Dream comes true
You walked down the dark alleyway and arrived at an iron door with a keypad. A man tapped a few keys on the pad, and the door slid open with a hiss, revealing a shadowy staircase.
He gestured for you to follow him.
“Don’t hesitate, kid. I’m gonna show you something. This place will blow your mind.”
You hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to follow him.
You didn’t have much left to lose, did you?
You climbed up the stairs behind him, feeling the metal steps tremble under your feet. The walls were covered in graffiti and posters advertising all kinds of illegal things, like drugs, cybernetic enhancements, or virtual reality services. Some of them were slogans of rebellion, denouncing corporations, artificial intelligence, or environmental crises.
You arrived at the third floor, and the man stopped in front of a door. He took out an electronic tablet from his pocket and slid it on the scanner on the door.
The door opened, and he pushed it open, inviting you in.
You walked in, stunned.
The apartment was spacious and bright, offering a view of the city. The furniture was state-of-the-art, the appliances cutting edge, and dynamic holographic artwork hung on the walls. A massive screen displayed a tropical island scene while you heard the sound of waves and wind.
"This is incredible," you said, unable to believe your eyes.
The man laughed, handing you his tablet.
"Just sign your name and transfer the payment to me. kid, it's all yours."
You took the tablet and looked over the contract. It looked official, but you still had doubts. Why was he selling this place at such a low price? Did he have some hidden motive?
You looked up at him and asked, "Is this for real? Is there no catch?"
He shrugged and said, "Real? Catch? Kid, there's nothing real or perfect in Taipei. But I assure you, this place is legal and safe. I just want to sell it quickly. I have some...business to take care of."
He winked at you and said, "So what do you say? Are you in or out?"
You thought for a moment and nodded. You signed your name on the tablet and transferred the payment to him. He confirmed the transaction and handed you a key.
"Congratulations, kid. This is your key. You can now enjoy your new life."
He turned and walked out the door without looking back.
You walked excitedly into the apartment, feeling like you were in a dream. You put your luggage on the couch and plugged in your devices. You thought you had found a steal of a deal.
You heard the sound of the door opening and turned around. A woman walked in. She was slender, with long flowing hair and wearing a tight black jumpsuit. She had a red cybernetic eye and a butterfly tattoo on her face. She looked at you with surprise and annoyance.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" she shouted.
You froze and stammered, "I... I'm a new tenant. I just rented this place from a guy outside. He gave me the key and the contract."
The woman laughed mockingly and shook her head.
"New tenant? Contract? Kid, you've been scammed. This is my place. I've been living here for months. That guy outside is just a hacker. He cracked my lock and sold you a fake contract. He's probably long gone by now."
You felt a wave of panic and disbelief wash over you.
"What? Impossible. He showed me his contract, it looked legit," you say.
"Legit? Kid, in this day and age, nothing is legit. Anyone can forge anything with enough skill and software. You should have known better than to trust a stranger on the street." she says, walking towards you.
"Now, before I call security, get out of my apartment. Don't even think about taking anything, everything here is mine."
You grabbed your luggage and ran out the door. You sprinted down the hallway, searching for an exit. You cursed yourself for being so naive. You thought you had found a luxurious city residence, but instead, you had walked into a trap. You wondered how many other victims this hacker had fooled with fake contracts.
You reached the end of the hallway and saw a sign that said "Elevator." You pressed the button and waited, hoping the elevator was working properly and hadn't been hacked.
You reached the ground and were surrounded by neon lights, flying cars, and crowds of people with electronic devices. You realized you were in the heart of Taipei, a place where anything could happen, and nothing was as it seemed.
You didn't know if you'd be able to find a safe place to stay in this city.
You felt like you had entered a nightmare.
