164: Towards the Stars and the Abyss (Fog)

"In the world of cyberpunk, life is truly both valuable and worthless."

"As long as someone can bring benefits to the company, they are a valuable person and must be protected. Others are either employees of rival companies and need to be killed, or they are 'ants' with no value and can be ignored."

"Just like Ling Bu, because she stole private data, she was treated as an enemy by company employees; and because her own value was not enough, no other prominent figures came forward to protect her, so in the end, she could only meet her death."

"Living well yesterday and suddenly leaving this world 'to enjoy happiness' today, this kind of thing is countless in the world of cyberpunk."

"Back in the game, there were many NPCs like Ling Bu who were ruthlessly taken down by me. If those NPCs had intelligence, what would they think when I killed them?"

"Perhaps, they would curse the unfairness of the world."

Fang Yun sat on the thunder, driving towards the Beautiful Scenery District, lost in thought.

Valentine and Toke were also in the car, discussing the scene where the three of them were "slaughtering everything" just now.

"I'd say Fang Yun's strength has definitely reached the 'quasi-legendary' level, no, I should say he can already fully compare to those 'legendary mercenaries'."

A trace of uncontrollable excitement was revealed in Valentine's tone.

Toke stroked his chin and gave his opinion:

"I don't think so."

"Adam Smasher, Morgan Black Hand, 'Old Snake' Weyland, Rachi Bartmoss, and so on and so forth."

"Which one of these legendary figures isn't a resounding presence? You could even say their reputation has spread throughout the world."

"If Fang Yun is really a legendary mercenary, then why have we never heard of his name before?"

Valentine retorted:

"Maybe it's because Fang Yun is low-key?"

"You know, famous legendary mercenaries are definitely legends, but people with legendary strength are not necessarily famous."

Toke nodded slightly:

"That might be the case, what you said makes some sense."

Seeing that Toke accepted his point, Valentine turned his head to look at Fang Yun and asked:

"Fang Yun, do you think your own strength has reached the 'legendary' level?"

Human Intelligence Ascension had been collecting and organizing external information for the distracted Fang Yun, so when he heard Valentine's question, he was only stunned for a moment before quickly reacting:

"My strength problem?"

"The answer to this question should be that benevolent people see benevolence, and wise people see wisdom."

"Although I believe my strength has reached the standard of a 'legend', before I make a name for myself and achieve tangible results that I can show, I still need to be a little modest."

Hearing Fang Yun's answer, Valentine showed a thoughtful expression:

"Is this the legendary 'Oriental modesty'? I think I understand what you mean, Fang Yun."

Fang Yun smiled slightly at the words:

"Instead of discussing this, how about listening to my good news?"

Valentine raised an eyebrow and, along with Toke, shifted his gaze to Fang Yun's face, motioning for him to continue:

"Just now, I reported the completion of the commission task to the Old Captain. After verification, the commission reward of fifteen thousand euro has been deposited into my account."

"Because you two, Valentine and Toke, both contributed to the previous commission, I've decided to give you 20% of the commission fee."

Fang Yun's tone was serious, making it clear that he was speaking the truth.

Valentine and Toke exchanged glances, their eyes filled with joy.

"Oh dear, this is too kind. Without you, the commission just now would have been almost impossible to complete. We didn't make any crucial contributions, so wouldn't taking 20% of the commission reward be a bit much?"

Toke didn't speak, but the expression on his face was much the same as Valentine's meaning.

Fang Yun looked at Valentine and Toke, who were rubbing their hands, and couldn't help but laugh:

"This three thousand euro is what you deserve. Your contributions in the commission are worth this price."

"Furthermore, you can't hire two elite mercenaries with just three thousand euro. Strictly speaking, I'm the one who's making a steady profit."

"It's settled then. Just keep the 3000 euro."

Valentine and Toke, who had received the transfer, chuckled and no longer refused.

Just by following behind the boss and saying 666 and being spectators, they could get three thousand euro for free with zero risk.

Valentine and Toke, who had already tasted the sweetness, couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation for the upcoming commission.

...

"Ding! Congratulations, Host."

"<Mercenary Commission Task: Part Two · Electronic Ghost in Blood Alley> has been completed."

"Now issuing task rewards: 50,000 euro, 100 System points, <Module: Better Iron Golem 1.0>."

...

The rusty neon sign above them crackled, and the pink sign read "Beautiful Scenery Adult Cinema" in large characters.

Fang Yun parked the thunder in a shadowy corner of a back alley. None of them got out of the car, continuing to discuss tactics inside.

"I'm still limiting my strength to the Third Order?" (Fang Yun)

"Mm." (Toke)

"I was careless in the last commission and didn't dodge. This time, just watch me." (Valentine)

"Toke, let Fang Yun see the strength of the top-ranked two-person team in the Buckle Family commission completion rankings." (Valentine)

Toke (giving Fang Yun a thumbs up): "..."

