Rabbit Hole
As you followed the man into the dark alley, you noticed the litter and the pungent smell that permeated the air. He turned to you, revealing his crooked teeth with a grin.
“You made the right choice,” he said. “This place will be your new home.”
You entered the apartment with a heavy heart. The room was small and filthy, with no windows and only a flickering light bulb.
“I can make it better,” the man sensed your hesitation and spoke up. “I know someone who can upgrade your tech, and soon you’d be living like a king.”
But something was not right. You realized you couldn’t trust this man, so you turned and left.
“I’ll find another way,” you said as you walked away.
Over the next few days, you exhausted all your skills in searching for the perfect apartment online. Just when you thought you had hit a dead end, you stumbled upon a listing that caught your eye.
It was in a rundown part of town, but the photos showed a spacious and modern apartment. It had large windows, hardwood floors, a kitchen, and a bathroom. It even had a private balcony with a view of the city skyline. You decided to take a risk and see it for yourself.
As you approached the building, you noticed a group of people gathered outside, all wearing black armbands. They held up signs and megaphones, shouting slogans like “Social housing for the rich” and “Collusion between government and business.” You were curious about what they were protesting, but you had more pressing matters at hand.
You rang the buzzer at the entrance, and a woman’s voice answered.
“Who is it?”
“I’m sorry,” she said, “It’s already been rented.”
Your stomach felt like it had been hollowed out. You thought you had finally found your dream home, only to be disappointed at the last moment.
But the woman didn’t hang up. “I do have another option, though, if you’re interested. Meet me at the east gate of the night market tomorrow night at midnight, and I’ll tell you more details.”
You hesitated for a moment, but you didn’t have much to lose. The next night, you arrived at the night market, a place full of neon lights, noise, and various smells. You searched for the woman’s figure in the crowd, but she was nowhere to be found.
You pulled out your phone and saw a message from her:
“I’m here. Follow the red rabbit.”
You looked around and spotted a red rabbit graffiti on a nearby wall. You walked towards the direction of the graffiti and found yourself in a dark alley.
As you walked into the alley, you saw a door with the words “Rabbit Hole” written on it. You knocked on the door and it opened automatically.
Inside was a cramped room with a projector and a screen. There were a dozen people in the room, all wearing black armbands.
The woman stood in front of the screen. She smiled at you and nodded.
“Welcome to the auction,” she said. “You’ve come at the perfect time.”
She turned on the projector and played a video of the apartment you saw online. It looked even more magnificent than the pictures.
She paused for a moment and scanned the audience.
Then, in a seductive voice, she introduced the apartment like she was selling a precious artwork. “This is the home of your dreams,” she said. “It’s located in a secure building with all the amenities you could ask for. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to live in style and comfort.”
She gave the audience a charming smile.
“However, this apartment also had its secrets,” she said. “It used to be the lair of a notorious hacker who was hunted by the government, corporations, and even criminal syndicates due to conflicts. He left his computer here, which contained stolen data and codes that could be worth millions or even billions. If you won this apartment today, you would also inherit his troubles.”
She blinked her eyes.
“So, who dared to take on this challenge?” she asked.
The room fell silent. Then someone raised their hand.
You looked around and realized that everyone seemed to have stepped out of a sci-fi movie. They all had various mechanical modifications, some with flashing eyes, some with steel-like arms, and some with cables extending from their heads.
You understood that this was not just an auction. It was a competition.
A competition to see who could survive in this cyberpunk hell.
You felt your heart racing and your blood boiling.
You raised your hand too.
