My cyberpsychosis is a task prompt

Chapter 169: Aftermath

John stood in front of the mirror and observed the wound. The subcutaneous armor and the bullet hole had been sutured. It was aching slightly, and there was a slight color difference in the area that had just been treated.

"Your skills are excellent. Thanks, doctor. The anesthetic has made me dizzy. Please help me relieve the symptoms. I still have to deal with a cart of loot."

The armored car parked at the storage center is like dropping a funding card on a park bench.

Barry said there was no rush and that nothing would happen no matter how long it was left, but John was in a hurry to open the new store and Mr. Vito's retirement party was coming soon, so they had to hurry and deal with the trouble.

Ryan crossed his legs, his eyelids drooped, his bald head reflecting the light in the dim basement, and looked at him with eyes that suggested that both the world and himself had become decadent and dead.

"Are you in a hurry to die? The sky won't fall if you get some sleep. There are few good people among the cops. As a mercenary, you are willing to work hard for the ECPD. If you tell others about it, you will be laughed at."

"I work for money. Now that the new store is open, you can get a discount if you come to eat."

John chose to skip the subject.

Everyone has their own story.

He couldn't comment on Barry's behavior as a bad cop, just like he couldn't change the doctor's impression of the police.

John sat down next to Ryan, turned over the empty glass, poured himself a drink and remotely activated the membership service of the Borago Club.

He first checked the garage information to make sure Barry had returned the motorcycle to the apartment.

Vehicles equipped with smart modules can be summoned remotely.

John asked Alloy RCH to pick him up from the clinic.

It takes some time to drive here on a motorcycle. The only sound in the clinic is the noisy TV, and occasionally there is the sound of metal ice cubes colliding in the glass.

This time, the motorcycle was smashed during the robbery of the armored car, and it is not certain whether it was damaged.

Maintenance is another expense.

Daily life, quarterly membership payments, vehicle repairs, equipment replacements, gun maintenance and ammunition consumption, emergency medical supplies and emergency surgery expenses...

John's eyes gradually lost focus.

He tapped the edge of the glass with his hand, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke with a certain calmness.

"I'm sorry, doctor, I don't have enough money to pay for the surgery, but I'll be able to pay for it as soon as I finish this business."

"Ah."

Ryan let out a wry laugh.

That smile was fleeting.

His eyes were like fallen bullet shells, cooling down imperceptibly, numbly reflecting the light tubes and TV screens in the basement.

"Mercenaries like to owe doctors money and only pay them when the work goes well."

Ryan murmured softly, and before John could respond, he turned around and asked him.

"Do you have an ECPD internal bounty account?"

"…Uh, Yep."

It took John a few seconds to realize what Ryan was talking about.

Some time ago, Barry gave him an internal account that connected to the ECPD's internal system. He could collect the other party's reward by providing evidence of the killing.

"Then there's no need to lend you the old account."

"You have one too? Fuck, it turns out these things are everywhere on the street. I thought it was pretty cool."

"Then just pretend I didn't say anything and continue thinking that way. But I want to remind you that the money you get from killing people is just to make up for the losses. Don't dream of becoming a bounty hunter. That will only get you killed. The bounty cannot accurately measure a person's ability."

Ryan poured wine into his mouth, frowned and thought, wondering if there was anything else he wanted to say.

"Oh yeah, don't collect the money yourself."

"I've already done this, does it have any effect?"

"One stupid mistake may not kill you, but it is better to find a middleman to collect the bounty. This is a rule of thumb."

Ryan stood up on his knees, picked up the bottle of wine, walked past the operating table and suspended the clinic.

"I advise you to stop fucking yourself tonight, or contact another doctor... I'm going to get myself drunk."

John was still sitting in the chair waiting for the motorcycle.

He said to Ryan's back.

"Maybe you died of alcohol poisoning before I died."

"Yeah, thank you for your blessing, now, get the fuck out~"

The doctor waved and disappeared through the door.

[Eden City-Edge of South District Warehousing Center]

The cross-district bridge stretches across the water.

The night wind brought up waves and garbage, which rubbed against the embankment again and again, making regular strange noises.

The colorful neon lights of the city hit the dark water and turned into shattered dreams.

The storage center is particularly quiet at night.

Several long strip lights covered with glass were on, and flying insects were flying in and out of the supporting steel bars.

Illegal transactions frequently take place here, so it is rare for homeless people to spend the night here.

