John floored the accelerator and didn't slow down.

He pushed the car to speeds far beyond its design, weaving through traffic in the busy urban area, confidently passing the checkpoint. He only breathed a sigh of relief once they were out of Sakura Cross Street's control zone.

Pierre slumped entirely, his arms hung limply.

However, he was still very tense, trying to relieve his mental stress by conversing with John, glancing at the quiet as goods girls in the back, unable to control his volume in the cramped space.

"Are they your mission targets?"

"Just one of them."

"Which one?"

Pierre instinctively asked, turning his head to meet John's gaze, a realization stirring in his heart, and his eyelids twitched immediately.

"Sh*t, the one I ordered? Damn, I've never had good luck since I came to this city..."

He was glad he hadn't touched the sex doll—judging by the decisive manner of this mercenary, he might have knocked the door down and shot him.

John sent a message to Barry while driving, only replying once he had a free moment.

"Meeting me isn't considered lucky?"

"Ah ha, consider it the start of a lucky streak. I've already had enough of drifting and waiting to die in the underbelly of Eden City."

Pierre didn't inquire about John's employer.

He glanced at the girls in the back, starting to chat about the situation in Eden City.

Since the gang war, the number of illegal incidents on the streets has skyrocketed, forcing ordinary citizens to live even more cautiously in this turmoil.

"Don't walk through little dark alleys, single girls should stay away from Sakura Cross Street; even if you have to do flesh trade, don't choose Eastern people, alright, the current state of sex dolls isn't so great either..."

Pierre had been a paparazzi for some time.

When he was too poor to afford food, he would often rush to stakeout and secretly photograph at major entertainment venues.

He said the current situation was best in the East District.

The underground black market attracted a large number of mercenaries, with edgewalkers and high-class Lone Wolves often seen in bars and clubs, among whom there were those whose sense of justice hadn't fully faded...

"They, like you, may be soft-hearted, but those with such sentiments are mostly street boys who haven't seen much of the world, not as swift and smart in doing things as you."

"Would Raphael be concerned about sex dolls?"

John asked, catching the part he was interested in.

Pierre shook his head.

"Mercenaries are rather impulsive and care about face; there are plenty of eccentric guys around. If someone goes too far or has a bad reputation in the red-light district of the East District, they may be warned..."

This atmosphere would give the mercenaries a sense of moral superiority.

The black market in the East District, led by Raphael, intentionally promotes this ethos, attempting to elevate the status of edgewalkers, transforming them from underhanded hitmen to truly respected and feared single-unit firepower.

[Eden City - Coastal Freight Terminal]

John sharply turned the steering wheel, navigating through the warehouse district and stopping in a desolate area near the overpass.

He got out of the driver's seat and opened the trunk.

"Now, get out, as fast as you can!"

The girls left the compartment with unsteady footsteps.

The vast Eden City swayed under the pale, scorching sun, with its skyscrapers and heavy traffic exuding heat, and the bright environment left them feeling disoriented and a bit bewildered.

Most of them hugged their arms, scratching themselves with their nails.

Addiction to drugs and psychological shadows from the kidnapping process were issues they would need to overcome for a long time to come.

John did not intend to carry the fate of everyone.

He kept telling himself, he was just completing a mission branch.

The incident at the Floating Life Kyoto Club should have already become exposed, and the Owl Town gang members were probably searching at the scene, soon beginning to pursue the culprit starting from Sakura Cross Street.

This Calormen car was certainly not salvageable.

Buzz—

The gleaming Jurassic ZT15 turned in.

John carried the unconscious Xia Li, threw her into the back seat, and then exhaled in the cool and quiet driver's seat.

Pierre sat somewhat restrainedly in the passenger seat, pulled over the seatbelt, holding a travel bag that retained some warmth in his arms.

The armored vehicle crushed gravel as it sped away.

He planned to head to the Chengxin Square where the American Insight World News Radio Station (ALW) was located, to first let Pierre go, then meet Barry for the handover.

As a mercenary, he couldn't easily expose the employer's identity.

After changing cars, Pierre remained silent.

He knew how much the seat he was sitting on was worth and, even lacking understanding of the mercenary world, could associate that the person sitting next to him wasn't a commoner.

"Uh, stop up ahead for a moment."

Pierre spoke, his tone tinged with a bit of reverence.

The Jurassic ZT15 stopped by the coastal chain, a bit farther from the unloading area where cargo boats docked, the place was somewhat desolate, and farther away, one could see the shadow of the cross-district bridge.

Pierre opened the door and left, directly throwing the bag into the water, retaining only a few chips when he returned to the car.

John's face was initially expressionless, hearing the splash, something seemed to trigger a memory, making him involuntarily laugh.

"If your negotiation fails and you're done for, this batch of stuff will become a treasure in the city... Ah, it's you people like you that make small corners exciting; randomly wandering around, and you'll always find surprises."

"Haha, can't be helped, I have to protect myself."

