John slept like the dead.
The day-and-night routine was completely reversed.
The clamor from the restaurant pierced through the walls as if urging him to find a place to live.
"Wow, so many texts and calls?"
John popped up countless unread messages.
In the Cyber Era, communication was done through implanted chips, but there were also do-not-disturb and sleep protection features.
He read through them in order.
[Alonna: Come to Damascus Camp when you can; we have a job outside the city and need a driver. Let me know if you're interested.]
John needed work opportunities.
He casually replied agreeing and arranged to discuss details at the camp tomorrow.
Besides Alonna, there were also a dozen missed calls and multiple unread texts from the same account.
John glanced over; they were all from a doctor, the kind of guy who would drink and work at the Nocturne Bar.
[Ryan Randall: It was you who hacked into the system, right? I knew the data was off, you really screwed me over!]
[Pick up the phone!]
[F*ck, Eden Weitz killed Matos. The rock 'n' roll scumbag is irrelevant, but the key thing is... the video of him, with his crotch on fire, running like a lunatic in the street went viral!]
[You messed up, brother.]
[Nocturne Bar's reputation took a hit, now the members all think the bar's prosthetics are faulty and are demanding an explanation!]
[Why aren't you picking up, damn it, people's lives are at stake!]
[Nocturne Bar blamed the prosthetic doctor. Now I've been kicked out as the scapegoat. Dude, I mean, boss, you have Eden Weitz backing you, can't you help me out?]
[They are breaking in, damn it!]
[God bless, I managed to escape. Nocturne just sent a few lackeys after me, you can handle it, right?]
[Why aren't you picking up my calls?]
[I found a place to hide. Can you help me take care of a few tails? I owe you big time!]
[Lend a hand, I beg you, call me back.]
[Sorry for being a bit harsh earlier. I know you have no obligation to save me, but I've got no one else to look to. If you can help me this time, there will be a great reward!]
[Truly, there will be a great reward, I've got some good stuff saved up.]
...
John spent a good while reading through the messages.
The Black Light's intrusion into the system was brief, yet Dr. Ryan could sense it without deep diving.
He had some skills.
John was amused.
Eden Weitz told him to stay away from Nocturne Bar, yet unexpectedly, the prosthetic doctor took the fall for his mess and came to him for help.
[Mission: Timely Help (Timed)]
[Reward: Unknown Prosthetic]
A mission was triggered in John's mind.
It was even marked as "timed." If he didn't go help, Dr. Ryan might really get killed.
John decided to take a chance, if it was too dangerous, he could always just run away.
In Eden City, people died every day, one-time acquaintances couldn't forge deep bonds.
Ryan Randall had been abandoned by Nocturne.
A prosthetic doctor wasn't enough to quell customers' fury; Nocturne must have settled with the wealthy, but appearances demanded a sacrificial lamb.
From the message timestamps, the doctor was temporarily safe.
John got into the Silver Rider and drove out of the shop.
He didn't rush to the scene but headed towards the edge of Oil Drum Street to the underground passage.
He had money in hand, so he decided to buy some more equipment and weapons first.
John shut the car door and left directly, unconcerned about theft.
The Silver Rider was a luxury racing car; Eisenberg Company equipped their products with cruise functions, which automatically searched for nearby parking lots or hidden spots once the owner left.
When John needed the car, he could have it wait anywhere, the system would automatically navigate it through Eden City's network for driving.
"It's worth its price."
John jokingly commented with a smile.
He knocked on the shutter door, crouched sideways skillfully, and saw the secondhand dealer in a leather jacket with his legs crossed, smoking.
"Want me to give you a key?"
The dealer didn't even stand up from the counter. "You come here every day, it's purchase day today, anything you want?"
[Street Reputation Increased ↑]
[More items unlocked in the black market]
John saw the text prompts, then said:
"You must have heard about Nocturne, help me get some modification parts, and a rifle chip as well."
"Sure thing, let's see the gun."
The dealer straightened his coat as he got up.
During the battle at Harbor, John had gotten hold of a kinetic energy rifle.
[Weapon: Rongju - Shortnose Crocodile K1]
[Module: Basic Armor-Piercing, Physical Damage Boost]
"Mmh, pretty pricey, worth the modification."
The dealer examined John's rifle thoroughly, then remarked. "Most of Rongju Company's weapons are affordable, but only the Shortnose series is expensive and worth modifying."
A cigarette was perched on the dealer's metal mask.
"I have plenty of parts in stock, but if you switch brands, you'll have to go to a professional weapon dealer."
The dealer seemed well-versed in such matters.
He skillfully disassembled the rifle, took out a specialized case with the Rongju Company logo from the warehouse, and started installing new parts.
"Original parts!?"
John, slightly surprised, looked at the individual packaging. "Where did you get this from?"
"Amateur, is that something you ask about?"
The dealer flicked away the finished cigarette butt.
"As for the chip, I suggest you get an expensive one, so it can be transferred to another rifle in the future. As someone making their way through Eden City, you can't work with a Rongju forever, right?"
"I'll follow your advice."
"That's the way to go; dealers know what you need most."
The metal mask didn't hide the dealer's smile; soon, a stack of original boxes piled up at their feet.
John's kinetic energy rifle had been officially modified.
The barrel was fine-tuned, and the magazine expanded as standard procedures.
The gang's signature color casing was replaced with a matte black, featuring a chip firewall to prevent enemy electromagnetic devices from affecting weapon accuracy.
"The power is definitely stronger, don't worry, the new stock absorbs 65% of the recoil, ensuring a body without powerful prosthetics can handle it."
"The chip is also top-notch, provides ballistic correction to prevent edge shots, and boosts armor-piercing capability."
[Module: Ballistic Correction, Intermediate Armor-Piercing]
John took it over and gestured with it, the feel was impeccable.
He suddenly remembered something else:
"Keep an eye out for a Hound Trencher, same requirements as last time, I'll pick it up when I have time."
The Black Spider could earn money automatically; he needed to increase their number.
"No problem, big customer, just don't get yourself killed."
The dealer satisfiedly accepted the payment, then reminded John.
"John, you're a bit too flashy in your actions, best upgrade your ocular prosthetics."
He was referring to an embedded external camera jammer.
Simply put, any monitoring footage would only capture a vague mosaic, showing just an outline, not a face.
Unless a hacker decoded it in real-time.
An even more advanced prosthetic could perform real-time calculations of the surrounding scenes, making you vanish in a crowd.
Such items were rare and had market value but were unattainable.
John gripped the modified rifle as he left the underground passage, noticing the surrounding junkies and thugs no longer looked nervous.
The roar of the racing car engine grew from distant to near.
The Silver Rider halted steadily, the door lifting automatically.
John grabbed the steering wheel and started the engine, before calling Ryan Randall, who answered almost instantly.
"Gah, thank heavens, damn..."
The prosthetic doctor kept his voice low, swallowing frequently.
"Thank you for calling me back, the Markados enforcers have already found the warehouse. If you were any later, I'd be screwed!"
"Start location sharing, hide well, don't hang up."
John pulled up the car's navigation and revved the engine.