Chapter 3 - Bounty Run and Demon Deal

Ghost Script didn't hesitate. Root code tempts could wait—he was a dead man walking with a 10k spirit stone bounty. Voidline clutched his glitching shoulder, golden core spitting error sparks, but the elder's roar shook the chamber: "Traitor! Sect enforcers inbound—your soul's mine!"SYS buzzed frantic: [Bounty Alert: Top 100 Outer Disciple hitlist. Perks: Sect-wide hunt, drone swarms, inquisitor hounds. Pro tip: Neon undercity. Slum rats don't snitch. Soul at 53%—move or melt.] Ghost Script snatched a loose data-crystal from the floor—quick loot, pulsing with stolen qi—and vaulted through a shattered vent. Tianzhu's innards blurred past: humming conduits, trapped soul echoes wailing like bad dial-up.He hit the underlevels hard, sliding down service shafts into the neon undercity. Smog thicker here, streets alive with black-market stalls hawking ghost chips and bootleg elixirs. Cultivators bartered in shadows—F-rank scrubs like old Ghost Script, eyeing him now with bounty-hungry glints. Drones whirred overhead, scanning faces. One locked on; Ghost Script hurled the data-crystal. Boom! Qi-explosion lit the alley, drones frying in a shower of shrapnel.Undercity Shadow PlayLungs burning, he ducked into a dingy tea house—the Black Jade Den, where Shadow Demon Sect reps allegedly cut deals. Inside, haze of incense and cheap synth-smoke. Hooded figures glanced up; a sly woman with void-mask tattoos waved him over. "Anomaly boy. Iron Fang's killer? Sit. Drink demon brew—hides your scent from scanners."Her name dropped casual: Mei Ling, Shadow Demon recruiter, Nascent Soul edge. Eyes sharp as data-knives. "Voidline's crippled? Bold. Our hackers tagged your glitch core—pure chaos potential. Join us: sabotage Neon Dao from inside, get protection runes and core upgrades. Or rot as sect bait."Ghost Script slurped the brew—bitter fire, masking his qi sig. Dark humor twisted his gut. "Protection? Last 'safe' gig got me janitor hell. What's the catch—soul brand?" Mei smirked, sliding a holo-jade. "Catch: Steal heaven's patch algorithm during the sect purge. We crash their uploads; you glitch to freedom. Deal?"SYS pinged sly: [Side Quest: Demon Pact? Rewards: Ally faction, stealth cloak. Risk: Backstab 72%. Your funeral, puppet.] Outside, enforcer boots thundered closer—Neon Dao hounds baying his dao-name.Fractured Core PulsePower stirred deeper. Glitch Core Lv.1 hummed, fusing Earth memes with janitor rage into something vicious: Viral Phantom Strike unlocked. Ghost Script tested it—shadowy qi tendrils lashed out, hijacking a nearby drone. It turned on its pack, lasers carving enforcers mid-charge. Screams echoed; blood mixed with neon rain.Mei laughed low. "See? You're demon material." But alarms spiked—Voidline's backup warping in, qi-nets spreading. Ghost Script stood, core cracking wider toward Lv.2. Pact or solo run? Heaven's algorithm whispered faint in the chaos, begging the hack.Undercity trembled. Hounds closed. Demon hand extended...