NOVEL NEXT Chapter 121: City Farm Branch
Black Light swept across the main system.
Access logs listed on the retina.
Besides Oulos and John, a third party had hacked into the apartment.
The room lacked Black Light protection, and the other party easily bypassed the firewall. Strangely, the door lock records showed—after hacking the system, the intruder did not physically enter the apartment nor took any further actions.
John had a thought:
Perhaps, lacking Black Light protection, the intruder realized they targeted the wrong place?
Calculating the time…
The incident should have occurred while John's surgery went on during the intercity train's derailment.
The intrusion left traces in the background; if not for Black Light covering the entire system, it might have gone unnoticed.
Who wanted to mess with me?
John suddenly remembered when he was being hunted by cyber patrol, someone quietly cleaned up traces of Black Light coverage in the old apartment, leaving behind a diode and chip message.
The Serum also reminded him that certain rogue AIs from behind the black walls wanted to kill him.
Could they be in the same gang?
John sent a message to Oulos, relaying the situation in his apartment.
She is currently busy managing the aftermath at Silver Port, striving for common interests between the intermediary and the Wanderers.
John has become somewhat numb to the sense of crisis.
He slept pretty well at night.
Angelica left in the morning, kissing John's forehead before departing.
A peaceful room.
The fresh air retained a lingering fragrance.
After getting up, John felt exceptionally good, both physically and mentally relaxed. Indeed, sleep holds special significance for humans.
He started sorting through miscellaneous matters.
First, the captain confirmed the crash; no idea in which corner of the city it fell.
The Black Spider executing the emergency protocol disappeared.
After the train crash, it came to John's aid, then lost connection signal.
The cabinet sent a new digging robot home, just in time for Bone Shards to pay a boxing bonus.
After settling the accounts, some remained to cover daily expenses.
[Chip: Unknown-Brazilian War Dance (Damaged)]
John used the chip Angelica gave him.
Black Light erased the data and destroyed the hardware.
Igdrasir combat program began operating, incorporating the newly added combat techniques into its calculations.
This chip focuses on leg movements, filled with various violent kicking techniques, more suitable for the ring rather than the streets.
Buzzing sounds.
In the waste material pool of the workspace, Special Inhibitor remnants and damaged chips were dissolving.
John stirred the viscous substances with a glass rod, listing in his mind several urgent issues needing resolution.
Both firearms and melee weapons were lost.
The current gun was picked up from a corpse, with poor feel and power, potentially impacting performance on high-difficulty tasks.
The prosthetic limbs have shortfalls.
During yesterday's ring fight, John could feel, after installing Igdrasir and Sianweistan, the leg strength significantly lagged.
If replacement is necessary, it must be a good choice.
Ultimately, it all comes down to money; mercenaries merely replace a Funds Card with their lives.
Today, John needs to visit the landfill to replenish Special Inhibitors.
Black Light covered Black Spider via data cable and synchronized it to the device management center.
The armored car's storage advantage was utilized.
John stuffed this big guy into Jurassic's trunk, revved the engine, left Dan Street, and encountered congestion just after hitting the highway.
[Eden City-Bypass Checkpoint]
The aftermath of Silver Port had not ended; ECPD strengthened internal patrols.
News stations extensively promoted their talk shows, interpreting current affairs hotspots, while listening to company spokespersons bickering on media platforms.
From blaming product defects to exposing connections with the Exile.
Each media outlet had its own corporate patrons behind them.
Besides fighting amongst themselves, they collectively shifted the focus towards the Damascus Camp outside the city.
Nando's situation remains unclear.
Severely injured, even if he awakens, he won't be able to return to Eden City shortly.
John gets along well with the camp, so he sent messages to Alonna, Talia, and Qiao again—greeting the camp's current situation and offering help if needed.
Horns honked incessantly.
The checkpoint was mere formality, similar to the nature of the city exit checkpoints, officers going through the motions in overtime, receiving meager bonuses. Even if an electronic device buzzed…
A glance exchanged.
Transfers silently.
As if nothing had happened.
Today's queue was excessively long; heard it's due to a skirmish between a few small gangs, blocking the key road junction.
Innocent citizens were forced to sit in their vehicles listening to broadcasts, occasionally hurling insults with drivers next to them.
Last night, three gang leaders were assassinated, a bomb lit up half the sky.
The casualties exceeded twenty, all names relatively familiar on the streets.
John's car system sounded an alert.
The municipal authorities interrupted the news station, broadcasting dangerous road section alerts to citizen vehicles.
John glanced sideways below the highway.
Gangsters raced in red-painted Sambilo cars on city roads, pursued by officers, gunfire incessantly.
Smoke and industrial exhaust rose in the sky.
Frustrated drivers rolled up windows.
John had no interest in the commotion, seized the moment as a lane cleared a side road, reversed, turned, scraped past the raised barriers, escaping the congestion from the restricted area.
The buildings on either side of the alley became lower, large concrete structures dividing factory zones.
[Temporary Mission: Hyena (2min45s↓)]