My cyberpsychosis is a task prompt

Chapter 156: Welcome to the East District

【Shop-Coffee Granton Car Sales Center】

The comprehensive rest area on the second floor also serves as an exhibition hall. Under the spotlights are exhibition stands, green plants, and sofa sets of varying sizes. The curved floor-to-ceiling windows are divided by metal columns.

It's so spacious it looks like an airport VIP area.

John sat on the ball-shaped sofa chair with his legs crossed. He ordered coffee and dessert a la carte. They tasted good, but he didn't dare to delve into the ingredients. If he could get the recipe, he could try to add it to the store menu.

Olos advised John to use his brain more.

He also thought it made sense. Mercenaries also had to constantly consider the logic behind the mission. Hot-blooded street guys could easily be cheated by middlemen and profiteers.

So John was quietly observing and sorting out the intelligence:
A four-lane dark internal road runs through the building, with slightly worn yellow-and-white painted road markings and water flowing from the washing shop day and night, causing neon spots to reflect off the shiny black road surface.

All maintenance orders for Coffsgate Street are sent here. Various load-bearing equipment and transfer equipment go in and out. Through the thick glass, you can imagine the spitting valves and beeping warning lights...

I can’t imagine how many vehicles can be handled every day. From a business perspective, it is definitely a lucrative business, making a lot of money!
Who is their boss?

The Black Gold Gang controls the West District.

The Owl Town Gang controls Sakura Crossroads.

The East District is divided into two forces: "above ground" and "underground".

John didn't come to the East District very often, mostly to see Ryan Randall for treatment. The part that impressed him most was that there were more than a dozen large companies located on the grounds.

Multinational corporations and several Eden City councillors are in cahoots.

They represent the "above ground" part.

The companies controlled the financial city and large shopping malls, manipulated the leasing and sale of shops on the commercial streets, extracted commissions and labor from suburban industrial plants, and controlled the sale and leasing of houses...

Nocturne Bar is their den for spending money and an information hub.

There are no real local gangs on the streets of the East District. The supported Maddox Gang and the White Biker Gang are all puppets and tools used by corporate capital to control the streets.

Including the reception hall where John was sitting, the circular runway and the car dismantling and modification workshop were connected to form a large complex of buildings. Even during the day, it was always shrouded in the reflection of the glass curtain walls and the shadows of high-rise buildings.

They are the "underground" part of the East End.

As long as you walk through any entrance, you can reach the largest black market trading center in Eden City.

Almost everyone you pass by is wanted.

Gangsters and mercenary teams come here to get supplies, have fun, and seek job opportunities, while a large number of merchants with connections and brains have buried their businesses underground in the East District, ranging from clothing sales to assassinations and kidnappings...

Whatever you want can be satisfied.

The way they maintain order is through armed patrol guards, those burly men with guns who stand in front of Ryan's clinic and roam around the underground stalls to maintain order.

But to truly survive the corporate covetousness, there must be other powerful checks and balances, or...

A leader who is intimidating enough.

The Coffs Granton Car Sales Center is the only business in the "underground" black market that extends to the "ground", and it appears unruly among the high-rise buildings.

It is wealthy and powerful. In order to park its customers' vehicles, it even bought a circular indoor parking lot next to the reception building. The large screen on the facade plays advertisements in a loop and is inlaid with exaggerated signs with a diameter of more than ten meters. When night falls, the holographic projection will rise to the clouds like a waterfall and be as far-reaching as a searchlight.

John withdrew his gaze and glanced inside the building.

He was sitting near the glass handrail on the second floor, with a rest area scattered among the green plants and circular booths.

The top of the building is a steel frame structure with winding rectangular pipes inlaid with various lamps, creating a "darkness under the light" effect to cover up the rough industrial-style decoration.

Around the second floor lounge area where John was.

The rotating booth displayed a variety of coupe motorcycles, including the Ethanburger and Detroit International.

Lower the air conditioning temperature.

The faint scent of perfume stimulates the nose.

The combined lighting effect covers the customers' eyes like black stockings. Even in the daytime, it is full of tranquility and mystery. Only the surface of the luxury cars is shiny, or the hood is directly lifted, showing the coveted configuration unscrupulously.

John picked up the coffee to dilute the sweet taste in his mouth and looked over the guardrail beside him:

Ordinary vehicles are stored in the general area on the first floor and in the open-air square.

Their origins are unknown and they are part of an openly gray transaction, with street second-hand car middlemen frequently entering and exiting.

The clients are mainly mercenaries and gang members.

