"…"

Daren felt like a bomb just exploded in his head.

'The Big Boss became a C Rank Ascended in just 2 years?'

In that moment, Daren felt like a stubborn brat who was coming of age for the first time and finally learning the truth about the world and maturity.

A lot of things finally made sense to him.

He finally understood why even after preparing for decades, a lot of high-profile Ascended still fail when they attempt a Trial to get stronger. 'It's because they never knew the rules!'

He also felt that he gained a new understanding for the few infamous geniuses in the Ascended world. 'Are they geniuses because they know the rules and we don't?'

At this moment, Daren felt like his whole world was turning upside down.

'I must tell boss! And Brick, and Ghostwire too!' He thought urgently.

He also had another thought. 'If the Big Boss know the rules already, why didn't he spread it and make it known to the rest of the Collective?'

Daren felt that something was not right, he wasn't intellectual enough to figure out the hidden details or research about it but his gut instincts told him that the reason was likely related to the Omnicore Federation.

He hissed. 'Those Federation bastards!'

'But still, I have to tell boss!'

As if he could read his thoughts, Leon nodded calmly at him. "You can tell Talia and the rest of the crew but apart from them, keep it a secret. Also tell them to keep it a secret".

"I think there are reasons that elude us why the rules of Ascendancy are being kept a secret from most Ascended".

"If we brazenly go against the order and reveal the truth, we may likely attract unwanted attention that we can't afford to provoke".

Daren shuddered. "You're right, we should keep it a secret!"

After calming down, Daren took a deep breath and then he looked at Leon again. "Is this why you're confident in facing the Extremist Movement?"

"No". Leon laughed. "I'm just confident in my own ability".

His black eyes gleamed, making Daren focus on him. "I've analyzed 4 out of the 5 Classes of the world at E Rank and I genuinely believe that the Mechanist Class at E Rank is the strongest and most well-rounded Class".

"Cyber Gladiators are the strongest!" Daren retorted instinctively.

Leon looked at him and smirked. "So why did none of you stop me yesterday despite fighting for 43 straight times?"

Daren opened his mouth but then he closed it, he was tongue-tied.

Leon grinned. "At E Rank, Mechanists are the most adaptable Classes by far. I simply can't fathom how other E Rank Mechanists have not realized this yet".

He finally revealed his robot blueprint to Daren including all the other projects that he had in mind.

"Just imagine," he smiled. "You're E Rank and you're facing me with all these gadgets and constructs available".

"Be sincere with yourself, do you think you can beat me?"

"…"

"I thought so". Leon's lips curled up. "This is why I believe that I have the ability to actually make the terrorists pay for their actions".

"They love targeting the weak, but I love breaking the arrogant". His eyes flashed coldly. "I won't stop till I break them and their ideology!"

Daren hesitated slightly, then he asked in a puzzled manner. "Since the Mechanist Class is so different at E Rank, are the principles of breaking the shackles of ADE still the same?"

"Smart!" Leon praised. "Maybe you're smarter than I give you credit for".

Daren glared at him but Leon shrugged it off with a laugh then he said. "You're right. At E Rank, I've deduced that the principles for breaking the shackles are different".

"I believe the principles for each Class in each rank depend on the abilities that the Ascendant unlocks in each rank".

"This is why I believe that to break the shackles as an E Rank Mechanist, I need to fight more than I need to construct".

"That's why you fought so hard yesterday!" Daren blurted out.

"Kind of," Leon said. "But I also fought so hard because I need a lot of money to realize the dreams and projects that I currently have pending".

"Sometimes I really wish I had a sponsor". He lamented. "Can you imagine what it'd be like for me to just stay holed up in a base where I can fight capable opponents for half the day then just construct non-stop for the remaining half?"

He grinned. "I'd be unstoppable!"

Seeing Daren unfocused, Leon asked. "What are you thinking about?"

"What if we fight every day?"

"Huh?"

Daren looked at him. "I'm an F Rank Cyber Gladiator, and you need to fight to break your shackles right? I believe if we fight, I can push you enough to help you improve".

"Can this help you break the shackles too?"

"…" Leon was stunned as he stared in a daze.

'Holy sh*t! Why didn't I think of this?'

'It should work right? It should!'

Leon looked at Daren with a grin. "You bloody motherf*cking genius! I think this will work, and it'll also help you completely break your shackles too in case you're not yet ready to Ascend".

Daren leaned back on the chair and smiled in satisfaction.

When he left Canyon Hub a few days ago, he left with just hope and determination. But now, he felt like he finally found a sure way to gain power that would help him get revenge on his bestfriend.

Leon was a man of action. The moment Daren made the suggestion, he drew a timetable to map out their daily schedule.

In the mornings, Leon set it aside for rigorous sparring battles with Daren. In the afternoon, they'll go to Grand Prix Arena to fight for money while in the evening to the night, he'll finally have the opportunity to focus on his constructs.

