguise sounded again.
"Ah, a guest it seems."
With that, Lu Yan stepped deeper into the clubhouse.
Mike followed closely behind, passing through several already damaged rooms until reaching a relatively clean office.
Sitting back down on the chair behind the desk, Lu Yan asked:
"Do you know the rules for loans here?"
Mike quickly nodded, "I saw online that you can help solve the problem of entering the Heaven Computation Center.
I am twenty-five thousand credit points short of covering the taxes, as long as you can lend me..."
Lu Yan tapped the table, interrupting Mike’s speech with slightly narrowed eyes.
"You seem to have misunderstood something, solving the problem of entering the Heaven Computation Center isn’t about lending you money to pay the Spiritual Energy Tax."
Mike was stunned at his words.
"If it’s not lending money, then what is it?"
Lu Yan interlocked his fingers on the desk, letting out a light chuckle.
"The Heaven Computation Center has always desired only one thing, your soul, and our company can precisely solve this issue.
Because what we lend is the soul."
Mike was dumbfounded, his face full of disbelief.
Lu Yan clapped his hands, and Mike then witnessed an exceedingly bizarre scene.
A transparent humanoid outline appeared in the air, gradually becoming clearer, eventually forming a malicious-looking illusory figure.
The illusory figure was little different from an ordinary human but bore a daunting and fierce aura, with claws sharp as blades, and a peculiar pattern imprinted on its chest.
As it emerged, Mike immediately felt a surge of cold energy engulfing him, causing his body to instinctively shiver as if facing a predatory beast.
"This is the soul provided by our platform; once you borrow it, it can handle the daily heavy work at the Heaven Computation Center, freeing your mind and body!"
Mike couldn’t help but swallow hard.
Though the soul before him looked terrifying, Mike knew what was more dreadful was the exploitation at the Heaven Computation Center.
Each year, many who enter the Heaven Computation Center fall into brain death due to the excessive drain of Soul Computation Power.
If a borrowed soul could indeed help, maybe it could somewhat ease his burden at the Heaven Computation Center.
"What are the conditions for borrowing a soul on your platform?"
Lu Yan casually tossed out a contract detailing the requirements for soul lending.
Condition one: The borrower’s soul belongs to this platform after death.
Condition two: Upon completion of soul lending, the borrower must worship the totem daily.
Condition three: Disclosure of any lending information is forbidden.
Mike reviewed each line of the contract; with his years of corporate experience, the contract didn’t appear very formal, and the details were extremely harsh, but by now Mike was beyond caring.
If he couldn’t pass the ordeal at the Heaven Computation Center, concerns about his soul after death seemed trivial.
After signing the contract with a flourish, Mike asked:
"What exactly is the totem mentioned in the contract?"
Lu Yan waved his right hand, and a palm-sized black flag floated down from the ghostly mist surrounding him.
"This is the platform’s totem, take it back and worship it day and night."
Mike nodded in half-understanding. As soon as he touched the black flag, the soul stepped towards him, then blurred as if it had entered his body.
"The loan is complete; you may leave now."
Mike suppressed the excitement in his heart, holding the black flag as he walked out of the office.
Just as he was about to step out, Mike suddenly remembered something, turned back to look at Lu Yan behind the desk, and asked:
"Sir, what is the name of our soul lending platform called?"
Lu Yan paused momentarily, and after a moment’s thought, he replied:
"You may call us—Underworld!"