Chapter 35: Search Part 3
Buzz.
The off-road vehicle that transformed into a flying car, like a small black airplane, awkwardly made its way back towards Suoyang.
The high-speed airflow entered the car, causing Li Chengyi and Song Ran’s skin to tremble and their hair to dance wildly.
Li Chengyi’s expression was calm; wearing AR glasses, his eyes were not visible, but he appeared much quieter than before.
After personally testing the strength of the new flower scale armor, he suspected that he might not die even if he fell from dozens of meters in the air.
However, now, his mind was not on the journey below that passed by quickly but on the malice he absorbed after a chaotic rush before.
‘Malice: 73’
Earlier, charging directly into Ashi Real Estate was to catch them off guard, and now it seemed that it was indeed very effective.
Discovering that his flower scale armor’s defensive power had significantly increased, and the speed and strength were higher than before, he decisively chose to fight swiftly and decisively.
He had expected there might be strong experts in Ashi Real Estate, so he tensed up when he charged in, ready to use his flower talk ability at any moment.
As long as the movements were fast enough and concealed enough, the flower talk ability could be used as a hidden killer move to forcibly control the opponent.
Just like that man in white yasha.
But unexpectedly, there were only a few significant and minor figures inside Ashi Real Estate, none of whom were competent fighters.
‘Of course, it might also be because my speed was so fast that the other party had no chance to react at all.’
Li Chengyi understood in his heart that his primary strategy was to be fast, so fast that the opponent had no chance to react or gather experts for support.
All the way, he quietly pondered, thinking about various things.
Song Ran was also focused on driving, occasionally communicating with people through AR.
Both of them no longer had the easygoing mood they started with.
More than two hours later, the flying car slowly descended at a charging station to slow down, enter, and prepare for charging.
“What are you thinking about?” Song Ran got out of the car, took a cigarette, lightly bit it, and ignited it with his head lowered. He walked to the side and stood next to Li Chengyi, waiting for the car to charge wirelessly.
“Nothing much, just feeling that places outside Dead End are also dangerous,” Li Chengyi replied in a low voice.
“That’s reality for you, always more dangerous than you might think,” Song Ran calmly replied. “Did the boss ever talk to you about his past?”
“No.”
“That’s it then.” Song Ran smiled slightly, “It’s because of a wrong decision the boss made in the past; his son died, his wife left him, his business collapsed, and then, disheartened, he went out looking for his son.”
He flicked the ash off his cigarette.
“It was just one mistake, but his opponents seized the opportunity to fiercely attack him. Instead of saying his son got lost in Dead End, it might be more appropriate to say that due to lack of preparation, the chance for escape that had been there was ruined.”
“That’s brutal,” Li Chengyi sighed.
“Yeah, like the modified humans we encountered this time. You might not be very familiar with them,” Song Ran said. “Modified humans are generally unfamiliar to ordinary people because officials and many powers would tacitly block relevant news.”
“Can you explain?” Though Li Chengyi had found some video material in his previous life’s memories, he still didn’t understand much about modified humans.
“It’s simple,” Song Ran nodded. “Actually, modified humans mainly fall into two categories.”
“Limb modification and complete body modification.”
“So, it’s the difference between parts and the whole body?” Li Chengyi understood literally.
“Pretty much. Limb modification is like what I have.” Song Ran lifted one of his arms, pulled back the sleeve of his white shirt, revealing the damaged skin underneath.
There were several bullet holes in the skin, exposing the silver-white metallic material underneath.
“My legs and one arm are modified, but since it’s just limb modification, the functions are very weak. They mainly add a bit of strength, and the internal cavity can hold some not-so-heavy items, and they can also be fitted with some simple instruments and functional modules,” he explained.
“Limb modifications are the choice of the vast majority of people. Do you know why?”
Li Chengyi shook his head.
He had little information on this topic, and almost nothing could be found online. Many links were just blank and disconnected, obviously, someone was purposely cleaning it.
“Because it’s cheaper,” Song Ran grinned. “This limb modification of mine, not including the installed functional modules, just the modification and nerve connections cost about three million. In contrast, complete body modification costs at least thirty million upwards, and money is not the key issue. The key is that you can’t buy some important systems. And for complete body modification, the most troublesome and important aspect is the system.”
“System?”
“Right. For example, the system includes two most important aspects: the firewall and the neural network. One determines whether you’ll be easily manipulated by hackers after modification. The other decides whether you can control your body normally after modification. Reaction speed, control difficulty, and the level of detail in simulation all relate to the neural network,” Song Ran said, showing a slightly envious expression.
“Every fully modified person is built with money, and generally, only self-sustaining cities can manufacture them, and they also require a lot of long-term expensive maintenance. If you have a chance to go to a self-circulating city, you’ll see examples.”
Self-circulating city.
Li Chengyi was familiar with the name. In this world, not all cities were equal.
At this moment, a gentle electronic female voice sounded inside the charging station.
“ST1130 charging is complete. We look forward to your next visit.”
“Let’s go, let’s head back,” Song Ran went forward, opened the car door, and got in.
Li Chengyi followed and sat in the passenger seat, fastening the seat belt.
“Going back to the company now?”
