7: Chapter 7 A Deal in the Shadows

The neon tubes sizzled in the curtain of rain, and the splashing water stained the asphalt road in varying shades of ink.

Lin Fan curled up in the corner of the iron bed in the underground clinic, listening to the footsteps from above; every vibration felt like it was stepping on his nerves.

The pungent smell of disinfectant mixed with the damp, musty odor, choking him until he couldn't help but cough, but Michael De Santa quickly covered his mouth.

"Shut up." Michael De Santa's voice was extremely low, his knuckles turning white from the exertion. His left arm was wrapped in a blood-soaked bandage, a graze from a stray bullet during their escape just now.

The clinic door was unlocked, hanging with a wooden sign that read "Closed Today." When the wind blew, the sign hit the doorframe, making a monotonous clanking sound.

The doctor was an old man with a goatee, wearing a yellowing lab coat. He was hunched over, treating Michael De Santa's wound. The tweezers held an alcohol-soaked cotton ball, making a faint sizzling sound as it wiped across the skin.

Michael De Santa's whole body tensed up in pain, cold sweat streaming down his jawline, yet he didn't utter a sound.

"The bounty from the Snake Fang Gang has been issued to the entire city." The old man suddenly spoke, his voice as raspy as sandpaper rubbing against wood. He threw the blood-stained cotton ball into the trash can and glanced at Lin Fan and Michael De Santa, his eyes devoid of any sympathy. "Your heads are worth 500,000 credits. Now, the thugs, mercenaries, and even the patrol police on the streets are looking for you. In my opinion, you won't last three days."

Lin Fan's heart sank. He took out the terminal in his pocket, his fingertips sliding quickly across the screen to bring up the system panel.

The icon for [Hacker Intrusion] glowed with a faint blue light; he gritted his teeth and chose to activate it.

"Target: Snake Fang Gang internal database."

"Cracking... Warning: The target database has been encrypted with the highest level of security. Advanced authorization is required. Current authorization is insufficient; access denied."

The cold system prompt echoed in his mind. Lin Fan slammed his fist hard against the bed board, making a dull thud.

Advanced authorization, again. Ever since he transmigrated to this cyberpunk world and bound himself to this broken system, he had been limited by authorization levels everywhere. Now, he couldn't even check bounty information.

"It's useless." Michael De Santa tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a dismal smile. "The Snake Fang Gang's database was encrypted by people Victor personally hired. Unless you can hack into the Federal Mainframe, don't even think about touching it."

Lin Fan irritably scratched his hair and looked up at Michael De Santa. "Then what do we do now? Sit here and wait for death?"

Michael De Santa closed his eyes and was silent for a few seconds, as if he had made up his mind.

He pulled an old communicator from his inner pocket. The paint on the buttons had all worn off, and a cracked screen protector was still stuck on the display.

He dialed a string of numbers and waited for about half a minute. A burst of noisy static came from the communicator, followed by a raspy male voice: "Who?"

"Razor, it's me." Michael De Santa's voice was very calm. "I need help."

There was silence on the other end for a moment, followed by a burst of mocking laughter: "Michael De Santa? You traitor, you dare to call me? The Snake Fang Gang wants to crush your bones to ash, and you actually dare to show your face?"

"I have no choice." Michael De Santa's voice lowered. "Victor wants to kill me, and I'm at the end of my rope."

"Being at the end of your rope is what you deserve." Razor's tone turned cold. "When you betrayed the Snake Fang Gang back then, you should have known this day would come."

"I know." Michael De Santa took a deep breath. "But I have a deal now that is a sure win for you."

"Oh?" There was a bit more interest in Razor's tone. "What kind of deal?"

"I need you to help us escape the Snake Fang Gang's pursuit. In return, we can help you steal something."

"Steal what?"

"The Snake Fang Gang's blacklist."

The laughter on the other end stopped abruptly, and a heavy silence filled the air.

After a long while, Razor's voice sounded again, with a trace of imperceptible vigilance: "How do you know about the blacklist?"

"That's none of your business," Michael De Santa said. "You just need to tell me, deal or not?"

"Address." Razor dropped these two words and hung up the communication.

Lin Fan looked at Michael De Santa, his brows tightly locked. "Razor? A former Snake Fang Gang mercenary? I've heard of this guy; he's ruthless and heartless. Are you sure you want to cooperate with him? Could this be a trap?"

"What if it is a trap?" Michael De Santa gave a bitter smile, opening his eyes, which were filled with bloodshot veins. "We have no choice, Lin Fan. Either trust him or wait here for the Snake Fang Gang to come to our door and blow our brains out."

Lin Fan was silent. He knew Michael De Santa was telling the truth. Right now, they were like fish on a cutting board, waiting to be slaughtered. Cooperating with Razor at least offered a glimmer of hope.

The night deepened, but the rain showed no signs of letting up. The three met at the agreed-upon location. Razor was wearing a black trench coat with his hood pulled low, obscuring most of his face and revealing only a jawline with cold, hard lines.

He had two modified pistols tucked at his waist and a dagger inserted into his boot. His entire being exuded a dangerous aura.

"The blacklist is in Victor's private office, heavily guarded. Stealing it is harder than ascending to heaven," Razor said straight to the point, his voice sounding like it had been tempered in ice. "However, I know a shortcut—Nightingale in the black market. She has the access code to Victor's office."

"Nightingale?" Lin Fan raised an eyebrow. "That information broker? I've heard she's very well-informed, but also very ruthless. To get something from her, the price is not small."

"No matter how high the price is, it's not worth more than a life." Razor glanced at him. "The black market opens tonight; let's go try our luck."

The black market was hidden deep in the city's sewers, with the entrance being an abandoned subway station.