Pierre disposed of the package to avoid burning bridges, having negotiation chips if he encountered a threat upon returning to the company, only providing the address with appropriate protection and cash.

"Do you really think this will work?"

John intended to remind him.

The Owl Town gang and Raqi Industry are being pushed to the brink, recently suffering repeated heavy blows like rabid dogs. Some will definitely kick them while they're down, but after all, they are huge multinational corporations. Most would hesitate to engage.

Pierre introduced his ALW company to John.

It operates several variety shows, with capital primarily from Jingke Heavy Industry and Isaac Military Industry. Their relationship with the Raqi Group is very poor, wishing the other would perish.

This information is enough to severely impact Eastern People's market in Eden City, expanding the political influence of two missing council members.

"To put it simply, ALW can take in this batch, and I won't ask for an exorbitant price, but the deal must include formal company positions and sufficient prospects. I... whew, need a chance to turn the tides!"

Pierre's eyes were firm and fervent.

John was noncommittal.

He was more interested in the news capital Pierre mentioned, and continued discussing the related topic.

Television programs are one of Eden City's limited entertainment means.

News, entertainment, radio, finance, radio dramas... Behind the various columns active on screens are broadcasting companies, each belonging to large capital representing different forces.

The same event often sees conflicting viewpoints and results on different shows. It's actually the battle of the companies behind them, like if ALW swallows various scandals this time, it will certainly fully attack Raqi across different television programs, recklessly exposing, guiding public opinion and devouring the market...

News media fight on both fronts.

Entertainment media entertain the public.

Before becoming a mercenary, John rarely watched TV, interacting more with radio stations. Poor people who couldn't afford TV packages predominantly engaged with illegal frequencies and independent media, the latter surviving with difficulty under official suppression...

[Eden City - Chengxin Square]

During the conversation, they arrived at their destination.

Pierre held the car door, taking a deep breath. Before leaving, he promised John - if the deal goes smoothly, the money from selling the information will be transferred to John. If there's no news before dawn, it means he's dead.

He mustered the courage to leave the passenger seat.

The brief invasion of heat into the car swiftly dissipated.

John raised his arm, calmly gazed forward:

Pierre, wearing a jacket and a dirty, crumpled shirt, looked around nervously, crossing the street, running up the stairs, using a pass to handle security, squeezing sideways through the glass door...

John even imagined.

During Pierre's departure, he might get into a car accident, be shot by masked criminals in front of the company building, any unforeseen incident seemed reasonable.

But nothing happened.

John turned his head, seeing a scarred young girl reclining in the back seat.

"Alright, the last passenger."

According to Barry's information, John dropped her off in the city, in front of a church in a Mexican community.

This job was thus fully completed.

When he returned to Dan Street, dusk was setting, so he detoured to Tipsy Bikini to fill his stomach.

[Contact - Barry Kit [Unread Messages]]

[Xia Li is safe, her brother was heartbroken seeing the wounds, almost wishing to tear apart those bastards, I showed him the mole photo you sent, calming him down, thank you for stepping in.]

[Owl Town gang has exploded, searching for you everywhere, the Eastern dogs are furious with the abduction right under their noses, the harsh words they spread only enhance your reputation on the street, don't panic, the upper echelon is swamped, any puppy daring to approach you is just delivering a meal.]

[With Xia Li rescued, we're squared, but the mole was well eliminated, I'll give you a fake account later, log in and provide enough evidence of the kill, you can claim ECPD's bounty.]

[In the future, as long as you kill those with some reputation, you can use it to claim a bit of prize money, don't expect too much, the amount doesn't match their strength, it's merely within ECPD... um, as long as you're aware.]

[The account can be logged into from a public network, keep it confidential, if worried, find a reliable intermediary to help you funnel it through, negotiate the commission yourself.]

[Deal complete, that's it.]

The night slowly descended.

West District gradually became lively, the street atmosphere increasingly violent but the residents and newcomers have gradually adapted.

When John entered the bar, Angelica found a chance to slip over, handing off work to new staff.

They were hot girls with tattoos extending to their hips, carrying drinks squeezing through tables and chairs, knocking the eyes out of gamblers, and whoever was being handsy would find their fingers snapped by the girls.

If things escalated...

There were several burly security guards at the entrance.

John received his bounty for the first time through the account, glimpsed the bounty content, only then realizing the mole's more filthy, damnable deeds.

Angelica treated him to good food.

They were still in the corner's exclusive spot, drinking and chatting, sharing experiences from Sakura Cross Street.

The TV volume was turned up.

Many in the bar leaned in to watch, as entertainment shows started revealing Raqi Industry and Owl Town gang's dealings.

John suddenly received a transfer.

[New Contact Created - Pierre Corado]

[Safe.]

The message was brief.

John smiled inexplicably, muttering.

"F*ck, did he really turn his luck around?"

[Series Task Black Cop: Forced Prostitution (Completed)]

[Reward: Internal Account, Bounty (Mole), Payment (Pierre)]

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