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2024-10-29 19:42:56NeuraBlink was a tantalizing offer, one he couldn’t afford to turn down if he ever wanted to make it. At the time, even with the risks carried by its beta release, it promised to offer him the perfect solution to all of his problems.
The most significant advantage LACIE had over him was speed. It could unravel thousands of chapters in an instant. What held it back was the fact that it still needed a cursory review from editors before it could be pushed out.
If Morpheus could employ his mere thoughts to construct his dreams, then it wouldn’t be impossible to overtake the AI and reclaim his top spot.
Even without a supercomputer, he had his mind. The human psyche remained largely unexplored, even as they made huge advances in the technological fields. That unknown and unused potential gave him hope for humanity.
That was the dream shared by the creators of the implant as well. Seeing the downfall of humanity as imminent, they sought to meld technology and the human together.
Humanity would become the caterpillar that gives birth to the techno butterfly. The reproductive organs of the machine world as it were.
Of course, they worried about their profits and shareholders even more than they did about humanity. Upon seeing the price tag associated with the product, Murphy was convinced they didn’t give a shit about humanity.
The surgery alone cost just below 20,000 euro-dollars. Even though it was a brief process lasting less than 15 minutes, they would charge a kidney and a half for it. Mind you, in the current era, humans weren’t worth a lot, so take that price as adjusted for inflation.
Then there was the product itself, which was another 30,000 eddies. The microchip was a pain to manufacture, and they still barely pumped out a few hundred a day. Still, that price-tag already excluded 80 percent of the populace from being able to afford it.
The best part of it was the subscription fee. The implant would connect seamlessly with the StarVeil network of satellites, granting one highly efficient access to the world’s internet.
The caveat was the bandwidth. Supposedly, directly navigating it with one’s mind would require a much pricier data plan, so the corp didn’t hesitate to charge a limb for every month of service.
Therein lay the problem — Murphy was nearly broke.
He barely had a few thousands left to his name, and an inherited home in an abandoned village somewhere. He didn’t even bother to check their value, because no one other than an evil corp would deign to buy it.
“A bank it is…”
Murphy was strangely decisive about this issue, and once he set his mind on getting that implant, there would be no pussyfooting around.
In the afternoon of the same day, he sat across a SoulChase banker’s desk in Cluj.
“Look, sir,” he reiterated for the fifteenth time by now, “I know I don’t have much to mortgage against the sum, but I have an excellent credit score.”
“Like I told you, mister Murphy, it’s not my decision to make.”
Despite sounding apologetic, the man simply couldn’t wait to get the bozo out of his office. He kept staring at the watch, as if expecting those fifteen minutes would somehow go by quicker.
“I can earn it back easily once I get the implant. I was a top selling novelist for years.”
“Yes, I’m very familiar with the records you shared…” the banker almost groaned at this point, seeing as they kept going in circles.
“How about you talk to someone who can make the decision?”
Murphy slammed the desk with his palm, but his face hid a sly smile. Suddenly reminding himself it’s Romania, he decided to try and play by their rules.
Did you perhaps think a dystopian society would somehow cure corruption? If anything, it only aggravated the needs of the people. Even with surveillance at every corner, some risks were worth taking.
Underneath his aggressive palm strike, Murphy hid a few crumpled bills. Pushing his hand further, he hid the modest bribe from the watchful eyes of the cameras above.
Keeping up his act, he sat back down with a huff and breathed as if trying to calm down.
“Please, just give me a chance. I NEED this.”
The banker closed the folder on his desk, and in doing so hid the money. As if suddenly buying his plea, he sighed and assented, “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Excellent. I only need 45’ large. I should be able to repay it all within three years at the latest!”
Clapping his hands in glee, Murphy smiled in anticipation. Paired with his unkempt look and bloodshot eyes, he looked like no different from an addict who scored a new hit.
At least, he was happy.
The bank moved quickly once his agent made up his mind. To them, issuing a small loan under a hundred grand wasn’t that big of a deal. By the end of the hour, the papers were signed and the money transfered to his wallet.
