A black cloak that covered his entire body. Underneath, he wore a black shirt, a black vest, a black jacket, a black tie… And on his head was a long-brimmed black hat.
"Hah… Haha…" Standing in front of the pedestrian crossing, Mr. Nobody couldn't help but laugh.
There were about fifteen people nearby, and, as if he were some kind of leper, each of them kept their distance of several meters.
After his sudden laugh, they unconsciously took a couple more steps back, but then managed to pull themselves together and began to keep a safe distance.
Their ambiguous reaction was understandable. How were they—the residents of Concord—supposed to react to a madman who had dressed himself like… this?
Should they express respect and approval? Break his arms and legs, then pour acid on him for desecrating a sacred image?
It was unclear what the correct reaction was, so the safest thing to do was nothing at all.
"Hahaha… Haah…" The holographic traffic light turned green, but no one moved. Mr. Nobody stifled a chuckle and glanced back at the passersby. "Be careful… He is watching you."
He made a shushing gesture, then pointed that finger straight up at the sky.
The passersby immediately found what he was pointing at with their eyes and, after giving nervous nods, walked away from him.
Mr. Nobody laughed again and regretted not having worn this costume sooner.
"If you're really watching… Never mind." Leaving the sentence unfinished, he continued on his way to the Selection site, without looking back at the object in the night sky above Concord.
He hadn't pointed his finger at the sky for no reason. Directly above Concord, in space, there was a massive object, created not by nature but by a living hand.
People referred to it among themselves as an orbital station. This object was visibly linked to the Neocorp tower and, in shape, echoed the boldest design concepts of future structures. If this station is visible from the ground just as clearly as a black hole, it must be truly enormous… But looking at it, people weren't thinking about that.
The elongated vertical structure was split at the top but had a distinct end at the bottom.
The red end was shaped like a red sphere with a black core… Simply put, it looked incredibly much like a giant eye, always watching you from the heavens.
There was no clear confirmation of this, but most were convinced that this very orbital station was the Abode of Knowledge—the place where Big Brother actually resided.
As if He were always watching you.
"…Creepy shit."
…
"…And that is exactly what our all-knowing and all-encompassing Lord did! He took upon himself the sins of the former wicked Peak, as well as those of everyone who set foot on the Path of Knowledge! It is only thanks to his miraculous will that our minds do not shatter from the curse of the wicked Path! Because of this, he is still forced to conceal the identity of our Champion… Our Lord bears the burden of the sins and curses of each of us, so give thanks… and praise Him!"
Mr. Nobody stopped, removing one earbud from his ear. He stepped into the Norwich district—and immediately encountered a preacher.
The entrance to Norwich was marked by a large five-meter statue, in the same style as the one he had encountered in the Pit.
If Southville resembled an old European town going through hard times, and Como was the cyberpunk lover's dream, then Norwich…
It was something else entirely.
To be honest, Mr. Nobody felt uneasy here. Here, he couldn't help but believe that Big Brother really was his savior and that he was always watching over him to protect him.
In any case, there was just under an hour left until the Selection, and sometimes listening to such things was even useful…
"…" Upon spotting Mr. Nobody in the crowd, the preacher abruptly fell silent.
A cascade of emotions flashed through his eyes: from awe and reverence to fear and horror.
But in the end, like the rest, he froze as well and stopped speaking.
"Tsk…" Mr. Nobody clicked his tongue and walked away.
When he put on that costume, he hadn't even imagined it would provoke such a reaction. It was starting to get annoying, and it was also drawing unwanted attention.
After a moment's thought, he tossed the hat into the nearest bin, hoping that might help at least a little.
…
Norwich had plenty of futuristic buildings and modern complexes.
However, he couldn't shake the religious atmosphere permeating the streets and around certain houses built in the style of temples and churches.
Was it always like this here?
His surroundings, his own thoughts, and the inevitability of what he was about to do…
All of this put him in a very strange mood.
It seemed as though even the stars were watching him right now, as if something fateful was about to unfold.
'People are always afraid to take the first step…' the words of that unusual girl from the Path of Dream involuntarily came to mind.
Was what he was feeling right now really fear?
Anticipation, excitement, doubt, impatience… He couldn't define his own feelings at all, and there was hardly any time to do so.
Goosebumps had long since spread across his arms.
"Soar," Read the welcome sign at the massive stadium.
"…" He swallowed involuntarily.
Echoes of a raucous roar were already reaching him. It seemed that an opening performance was taking place inside right now, featuring a performance by some artist.
It felt as though the arena, seemingly carved from a single slab of light-gray marble, already held tens of thousands of spectators, and there was no telling how many more would come.
Strangely enough, this calmed his nerves a little.
After all, who knew better than he did that deceiving such a crowd was much easier than deceiving himself.
"…Paymax. And how do you feel about the fact that tens of thousands of people might burst into tears of rage today? Doesn't that contradict the very purpose of your existence?"
"If it brings a smile of relief to your face… Then it will mean so much more. Numbers don't lie."
"Look at you, such a sweetheart today." He couldn't help but smirk.
Sighing, he finally took a step forward, humming the tune the children of Southville had grown to love.
"Ding-ding-dong, ding-ding-dong, Nobody's at your door."
"Knock-knock-knock, knock-knock-knock, Nobody wants you more."
"Tip-tip-tap, tip-tip-tap, Nobody's coming in."
"Tip-tip-tap, tip-tip-tap, Nobody owns your soul."