The aftermath of Black Light's rampage slowly subsides.

This time the feeling is very apparent, like the muscles in the body collapsing, a cold hallucination spreading from the spine to the limbs...

Although the symptoms have alleviated, the doctor said the signs of irreversible brain damage and neurological collapse are getting more severe.

This body is issuing a warning.

"F*ck!"

When John fully came to his senses, he was already standing under the shower, the water washing away dirt and sweat, but he couldn't remember how he got to the bathroom.

Bang!

He punched the bathroom wall, creating cracks, the embedded projection and sound system emitting a brief static noise.

John lifted his hand to remove the burnt Special Inhibitor chip from the neck slot, staring at it expressionlessly, then slowly clenched his fist.

A moment later, in the apartment.

Numbers and icons scrolled across the washing machine, the device vibrating quietly. High-end furniture and industrial aromatherapy provided no psychological comfort.

John sat in the workspace, cleaning guns.

The curtain of night was being torn by daylight, the white gradient on the horizon seemingly shredding tranquility.

The early morning radio was about to change shifts.

Eden City's most popular midnight host was saying goodbye.

[Don't pull back the curtains, bugs, the sunlight will scorch your pitiful souls. The lascivious, wasted nightlife is to be judged by the rising sun. The heart throbs, the stomach bubbles, the brain aches as if embedded with a bullet, guilt keeps you from sleeping...]

[I know! I know~ You're afraid, scared to fall asleep. Prosthetics and implants pump strength into your veins, but, tsk tsk tsk... Oh~ your awful body can't support your awakened self...]

The host maintained an excited and crude demeanor all night.

[...Enough, let's cut the line here. Roy has heard enough boring stories. This city is waking up, and it's going to chew you up, flesh mixed with shell casings grinding loudly...]

[Get moving, you bastards, go FK the damned life. When night falls, Roy wants to hear stories more exciting than potent stimulants!]

Click.

The rifle cleaned and loaded, checked and ready.

John placed the weapon down expressionlessly, waved his hand to turn off the light in the workspace that had been on all night, and drifted into a shallow sleep with the aid of medication—the doctor had long predicted he would experience insomnia.

Perhaps it was the graphene chip blocking stimuli, or perhaps this body simply resisted sleep. John awoke groggy before noon.

He lay on a gray mattress, with an arm fitted with cooling seams and data slots over his eyes, pupils flashing with data, several messages popping up at the edge of his vision.

The Bolago Club sent a membership message, reminding John to attend Mr. Vito's retirement banquet.

The time was set for tomorrow evening.

The location was the member banquet hall.

Electronic invitation identification cards went directly to the doorstep via elevator, placed in a vacuum-sealed dustproof holder, in a box with a gold logo.

"So exquisite."

John picked up a coffee, using a fake IP to access the black market.

This trick he learned from Gino last night, used to browse some illegal sites, as long as he didn't overdo it, it generally wouldn't alert Internet Surveillance.

The invitation to Vito's retirement banquet was being bought for a high price, with a delivery deadline before noon.

"A high-end banquet, truly with hired guns."

John merely browsed, without the intention to sell; even if he did sell it, it would be unfortunate for whoever bought it.

All attendees were elite figures, key members of the Black Gold Gang.

John was a street celebrity among mercenaries, yet not at the urban legend level, having received an invitation due to Bone Shards' arrangements.

The specific reason was unknown, but anyone who substituted would bring reprisal upon John and the other attendees.

There was also a message from Raphael in the mailbox.

She had already liquidated the stolen goods, transferring the remaining amount to John's account after deducting vehicle repair costs, even thoughtfully including an expense breakdown.

John transferred the agreed portion to Barry, took his equipment, and headed straight to the restaurant.

Originally worried about not being able to resolve the shop's issues before the banquet, luckily, Raphael was professional enough to address the issues in time today.

[Eden City - Valen Commercial Street [West Side]]

The restaurant had been completely renovated.

Gerry and Maya, after receiving the menu, began frantically experimenting, adjusting recipes, and privately opening for trial runs to attract office workers and curious citizens.

Currently, the shop offered a limited number of dishes and small desserts at very low prices, mainly to train the back kitchen's production line while cultivating potential customers.

The shop's signage was made very low-key, taking a luxury approach, contrasting with the flamboyant neon signs around it.

[Shop - J. Chavez Restaurant]

The J stood for John's initials.

Chavez was the surname.

John still felt blurry about memories of Tiebang Logistics, even earlier ones, but he didn't want to forget.

Gerry and his wife stood at the entrance of the shop.

He folded his arms, took off his chef's hat and looked religiously at the armored car in front of him.

"Oh~ Shit! Is this a joke? Am I going to work with a million-dollar luxury car from now on..."

Maya, familiar with such sights, simply shook her head.

"That look on your face, I haven't seen it since before we married, and it hasn't appeared for a long time."

"We're going to have a good life."

Gerry understood his wife's underlying message, embracing Maya and planting a deep kiss.

Kaufuglanton's repair skills were impressive, sweeping away armor and small damages cleanly, the main driver's outline altered and painted with obvious differences, meant to mislead road scans, distinguishing it from the missing armored car in the ECOD system.

The vehicle's main body appeared gray.

On both sides were the restaurant's name and fluorescent spray paint, the interior entirely upgraded and replaced, the intelligent system reprogrammed, with the overall condition even better than when at the auction house.

John specifically did not remove the main system and positioning device.

He opened the car door, sat in the driver's seat, and first used Black Light to scan the equipment with a data cable.

[New vehicle added.]

[Vehicle: Potsdam-U70]

John could now track the vehicle through the Atlanta Virtual Network, significantly reducing the theft probability, then he summoned two employees into the car, driving towards the Radiant Dust Farm.

Gerry and Maya sat in the main and co-driver's seats.

John stayed by the partition between the driver's seat and cargo compartment—he needed to familiarize the employees with the route, liaise with Radiant Dust Farm, and transfer Angelica's share.

Gerry was very happy.

Life had eroded the dreams of a middle-aged smuggler. When he woke up from the hospital, he was even ready to hold up the collapsing world and family.

"This feels like a f*cking dream."

Gerry stroked the leather-wrapped steering wheel, and even though it wasn't necessary, he frequently touched the console, as if recapturing the courage he had ten years ago when he test-drove a car at a dealership.

Maya smiled, propping her chin up, not speaking, her gaze wandering on the road outside the window.

She was memorizing the surroundings of the escorted route.

"How's the gear getting on?"

John took on a boss's demeanor.

He required his employees to be armed; having just gotten the car, there was no time yet to install a gun mount on the driver's seat, so the weapons could only be placed within arm's reach for now.

[Weapon: KMR-Marauder [Kinetic Submachine Gun]]

[Module: Basic Armor-Piercing, Physical Increased Damage]

The magazine was a mix of armor-piercing and physical rounds for enhanced damage.

Gerry's hand lacked a modified ballistic co-processor, and his arms were older model prosthetics, with the Kimber Marauder submachine gun being his weapon of choice.

His backup weapon was a [Practical High-Hardness Pry Bar].

John turned to check on Maya, watching her place the returned weapons beneath the passenger seat.

Equipped for protection with a pair of custom pistols, their quality was unmistakable, likely ordered through a dependable acquaintance.

[Weapon: Kimmer Marauder [Kinetic Submachine Gun]]

[Module: Basic Armor-Piercing, Rapid Fire Stability]

Maya also carried a main battle rifle, from John's initial use, a combat rifle with straight-edge blades tucked alongside her shin inside her old boots.

John returned the weapon to Maya and saw her stow it beneath the copilot seat.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.