Dual Worlds: I Have a Doomsday World

But after a conflict with Liu Xuan, it was subjected to retaliatory strikes by the Liu Clan, suffering heavy losses.

Lin Qi had come here because, naturally, a key objective of his mission was inside.

Guang Ling’s email contained all the information on the target.

[Target: Dong Liyi]

[Identity: Squad Leader, 9th Squad, Security Department, Ninghang Technology]

[Intel: Target is a Tier Two Fourth Stage Martial Artist with 60% prosthetic augmentation, an A-Class Implanter, with a single S-Class Prosthetic Body...]

Guang Ling’s plan was cut from the same cloth as the one back in Greenfield City.

First, find a suitable target. Then, have "one of our own" assume their identity and use technical means to acquire the corresponding access codes.

For an ordinary Mercenary Corps, such a method wouldn’t be the least bit feasible.

In the Cyber World, all security-related network devices were manufactured by the Cyber Network Company.

This monopolistic Intercontinental Giant Corporation possessed technological prowess far beyond any other company.

Cracking or copying access codes was tantamount to cracking the Cyber Network Company’s own security measures.

Admittedly, different devices had different security levels.

But looking at the operational plans of every Mercenary Corps out there, you’d find almost none that would have their hackers try to wage a cyber battle against the Cyber Network Company.

Unless their technical skills were so advanced that the Cyber Network Company couldn’t detect them, it was a suicide mission.

It was no wonder, then, that Guang Ling was on the radar of the Cyber Network Company’s cyber network surveillance.

’In any case, at least this makes the plan a lot more convenient.’

Lin Qi remarked to himself, then activated his Spiritual Vision to check the situation inside the Prosthetic Clinic.

There were only two people in the clinic: Lin Qi’s target, and the clinic’s Prosthetic Doctor.

Dong Liyi was a mid-level manager at Ninghang Technology and a premium member of this Prosthetic Clinic.

Now that the Kudou Human Body Engineering Company’s prosthetics business had been crippled by Liu Xuan, the vast majority of its clients had abandoned the clinic.

In fact, Dong Liyi was the only client with an appointment for the entire day.

...

Inside the Prosthetic Clinic, Dong Liyi was talking with the Prosthetic Doctor.

"Old Dong, I had to beg, borrow, and steal to get my hands on this shipment. It might be second-hand, but I swear it’s practically mint!"

The Prosthetic Doctor said with a broad smile as he took out a portable safe.

Dong Liyi, however, wasn’t too pleased. "Damn it," he said, "You’re giving me a second-hand Divine Iron Bull? If I hadn’t already topped up my account here, I’d be going to Liu’s Heavy Industries for the installation!"

The Prosthetic Doctor, not wanting to offend a major client, said to Dong Liyi, "You have no idea how in-demand the Divine Iron Bull is right now. Since this morning, all the stock has been completely bought out. Some psycho is hoarding them to jack up the prices!"

"Damn it, price-gouging even the Bull! These people are insane."

The doctor complained along for a few sentences before getting back to the point. "Old Dong, don’t say I’m not a true friend. Even though this one is second-hand, I’ll give it to you for just ten percent of the price—you’ll only pay for my labor. You absolutely can’t go to Liu’s for the install! I have everything they have! Whatever you want, I’ll even get a Cleaner Fish to steal it for you!"

Dong Liyi was clearly taken aback by the Prosthetic Doctor’s words.

It wasn’t because of what the doctor said about the Cleaner Fish.

Dong Liyi was very familiar with bottom-feeders like Cleaner Fish. Many of the cheap A-Class Prosthetic Bodies on the market were stripped from dead bodies by them.

As for how those people died?

Consumers didn’t care. For a corporate drone like Dong Liyi, who was counting on prosthetics to boost his combat strength and find a chance for a promotion, a cheap, second-hand prosthetic was nothing to turn his nose up at.

The reason Dong Liyi was taken aback was that he hadn’t expected the Prosthetic Doctor to bring up Cleaner Fish right then.

A thought occurred to Dong Liyi, and his face immediately turned a shade greener.

"Fuck! I come here to get a Bull installed, and you give me a second-hand one. Fine. But it’s a fucking dead man’s Bull? What terrible luck!"

Dong Liyi cursed a blue streak, but he showed no intention of getting up from the operating table.

The Prosthetic Doctor knew what Dong Liyi was thinking and a sleazy grin spread across his face.