Tucking away the receipts, he briskly made his way back to the motel, where his happiness intensified. NeuraLink had approved his candidacy in the beta program, and he would merely need to put down the deposit before being scheduled for a surgery.
Very soon, he would own his very own system, paired with an AI assistant to help him with everything. Starting with some mundane proof reading, it would soon grow compatible with his writing and even help him edit.
Before long, he could relax in a pool while his mind transcribed his dreams into reality and gave them form.
“Back in business, baby!” he shouted in mad excitement.
“Fuck me,” he groaned in misery a second later, awoken from his daze.
Still imagining himself in a humongous pool, he’d forgotten this was reality and he was stuck in a coffin tube. Luckily, the motel walls were durable and he didn’t break anything.
Unluckily, his hands hurt like hell. He winced and fidgeted a little, but ultimately quieted down under the sheets.
Murphy tried to sleep, but found himself too excited to still his mind.
Whisking out the advert brochure, he gave it another read, as if thoroughly analyzing the biblical manuscripts or something.
He didn’t understand jack shit about the fancy specs, and had long since lost touch with the latest tech. As far as he knew before that day, an i11 was still the dream laptop on the market.
One could only wonder what he found so appealing in the brochure. Be it the legal jargon and risks disclaimer, or the lengthy privacy policy that ensured XCorp read every thought he put out there, the terms implied he was willingly becoming a lab rat.
That didn’t deter Murphy. One would think after signing a slave contract with his publisher, he would know better than to double down.
Well, that isn’t untrue. He of course knew what the trade-offs were, but simply couldn’t afford to care. He was desperate, and any chance he had at getting back his life would be met with enthusiasm.
He didn’t doubt for a second XCorp wouldn’t find some way to abuse the information and scans that went through their servers. It was common for the tech giants to do whatever they wanted and get away with it.
They were the new kings of the world. The colossi that ruled even over the government.
Our overlords.
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An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 15 - Surgery
Time passed fleetingly at first, but then the wait became excruciating. The day of the surgery approached, one slow hour at a time. He lingered around Cluj in the meanwhile, relaxing in nature’s embrace. He trekked through the woods that became less and less welcoming to humans, and marveled at the rebellious Carpathian peaks piercing towards the occluded sky. Without a laptop, Murphy couldn’t publish anything new, so he had ample time to roam and explore. He considered writing in a cafe or from his phone, but couldn’t really get into it. His vacation was awe inspiring at first, but got seriously tedious after a few days. He became anxious in his steps, and no longer had eyes to admire Gaia’s figure. His pre-scheduled chapters were dwindling down one at a time, and before long he’d lose his publishing streak. That would be an unimaginable setback for his career. It wasn’t dubbed a slave contract for nothing, after all. Writers were incentivize
An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 16 - Darkness
A tremor rocked through the chair, one he felt even with the anesthesia in full effect.He couldn’t see or feel much of anything, but the scrappy ringing in his ears surely meant something had exploded.He tried to open his mouth and ask, but choked on dust and ash instead.His vision black, his restricted touch dulled to the extreme and his ear drums blown, he found himself deprived of all his senses.Panic ensued.His breathing grew labored and his lungs moved with force, but it did little to alleviate the mounting stress.The dust in the room made it hard to breathe, but he had no option but to fill his lungs with it if he wanted to live.Time passed at a crawling pace, but eventually he felt his senses return to him. He felt a thick layer of dust caked on his face like cement, no doubt mixed in with his sweat.He moved a thumb at first, and then his whole hand, but the shackles woul
An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 17 - Missed Schedule
“Alright, your condition is stable. You can check out at noon.”A nurse smiled amiably, her efforts wasted entirely on Murphy. He was still blind as a bat, his eyes closed and still.The only way to tell if he was awake or not was by his breathing, and the occasional maniacal fit of laughter. No one quite knew what he was scoffing or laughing at, so the hospital staff pitied him as insane.“Thanks, please arrange that.”In truth, he was coping quite well with his new condition. His AI made the transition somewhat bearable, its constant bugged responses proving to be a nice distraction.« Murphy, you have an internal message from NeuraBlink. »‘Alright, print out the summary for me.’« NeuraBlink rejected your refund request. Furthermore, they deny any damage claims and refuse to offer any compensations for your injury. They invited you to read the beta agreement again,