If your fists are not strong enough, you are likely to be ripped off. If your street reputation cannot support the grade of your car, you may be tripped up.

John sent the car over to test their attitude and see whether the previous robbery was a misunderstanding or a targeted attack.

I've already finished half of my coffee.

John could clearly feel that a trace amount of stimulants had been added, and his brain was even more active than usual.

He leaned over the glass guardrail and looked at the maintenance area on the first floor.

The Jurassic ZT15 was suspended in a room surrounded by light strips. The armor module was pulled out to replace the damaged interlayer, and the warheads embedded in the sheet metal were also cleaned one after another. The hood and chassis were exposed to the air, showing the same luxurious configuration.

Through the explosion-proof glass, you can see the moving robotic arms and the maintenance workers wearing Cofor Granton work clothes.

Each of them has tattoos, with their muscular build and powerful prosthetic limbs exposed.

These guys are better at fighting than normal maintenance workers.

John is very familiar with vehicles and knows that auto repair shops often replace parts and rip off unfamiliar customers. The specific situation is directly linked to your street reputation and wealth status.

When he was in the Tiebang Logistics Transportation Team, he was also very clear about which parts often suffer from "wear and tear" and how to use technical means to circulate them to the market.

He knows the ins and outs of this very well.

John estimated the progress of the work in the repair shop, with his fingers interlaced on his abdomen. He seemed to be waiting for the end lazily, but in fact he secretly adjusted the gun belt to a convenient position.

【Cyborg: Atlanta-Virtual Network】

The black light remotely monitors the vehicle system.

During the repair process, as long as someone dares to isolate the core motherboard, or detects that any non-essential components have been replaced...

John would immediately take out his weapon, go downstairs and have a heart-to-heart with the person in charge on the scene until he forced the person behind the scenes to come out, and then use the mercenary method to defend his own rights.

Da da da.

John's wandering thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps.

He turned his head and saw a pair of snow-white long legs and high-heeled shoes with silver toes, pleated ultra-short shorts, and a jeweled belly button inlaid on the well-proportioned snow-white waist.

The female receptionist with green and white highlights in gradient color came over.

She had just helped John with some business not long ago. She held her glasses steady and pursed her lips slightly while applying pink and purple glitter lip gloss.

"Mr. John, my boss wants to talk to you."

She bent down slightly, her lace lining wrapped around her curves, and a translucent striped shirt tied around her waist. John raised his eyebrows, looked around, and asked in confusion.

"here?"

"Yes, please wait a moment."

Without waiting for John to refuse, the waitress raised her hand to lift up the big white waves on her ear, revealing the heat dissipation gap and slot, inside which a behavioral chip was quietly flashing.

One second later.

Her pupils condensed and then dilated, and the moment the data flashed by, she suddenly exuded an inexplicable aura, as if she had become a different person, with the aura of an executive who looked down on others and had insight into people's hearts.

The "waiter" waved gently.

The spherical sofa in the distance was activated, raised its chassis and quickly moved behind her, rotating the backrest, and waited until the waiter was seated before slowly moving forward a short distance.

"Wow, well, I didn't know this thing could move."

John raised his eyebrows and pretended to be relaxed, while the waitress opposite him naturally crossed her long legs.

"Very humorous, John, I'm Raphael."

"Um, should I know who you are?"

John said sincerely, his expression a little confused.

Raphael didn't mind, he smiled and nodded, even having a kind and tolerant feeling, making it hard to guess his real age.

"Yes, you should know."

Her tone was not arrogant when she said this.

"You are just like the information I collected. You suddenly appeared and have a good reputation for your work. Hiss~ But at the same time, you lack accumulation, and you have not experienced the process of a street kid struggling and slowly growing up... You are not a mercenary in the strict sense. You don't know the rules, you have little experience, and you lack basic common sense about the city streets."

The name Raphael is apparently part of "common sense".

John shook his head.

"Wow, wait a minute, man, er... or girl? You can't just sit down and start lecturing me. You want to talk to me, right? I'll start."

Olos had made similar comments about John, but now he wanted to take back the initiative in the conversation.

"Do you manage this place? I mean the underground area in the East District."

Raphael answered in the affirmative.

She did not explain the specifics or the power structure, but only stated that she had absolute say.

John then raised the question that concerned him most - what happened to the robbery at the exit of the underground black market?

Raphael did not shy away.

"They were just a few young boys. There are always fools among the newcomers on the street who are not afraid of death and refuse to listen to advice. They want to become big shots overnight. Of course, there is the instigation of the Nocturne Bar. It has no effect on us. It's just disgusting. I didn't expect you to see it."