The air was filled with the smell of rotting garbage and cheap alcohol. All sorts of people moved through it: mercenaries in hoods, prostitutes in revealing clothes, and some cyborgs with full mechanical modifications. Their eyes flickered with cold red light, which was chilling.

Nightingale's stall was in the innermost corner of the black market, hanging a red lantern with a Nightingale spreading its wings painted on it.

She was a woman wearing a qipao, with a seductive figure and delicate makeup on her face. She wore several gem-encrusted rings on her fingers, looking completely out of place in this motley black market.

"Oh, a rare guest." Seeing Razor, Nightingale curled her lips into a charming smile. "Lord Razor actually gracing my little stall, it really makes my humble place shine."

"Cut the crap." Razor couldn't be bothered to dance around with her and went straight to the point. "I want the access code for Victor's private office."

Nightingale's smile faded. She picked up the wine glass in front of her and took a light sip, her eyes sweeping over Lin Fan and Michael De Santa. "Victor's things are not that easy to take. You want the code? Fine, what are you trading for it?"

"What do you want?" Michael De Santa asked.

"I want the Snake Fang Gang's transport route map." Nightingale put down the wine glass, her eyes sharp as knives. "Recently, Victor has been smuggling a batch of contraband mechanical prosthetics. I want to know his transport route."

Razor frowned, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. Just then, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly arrived, accompanied by a few shrill screams. Nightingale's expression changed, and she suddenly looked up toward the direction of the black market entrance.

"Not good, it's the Snake Fang Gang!"

Before she could finish speaking, several black shadows rushed in. They were wearing uniform black combat suits, with ferocious snake fang masks on their faces, and the submachine guns in their hands were spitting tongues of fire.

Bullets hit the surrounding stalls, making a crackling sound. The crowd screamed and fled in all directions, and the entire black market fell into chaos in an instant.

"Damn it!" Razor cursed under his breath, suddenly pulling out the pistol at his waist and pulling the trigger on the killer rushing at the front. The bullet accurately hit the opponent's brow, and the killer fell straight down.

Lin Fan also reacted. He pulled his own pistol out of his backpack. It was a new, modified pistol; its power was not great, and its range was short. He took a deep breath, aimed at a killer, and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The bullet missed, flying past the killer's shoulder and hitting the wall behind, splashing up a piece of debris.

"Shit!" Lin Fan cursed inwardly, scrambling to aim again, but because of his nervousness, his fingers were stiff and wouldn't listen to him.

The killer was enraged, turned his muzzle, and fired a burst of bullets at Lin Fan.

"Watch out!" Michael De Santa was quick-eyed and fast-handed, pushing Lin Fan away. The bullets flew past Lin Fan's clothes, hitting the ground and leaving a string of charred bullet holes.

Lin Fan was scared into a cold sweat, his heart pounding wildly. He looked at Michael De Santa, his lips moving, wanting to say thank you, but found he couldn't even speak. This was his first real gunfight and the first time he had faced death directly; the feeling of fear almost swallowed him.

"Don't space out! Shoot!" Michael De Santa roared at him, the gun in his hand constantly spitting fire, accurately knocking down one killer after another.

Lin Fan gritted his teeth, forcing himself to calm down. He steadied his hand, aimed at a lone killer, and slowly pulled the trigger.

Bang!

This time, the bullet hit the opponent's thigh. The killer screamed and fell to the ground, rolling while holding his leg.

Lin Fan breathed a sigh of relief and was just about to show a smile when he saw a killer wearing a snake fang mask silently creep behind him, the dagger in his hand flashing with cold light, stabbing toward his back.

"Lin Fan! Watch out behind you!" Razor's voice rang out.

Lin Fan turned his head sharply, seeing the dagger so close, his pupils suddenly constricted. He couldn't dodge in time and could only watch helplessly as the dagger stabbed toward him.

Just then, a black shadow rushed over, knocking the killer away. It was Razor!

Razor's movements were unbelievably fast. He kicked the killer in the chest, sending him flying, then pulled the dagger from his boot and backhanded it into the killer's throat.

But he himself did not escape unscathed; another killer's bullet accurately hit his back.

With a "squelch," blood sprayed from Razor's chest, staining his black trench coat red.

"Razor!" Michael De Santa exclaimed, wanting to rush over, but he was entangled by several killers and couldn't break free.

Razor staggered and leaned against the wall, his face as pale as paper. He looked at Lin Fan, the corner of his mouth pulling into a difficult smile, and then pulled a black USB drive from his bosom, using his last bit of strength to shove it into Lin Fan's hand.

"Go find... go find Red Scorpion..."

His voice grew lower and lower, and finally, his head tilted to the side, and he completely lost his breath.

Lin Fan gripped the USB drive that still carried his body heat, his fingers trembling slightly. He looked at Razor's corpse, a complex emotion surging in his heart. This ruthless mercenary had actually died to save him in the end.

"Run!" Michael De Santa finished off the last killer and rushed over to grab Lin Fan. "The main force of the Snake Fang Gang is coming!"

Lin Fan snapped out of it, glanced at the USB drive on the ground, then looked at Nightingale's stall, finding it empty, with only a lonely red lantern swaying in the wind.

He gritted his teeth and followed Michael De Santa as they turned and rushed into the depths of the sewer's darkness.

Behind them, gunfire and footsteps grew closer.

And what they didn't know was that the bodies of the killers who had been knocked down were melting at a speed visible to the naked eye, turning into pools of dark green liquid that seeped into the ground, leaving no trace behind.

Victor's horror was far more terrifying than they had imagined.

And the content inside that USB drive would uncover a huge conspiracy capable of overturning the entire city.