An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 18 - Resentment
What he feared most happened — his reserves of content ran dry. He missed a few days of publishing while he was hospitalized, and thus forfeited his monthly bonus.The implications seemed very small, but they were merely the start of his downwards spiral towards obscurity.Setting aside the nice monetary bonus, without their front page exposition, it would be very difficult for him to score new readers.As for old ones, they would find new books to subscribe to during his absence. He expected nothing less, and was right to fear it.Within a short week, hundreds of readers slipped away silently, right into LACIE’s welcoming maw. A few hundred here, another dozen there, and before long she would be the sole publisher needed.The company for their part was more than happy to save a few pennies at his expense, and gave him the cold shoulder when he explained his plight. They didn’t care why he didn’t post, only that he hadn&rsqu
An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 19 - Breach of Contract
It took barely a few hours, and the transcript of his recorded rant wound up on the table of QiE-Novel’s lawyers. With what he only imagined to be smug grins, they closed his contract in an instant.After Murphy finally fell asleep, one of his closest friends immediately re-uploaded the entire thing for the platform staff to see.This sudden betrayal completely blind-sided him. Though, in retrospect, he should have expected nothing less from a competitor. The scarcity mentality on the site had long since pitted everyone against each other.It was for this reason that writers never stuck together in a band or even try to protest their draconian contracts. As soon as someone made the first step, the others would take snippets and ensure they get banned into oblivion.One less top novelist on the site meant a higher piece of the audience pie for themselves. With LACIE taking the largest chunk, they had to scramble with even greater intensit
An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 20a - The End
Months passed, unbeknownst to Murphy who consigned himself to a routine of miserable stupor. He rose at noon and returned late at night, with his cash funds dwindling rapidly. As a new habit, he ignored the broken chip and blinked immediately to spite it, not deigning to read a single message it wrote. Emptying the fifth drink in the cheapest bar he could find, he reached out for his wallet to pay — and found it empty. ‘Ah. And so it ends.’ The barkeep had apparently noticed his plight, but there was nothing they could do to him other than refuse to serve more. No explanations were needed, either. Whisked by two muscular men, he was carried and tossed out in a bush in the parking lot. Promptly disposing of the trash, the men shared a self-satisfied grin. “Don’t come back if you can’t pay, you wretch. Ptooi.” “Forget it, man. He’s just a blind old man.” Once he ensured they left, Murphy coughed and stood up with some effort. His skull was throbbing, but his rib hurt even more.
An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead marked for deletion / duplicate
This is a duplicate of ch21, disregard and skip to the next until its deleted Apologies for the inconvenience) A lengthy dream… Murphy’s journey resumed on a hot spring like any other. Struggling to sleep, he groggily opened his eyes and stared into the dark. Across the bleak canvas of the twilight sky, vivid visions came into view. Their whispers enthralling, and clear. They spoke directly in his ears, narrating a lifetime in mere hours. Before long, he was awake. He chased away distractions and heeded the sybil message from his muse. ==This is a duplicate of ch21, disregard and skip to the next until its deleted Apologies for the inconvenience)
An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 20b - The End
Once his room was presentable enough, he finally recalled his guest. Coming to the bathroom door, he knocked gently, but got no response. “Hey, you in there?” Another knock and a few tugs at the door, and still no response… “I’m gonna break this down if you don’t answer.” Murphy put his ear to the door, and once he failed to get a reply, mustered force and kicked it off its hinges. He had been slightly worried, but in retrospect it seemed silly to be fretful. After all, the girl wasn’t in any pain. Not anymore. Foaming at the mouth, she had her head sunk low against the shower glass. Her arms hung limp on her lap, exposing a fresh needle mark. Glistening with a sheen of sweat, her pale skin was cold and damp. When he touched it — he felt death. The glasses displayed their picture, but it was hardly enough to convey the horror. It was the second time he felt its presence so close to him. Death’s breath lingered on his neck, its frosty breeze whispering that there wouldn’t be a t