"Good! Very spirited!"

"Then let's start the pre-battle reconnaissance now."

Three minutes later.

Fang Yun uploaded all the information he had detected with his Third Order Hacker strength to the team communication channel.

At the same time, on the screen of the vehicle's scanner, the red warning symbol representing danger kept flashing.

"There's a Militech signal jamming field nearby." (Fang Yun)

"These company dogs are really willing to spend big." (Toke)

"The situation on site is much more complex than what the Old Captain's mission brief said." (Valentine)

Valentine frowned, a cold light flashing in his cybernetic eyes.

"Militech has sent at least twenty company dogs, and the main intersections around the mission location are all blocked off." (Toke, clicking his tongue in wonder)

Toke sat in the back seat of the car, checking his shotgun as he spoke:

"And there's a large group of Animals muscle freaks having a party under the power grid tower."

On the real-time updating holographic map, more than a dozen red dots were moving rapidly and erratically around the target location.

"These guys are all muscle in their brains, their thinking is different from normal people, they completely go against common sense." (Toke)

"Add to that the chaotic command of those Maelstrom idiots, who knows what these weirdos will do. No wonder the Militech people don't dare to act rashly." (Valentine)

Fang Yun pressed his temple, a serious expression on his face.

Piercing electronic static came from the surveillance system Fang Yun had infiltrated, like sharp fingernails scratching a blackboard.

"Some kind of high-frequency pulse is frantically interfering with wireless communication, it might be a drone trying to restart its sonic weapon."

"The surrounding surveillance cameras have captured the Cleaners squad, they seem to be getting restless, as if they're preparing for a frontal assault."

"We need to act fast, before the Militech people make up their minds."

As the words fell, the three of them exchanged glances, nodded in understanding, and quickly grabbed their equipment, opening the car doors and getting out swiftly.

They took a small path to bypass the Cleaners squad, and then immediately started running towards the mission location.

Two minutes later, Valentine and Toke climbed onto the rooftop, panting.

Fang Yun, who was waiting for them there, made a gesture to warn them.

"Something's happening." (Communication)

Just as Valentine and Toke saw the message in the team channel, they heard a strange buzzing sound.

Looking up, it turned out to be the sound of the nightingale drone, stuck between the high-voltage cables, attempting to unfold the four rotors at the four corners of its body.

Its ferocious appearance made the nightingale look like a mechanical monster from the Nether.

But fortunately, its attempt failed.

Before Fang Yun and the others could breathe a sigh of relief.

"Damn it!"

Valentine suddenly threw himself to the ground, and a visible sound wave swept over his head. The air was torn apart, emitting a sharp bang.

The distant billboard was instantly shattered by the nightingale's sonic attack, countless chips flying everywhere, creating a shower of fine light on the ground.

Toke's face was scratched with several blood marks by the sonic wave because he didn't dodge in time, and blood seeped from the wounds drop by drop.

This minor injury naturally wouldn't affect Toke.

He scanned around and found the mastermind behind the nightingale's sonic attack.

"Death Squad member, nine o'clock direction!"

Fang Yun looked in the direction Toke pointed, and five Death Squad goons stood on the roof of a house, making insulting gestures towards them.

They all had skull and scythe tattoos on their necks, which looked particularly ferocious in the dim light.

The strongest one was carrying a "Six Gods" model heavy machine gun on his shoulder, its metal casing gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

More troublesome was that a chaotic battle suddenly broke out below the mission location - the power grid tower.

The Militech people finally couldn't hold back and made a move.

The Animals muscle brutes, wearing heavy armor and carrying heavy machine guns, charged towards the company forces, enduring a hail of bullets.

A giant over two meters tall even flipped a car with his bare hands and pushed it towards the Cleaners squad.

Roars and gunfire intertwined, making the entire scene chaotic.

"Plan changed."

Fang Yun spoke quickly:

"I must access the drone's control module as soon as possible to solve this problem from the root, otherwise..."

"Otherwise, I'll just have to go berserk again. (laughs)"

Before he could finish speaking, Fang Yun's voice suddenly paused, and a blinding scarlet warning unexpectedly erupted on his retina.

"Oh ho, an enemy Hacker is invading my ICE."

"Hmm..., his/her strength isn't very strong, I can handle it. Give me five minutes."

"If you can't hold on, just say the word, and I'll lead you out of the encirclement."

Fang Yun instructed Valentine and Toke, then focused his mind on dealing with the Death Squad Hacker.

Seeing this, Valentine and Toke quickly formulated the next battle plan together:

"Toke, I'll provide suppressing fire, you're responsible for protecting Fang Yun. Let's temporarily hide behind that signal shed."

"OK. Fang Yun, come with me."

Under Valentine's covering fire, Toke and Fang Yun hid behind a signal shed on the rooftop.

The relatively sturdy wall provided temporary shelter for the three of them.