Considering that he had his personal project plus the commissions from Lieutenant Johnmark, Leon knew that he was walking a tight rope here but to eradicate the Extremist Movement, he was willing to sacrifice this much.

Besides, it also aligned with his overall goal to get stronger. He still didn't forget his ultimate goal to recover his memories and find out the real truth behind his awakening and what truly happened to the world if this was Earth.

After drawing the timetable and outlining his projects though, Leon scowled because he noticed a problem.

It was a familiar problem. 'Money'.

Considering the high-grade alloys, metals, sensors, and supplementary materials that he intended to use for his robot, his initial estimate for the cost of the blueprint hovered between 12,000 to 15,000 Neo Credits.

After earning over 6,000 Neo Credits at the fighting arena yesterday, you would think this would lessen his money worries but this only heightened it.

His conversations with Daren made him learn that things would not always be as rosy as the first day.

The first day in Grand Prix Arena turned Thomas Riley from just an internet sensation who fought terrorists to a proven and deadly fighter in the octagon.

Unlike the first day, fighters would not be as eager to fight him subsequently which would severely diminish his daily earnings.

Leon's brain whirred.

'Today is 5th and the Countdown of the terrorists is already 2 days gone. I have just 2 days to work with before 9th, there's no way I'm making about 10,000 Neo Credits in just 2 days unless a miracle happens'.

He frowned then he looked at Daren again.

Noticing his gaze, the Cyber Gladiator looked up. "What?"

"What do you do when you need a lot of money urgently but you only have little and it's not enough for your needs?"

The question was random but Daren considered it carefully.

"Well, if I'm with the crew, I'll borrow from the boss. If not, I gamble sometimes," he scratched the back of his head. "Well, to be fair I've never won big when I gamble".

Leon scowled as he tapped his right index finger against the work desk in deep thought, then he suddenly froze.

He sharply looked at Daren. "Did you just say gamble?"

"Yes, what?"

Leon didn't answer Daren, instead he tapped his index finger against the work desk even more rigorously.

"Davis, is there an algorithm to lottery systems?"

DING!

"Yes. Though most modern lotteries are designed to be truly random, there are still lots of casinos with lottery games that utilize extremely complex algorithms".

Daren looked at the virtual projection of the A.I in wonder but Leon had a different thought in his mind already.

'If there's a pattern, then it can be broken!'

He was pumped up. "Are there any historical events where lottery algorithms have been cracked?"

DING!

"Historically, yes, but never in Leviathan Quay. Outside though, historical cracks have occurred due to flaws in game design, ticket distribution, or the use of predictable software algorithms".

"I do have to say master, trying to hack the system directly is a fruitless endeavor because all casinos in major cities like Leviathan Quay are protected by at least 1 F Rank NetRunner".

Leon grinned. "I don't need to hack anything," he chuckled. "That's a NetRunner's turf, I can't beat them in their home ground".

"All I need is to mathematically crack the algorithm, nothing else".

Listening to him, Daren was taken aback. "Are you thinking of actually robbing a casino?"

Leon looked at his friend in a chastising manner. "It's not called robbery when it's a lottery, it's called mathematical thievery". He tapped his head with his right index finger for emphasis. "It's called thinking outside the box".

"Davis, I want you to choose the best casino for a heist, then find all historical data on their ticket numbers, lottery results, algorithm, everything that I need to work on and mathematically crack the algorithm just for one ticket, got it?"

DING!

"Yes master".

Instantly, the A.I went to work.

Daren looked at Leon. "Is that the A.I that you created?"

Leon nodded and Daren sighed again. "You really are an unusual Mechanist".

Leon grinned than he stood up. "Let's go fetch my bike first, then we can hire a standard gym to spar. I'll use the rest of the day to construct and try to crack the lottery algorithm".

The moment they stepped outside the caravan, there was a loud crashing sound and then a commotion started not too far from them.

For a moment, Leon's heartbeat accelerated as he feared that it was the Extremist terrorists who were at it again.

But then he noticed bug-shaped green and brown military air transports hovering around the sky and a squad of foot soldiers in brown military attire pursuing a target.

Leon frowned. 'A terrorist?'

He looked closer and discovered that the target was a Synth.

The soldiers quickly apprehended the target amid fierce protests from him. Even after he was cuffed, he kept on kicking and resisting furiously.

"This is harassment!" He yelled. "I demand a lawyer!"

"I am a lawful citizen of Leviathan Quay, I have my identification details and I have rights! I demand a lawyer!"

The soldiers didn't care about his protests as they bundled him into one of the bug-shaped military air transports before driving away.

Throughout, bystanders watched in apprehension while some made videos of what just happened. Those videos would surely flood the psionic network soon enough.

Watching the military air transports fly away, Leon's face turned solemn as he thought. 'The military crackdown'.

No one explicitly said it but after what just happened, he could feel the subtle energy shift and the tension in the atmosphere.

All of Leviathan Quay silently participated in the Countdown.

The Countdown was due in 3 days.

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