Chapter 3：Confused Transmigration (1/2)
The sun shone with gentle radiance, melting the fog and casting a breath of vitality into the biodiversity. Dairy trucks drove on the vacant streets, delivering packets of milk to each household. A newspaper boy pedalled his bicycle, carrying a bundle of newspapers behind him.
In a coordinated hand movement, the newspaper boy put his hand into the bundle, took out a newspaper, and threw it. Flying above the gates, passing over the lawn, and squarely hitting the door, the newspaper landed on the ground. A dog then picked it up and began to play with it, shredding it into pieces to relieve its boredom.
The newspaper boy slowly pedalled his bicycle, accurately hitting the doors of each house he passed through with a newspaper. A young man opened the door to his house only to find a newspaper slamming into his face. Recovering himself, he gazed at the newspaper boy indifferently pedalling away, continuing to throw his newspapers without care if it hit someone.
'I should file a complaint against that boy,' The man thought as he gazed at the front page of the newspaper and placed it atop a nearby tea table.
”Mom, I'm on the front page. Make sure you fully read the article!” The young man shouted, picked up his car keys, and walked to the veranda. He then wore his socks and put on a well-polished formal shoe.
”Take care son. Drive slow, there is plenty of time for your appointment.” A voice travelled out, filled with concern. The young man could hear the sounds of exclaim amid the flapping of the newspaper. He smiled with pride and opened the gates.
Sitting inside his car, the young man hit the reverse gear and brought out the car to the main road. Switching back to first gear, the young man started the car. After exiting the colony gates, he switched on the GPS.
”Pravaha Nigam.” The GPS adjusted his route and began displaying the directions. It also showed his speed of travel, the condition of traffic on the road, weather, etc. The young man switched on the FM Radio, in hopes of hearing some morning slogans.
The time displayed in his watch stated 6:45 AM, so the FM Radios only played devotional songs during this time. They would switch to cinematic songs from 9:00 AM. The FM tuned to one of his favourite channel, Radio Mirchi; the RJ started with the day's weather and soon began his gossip.
”It's a good day folks. 6:50 AM and like always, we have a traffic jam in Broadway. Travelling during this time of the day when the fog still hasn't cleared has been proven to be harmful to the lungs but, you guys never listen to it anyway. Environmentalists have been screaming about global warming every day but, I can't live without my AC and roaming the streets on my rusty bike.”
”Seriously folks, you should listen to those environmentalists. Anyway, I have good news for you lazy folks. You no longer need to care about Air pollution…”
”Here it comes,” The young man smirked as he overtook a car and honked twice to showcase his victory.
”Vadlamani Kaushik, an Engineering student from the National Institute of Technology has come up with a scientific breakthrough that will save our lazy entitled arses. He has recently patented his prototype that is said to separate the Carbon-di-oxide present in the air into oxygen and carbon soot.”
”That's me,” The young man laughed.
”There is too much jargon which neither I nor you can understand; but, know this: we no longer need to be apprehensive about roaming on the streets in our cars. Heck, I am going to propose to my crush and go on long drives with her.”
”You get her man,” Kaushik laughed. He turned the steering wheels and took a turn according to the GPS' directions. After a long drive, a building came into view.
It was 20-storey tall and had a lawn. Security personnel could be spotted in many locations, patrolling and inspecting the visitors. At the entrance of the complex, a boom barrier blocked his path.
Stopping before it, Kaushik brought the window down and handed over a certificate and an identity card to a security guard. The guard inspected his certificate and then looked into his identity card. Two security personnel inserted a metal bar-like mechanism below the car.
The metal bar had a mirror attached to its top, rollers affixed at its bottom for motion, and a sensor on one end. It was used to check for any unsavoury objects hidden under the car. After their inspection concluded, the security guard returned the certificate and ID card, talking in his walkie-talkie. The boom barrier then opened, allowing his entry.
Kaushik drove the car to an underground parking lot and parked his car at an appropriate place. He then picked up a leather suitcase, fixed his appearance, and closed the door.
Walking towards a lift, Kaushik pressed a button and waited his turn. He got into it after some time and pressed a button with the number '14'.
The lift opened on the fourteenth floor, a well-carpeted corridor came into view. His shoe made soft sounds on the carpeted floor as he checked the room number.