Raphael's underground black market is home to the best mercenaries and the most law-breaking clients in Eden City. The street gangs fostered by the Nocturne Bar are bound to be unhappy, so it is understandable that they occasionally find some people to cause trouble or ruin the place.

"The only thing I did in this matter was not to stop you. Because you were very close to the Black Gold Gang and made rapid progress, I was worried that you were a private firepower trained by Jingke Heavy Industry... Oh, I have to state in advance that I don't mind this, but I have to find out who the boss behind you is, so that I can feel more at ease."

"Is it clear now?"

"Strange luck, who knows? Anyway, I don't intend to dwell on it. After all, street legends are always special."

Raphael knew that John was a young and inexperienced person, so he took the initiative to show his goodwill.

"I am very interested in you. If you still want to be a mercenary in Eden City in the future, then our friendship is crucial. This is not a threat, but because I have the best reputation in this city. Many newcomers in the growth stage take jobs from me directly or indirectly. Many jobs that middlemen can't handle will eventually be placed on my desk. Do you understand? This is the foundation for the stability of the East District underground. Companies and congressmen cannot completely control this place."

Raphael propped up his chin with his hand, like a collector of limited edition stamps and bags.

"I have the contact information of the best lone wolf in this city, so no one dares to mess with us. And the only reason I'm sitting here now is to add your name to the address book."

John couldn't help but sneer as he listened. He looked away, frowned, pursed his lips and made a hissing sound.

"You... uh, you're a little too enthusiastic, but I have to admit that you're more attractive to me than the company's promotional video. But we're not that familiar with each other yet."

“But we have a basis for understanding.”

Raphael always keeps talking and has enough patience.

"Didn't Ryan Randall tell you about me? Ha, how ruthless. He and I used to be teammates, a mercenary team, a group of unfortunate guys who huddled together for warmth on the edge of the city."

John asked, not being drawn into closer distance.

"Teammate? Then you didn't show up when he was imprisoned by Nocturne and chased into the warehouse?"

"That's the doctor's choice. Think about it. He hid all his belongings here, John. Half a warehouse's worth of limited edition prosthetic limbs. Just a level 2 automatic door at the entrance of Ryan's clinic. Even a hacker who taught himself online for two months couldn't stop it."

Raphael gave him some buffer time.

"He and I are lifelong friends, and that can't be changed. If you're interested, go ask him yourself."

John raised his eyes suspiciously.

"The doctor recommended me to you?"

"NOPE, he didn't mention anything, which actually shows that you are worthy of being valued."

【New Contact-Raphael】

John replied cautiously.

"I have enough money for now, man. There's no need to take jobs from strange middlemen. Um... Besides, my schedule for a long time is booked in advance."

"It's a lie to have no worries about food and clothing, John. Ryan should have warned you that this is a one-way street, heading straight to death..."

John's start was too smooth. He never really delved into the world of mercenaries, and his income was just enough to make ends meet. This just shows that he was confused about the future and had no direction for subsequent development.

"When you take two more steps forward, you will find that the steps you have walked all the way are hollow. If you want to live a down-to-earth life, you will have to spend a lot of money to make up for it. There are even many resources and relationships that cannot be obtained by spending money... At that time, no matter what you need... call me."

Raphael made a gun with his finger, pointed it at his forehead, blinked playfully, and flicked his tongue - a metallic luster flashed between his pink and purple lips, which seemed to be a lip stud.

"Don't be shy, John. Even if you just want a supermarket discount card, I'm willing to provide it. Mercenary lone wolves and teams are the customers of the East District underground black market, not those idiots who pay. I can tolerate newcomers, but I prefer experts."

Golden arcs spread out in Raphael's deep green pupils, as if he received the message, and said to John with a smile.

"The car has been repaired. It's not a bad ride. If you no longer trust the Black Gold Gang's maintenance package, you can come to Kaufglanton to renew your contract. It is the unanimous choice of the legendary mercenaries in Eden City."

She used a joking tone when she said the second half of the sentence.

John was thinking about asking something else when he received a message from Barry.

Raphael took the opportunity to say goodbye, and it seemed that exchanging contact information and introducing the East District was the purpose. As the behavioral chip flashed, the female receptionist regained consciousness.

She smiled at John in a very businesslike manner, stood up and left.

A middleman of higher status would only extend an olive branch so proactively if he is very optimistic about a street talent.

(End of this chapter)