The Revolt against the Virtual God

Chapter 5: The Call to Duty

The cool evening air in Shanghai was refreshing after the sweltering heat of the day. The city was bustling as usual, but near the police precinct close to the port, the atmosphere was more subdued. The sound of sirens and the blaring of car horns was replaced by the gentle lapping of waves against the shore. The streetlights cast a warm glow over the area, illuminating the faces of the few people who were out and about at this time of night. A light breeze carried the salty scent of the ocean, mixing with the aroma of spicy street food from a nearby vendor.

Ethan couldn't shake the feeling of unease as he walked alongside Agent Taylor through the quiet streets of Shanghai. His mind kept drifting back to the woman, wondering what she wanted to discuss with him. Despite the cool evening air, a bead of sweat trickled down the back of his neck, and he couldn't shake the feeling that she was going to subject him to an even more grueling interrogation than back at the station.

But as they walked, Agent Taylor's voice cut through his thoughts. "Relax, Mr. Cole," she said, a hint of amusement in her voice. "There isn't much that I don't already know."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Then what do you want to know?" he asked, his voice laced with suspicion.

Agent Taylor didn't immediately respond. She looked at Ethan with piercing blue eyes that seemed to delve into his very being. "I saw you at the cafe," she said finally, her voice low and melodic but with a subtle edge of strength. "You and your friend were crawling in fear, barely able to escape the revolvissaries. But now, you stand tall and fight them toe to toe. I simply can't understand how you've grown so quickly."

Ethan's mind raced as he tried to make sense of the woman's words. The cafe, the revolvissaries, the fear that had consumed him at the time... it all came flooding back to him. And as he looked into the agent's eyes, he finally realized that she must be an Enforcer.

Ethan shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. "I've been training in the virtual reality every chance I got," he said, his voice low. "I wanted to be ready in case I ran into those terrorists again."

Agent Taylor furrowed her brow, clearly intrigued. "Tell me more about this training," she said. "What exactly did you do in the virtual reality?"

Ethan hesitated for a moment, unsure of how much he should reveal. "I focused on honing my combat skills," he said carefully. "I practiced every day, trying to become as strong and fast as possible. I wanted to be ready in case I ran into those revolvissaries again."

Agent Taylor nodded, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Well, it seems your hard work has paid off," she said. "But tell me something. I noticed that you have a lot of knowledge and skills that go beyond your job as a financial analyst and your martial arts training. Your hacking skills are especially advanced, almost on par with a professor in computer science. And it seems that you have expertise in just about every area under the sun."

Ethan shifted uncomfortably under her scrutiny. "I've just spent a lot of time in the virtual library, speed learning as much as I can," he said.

Agent Taylor raised an eyebrow. "I'm familiar with speed learning, of course. It's one of the gifts that the nanobots have given us, allowing us to absorb knowledge at an incredible pace. But your learning speed seems to be at least ten times faster than the fastest rate a human has ever achieved. How did you manage that?"

Ethan shook his head. "I didn't mean to. I just discovered that I could do it after the Enforcers resuscitated me. I've been using the virtual library to learn as much as I can, trying to make up for lost time."

Agent Taylor nodded, her lips pursed in thought. "I see. Well, it's possible that your evolved nanobots have something to do with it. It's possible that they're giving you an extra boost in terms of learning speed."