Chapter 365 - 203: The Deal and the "Cat Girl

The Serum allowed John to digest for a while, then zoomed in on the group photo again, focusing on the strongest Ghoul.His nickname was "Butcher."

The Butcher didn’t have Zao’s brains, and could only seek help from the most worthless characters in Eden City’s gutters through street thug channels.

[Ironfoot Kunbu] noticed him.

The leader of the Exiles was doing quite well.

He capitalized on Eden City’s population growth and controlled several smuggling routes; he just needed a tool to realize his ambitions.

Kunbu deceived the Butcher with false intelligence, having him undergo intensive modification surgery—the doctor he found had decent skills, successfully transplanting dozens of military prosthetic bodies, reaching Alpha Level under lethal inhibitor control.

The Butcher thought he was rescuing the Serum and bore the brunt of it all.

A night no one expected.

He tore open Plato’s warehouse wall, massacred two platoons of Plato Company soldiers, and caused the sensational [Plato’s Warehouse Attack] in Eden City, ultimately being blasted to death by SAT at the crime scene.

That night.

John had just saved the doctor, driving back to the landfill.

The red searchlights of the special action team swept over the skyscrapers.

Two starkly different stories were unfolding in the same city.

This incident had far-reaching effects.

The attack on Plato’s Warehouse led to a large number of company products flooding the market.

The Exiles force led by Ironfoot Kunbu rose to power.

He himself was also targeted by the company and city council, forced to leave the city and vie for wilderness discourse power with the Wanderers.

Perhaps it was the radiation influence of Silver Port.

Or maybe it was Kunbu’s own mental problems.

He also became addicted to corporal modification, ultimately turning himself into a Great Ghost Mecha Pilot, suffering from severe cyber psychosis.

In the decisive battle between the Wanderers and the Exiles.

John, with the help of Alonna’s sniper rifle and Black Light, killed him.

"Let me think this over."

John stared at Serum’s holographic projection.

"The Butcher wanted to save you, but he was used. Yet when I arrived at Silver Port, you were getting along well with Ironfoot Kunbu, didn’t you think of avenging the Butcher?"

The Serum didn’t evade.

[Firstly, I was unaware at the time.]

Her tone didn’t change much.

[Secondly, Ironfoot Kunbu’s brain nerves deeply connected with the Power Armor, his self-consciousness collapsed and restructured, a rare cyber psychosis sample.]

The Serum spoke very objectively.

If a breakthrough in curing cyber psychosis could be achieved, [the Butcher] and [Ironfoot Kunbu] would be negligible consumables.

This is crucial for the entire Cyber Era.

[Perhaps you see me as a cold-blooded person, but don’t forget, John, I prepared the Sianweistan in you for Ironfoot Kunbu.]

She slightly lifted her head, her cheekbones prominent, as if she stood right in front of the supercar, staring at John.

[You killed him, I didn’t blame you, and even helped you complete the surgery, this is the best use of experimental resources, rather than seeing you become a spine-broken one-armed corpse.]

"..."

John couldn’t argue.

The Silver Rider 577 was quiet and oppressive.

Gino slightly tilted his head, using eye signals to hint at John asking certain key questions.

She and Yucca Rope were both members of the Wanderer Alliance, not surprised by their leader’s indifference.

John regained his composure and asked.

"My body is screwed, what should I do? Since it was originally meant for you, there must be some after-sales service, right?"

[I’ve already shown goodwill, John, if you want more information, there must be a corresponding price, remember?]

"I’ve been waiting for you to say that, just tell me, what do you want me to do?"

John originally thought Serum was interested in Black Light as well.

Unexpectedly, the other side said.

[You know too little, not enough to answer my questions, so I decided to have you do some mercenary work.]

The Serum raised her prosthetic limb and gently clasped her hands together.

The document materials that covered the car window glass disappeared instantly, replaced by the satellite overlooking map of Eden City and 3D holographic images.

Several images unfolded in front of a data-filled dark blue background.

John couldn’t understand the project reports, only recognizing the giant logos of [Plato] and [Gaia Cells] companies.

The Serum was kidnapped by the company, her real identity exposed.

This affair was far from over.

According to the intel revealed by Gino, the Serum had already caused a significant headache for Internet Surveillance in cyberspace after leaving Silver Port.

The wronged company must also bear the wrath of the Wanderer Alliance.

Multiple information files unfolded on the screen.

Those suited company elites flashed before everyone’s eyes, finally focusing on a man in a champagne-colored suit.

[Name: Bismarck Ritter]

[Affiliation: Plato]

His expression was gloomy, with two black streaks mixed into his brown-backed hair.

John had seen him once during a mission with the Harbor.

Plato and Gaia Cells entrusted Eden to hunt down an important person—former Tiebang Logistics employee Geoffrey.

He and John worked in the same transport echelon, also a participant of the Tiebang Logistics incident, and like others, either went missing or were packaged and sent to some lab as consumables.

The Geoffrey John saw back then had already gone mad.

Even in his last moments, he muttered creepy words like "remember" and "alter," then was shot in the head by the arriving Gaia Cells soldiers.

[Your task is to deal with Bismarck, dead or alive, the key point is acquiring a project key from Cyber World.]

"The reward?"

[A way to survive.]

The Serum’s holographic projection stared at John, using her prosthetic limb to gently touch her temple—indicating her clear awareness of John’s physical state.