“Yes, the person you’re looking for, the boss has already sent someone to investigate in person. That person’s files were almost completely cleared many years ago; it’s very hard to investigate,” Song Ran nodded. “Why, do you want to go home first? I’ll drop you off.”
“No, it’s most important to find the clues as fast as possible,” Li Chengyi refused.
Buzz.
The car’s engine started, quickly accelerated, and rushed out of the charging station, heading towards the urban area of Suoyang City.
Half an hour later, amid the congested traffic, the two returned to the New Century Building.
Inside the company office.
Sindra was holding a tablet, scribbling on it, and when he saw people coming in, quickly turned off the screen and stood up.
“Welcome back, it was a close call,” he hugged Song Ran and then shook hands firmly with Li Chengyi.
“What’s the deal with that sole survivor?” Li Chengyi went straight to the point.
“The information about Jagir was not found in the survivors’ data of Greus parking lot but was discovered mixed in with the earthquake survivors. In the records, he has absolutely nothing to do with Greus parking lot,” Sindra replied seriously.
“Nothing related? But before…” Li Chengyi frowned; Ding Chongyi had said otherwise before.
“The company’s AI compared and concluded that the survivor of Greus parking lot and the earthquake survivor are the same person. Someone deliberately erased him. According to the records, the survivors of the Greus parking lot didn’t have any name records initially. It was the profile picture you provided, combined with the name, that led to this correct answer.”
Sindra picked up a projection flashlight and turned it on against the wall.
In an instant, the profile photo of that white-clothed young man previously appeared on the wall.
Below the young man was a line of small text, clearly marked: Dondi Jagir, male, currently residing in Wenyan Mental Hospital, ninety-eight years old, suffering from forgetfulness syndrome, accompanied by cognitive degeneration and emotional detachment.
“Where is Wenyan Mental Hospital?” Li Chengyi asked quickly. The clues were right in front of him, so naturally, the faster he grabbed them, the better to avoid any changes.
“Not far, about two hundred kilometers from here, in Xinshan City,” Sindra replied. “Going now?”
“Yes, the sooner, the better!” Li Chengyi nodded.
“I’ll take you,” Song Ran joined in from the side.
Immediately, the two turned around and walked out of the office door, heading toward the elevator.
“By the way.” Suddenly, Sindra’s voice came through AR.
“The Ashi Real Estate was attacked three hours ago, the boss Dawson Bazzan was hit out of a ninth-floor window, crashing through the glass and falling to his death. According to surveillance, before the fall, his entire body’s bones and organs had already been shattered by the impact.”
Li Chengyi and Song Ran were both shocked, showing astonished expressions.
“Do you know which power did it?” Song Ran quickly asked. “I also encountered a master there before. Was it Ashi’s people?”
“Yes, that person was Ashi’s ace, Wigel, and there was another fat guy named Gernan, both were Ashi’s security chiefs, but they are all dead. It happened today, during the conflict with us,” Sindra said.
“Could it be that person in full purple black armor?” Song Ran speculated, his eyes revealing deep wariness.
“That person’s combat skills are extremely poor, obviously an amateur, may not know any combat skills at all. He relied solely on speed and strength to collide.
But the scarier it is, the more it signifies that his modification far exceeds mine and that Wigel’s,” Song Ran spoke gravely.
“Such an extent of modification, without the support of capital forces behind it, who would believe?” Sindra sighed. “Perhaps it’s an enemy that Ashi had provoked before.”
“Maybe. Let’s talk about this later; boss, we’re leaving now,” Song Ran said goodbye.
The two entered the elevator, about to close the door.
“By the way, Chengyi, do you know about the survivor’s escape method?” Sindra suddenly spoke again in AR.
“I’ve seen some information on it,” Li Chengyi replied.
“Collect as much detailed information as possible, mimic all the actions of the Dead End survivor before they were rescued, and you might be rescued. So those Dead Ends with survivors are the easiest to escape from, believe in yourself!” Sindra said.
“Thanks, Boss.”
“And that symbol.”
“The one I took a photo of next to the small door?” Li Chengyi recalled.
“Yes, we still can’t find any information on it for the time being, but I always feel a bit familiar. Also, the mysterious man in purple armor, killing so many people all of a sudden. This, I’m afraid, is not something that a mere Ashi Real Estate can stir up. Be careful, don’t delve too deep into the investigation, get what you want and pull out,” Sindra reminded.
“Understood.”
Li Chengyi and Song Ran responded simultaneously.
***
Xinshan City, Wenyan Mountain, Wenyan Mental Hospital.
In the spacious rest hall.
Groups of men and women in white striped patient clothes were moving their limbs to the rhythm of the music, doing health exercises.
A plump nurse wearing a mask and glasses entered through the door, scanned the crowd, and seemed to find something. She turned back to speak to the outside.
“They’re in here. Come on in.” It seemed she found what she was looking for.
Soon, a young man with black hair, in his twenties, slowly entered.
He was dressed in a simple gray suit, his hair neatly groomed, emitting a steady and reliable quality.
“Excuse me, who is…” The young man began to ask, but was interrupted before he could finish.
“Look, that old man standing in the far end,” the plump nurse pointed towards the innermost part.
There stood an old man with snow-white hair, missing teeth, waving his hands non-stop.
(End of Chapter)