The tranquility was interrupted by the roar of a motorcycle, the rustling sound of tires rolling over gravel coming from far away, and then an oval beam of light broke into the inner road.

wow——

John lifted up the unlocked rolling door and saw the armored car that he had fought so hard to snatch back.

The taste is a bit strong.

Knight's body was still inside, and the blood spread throughout the cargo compartment and even flowed onto the ground, soaking all the black velvet bags.

There is an inner layer of protection inside, and the artwork is not damaged.

Most of the things in the iron box are paper documents, and the rest are - encrypted separation chips, fund cards of varying amounts, and customers' collectibles.

John flipped through the pages for a while and then lost his patience.

The files are all commercial data or private information, and the separated chips are also encrypted layer by layer. Violent reading with black light will cause irreversible loss.

As for the remaining artworks, even if they were priced sky-high on the labels in the corners, the mercenaries would just sell them off, and less than one percent would remain in their hands.

The sales channels and audiences for luxury goods are very narrow.

If confined to the scope of Eden City, the flow path is basically clear.

Whoever lost something will buy it.

As long as something appears on the market, it is a connected relationship.

These things are only valuable to a small group of people. All John can do now is find a middleman to resell them and ask for some hard work fees and commissions. Don't expect to get rich overnight.

[Contact-Euros Grenada[Voice call]]

It was very noisy on the other end of the line.

A large social banquet is going on.

As Orlos moved away from the crowd, the noise of music and conversation subsided, and the sound of her high heels hitting the ground became clearer.

[Your life is quite fulfilling~ I thought you would cherish your rest time and go to the club, but I didn't expect you to go and rob a car. First, it was the spiritual leader Du Raymond, and then the Palmer rising star Knight. There are rumors that you are deliberately targeting the Rift Party...]

"It's just bad luck for whoever dies when the commission comes."

John spoke lightly but his attitude was cautious.

He switched his prosthetic eye to night vision mode and kept a close eye on the movements around the warehouse, fearing that there might be an ambush somewhere. He continued only after making sure there was no danger.

"I just want the money truck. The auction house wants 70% to 30% of the stolen goods. Are you willing to help? It's a sure-fire profitable deal."

Olos sighed exaggeratedly and did not reply immediately, but asked a very sensitive question.

【Who issued the commission? 】

If someone else had asked, John would have kept it a secret.

Olos has helped John many times, regardless of the cost, and even saved his life. They have a common goal, which is to find the truth behind various "coincidences".

John thought that if she sold herself out it would only be to "pay off a debt." "Barry Kit, Lieutenant Colonel of Eden City."

[I know him. He is in charge of Sakura Cross Street and often deals with the Owl Town Gang. I'll give you some free information. Dear, don't go to Sakura Cross Street recently. The Japanese are making a big move.]

"Faki Industries is in a mess, right? I know. I was the one who personally escorted the intelligence that killed the public relations department."

A reporter named Pires came to John's mind, and he wondered if this guy had established himself in the TV station.

[From now on, there will be no such thing as Faqi Industry in Eden City. They sent a guy from the Asian headquarters to deal with the mess and took over all the business under the Faqi Group. ]

Olos lowered her voice, with the ending tone rising, so that one could imagine her standing at the edge of the party and smiling while talking on the phone.

"Is he dangerous?"

John has a bad relationship with the Owltown Gang.

[My intuition tells me that it is, so don't mess with the Xiaocheng Gang recently, lest the Japanese use you as a demonstration.]

"Okay, uh, what about the money truck?"

John lives his life at gunpoint.

Whoever calls at our doorstep will be given priority. The issue of the armored car is more urgent now.

【Sorry, dear, I'm busy. 】

Olos refused to help John clean up the mess.

But she provided some information and ideas.

The auction house has learned that John hijacked the armored car.

They have two ways to solve the problem.

The first step is to hire a killer to kill John. According to the situation at the scene, they must know that the Colonel of Eden City is behind it, so the management will try to negotiate with Barry first.

This would put John in a passive position.

How things go depends entirely on Barry's attitude.

The second solution offered by the auction house is to find a middleman and pay to buy the item back.

John could sell the things in advance. Selling stolen goods was a lucrative business. He could bring the middleman to the table and share the risk, which would make Barry and the auction house inclined to a peaceful solution.

"I know who to call. There's one more thing."

John wanted Olaus to collect the EPCD reward on his behalf.

[Did anyone remind you? Yes, it is a wise choice to find a middleman to jump. I will take 35% of the commission. ]

Oros came to Eden with a goal.

She didn't intend to take root in this city, and many branch channels and connections were not established, making it more expensive to handle small businesses.

