Chapter 77: The Shifting Economy

The collapse of corporate control had shattered old economic models. In the free-flowing digital markets of 2098, a new form of currency emerged: "Crea-Bits." These weren't tied to physical resources or old-world capital, but to verified creative output and valuable data contributions to the global network. A dazzling piece of digital art could earn you Crea-Bits, as could a revolutionary new algorithm, or a meticulously curated historical database.

Jax, a former corpo-hacker turned independent data-miner, thrived in this new landscape. He specialized in finding forgotten data caches, converting obsolete code into usable information, and thereby generating Crea-Bits. But the new economy, while seemingly egalitarian, had its own shadows. Powerful syndicates, operating in the gray areas of the net, began to manipulate Crea-Bit flows, hoarding valuable data and leveraging influence. Jax found himself caught between the idealism of the new system and the burgeoning digital black market, where old habits of power and control still tried to take root.