兔子窟
你跟著那個男人走進這條黑暗的小巷時，你感覺到一陣寒意。這裡到處都是垃圾，且充滿腐臭的氣味。你聽到老鼠在垃圾堆裡窸窸窣窣，還有遠處的槍聲和警笛聲。男人轉過身對你咧嘴一笑，露出他斜歪的牙齒。他的牙齒上有一些奇怪的電路，你不知道是用來幹什麼的。
「你做了正確的選擇，」他說道，「這個地方將成為你的新家。」
你走進公寓，心情沉重。這個房間又小又骯髒，沒有窗戶，只有一盞不斷閃爍的燈泡。牆上掛著一些破舊的海報，地板上散落著一些電子零件和空罐頭。
「我可以讓它變得更好。」男人感受到你的猶豫，開口說道，「我認識一個人可以幫你升級科技，很快你就可以過得跟國王一樣。」
但是有些不對勁，你意識到不能信任這個男人，於是轉身離開。
「我會找到其他方法的。」你說道，走了。
接下來的幾天，你用盡所有的技巧在網上尋找完美的公寓。就在你以為已經走投無路時，你找到了一個吸引你的房源。
它位於一個破舊的城區，但照片顯示這是一間寬敞而現代化的公寓。它有大窗戶、木地板、廚房和浴室。它還有一個私人陽台，可以欣賞城市的夜景。你決定冒險去親自看看。
當你走近建築時，你注意到一群人聚集在外面，他們都戴著黑色臂章。他們手持標語牌和喇叭，高喊著「社會住宅淪為富人投資」、「政商勾結」之類的話。你有點好奇他們在抗議什麼，但現在你有其他更重要的事情。
你走近門口按鈴，一個女人的聲音回答道。
「是誰？」
你介紹了自己並詢問了公寓的情況。
「對不起，」她說道，「已經有人租了。」
你的胃裡像是被挖空了一樣。你以為你終於找到了你夢寐以求的家，卻在最後一刻落空了。
但是那個女人沒有掛斷電話，她說：「不過我還有另一個方案，如果你有興趣的話。明天晚上十二點，在夜市的東門見我，我會告訴你更多的細節。」
你猶豫了一下，但是你覺得也沒有什麼好失去的。第二天晚上，你來到了夜市，一個充滿霓虹燈、雜音和各種氣味的地方。你在人海中尋找那個女人的身影，沒看到她的蹤影。
你拿出手機，看到她傳來的訊息：
「我在這裡。跟著紅色的兔子走。」
你四處看了看，發現一個紅色兔子的塗鴉在附近的一堵牆上。你朝著塗鴉的方向走去，發現自己來到了一條黑暗的小巷。
你走進小巷，看到一扇門上貼著「兔子窟」的字樣。你敲了敲門，門就自動打開了。
裡面是一個狹小的房間，有一台投影機和一塊屏幕。坐在房間裡的有十幾個人，他們都戴著黑色的臂章。
那個女人站在屏幕前面。她對你微笑並點了點頭。
「歡迎來到拍賣會，」她說。「你來得正好。」
她打開投影機，放映了你在網上看過的公寓的影片。它看起來比照片上還要華麗。
她停頓了一下，掃視了一下觀眾。
接著用一種誘人的聲音介紹著這間公寓，就像是在賣一件珍貴的藝術品。”這裡是你夢寐以求的居所，”她說。 “它位於一棟安全的大樓中，擁有你所需要的一切設施。對於任何想要以優雅和舒適的方式生活的人來說，它都是完美的選擇。”
她對著觀眾露出了一個迷人的微笑。
“不過，這間公寓也有它的秘密，”她說。 “它曾經是一個知名的黑客的巢穴，他因為和政府、企業、甚至犯罪集團發生衝突而被追殺。他在這裡留下了他的電腦，裡面藏有他偷來的數據和代碼，可能值得數百萬甚至數億。如果你今天贏得了這間公寓，你也會繼承他的麻煩。”
她眨了眨眼睛。
“那麼，誰敢接受這個挑戰？”她問道。
房間裡一片寂靜。然後，有人舉起了手。
你環顧四周，發現每個人都像是從一部科幻電影裡走出來的。他們身上都有各種各樣的機械改造，有些人有閃爍的眼睛，有些人有鋼鐵般的手臂，有些人有從頭部延伸出來的電纜。
你明白這不只是一場拍賣。這是一場競爭。
競爭看誰能在這個賽博龐克的地獄中活下去。
你感覺到心跳加速，血液沸騰
你也舉起了手。
