"Where is this shipment going?" Kuang Xin showed an amused expression, his fingers swiping through the air as if browsing through some unspeakable files. "You’re an old hand, John. Just by looking at this setup, you know the client is a corporate giant. It’s probably for some project group to exchange intermediate products with other cities." "Don’t mess with me. The cargo list is transparent to the company, especially with such an expensive package. How could Tiebang Logistics not know what’s being transported?" "Oh gee, don’t you understand." Kuang Xin scratched his head. "It means the higher-ups in the company are intentionally concealing it, and these are bosses about on my level or even higher. Get it?" He thought John was being a bit thick-headed. "That’s—it—then, buddy. The little savings we’ve scraped together means nothing to them. Eden City is full of excitement; stay on the right path, and it’ll keep you from crashing down before you climb high enough." Kuang Xin had said all he needed to. He had already given enough thanks to John; he wouldn’t take on high risks for someone else. Their collaboration wasn’t deep enough, nor did they have enough "favors" to stake their futures. John understood, too. He held his face, looking at the aerial footage on the translucent screen: The scene had electromagnetic bombs detonated; the lingering magnetic fields caused long-range equipment to malfunction, making it unable to get too close, so the original footage was somewhat blurry. John could still notice survivors at the scene, including combat personnel and support units wriggling in the black smoke. The hovercar of the emergency team was landing. The image rapidly zoomed and shook. Tiebang Logistics’ hovercar also spotted the spy and was trying to shoot down the device. [Scan detected, no hacking traces.] Black Light’s text popped up directly. John remained expressionless. Through the screen on the desk, he saw—across from him, Kuang Xin’s eyebrows slightly relaxed, the tilt of his wine glass seemed odd, as if observing him. The video automatically turned off after playing. Kuang Xin opened his arms, resting his elbows on the sofa. "John, I’ve always been sincere with my partners. You’ve seen me showing goodwill towards you... of course, I don’t have any interest in you, just want to establish a relationship." "You also want me to work for you?" "You’re that busy?" Kuang Xin showed an understanding expression. "Makes sense, even Oulos has got their eyes on you, surely someone worth entrusting." Kuang Xin pondered briefly, mentioning his predicament. "Oulos and I are pretty similar, both newcomers in Eden City’s corporate wars. Although I came a few years earlier, I just earned a promotion chance from Tiebang Logistics." Using his networking skills, he had already cultivated a network built on indulgence and bribery. But the competition within Tiebang Logistics was immense, and external business wars were brutal and intense. John shrugged to show understanding. "You’re playing quite well; your clients are all enjoying it. Do you still need a mercenary like me to do the dirty work?" Kuang Xin laughed self-deprecatingly. "Owl Town has their eyes on my methods. They were always the best in Eden City’s entertainment industry. Now that the elites are having fun with me, it’s weakening their influence. There have been several assassination attempts already, and if Oulos hadn’t arrived in Eden City, I wouldn’t have managed to hold on by myself." "So you want me as a bodyguard?" John showed his confusion. "Including but not limited to security tasks. Anyway, you need to help me secure my foothold as a spokesperson. Each time there’s a fee, and if there’s a suitable opportunity, I’ll share information with you to investigate all you want to know within Tiebang Logistics!" "I’m a mercenary by trade, you know." John agreed immediately since Kuang Xin gave him a decent impression. Even though they’re both cunning, it was better than dealing with a necktie clip. "You’re sitting a bit off, aren’t you?" "Come on, buddy. Oulos brought you in, surely mentioned I have several identities." Kuang Xin tiredly shook his head. "Every boss wants to use you, then doubts you until they completely lose control and realize... whoever gives me a sense of security, that’s who I belong to." "You’re being threatened?" "Everyone stepping into Eden City is being threatened, and I have to remind you: you can fool around, but never give your heart away. Having a weakness means death is close." Kuang Xin spoke earnestly, almost like a jest, not showing the seasoned expression of one who’s been there. Yet John felt somewhat down. If the higher-ups at Tiebang Logistics had blocked the news, where could he find a manager with a level higher than Kuang Xin? "No clue? Not smart enough." Kuang Xin laughed. "The video was quite clear; aside from you, there are many survivors from the heist scene. Why not ask one of them for news?" John hadn’t spoken yet... Kuang Xin directly waved his hand. "Did you have someone investigate for you? I linked the employee information when accessing the transport files just now and found an employee named John online and using a secret backdoor to access personnel files." [Mission Progress Update] [Wait for Necktie Clip’s Call. (Not Achieved)] The main quest flickered again. John had a sudden realization. Kuang Xin smirked and nodded. "Their work was a bit sloppy. I helped clean it up, but you have to tell me who’s helping investigate this?" "Necktie Clip, middleman in the West District." John sold out that bastard without any guilt. "Alright, I’ve heard of him. I’ll leverage that information when I have a need." Kuang Xin raised his glass again. "He should have the news you wanted already, so I won’t duplicate that effort. Get in touch if needed, and remember to leave a flashy note for my contact info." John raised his glass with him in a toast. The elongated black business car started and drove away. [New Contact Added - Kuang Xin (Brilliant Unicorn)] John shrugged, returned to his apartment, and pulled out the few charred Chips from his pocket, tossing them into the reagent pool to melt away. The pilot was charging in the corner of the living room. John collected the materials gathered by Black Spider, made them all into a new Special Inhibitor, and kept it on him. He did a simple freshening up but couldn’t sleep at all. As the number of missions increased, the night seemed to have become his active time. The sun couldn’t penetrate the industrial dust; it seemed like he didn’t even have the desire to lie in bed. John considered giving the gun some maintenance. The phone suddenly rang. His first thought was Necktie Clip finally contacting him, but when he opened the pop-up, it was Gino’s face instead. [Hey, John, I need your help.] "Who needs another beating, a German again?" This girl was fuming, her eyebrows tightly knit, with a towel slung near her neck, twisted into a shape. [It’s more complicated than that. I need you to fetch someone, buddy. I really can’t think of anyone more reliable than you.] "Weren’t you grounded at the Boxing Gym by Macao? Who got snatched by a Ghoul this time?" John marveled at how these hacker girls aren’t very honest these days. [Hard to explain, come to the gym and we’ll talk in person. I know the mercenary rulebook, I won’t make you run a fool’s errand!] In the background, Macao’s voice could be heard. Gino hastily hung up the phone. John was a bit resigned, not knowing what this girl wanted, but she had gifted him an EMP before and helped bandage his wounds, so he should at least go and see what’s up. He grabbed his coat, stuffed his tech rifle and Vodka revolver into it. Content orıginally comes from 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝕟𝕖𝕥 [Shop - Bandage Boxing Gym] Gino was waiting at the door; it seemed she had a brief argument with Macao or perhaps made some safety assurances to get away. "What happened, who am I fetching this time?" As Gino spoke, she raised her hand to cover her mouth, avoiding having her lip movements read by the surveillance cameras. "We need to find a place to talk, for f*ck’s sake, nobody knows if this kidnapping is a trap, the cyber patrol might already be onto me."