John rested in his rented room for a week, not stepping out once, relying entirely on online shopping for all his supplies.
He needed a proper break!
The Gaia Cells medication was expensive, but its healing effects were truly impressive.
John had recently been doing bodyweight workouts.
Apart from prosthetic body modifications, exercise was also an important way to get stronger.
He was wearing a gray vest and hanging on the pull-up bar in the living room when he suddenly received a call from an unknown number.
[Unknown Contact]
[Is John listening on the phone?]
The caller's avatar was a high-end suit, with a conspicuous metal clip on the silk tie.
His voice was specially processed, sounding like someone in their early thirties.
John initially thought it was someone from Damascus Camp looking to hire him.
But his intuition told him it wasn't that simple.
The tone of the caller was odd, full of calculation, and the laughter was nerve-racking. This kind of person was usually not easily provoked in Eden City.
"Who are you?"
[They call me "Tie Clip," a middleman distributing tasks in the West District. Your apartment is rented within my area of business.]
"Did I cause any inconvenience?"
[Of course not, John, haha, why would you think that? As a middleman, I have an obligation to meet every newcomer and offer them opportunities to make a name for themselves.]
[You've been quite active, working for Eden Weitz and driving for Damascus Camp. I really can't squeeze in...]
"No choice, if I don't work, I can't eat."
[How's your rest, are your injuries healed? There's an opportunity now to get your limbs moving.]
"You have a job?"
[Eden City never lacks business, but don't rush, I hope to leave a good impression for our first encounter... Hmm, why don't you check that Eisenberg vehicle first.]
John felt his heart sink.
He activated the Atlanta Virtual Network, retrieved vehicle information—no response. The system was in offline stealth mode.
"Tsk."
John frowned.
Damascus Camp had upgraded the vehicle system. When he got the new car, he was so focused on test driving that he didn't have time to unlock it again with Black Light.
Then renting a place and recovering from injuries made him forget about it.
Turns out the factory system from Eisenberg still had flaws, or the street thieves were too skilled...
In short, the vehicle system was completely disconnected, clearly hacked and stolen.
John sighed, asking, "Do you know anything?"
[Don't get excited, John, it's got nothing to do with me. Today someone tried to sell a stolen Silver Rider 577 to a second-hand car shop in the West District, a heavily modified one at that.]
[This car has been frequently in the news lately. The shop owner didn't want to get involved in trouble, so he contacted me to clear things up, hoping people from Harbor and Damascus Camp wouldn't bother him.]
"Returning the stolen goods would be ideal. Where's the car now?"
[It's still with the thieves. Seeing it couldn't be sold, they drove off, probably realizing they messed with the wrong person, trying to figure out what to do and regretting their actions.]
"Alright, thanks for the tip."
[Don't rush, John. Ordinary small-time thieves aren't worthy of me contacting you.]
John sensed something else.
[I have a client who's an executive at Eisenberg Company. His son is going through a rebellious phase, hanging out with a group of troublemakers, insisting on experiencing street life. My client asked me to look after him, haha, guess what, just as I hung up, the car shop owner contacted me.]
John's expression became difficult to maintain.
"F*ck, such timing? The young master experiencing life ends up targeting me!"
[Interesting, right? His dad is an Eisenberg executive, maybe stealing cars of this brand comes naturally...]
[You're definitely going to get your car back, but the key point is, if I hadn't made this call, that kid might have ended up dead under your gun.]
"All this while, you're here to bail someone out?"
[It's a bit more complex.]
"How so?"
[My client wants to give his son a lesson, he's remotely disabled his emergency protocol. You can make him understand the harshness of society without causing fatalities.]
Tie Clip waited a few seconds for John to digest.
[Vehicle loss will be compensated by my client, and he'll pay you additional reward and hush money.]
"F*ck."
John chuckled twice. "This era, hiring someone to discipline their own son?"
[Task: Social Education]
[Reward: Technical Rifle (with Chip), Monetary Compensation]
He gladly accepted the task, then changed clothes and left. While descending slowly in the elevator, he received a message.
[New contact created - Tie Clip]
[Tie Clip: The employer has prepared a gift for you, I arranged for someone to deliver it to parking space 29 under your apartment building. Also, I heard the Black Gold Gang is also looking for these little punks, you better hurry up.]
John hadn't been out for a while. His prosthetic eyes automatically adjusted the light sensitivity, nothing felt glaring, and he steadily crossed through the elevated layer, heading into the underground parking lot.
The space where Silver Rider was supposed to be parked was empty, and several Black Gold Gang members patrolled with guns, looking fierce.
Someone caused trouble on their turf, they surely had to pay the price.
John found parking space 29, where a pitch-black motorcycle was parked.
Eisenberg-Alloy RCH.
Premium factory top-tier goods, with touchscreen tempered glass embedded in the fuel tank, displaying a real-time updating map coordinate.
Beside it was a sealed box.
Inside was a brand-new precision rifle and six sets of compatible electromagnetic magazines.
[Weapon: Plato-Zebra GUB]
[Module: Non-lethal Mode, Ballistic Calibration]
This technical rifle was equipped with an interesting chip. In non-lethal mode, unless intentionally shot from extremely close range, the bullet would actively avoid hitting an enemy's vital parts, preventing their death.
The employer's intention was clear.
Alloy RCH roared out a deep whiff of gas, the rider's spirit burning fiercely, its specially designed exhaust pipe made the sound more restrained and powerful.
John flew out of the garage slope.
He did an extreme leaning drift onto the main road, weaving left and right through the congested evening rush hour.
Those company elites sitting in indestructible luxury cars, stuck in traffic, listened to this wave of sound symbolizing freedom, falling into reverie.
Tie Clip had some skills.
He could locate the Silver Rider, surely he could send people to retrieve the playful young master as well, but he let John handle it, surely taking a cut from the deal with the employer.
He could make it a business, while earning enough favors.
John followed the coordinates to an abandoned construction site, clear tire marks extending into the inside of the fence.
The motorcycle's sound wave startled some.
Inside was quiet.
[Take down the theft ring 0/6 (Not Accomplished)]
[Obtain information inside the abandoned building. (Optional)]
John had figured out some tricks over this period. Usually, the task provided several tips.
Either urge you to charge in.
Or find a way around to reduce the overall difficulty.
John wasn't sure if the young master had installed any odd prosthetic bodies; to be safe, he climbed the wall to search for the factory's surveillance cameras.
He skillfully opened the transformer box, using data information to find the location of the surveillance center.
John spent some effort linking to the cameras.
This time he was equipped with brand-new prosthetic eyes, the synchronized scanned information directly displayed on his cornea.
The factory pointed out several red data contours.
They were hiding behind cover, peeking around, seemingly whispering to their nearby companions...
Click.
The rifle was cocked.