48 Hours a Day

Chapter 942: Memory Encoder

“How could this happen?” Old Man Geng laid down behind the counter, panic written across his face.

Although he wasn’t the target of the bikers, he was so frightened that his legs became soft since he stood right beside them, the spikes and blades coming way too close for comfort when the fight was going on. Then, in the midst of it all, some blood splattered across his face. Old Man Geng could not imagine how Zhang Heng could withstand wave after wave of attack.

The thugs too couldn’t believe that Zhang Heng managed to gain the upper hand with so many fighting against him. And he even killed quite a number of them as well. Unfortunately, it did not make their situation better for the duo. For now, the attack had temporarily stopped, but at the same time, the roar of motorcycle engines became louder and louder. It meant that more and more were enemies coming at them.

“What deal did you help him with?” Zhang Heng frowned.

He had emptied the pistol’s clips that he picked up from the ground earlier. After throwing that gun aside, he had only the gun made of Lego bricks. It still had many bullets in it, but they were obviously not enough to deal with so many enemies.

The hamster given by F was now running around frantically in its cage, looking very anxious. Old Man Geng still hesitated after hearing what Zhang Heng told him. He seemed to be really reluctant to mention anything related to the meeting just now.

Hence, Zhang Heng did not force him, saying instead, “I don’t want to get myself into this big trouble. And I’m not the least interested in your transactions. But if you want to return to the third level alive, you’d better tell me everything. Let me know, at least—if they can’t capture you in the end... will they kill you? Of course, you can also choose to say nothing and risk your life.”

Upon hearing that, Old Man Geng’s expression changed. He finally chose to save himself instead of keeping secrets. “I don’t know where those people came from,” he blurted in a jiffy. “The trade between the two parties revolved around a memory encoder.”

“A memory encoder? Is it similar to a device that can create a new memory in a person’s mind?”

“It’s more than that. The memory encoder can delete and rewrite memories. If the human brain is a computer, then the memory encoder is equivalent to programming software. It is usually used with human cloning technology, where it can provide a constant flow of cheap labor for various companies.

“To make it sound simpler, they first produce the clones they need through gene cloning. These clones are like a commodity. Once the hardware gets completed, the memory encoder will begin to program the clones, assisting in setting their personalities, skills, experiences, and so on. In short, the clones produced in the end are almost indistinguishable from ordinary people, and they require way fewer resources to train. This is because they could grow them in a petri dish until they are 18 or 20 years old. All they need to do in the end is to write a set of memories of their lives into their brains before they turn 20, and they can start working immediately without any form of training.”

There was a hint of suspicion in Old Man Geng’s eyes when he talked about cloning technology.

“The first batch of clones have been experimentally put to use as early as twenty years ago. About six years ago, a lot of companies began to use clones. Of course, It didn’t go well at the beginning, valiantly opposed by the labor union. But now it’s a major industry, and everyone knows it.”

“I... just came.” Zhang Heng said.

“...”

“In short, the technology related to human cloning has always been the Federation’s top-secret technology. The memory encoder is no exception. There is only one memory encoder in the entire New Shanghai 2097,” Old man Geng said.

“And the ones who own it plan to sell it?” Zhang Heng raised his eyebrows.

“Of course not. No one can touch the memory encoder. It is placed on the 27th floor of Shengtang Morgan’s headquarters. It is extremely well guarded, with almost flawless security over there. And the memory encoder is equipped with a self-destruction program triggered in the case of an emergency. Hence, no one will think of stealing it. The one that they traded is an experimental prototype memory encoder from the earth. It is a very old model, and it has some flaws. It is, however, still usable. The prototype was supposed to be destroyed, but the seller managed to figure out a way to get his hands on it,” Old Man Geng said.

“And you acted as the middleman of this transaction? I know that the business at the House of Old Things is not very good, but don’t you think that the role you played put you in too much danger?”

“Of course, I know. I am not blind! I saw the mob outside the building just now.” Old Man Geng sounded a little annoyed.

“Otherwise, why would I hire a bodyguard?”

“Seriously, you should’ve hired an armored division rather than a bodyguard,” Zhang Heng replied. “Now that I have a better understanding of the situation, the good news is that they too should be curious about the identity of the seller when they attempt to capture you. They won’t kill you unless it’s their last resort. The bad news is that you just committed a crime, and we can’t ask the police for help.”

“Well, what should we do then?”

“Let’s wait.”

“Wait? There are a lot of enemies outside the shop!” Old Man Geng almost stomped his feet. They had hidden in there for a short while, and many new motorcycles were now parked outside the shop. It was hard to imagine how many more enemies would come later.

“It’s useless for us to make a breakthrough now. There are only two of us. And you are not invincible. They realize now that they are allowed to hurt as long as they are still alive. In other words, they will not hesitate to shoot at us if we go out now. The best thing we can do right now is to wait for our allies to save us.”

“Who are our allies?”

“Whoever wants to buy that memory encoder through you is our ally. After all, this is Mr. G’s territory. I bet he should’ve been informed that we are being ambushed at this moment. Let’s just hold on for a little longer. The calvary will be here soon. And I bet our enemies know about it too. If I’m right, they will launch a second wave of attacks soon,” Zhang Heng said as he handed the hamster cage to Old Man Geng.

“Help me take care of my new roommate.”

“Huh?” Old Man Geng held the hamster cage with a dull expression.

The next moment, the bikers launched another round of attacks at them. They were still worried about killing Old Man Geng by mistake. So they put away their guns and switched to melee weapons. This was the exact outcome that Zhang Heng had been hoping for.

While the first enemy stepped on the counter of the grocery store and hurriedly jumped down, Zhang Heng quickly pulled the trigger sending him to his maker. He then caught the knife that fell from the enemy’s hand.

“Oh. They really shouldn’t give me the weapon I want most.”