[Eden City - 013 Dan Street]

John slowly opened his eyes.

A sheet of white light slowly coalesced into an edgeless ceiling.

"...Fuck, what a mess."

John sat up on the edge of the bed, stretched his muscles, and his prosthetic eye scanned the familiar industrial-style furniture around him.

The familiar apartment pulled him back from the remnants of his chaotic dreams.

"This is really fucked up."

John muttered as he got up, and as he walked across the steel staircase, flashes of red data from his dream still occasionally crossed his mind.

This didn't feel like just a simple dream.

Whoosh——

The water gushed into the metal sink.

John leaned against the mirror, his mind racing with thoughts.

Hallucinations of "seeing the future" had appeared at the funeral home, and now he'd dreamt from another perspective about things that had already happened.

With his body's collapse, some programs were malfunctioning.

John didn't know who to consult about his "symptoms." If he spoke about them, people would think he was in the late stages of cyber psychosis, eventually spiraling out of control amidst hysteria and hallucinations.

What if it really is cyber psychosis?

John brought up the plugin given by Tinfoil and ran a self-diagnosis, finding that his psychosis indicators were far below the safety line.

"Heh."

He chuckled bitterly and shook his head, burying his face in the sink.

The clear water swept over his cheeks, washing away the oiliness and heat from the surface of his skin.

[Kuang Xin (Brilliant Unicorn) [Unread Message]]

Sleep mode disengaged.

Various pending messages appeared in his field of view.

John casually waved a hand, casting the message onto the glass display, while checking his body state with small leaps.

Sugar Bean Man's drugs were truly impressive.

John slept very deeply; aside from that strange dream, his body and mind had indeed recovered well.

That sense of lethargy and scattered attention had disappeared.

Whoosh——

The water poured down.

The glass surface instantly fogged up, faintly reflecting John's well-proportioned muscle lines, along with the conspicuous black markings on his chest—decorative synthetic leather left after the Yggdrasil surgery, used to cover ventilation seams and hyperplastic scars.

Kuang Xin's image flickered in the mirror.

The voice from the voicemail played simultaneously.

[Kuang Xin: Stop fucking sleeping! Buddy, good girls can't wait forever. I've checked Oulos' schedule for you. She'll be at the City Core Sky View Apartment before noon. Be respectful, keep your tone soft, remember, we're aiming to reconcile~]

Kuang Xin made a fist-pumping gesture in the video.

[And remember, relationships are relationships, business is business. Oulos isn't an easy woman to get involved with. As the middleman, no matter if it works out or not, you owe me big time!]

The holographic image fizzled out with a buzz.

[Side Quest: Middleman]

[Reward: None]

Drip.

The shower turned off.

John wiped his body while watching the task information popping up in his view.

This was the second time he encountered a task with no reward.

Both times were related to Oulos.

[Eden City - City Core Square]

John rested a hand on the driver's side window.

The neon signs blurred into a purplish-red glow amidst the gray haze, hovercars criss-crossing overhead. The headquarters of ECPD and SAT was at the very center of the city.

The duty frequency here was much higher than in other areas.

Some said it was to match the high property prices, while others argued it was to protect the numerous corporate office buildings clustered here.

Extreme media figures even claimed the municipal government was watching over these external capitals.

Rumble——

The intercity rail train sped through the sky.

The subway also rumbled beneath, the vibrations penetrating the thick roads, causing the vending machines on the roadside to hum.

The green light turned on.

The projection patterns on the road changed.

John accelerated, proceeded through the visitor ID verification, and drove into the parking garage at the base of the building.

[Floor: 22↑]

Not until John stood in the elevator cabin did he remember he'd been here once before.

This property was under Oulos' name.

There was also a medical facility on the lower level, ostensibly an emergency team's urban branch, but actually a private clinic equipped with a full set of prosthetic body installation equipment.

John had his Yggdrasil installed here.

[Floor: 32-]

What should he say when he saw Oulos?

John hadn't sorted out his thoughts yet when the elevator doors suddenly opened.

Ding——

Standing at the entrance to greet John was a tall, upright man.

But it wasn't the Armored Behemoth who often appeared by Oulos' side, but another familiar face.

[Name: Hawthorne McCarthy (Scimitar)]

[Affiliation: Mercenaries [Jingke Heavy Industry]]

"Hello, John, we meet again."

Scimitar stood with hands clasped behind.

The aura of a retired military man was palpable.

Hawthorne McCarthy was a mercenary with Jingke Heavy Industry. For Mr. Vito's sake, he'd returned to Eden City to ensure Angelica's safety during her exposed hospitalization period.

John had met him at the hospital and had a silenced Faki gun taken from him under the pretense of "collecting."

Scimitar's smile was unchanged, overlapping with John's memories.

His short hair was meticulously groomed, his tie and suit were upscale, the fabric exquisite, the colors understated, and they wouldn't hinder intense activity.

"Fuck, why are you here?"

John instinctively remained cautious.

Scimitar's expression and tone didn't change.

"Is it unusual for a mercenary to meet a middleman?"

"Are you short on work? What, Jingke Heavy Industry not paying you? Or are you looking to take on side jobs..."

"That's a different story."

Scimitar didn't rise to the provocation.

He calmly stepped into the elevator, nodding with a smile as a farewell.

The elevator cabin closed.

John withdrew his attention and headed along the corridor with soundproof carpeting directly to the room.

The familiar panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows reflected the skies over Eden City.

The floors had been combined, forming a large open space, yet only a few simple pieces of furniture were arranged.

Oulos was lounging by the window.

To be precise, reclining on a surgical examination chair.

Several mechanical arms were working on her face, a series of complex data floated on the wall.

"Pour yourself a drink."

Oulos' voice emerged.

She wore casual homewear, not anesthetized, with even a glass of red wine within reach on the high table beside her.

Hearing the voice, John moved closer for a clearer view.

The mechanical arms extended Oulos' eye sockets, the cylindrical structure perfectly aligned with her prosthetic eye, with several fine data cables connecting different ports to her terminal.

He didn't actually pour himself any wine.

The room was very quiet.

So quiet that the sound of mechanical rotations deep within Oulos' eye sockets could be heard.

Calibration and upgrades were complex processes, but performing them inside a living person's head was slightly horrifying.

Oulos' voice interrupted John's observation.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I went to Source Equation, the equipment in your room is a bit similar to theirs."

"Wow, compared to the mercenaries in Eden City, you could be considered experienced; ordinary people don't even know its exact location."

Oulos clasped her hands over her abdomen, looking as serene as if engaged in a daily grooming ritual.

She gestured invitingly towards John.

"Why did you come to see me?"

Before he could answer, Oulos raised a finger to interrupt.

"My prosthetic eyes are being adjusted, so you have five minutes to lie, John. Let me rephrase that: Give me a reason not to kick you out."

Oulos' tone was mocking.

The raised index finger transformed into a middle finger.

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