睏矇睏麥暝夢
你沿著黑暗的巷子走到底，發現一扇鑲有數字鍵盤的鐵門。一個男人在鍵盤上輕敲了幾下，門發出一聲嘶嘶聲，向內滑開，露出一道陰影籠罩的樓梯。
他用手勢示意你跟上他。
「別猶豫了，小子。我帶你去看看。這個地方會讓你驚艷的。」
你猶豫了一會兒，但最終決定跟上他。
你已經沒有什麼可失去的了，對吧？
你跟在他後面爬上樓梯，感覺到金屬的階梯在你的腳下顫抖。牆上貼滿了塗鴉和海報，宣傳各種非法的東西，如毒品、機械增強或虛擬現實服務。有些則是反抗的口號，抨擊公司、人工智能或環境危機。
你們來到了三樓，男人停在一扇門前。他從口袋裡掏出一個電子平板，在門上的掃描器上滑了一下。
門打開了，他推開門，邀請你進去。
「來吧，小子。這就是你的新家。」
你走進去，目瞪口呆。公寓裡寬敞明亮，可以俯瞰城市的景色。傢俱是最新款的，器具是最先進的，牆上掛著動感的全息藝術品。一面牆上有一個巨大的屏幕，播放著一個熱帶島嶼的場景。你聽到海浪和風聲。
「這真是太棒了，」你說，不敢相信自己的眼睛。
男人笑著遞給你他的平板。
「只要你簽下名字，轉帳給我，這一切都是你的了，小子。」
你接過平板，看了看合同。它看起來很正式，但你還是有些疑惑。他為什麼要以這麼低廉的價格賣掉這個地方？他有什麼隱藏的目的嗎？
你抬頭看著他問道：
「這是真的嗎？這沒有什麼問題吧？」
他聳了聳肩說：
「真的？問題？小子，在台北沒有什麼是真實或完美的。但我向你保證，我沒有欺騙你。這個地方是合法且安全的。我只是想趕快賣掉它而已。我有些……事情要處理。」
他對你眨了眨眼，然後問：
「那麼，你決定了嗎？要不要成為城市中最幸運的人？」
你想了想，然後點了點頭。你在平板上簽了名，轉了錢給他。他收到確認後，拿出一把鑰匙，遞給你。
「恭喜你，小子。這是你的鑰匙。現在你可以享受你的新生活了。」
他轉身走出門，沒有回頭看你一眼。
你興奮地走進公寓，感覺自己像是做夢一樣。你把行李放在沙發上，插上你的設備。你覺得自己找到了一個超值的公寓。
你聽到門被打開的聲音，轉過頭去。一個女人走了進來。她身材苗條，長髮飄逸，穿著一件緊身的黑色連身褲。她臉上有一個紅色的機械眼睛和一個蝴蝶的紋身。她用驚訝和不悅的目光看著你。
「你是誰？你在這裡做什麼？」她尖叫道。
你愣住了，結巴地說。
「我……我是新租客。我剛從外面的一個人那裡租了這個地方。他給了我鑰匙和合約。」
那女人嘲笑地笑了笑，搖了搖頭。
「新租客？合約？小子，你被騙了。這是我的地方。我已經住了幾個月了。那個外面的傢伙只是一個駭客，他破解了我的鎖，賣給你一個假的買賣合約。他現在可能早就跑了。」
你感到一陣恐慌和不可置信。
「什麼？不可能吧。他給我看了他的合約，看起來非常合法。」
「合法？小子，在這個時代，沒有什麼是合法的。任何人都能用足夠的技能和軟體偽造任何東西。傻傻的相信路上的陌生人不是什麼聰明的事。」她走向你，說道。
「現在，在我叫保全之前，離開我的公寓。不要想帶走任何東西，這裡的一切都是我的。」
你抓起行李，從門口跑出去。你在走廊上狂奔，尋找出口。你咒罵自己太天真了。你以為自己找到了一個豪華的城市住所，但實際上卻走進了一個陷阱。你想知道這名駭客用假買賣合同騙了多少其他受害者。
你跑到走廊的盡頭，看到一個標誌寫著「電梯」。你按下按鈕等待，希望電梯能正常運作而沒有被駭客攻擊。
你到達地面，四周一片霓虹燈光，飛行汽車和安裝了電子裝置的人群。你意識到你現在身處於台北的中心，一個任何事都有可能發生，什麼都不像真實的地方。
你不知道你是否能在這個城市找到一個安全的住處。
你感覺自己進入了一個惡夢。