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- An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead
Final Words
Thank you to whoever made it this far :) I'll revise this at a later date, after I proof read and edit the book once or twice.At that point, it will be marked as complete and I will bid farewell to the site. Though I am glad to have accrued some readers, and met many peers among authors, it has been a tad underwhelming. Unable and unwilling to say anything more, I'll simply address some gratitude to Helen Bold.She's an excellent editor and author on the site, and has been the reason I delivered this book to you.Consider checking out her books. As for myself, I do have other book(s) published.I can't share links, but you can search for my name and they should appear. Alternatively, just add me on Discord, and I'll help you find your way. Thank you again to everyone who's given this a chance,As always, your attention has been a blessing.~Raven
- An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead
Ch 73 - Epilogue
- — ✎ — - The five year anniversary of Murphy’s vow was finally upon him, but he had long since completed his promise. No later than a year after the final battle, he successfully unsealed his seventh gate. That came largely as a result of his success in that battle, and the fruits he claimed in its aftermath. Specifically, he salvaged Erebus’ consciousness. Once it was in his dream realm, he had all the time he needed to crack it. Other than being the de facto leader of Physis Nomos, the old man had dipped his toes in all kinds of criminal enterprises over the years. His psychic powers made him the perfect assassin. Lethal, traceless, silent. By reliving through his memories, Murphy salvaged hundreds of interesting connections, and tasked the Chainbreakers to follow up and unearth those leads. The cases they unveiled had all but quaked the world. From businessmen in Asia, to politicians in the deep state of the US, people from all over the world were incriminated. Proof w
- An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead
Ch 72 - Final Battle
Murphy had no time to curse as the earth dragged him back to its hard embrace. He was strangely familiar with this sensation, and knew exactly what the outcome of such a fall was. Alas, now was not the time to reminisce about his jump from the bridge…Erebus and his goons expected him to splatter across the ground, and even took steps to avoid the impact area. Yet, they were in for a surprise of their own, because despite appearing panicked and flailing his arms like a desperate duck, Murphy was anything but.When he was merely a second from impact, Murphy suddenly spread his psyche and willed himself to slow down.A sudden force shrouded the area, allowing Murphy to veer directly towards the bodyguards accompanying Erebus. Before those two could react, and too busy managing the hostages, Murphy made landfall next to them.His fists coated in fire struck the first one in the chest, eviscerating organs and bone alike. The other panicked, hand reaching for his gun, yet a mere glance ha
- An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead
Ch 71 - Erebus
Murphy paid no heed to the retinal text, and was far more preoccupied with Eleanor falling. His stretched out hand clasped, guiding his intent and will from afar.His psyche took form, his psychokinesis pushed to its next step, and she was suspended mid-air! He had achieved similar things with immaterial objects like a pen, but never a human.Luckily, her psyche was sapped by the curse and couldn’t resist. This allowed him to control her easily, or he would have been doomed to fail.She flew in the air, eyes squinted in horror once she realized what might befall her. The sensation of flying around eventually stopped, and she tentatively opened her eyes once she felt Murphy’s arms wind tightly around her.Murphy hugged her, bottling up a dozen curses and reproaches that could only wait for later. He was angry, but he was terrified even more.“Y-you’re crazy—” he bit his lips, leaving the rest of the accusation unsaid. “I’m sorry,” she offered plainly, before bursting into tears of her
- An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead
Ch 70 - Sixth Gate