"What’s wrong with a dead man’s Bull? Do you have any idea how hard these things are to get right now? This one I got for you was just sold from a Liu’s Heavy Industries shop last night. The guy probably used it once, then the unlucky bastard ran into this craze, got targeted by a Cleaner Fish this morning, and now it’s all yours for a bargain."

"Besides, getting it installed for ten percent of the price? That’s more than fair, and you know it! Think about it differently. What if you install this thing, and tonight you have a chance encounter with a female executive from your company? Just like that guy surnamed Lin in the news—instant promotion and a raise! Isn’t that better than installing a pile of A-Class Prosthetic Bodies or even that S-Class you were forced to get?"

"I’ve never heard of anyone getting cyber psychosis from a Divine Iron Bull. This thing works better than a Suppressor!"

The Prosthetic Doctor had clearly done his homework on Dong Liyi’s psyche.

He knew this kind of loyal old company dog only cared about climbing the corporate ladder.

As long as he could climb higher, he wouldn’t give a damn about some "dead man’s Bull."

"Fuck! You really get me! Install it! So what if it’s a dead man’s Bull? Keep an eye out for another one for me over the next couple of days. I heard that son of a bitch from Squad 12 got one installed today too. I’m going to get another one. A Divine Double Bull has to be better than a single one!"

Lin Qi, watching this scene unfold through his Spiritual Vision, felt the corner of his mouth twitch uncontrollably.

’I can’t believe I’d run into this thing even at a clinic owned by Kudou Human Body Engineering Company,’ Lin Qi thought.

’Just how popular is this thing?’

’Since when was propaganda from the Cyber Media this effective?’

Lin Qi didn’t know it, but while he had been focused on the Mercenary Corps’ temporary channel, the content published by the Cyber Media that morning had skyrocketed in popularity once again.

The stories about his relationship with Liu Xuan, in particular—and the role the Divine Iron Bull played—had become a sensational topic throughout the entire Asian Administrative Region.

It was, without a doubt, the making of a modern-day god.

A low-level prosthetic junkie who turned his life around with a Divine Iron Bull and became a director at a major corporation!

What an inspirational story!

What a fresh batch of toxic inspiration!

What middle-or-lower-class prosthetic enthusiast could possibly resist the allure of the Divine Iron Bull?

If Lin Qi had been paying attention to all this, he would have realized that Liu’s Heavy Industries’ marketing department was obviously fanning the flames.

As for their young lady’s reputation?

How much was that worth compared to the company’s bottom line?

Besides, the Cyber Media made it sound so convincing, who knew if it might actually be true?

But Lin Qi had no time to worry about that now. He was focused on the scene inside the Prosthetic Clinic.

Just as the Prosthetic Doctor injected Dong Liyi with the anesthetic, Lin Qi made his move.

A cluster of cells quietly detached from Lin Qi’s body and entered the Prosthetic Clinic through the piping system.

Just as the Prosthetic Doctor was about to retrieve the Divine Iron Bull for Dong Liyi’s installation, he was suddenly struck by a wave of dizziness.

His medical prosthetics alerted him to a pathological ischemia in his brain.

"Fuck! My brain... when did... Trauma team... I need..."

As a Prosthetic Doctor, he knew all too well that pathological episodes could be sudden.

He never imagined he was under attack from an Extraordinary Professional.

He didn’t even have time to finish his call to the Intercontinental Trauma Response Corporation before he lost consciousness and collapsed.

Then, the cluster of cells that had successfully infiltrated the operating room began to rapidly differentiate and grow.

A man who looked identical to Dong Liyi, but with whole, un-augmented limbs and no prosthetics, materialized inside the operating room.

’Decomposition Mimicry, combined with the Splitting Ability, was just too useful.’

The whole-bodied "Dong Liyi" glanced at the original lying on the operating table, then began rummaging through the surgical tools for prosthetic implantation.

And then...

He began skillfully disassembling the prosthetics, looking for all the world like a seasoned Cleaner Fish.

After removing all the prosthetics, he tossed what was left of Dong Liyi—now nearly a limbless torso—onto the floor.

The new "Dong Liyi" continued the operation.

This time, the scalpel was aimed at himself.

Lin Qi, controlling the body remotely, made precise incisions. He didn’t even need an anesthetic as he swiftly performed the surgery on himself, completing the prosthetic implantation.

Finally, Lin Qi’s gaze, channeled through his Spiritual Vision, fell upon the second-hand Divine Iron Bull.

’This thing... should I really install it?’