[This price is very high, I really have no choice but to send me another message. ]

The call was hung up quickly.

Olos exudes the busyness and excitement of hunting.

"Okay, let me see..."

There were only three middlemen John had contact with, and one of them had his stomach emptied and thrown into the sewer.

【Contact-Raphael [Voice Call]】

【I'm glad you chose to call me, John.】

A man's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Fuck, what the hell?"

John thought he had dialed the sex doll club by mistake. He had an inexplicable feeling as if a muscular man was speaking in a hoarse voice, or as if a drunk "handsome man" was approaching him in a dimly lit environment.

【It's okay, John. It's me. 】

Raphael smiled and reassured John.

[Sorry, you acted so skilled that I kept forgetting that you were a newcomer. I didn't explain some things clearly. Using employees' bodies remotely is not a sign of distrust, but a long-standing habit of mine.]

"I thought 'the middleman knows everything' was scary enough. Anyone who offends you will be scared to death."

John felt inexplicably terrified.

[Just like the guns and mantis knives of mercenaries, in the final analysis, they are just guys who make a living. Let's talk about business. I guess you have a money truck that needs to be dealt with. ]

John wasn't that surprised that she guessed his intentions, but before he could say anything, the contact file popped up at the edge of his vision.

Raphael John sent some documents to the mailbox, and then introduced them with unfolding photos and logo patterns.

This armored car belongs to the [Vogadovo Auction House]. The storage boxes contain memory chips, company secrets, and private documents. Opening any one of them will reveal a dirty little secret.

The auction house's management attempted to fake a robbery that was "realistic enough" to cover up the irregular transactions and fake auctions.

This group of stupid idiots messed up the matter, and then they killed the police by mistake, Barry put pressure on them, and the robber died suddenly...

[The client is now forcing the management to take responsibility, and is eager to sell them to the ghouls to make some illegal films.]

"Wow, that's even a good idea."

John sneered and spat.

"If the idiots and scumbags could pair themselves up and cancel each other out, Eden City would be a better place."

[You are right, but the company dog ​​is not completely stupid. He still knows how to spend money to buy his own life, so we can have business. ]

Raphael never quoted a price from beginning to end, but she seemed certain that John would give the business to her.

The same is true.

She has demonstrated her mastery of the situation, which gives her the capital to make money through mediation.

"Okay, I'll give you the address, and there's one more thing."

John also asked about collecting the bounty on someone else's behalf.

[Not bad, you are growing very fast. A bounty account is a street mercenary's ticket to the advanced stage.]

Raphael handled the business very skillfully.

[Normally I charge 15%, but since you have a good relationship with Ryan I will only charge 10%. You can ask around and compare. I can guarantee that this is the most favorable condition in Eden City.]

"make a deal."

John had no doubt about it.

As a high-level middleman in mercenary operations, she can even influence the market conditions for collecting bounties on behalf of others.

Raphael logged into John's account remotely.

[In the future, if you kill any prominent person, just send the evidence to the corresponding virtual address, and the bounty will be credited to your account within six hours at most. Of course, this is the amount after deducting the commission percentage.]

The driver of the Coffs Granton was on his way to the port.

John took advantage of this gap and tried to upload the photo of the armored car robbers being killed for the first time with the help of Raphael. The other party processed it on an expedited basis and he immediately received a remittance into his account.

The unit price of the bounty for the Rift Party is higher than that of the first submitted ghoul trafficker, but not much higher. However, the difficulty of killing them has increased several times. No wonder Ryan said that strength cannot be judged based on the bounty.

It’s such a pity that the body of the bald knife-wielding man was kicked out and I didn’t have time to take a photo, so I lost a lot of money.

The transaction went smoothly.

Raphael would use the goods to blackmail the auction house and get a considerable ransom. How much she could get depended on her ability, while how much she gave to the mercenaries was a black box operation in the industry and depended entirely on the credibility and character of the middleman.

John will give 70% of the money to Barry.

This is the agreed part.

The remaining commission has to be paid to Raphael to handle the armored car. The locator and company system need to be removed, and overall repairs and maintenance need to be performed. After the parts are replaced, the armor needs to be upgraded and the internal space needs to be adjusted according to John's requirements.

This is a significant but necessary expense.

Maybe it's the sentimentality of a veteran driver, or maybe it's obsessive-compulsive disorder.

John worked so hard to get this advanced cargo vehicle back, and he always wanted to make it work in the best condition for him.

(End of this chapter)