John hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose to describe the event to Kuang Xin in rough outlines. He used to be a driver for Tiebang Logistics’ intercity transport team, but his last escort mission encountered a robbery. Then he was severely injured and fell into a coma, only to be fired by the company while in the hospital... Kuang Xin listened intently, occasionally nodding. He didn’t offer any opinion about the company’s actions; after all, from a PR and corporate efficiency perspective, it all "complied with procedure," and one could even infer the specific operations. "They settled the emergency costs using your social security and salary account, then told you some of the rescue drugs weren’t covered for reimbursement?" "You really get it, you bastard..." John listened, grinding his teeth. "Calm down, buddy, it’s got nothing to do with me. I’m mainly responsible for dealing with the media and shareholders, ensuring the company doesn’t suffer losses over some minor things, especially those impacting product sales." Kuang Xin raised both hands, his expression unashamed. "Let me guess, a couple of low-paid HR juniors came to announce the decision to you, and all your former supervisors and higher-ups vanished from the communication list. You know why? They’re afraid you’d go berserk and pull a gun from under the hospital bed to blow them away." John clenched his fist and hit the nearby cushion. "Okay, I know what you want, I’ll help you check the files on your old boss and the HR department, get a couple of employee addresses so you can vent your anger." Kuang Xin sighed. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⁂𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⁂𝙣𝙚𝙩 "It’s meaningless, buddy. That’s how company rules work. Everyone can be sacrificed for survival and climbing up. Besides, you’re doing quite well now, much better than being a pathetic driver." "I don’t want to be a fool." John had seen a former colleague brainwashed by Plato during missions with Eden. He didn’t plan to reveal everything to Kuang Xin and simply said, "I just want to know what shady business was run on that last assignment. Can you help me find out? If anyone else survived like I did, it’d be best to get some contact info." Kuang Xin pondered for a moment. He crossed his arms, gently tapping his forehead with his fingers, seemingly browsing some information. His cybernetic eye flashed faintly. With a flick of his hand, a table rose up in the middle of the sofa. The metal surface sank into a crack, and the projection equipment displayed a video in front of them. "According to the time you provided, this should have happened a week before I took the job at Tiebang Logistics. The former spokesperson involved in this affair died in an accident, which is why I had the chance to take this key position." On the projector is a drone’s aerial view: The highway outside Eden City was covered in thick smoke and fire, terrifying flames swayed with the wind, forming a tornado that burned the surrounding building debris and drought-resistant plants to ash. The gunfight was extremely brutal. Media arrived like vultures smelling rotting flesh, even faster than the damn rescue team and company support. "Why couldn’t I find this?" "Where are you looking, public news or media websites? This operation is a bit of a joke, buddy, Eden City has everything; it just depends on whether you have the channel and skill." Kuang Xin pointed at the video and explained. "If the media drone captures an inappropriate image, they’ll come to negotiate with people like me, extort a good price before revising the press release. If the company doesn’t pay up, they’ll launch endless smears, releasing smoke bombs under the sponsorship of rival companies..." "So this video isn’t publicly released?" "Damn (Chinese), how is this any different from asking for my life? Copying secret videos is more serious than shooting me in the balls!" Kuang Xin got a headache hearing that. John realized he might have gone too far. Kuang Xin’s willingness to be so open was already a big favor. "My job is lined up with those lower-level drivers, hoping every mission goes smoothly." He sprawled on the luxurious sofa. "I really don’t want to deal with those damn media elites anymore. Jeez, they’re all old women and Mediterranean folks who rely on drugs, only a few new media heads are somewhat younger, but they don’t follow market rules either, so I’ll have to figure out their temperaments again..." Kuang Xin rambled on, like an old company dog casually complaining in a tavern. John, however, was intently staring at the screen. The scene left behind several heavily armored "Toast" transport vehicles, two land cruisers as escort mainstays, a hovercar armed with ground-launched missiles and heavy machine guns, and numerous armored off-road vehicles... The battle scene could not be described with mere brutality. Over half of the vehicles were scorched, severed limbs mixed with charred bloodstains. According to John’s understanding: Such escort configuration is considered A-level top secret, the squad’s lineup is quite extravagant. "Who could rob such a team?" "Wanderer Camp, Ghouls, Mercenaries, rival companies have all been checked. Right now, intermediaries are still investigating leads related to this affair." Though Kuang Xin took up the role later, he holds executive-level privileges within the company, especially as the spokesperson for the media platform. Accessing absolute top-secret information wouldn’t arouse too much suspicion from competitors. A report popped up in the top left of the video. [Accident Details] are all fruitless attempts, the remaining blood samples at the scene couldn’t be matched within Eden City, suggesting the attackers came from outside the city.