It was the first time John met him, right there. The elevator stopped on the first floor. John exited the cabin. As he turned his head, he caught a glimpse: Tinfoil was leaning against the metal back panel, pouring out oral medicine, throwing his head back to swallow it, unscrewing the beverage bottle... The metal door closed. John wiped his cheek with the back of his hand, the signs of prosthetic body overheating were rapidly easing. This sense of fatigue was normal, slightly different from the deadly scorching heat of Black Light’s rampage. Eisenberg’s high-end motorcycle steadily parked. John straddled the driver’s seat, glanced at the company gate, then revved the throttle, returning to the apartment. The night had fully descended. The neon-lit Eden City, on the contrary, came alive. It drove every soul living in the technological jungle mad, wandering recklessly on the bustling, humid streets, with faint gunshots and explosions, wildly varied music, pervasive ads... John sped through the streets, brushing past vehicles. He recalled the Harbor Company’s journey, thought the subdermal armor was enough to be arrogant, realizing he was still too green, and there’s a ways to go before becoming a real tough guy. John would continue training. He must play to his advantages; if his experience is lacking, he’ll rely on the quantity and quality of chips. Black Light sweeps the chip data. Then resists the negative effects with inhibitors. John had previously thought this attempt too dangerous, but after so many things, he’s come to terms with it. On this path, there’s no room for cowardice or fear. The city’s overflowing with desire and danger. If he’s not strong enough, he won’t even have the right to know the truth. What does it matter if Tinfoil and Eden keep things from him? Though it’s not necessary... He really can’t beat Eden. The throttle roared louder and louder. John leaned down, transforming into a black and red stream of light navigating the night, with horns and skyscrapers becoming blurred background in his peripheral vision. There’s a height difference at the end of the overpass. His vehicle briefly soared and landed, continuing to pick up speed. John felt agitated in his heart, again thinking of Tiebang Logistics’ delivery mission. Just what did he encounter last time he drove at the company? The tie clip bastard still hasn’t shown up. He’s also at a loss with the middleman. Waiting is something that can drive a person insane. John slowed to drift on an arc-shaped curve, pulling out a long black line on the street with the loud friction sound. The oncoming vehicles urgently avoided him. Suddenly, curses and screeching brakes were incessant, all sorts of insulting swear words shot. A few tattooed strong men slammed their car doors, ready to charge out to confront him. John pulled out the Vodka revolver, staring back at them in confusion. "Whoa~ wow, buddy, calm down." "You gotta pay attention to traffic rules, it’s life-threatening..." The strong men also had weapons tucked at their waists. But they were just street racing gang fresh onto the streets, wisely retreating back into their car after seeing John’s ride and the look in his eyes. "Guess they’re high out of their minds." The black muscle car quickly left. John lowered his arms, feeling his heart pounding, recalling the numbers on the dashboard just now... "F*ck, what’s happening to me?" He reached to touch his neck, pulling out a charred chip. [Chip: Kamel Melee 3.5 Version - Bare Grind Assassination (Damaged)] "When did I put it in?" John’s back inexplicably chilled, yet his cheeks were burning hot. Here was the edge of the overpass, next to the old industrial area, crossroads leading to the West District and outer ring line, very little traffic with no surveillance equipment on the road. John used a special inhibitor. His prosthetic eye flickered, his head became calm again, immediately stuffing the damaged piece into his inner pocket. It hadn’t been cleaned in a long time, packed with waste. [Unknown Contact [Video Call]] John’s tone was somewhat unfriendly. He activated the scanner and looked around, afraid of being tailed. A pop-up appeared in the upper left corner of his vision, revealing an Asian face. [Kuang Xin: Hey, John, uh... buddy, I thought you’d be a bit happier to see me recovering.] [Kuang Xin: You seem to be in a bad mood, so I’ll be brief. Thanks for saving my sorry life and letting me save face in front of the client. I’m actually downstairs at the Dan Street Apartment, and I’d like to talk to you in person.] "Alright, wait for me." John kept it brief and hung up the phone. He drove the Alloy RCH back to the apartment, spotting a black luxury business car parked at the entrance of the underground garage from afar. John let the motorcycle auto-navigate back. The car door opened automatically. A muscular Haitian man in a suit stepped out, made way for him, then opened the passenger door and climbed in. Two rows of sofas face each other. Red leather cushions, a soft woven carpet, and an Asian man in a robe and shorts. Kuang Xin invited him to sit down. The car door closed automatically. The noise from advertisements and light pollution was shut out. The air wall between the back seat and the driver’s seat turned into a honeycomb-patterned metal partition. The meeting space became private and secure. Kuang Xin relaxed his shoulders comfortably, and the pop-up table had two glasses of champagne already poured. "Seeing you inexplicably reassures me." "Recovered this quickly, huh?" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹~𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮~𝚗𝚎𝚝 "Of course, where do you think all the tech advancements are? Eden City is a dangerous place; the number of unfortunates dying in the streets equals the scum dying in their beds every day." Kuang Xin crossed his legs, his slipper swaying, while casting a somewhat pensive glance out the car window. "You must believe in the power of technology. Other than throwing parties, the thing I spend the most on is buying life for myself and my clients." He raised a glass to John. The champagne was very mild, lacking stimulants, a rare original commodity. John sighed with a touch of sentiment. "It’s great to have money, but people like you don’t cherish life, you just have to recklessly ruin yourselves, daring to shoot yourself below... What the f*ck were you thinking at the time?" "Desperate times call for desperate measures." (In Chinese) Kuang Xin gave a meaningful smile. "I needed to save my life and my reputation. Maintaining a network requires costs, and the political price is often far greater than pure physical pain." "You guys deserve to die in your calculations." John had no interest in delving into their scheming. After a momentary pause, just out of curiosity, he stared at him and asked. "Did they put it back for you down there?" Kuang Xin’s expression changed instantly, and the depth and melancholy disappeared. "But I got an upgraded version, with threads and various mechanisms, and what pleases me the most is this..." He put his foot down and spread his legs. The gold fabric began to bulge, and then it emitted a multi-colored glow, even f*cking strobing! "Advanced subcutaneous LED lights. Explosive, the kind of tech Ghouls like to install on their faces is trash; only I can adjust it to mood and ambiance..." He gave John a detailed introduction. Enthusiastically knowledgeable! "I came to see you today for two things. Firstly, there’s a senator’s wife who wants your contact info. Although I don’t know what you’ve been through tonight, I won’t allow any of my friends to worry. Come with me, and I’ll assure you a blast!" Kuang Xin invited him warmly. John was already dumbfounded at this point. He still hadn’t recovered from the unbelievable comments earlier, his mind incessantly recalling the wall he saw at the Nocturne Bar... "What? Uh, never mind, I’m not in the mood tonight." John waved it off. "What’s the other thing?" "Of course, it’s to ask you personally!" Kuang Xin spoke with ease, smacking his lips as he sat down. He casually flicked his wrist, and his prosthetic eyes flashed twice, transferring a large sum of money into John’s account. "An extra bonus, I didn’t alarm my clients, so I ought to give you some benefit, right?" Kuang Xin put away his smile, sitting up straight. He raised his hands to support his chin, his expression hidden in the dim light inside the car. "Oulos said you have something you want to investigate? My apparent identity is the spokesperson for Tiebang Logistics News. If it’s about this company’s inside story, is there a better choice than me..." John’s expression turned serious as well. Kuang Xin smiled again, his gaze intriguingly complex. "So, glad you ran into me, aren’t you?"