When Murphy snuck back on the ship, he was surprised to see Eleanor awake. Hands on her waist, she waited by the docking area and made sure he saw her pout.“Not even halfway through our honeymoon, and you’re already tired of me?” she joked and huffed, “I didn’t expect you to find someone else so quickly…”“Guilty as charged,” he grinned in response, “I figured since I scored the most beautiful woman on the planet, I might be lucky enough with the second…”“Compliments won’t get you out of this one, darling.” Ellie turned serious, “What were you up to?”“Kind of a long story… I didn’t want to sour our happiness, but it seems there’s no rest for the wicked.”“Sure, I’ll make some coffee. Tell me all about it.”“Tea for me,” he interjected as he reattached the boat to the yacht and trailed along to the lounge.A few minutes later, Eleanor sat in her rightful place, serving him tea while she drank coffee on his lap. They indulged the warm drinks in silence, but eventually Murphy gathere
- An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead
Ch 69 - System Embryo
Murphy tried to focus on Erebus, but his visions didn’t become any clearer. He could not see past the darkness, try as he might to muster his power.Eventually, the revelations shattered as a whole, his psychic reserves almost exhausted. He could only cut his losses and sigh in regret.‘I was this close!’ Murphy struck the edge of his marble throne, shattering the armrest to pieces. It was only then that he was reminded it was a mere dream, and a terrified child was staring at him in fear.“Fear not, Asen,” he tried to comfort, but the fire in his eyes didn’t make him sound very convincing.It was only when the boy outright started crying that Murphy realized his folly and doused the inner flame, regaining a more calm demeanor. “I’m sorry,” he lifted the boy off the ground, and brought him someplace nicer in that same instant, “Don’t cry any longer… I won’t hurt you. I promise.”“I know,” the sniveling boy replied amidst tears, “That’s… not… why I’m crying…”“Then?”“I just… don’t wa
- An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead
Ch 68 - Horrid Revelations
“What is this? Why can’t I see their faces?” the boy asked, clutching at the hem of Morpheus’ robe. “You don’t seem them because they don’t exist, not in this reality. Now watch, young Asen.”A scene played out before them like a three dimensional movie, and the two of them relived the hospital encounter. A teenager walked in, his face redacted and replaced by a simplified smug emoji. Their words were clear, however, as was the part where he mind controlled Eleanor to explode in a crowd. He shuffled backwards afterwards, depicting the woman strapped to a chair while a family of three watched.“Why are you showing me these evil people?” Asen questioned, his adorable young mind clearly perceiving things in black and white.“So you don’t become like them.”“I would never!” the boy denied vehemently, “My mother says bad people can’t go to heaven.”“What if there was no hell, young Asen?” Murphy questioned rhetorically, “If there was no heaven to yearn for, and no judgement in an afterli
- An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead
Ch 67 - Asen
Murphy grabbed the phone and looked closely at the picture, his frown deepening. That boy was the same psychic who mind controlled Eleanor in the future, but right now he was merely a prepubescent pup. “How old is he now?” Murphy asked, his voice showing some conflict as he indicated the photo. “He’s only 13!” the nurse replied and fell to the ground as well, clinging to life with her whole being, “Please, our son is still young… We’ll stop doing this… Just—““Silence!” Murphy boomed, sending a telekinetic blast that flipped the woman over and sent her careening against the wall.The doctor winced, but didn’t dare move to help his wife. They just stared at the ground and hoped someone would come save them. As for the monster, he continued to stare at the picture, flames dancing in his eyes.‘Should I kill him now?’ he asked himself repeatedly, unsure how to proceed. On one hand, he burned with righteous indignation, having been blinded and robbed of his life. Ellie had it even wors
- An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead
Ch 66 - Dilemma
A black SUV stopped at the side of a small family clinic in Burgas. The city CCTVs monitoring the streets tracked the vehicle all the way from the suburbs. A single driver got out, opened the trunk and retrieved a duffel bag, then walked to the rear doors of the clinic. The surveillance cut off at that point, a sudden glitch in the system causing the camera to malfunction and stop recording. By the time it was turned back on, the vehicle was long gone. Coincidentally, it had been reported as stolen that same night.Murphy blinked, dismissing the latest retinal message from the system, then waltzed in towards the emergency doors. His hand pushed against the lock, searing the metal and turning it into a worthless puddle that gave in to his push.The building plans appeared in his right eye like a 3D map, and he conveniently followed them down the stairs. The clinic was small, and only saw high-end clients, so its security was top of the art. Cameras lingered at just about every othe
