Malfunctioning Utopia

Chapter 13: Broke

"Wait, hold on." Sun Jack, clearly overstimulated, averted his gaze and took deep breaths.

"What's wrong, darling? Don’t tell me you don’t like me. What kind of girl do you like? I can be anything you want," purred the catgirl as she pressed her soft body against him. Her glowing-stocking-clad leg lifted and rubbed against him.

"No, no, no, just... hold on a second." Sun Jack quickly extended his hand, pushing her away. "I just had my wounds stitched up; I can't handle any intense activity. Next time, I promise."

At that moment, Song 6's head popped up from between the pale flesh of three women, a vape pen clamped in his teeth. "Bro, cut the crap. The treatment center's D-class nanobots patched you up ages ago. What, are you into men now?"

As he spoke, Song 6 shoved an almost-naked woman toward Tapai.

"First time? Don’t worry, big sis will teach you," the catgirl cooed. Her tongue flicked out, wrapping around a blue pill, which she playfully aimed at Sun Jack’s mouth.

Suddenly, the room darkened. Sun Jack's instincts kicked in; his modified metal prosthetic arm shot out, grabbing the catgirl’s wandering hand.

Before he could react further, Tapai stepped in front of him with a gun raised. A loud "pop" echoed, and a spotlight illuminated a host on the far stage. The man, dressed in a shimmering purple sequined suit, bellowed, "Bannyabo ne bassebo!"

"Switch to Chinese! My bro doesn’t understand a word!" Song 6 shouted, casually throwing in a generous Little Dragon Tip. The host immediately switched to Mandarin.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Club 69, where the fun never stops!!" His voice was thunderous.

"And now, let’s give it up for the amazing performance by Blues F4! Big Bird~~" He dramatically swung his arm for emphasis.

"Big Bird~~ Spin, spin, spin!!"

The stage exploded with raucous music as six scantily clad men entered, sticking close together in a "state train" formation. They moved in sync, bodies swaying rhythmically as the train picked up speed.

To win over the audience, the performers went out of their way to aim their gyrations at Sun Jack and Song 6, giving the patrons the best visual experience they could muster.

"My eyes! My eyes!!" Sun Jack screamed, clutching at his nearly blinded vision as he bolted for the exit.

Outside, as the cold rain dripped onto his head, he leaned against a railing, gasping for air.

Even though he had escaped, the mental contamination of that scene refused to leave his mind. "It’s over. My brain is done for."

"Why’d you run out?" Song 6 sauntered over, his clothes in disarray, his neck covered in red lipstick marks. "Bro, Linda Linda’s heartbroken. She thinks she’s not attractive enough."

Sun Jack rubbed his wet hair with his metal hand in frustration. "You bring me to a place like that as soon as we hit the city? Real classy, thanks a lot."

It had all been too fast, too intense. Sun Jack just couldn’t handle it after everything he’d been through.

And seriously, he could never accept the fact that... certain parts of women could glow.

Sun Jack was utterly drained—physically and mentally. "Pay up. 30 @coins for getting you out of there. I need to settle in this city before doing anything else." ȑ𝐀ℕꝊʙÈS

"Don’t have money," Song 6 replied bluntly.

"What?!" Sun Jack spun around, extending his metal arm to grab Song 6 by the collar. "Say that again. You’ve got no money?!"

"I really don't have money. Kill me if you want, I’m still broke," Song 6 said, looking completely unfazed, like a pig unbothered by scalding water.

"Bullsh*t! You’ve been live streaming all this time, and you expect me to believe you’re broke? You even ordered drinks just now! Still gonna claim you have no money?!"

"I did have some, but it’s all gone. Don’t you remember how we made it here?"

"There's no way you burned through a whole 30 @coins!"

"And don’t forget, that arm of yours? That’s mine—WolTech’s Black Titanium Combat Prosthetic. Do you know how much that would cost to buy? Can’t that cover the debt?"

"No, it can't," Tapai interjected. "We signed a rescue agreement after his arm got snatched, so it doesn’t count toward any later compensation."

Just then, a hover vehicle with black spray paint floated slowly past overhead.

"Chill out, don’t get the BCPD on us," Song 6 said with a grin, trying to smooth things over. "I didn’t say I wouldn’t pay. I’m just saying I don’t have the money right now."

Sun Jack could tell from Song 6’s carefree attitude that unless he tied him up and forced it out of him, he wasn’t going to get a single coin. The guy wasn’t wrong, though—the money they used to buy their way out earlier had indeed come from Song 6. Plus, this slippery character was, begrudgingly, a friend. Right now, he was the only person Sun Jack knew in this massive city, and he might be useful later.

"Fine, whenever you’ve got money, you can pay me back then." Sun Jack knew the odds of getting the cash back were slim to none, but saying this would give him leverage for future favors.

Hearing that he didn’t have to cough up the money, Song 6 immediately brightened up. He threw his arms around the two of them, calling out "bro, bro" enthusiastically.

Sensing the moment was ripe, Sun Jack chuckled and leaned into the camaraderie. "Since we’re bros now, you’ve gotta help a bro out when he needs something, right?"

"I really don’t have money," Song 6 said, his face falling again.

"I don’t need money. We’re new in The Metropolis, with no place to stay. How about letting us crash at your place for a few days? That’s not too much to ask, is it?" Sun Jack slung an arm around Song 6’s shoulders.

Right now, their priority was finding a place to stay. Anything was better than being homeless on these streets.

After thinking for a moment, Song 6 replied, "Can’t stay at mine—I’ve got roommates. But I can find you guys a place to stay."

"Thanks, bro." Sun Jack lightly punched him in the chest in gratitude.

"One more thing. Could you help me get a neural system? Let’s call it a loan—I’ll pay you back when I’ve got the money," Sun Jack said casually.

Of course, this was a total bluff. He didn’t have any neural system in his head to begin with, but he needed one to survive in this world. He’d realized along the way that having a neural system here was as essential as owning a smartphone in modern society. Without it, he’d be completely cut off.

Even if Song 6 had handed over those 30 @coins earlier, Sun Jack didn’t even have a network account to install one.

Song 6 crossed his arms, tapping his gold tooth thoughtfully with his pitch-black fingernail for a moment. "Fine, but this is the last favor, alright? Stop trying to take advantage of me."

"How’s this taking advantage? We’re bros! Bros are supposed to help each other out, right?" Tapai chimed in, throwing an arm around Song 6’s shoulder. Compared to Sun Jack, he seemed to be adapting to this world much faster.