Chapter 403 - 269: King Arthur’s Intelligence 2
After a round of complaints about Guang Ling, messages continued to flood in.
[I originally thought I was just supposed to arrest an A-Class Implanter this time. For a newly promoted Tier Four Knight like me, that wouldn’t be too difficult.]
[But the problem is, the target’s condition is severely abnormal. After making initial contact, I detected the aura of "Will" on him. That’s the mark of a Tier Four Extraordinary, so I didn’t dare to act rashly.]
[On top of that, the target’s mental state is also highly unstable. I suspect he has latent cyber psychosis. He’s been committing crimes every night recently, most likely using Extraordinary Power. He’s extremely stealthy, and none of his crimes have been discovered so far.]
[Guang Ling told me to just keep the target under surveillance for now. Damn that Guang Ling! Since when are Knight Professionals good at surveillance? I can only follow the target through the sewer pipes every day like a rat.]
King Arthur had entered her familiar sewer pipes once again.
Lin Qi felt that King Arthur had spent at least half of the past month in the sewers.
’Has she been marinating in there?’
’Good thing King Arthur is a blonde with medium-short hair, or the smell would have seeped into every last strand.’
Lin Qi didn’t dwell on King Arthur for long. His attention shifted back to the intel she had provided.
’Will?’
’A Tier Four Extraordinary?’
’Cyber psychosis?’
’And the target wasn’t even an Extraordinary Professional before this.’
’That’s terrifying!’
’It means that after receiving some "mother sample," the target instantly became a Tier Four Extraordinary!’
For any faction, a Tier Four Extraordinary was a top-tier combatant, powerful enough to hold down an entire region.
’But Ninghang Technology has somehow managed to mass-produce them?’
The strategic significance and value behind this discovery far exceeded what a single large corporation could handle.
An achievement like this would draw pressure and scrutiny from every top power in the world, something even a regional Big Business Alliance would struggle to withstand.
No member of the Highest-Level Mercenary Corps could have imagined that a mission they thought was just about meddling in a large corporation’s affairs would escalate to this point.
Lin Qi, far away in Red Fruit City, was in no position to help King Arthur.
He could only offer a word of advice:
[Be careful. The stakes are too high. If you run into danger, pull out immediately. Contact me if you need help; I’ll do what I can.]
King Arthur was really just venting. As a veteran Mercenary, she knew exactly what to do and how to handle the situation.
After sending a "thank you" to Lin Qi, she went silent.
Lin Qi put his wristband away.
A moment later, Lin Qi received an email from Guang Ling.
[I received King Arthur’s email. I need to confirm, do you have an item that needs to be shipped?]
Lin Qi wasn’t sure if Guang Ling could monitor messages sent between wristbands.
’Based on how these wristbands work, they shouldn’t have anything to do with the network.’
Lin Qi replied to Guang Ling’s email:
[A vial of Potion. It’s very light.]
Guang Ling’s reply was instant:
[Got it. I’ll place a confidential shipping order with Dongfang Logistics shortly. You’ll need to drop the item at a nearby pickup location. I’ll send you the location and time after the order is placed.]
Guang Ling was as reliable as ever.
Through their repeated interactions, Lin Qi was certain that if Guang Ling ever quit the Mercenary Corps, they could easily get a high-paying job as an assistant at an Intercontinental Giant Corporation.
Guang Ling always arranged things meticulously, and mishaps were rare.
After a short wait, an email arrived from Guang Ling.
It specified the time and place, and even thoughtfully included a 3D model of the location.
It wasn’t far.
But when Lin Qi took a closer look, he realized the coordinates pointed to the very same parking structure where his flying vehicle was docked.
It would be on his way back, which was convenient.
As for the time, the item had to be placed at the designated spot before six o’clock.
Lin Qi checked the time. It was already 5:00 AM.
Picking up the over-spec A-Class Potion, Lin Qi stood up, ready to leave the No. 1 Prosthetic Clinic.
Lin Qi showed no signs of having had a Prosthetic Body installed less than an hour ago. He moved with ease, his nervous system having already adapted to the implant.
Activating his Spiritual Vision, Lin Qi checked on his dad.
’Still keeping up the act.’
The person on the operating table was different from before.
It was an old man, who looked to be over eighty, with a significant degree of prosthetics—over forty percent of his body.
’Dad sure has a diverse clientele.’
Lin Qi didn’t interrupt his dad’s performance and walked straight out of the operating room, leaving the Prosthetic Clinic.
Outside the clinic, a line had still formed. Someone recognized Lin Qi and tried to approach him to make an acquaintance.
Lin Qi simply waved them off, politely refusing.
The person who was rejected took it gracefully and didn’t press the matter.
After all, this was Red Fruit City. If they dared to harass Lin Qi, the HGPD would be on them in a heartbeat.
’Say hello to hefty fines and mandatory prison labor!’
Lin Qi left the No. 1 Prosthetic Clinic without any trouble and soon arrived at the flying vehicle parking structure.
Lin Qi glanced at the 3D model and text instructions from Guang Ling.
"So Red Fruit City actually has surveillance blind spots?"
Lin Qi figured it wasn’t a coincidence. It was probably arranged by Dongfang Logistics.
He wondered if it was a permanent feature or just a temporary setup.
Using his materialized Spiritual Tentacles, Lin Qi placed the Potion in the designated spot.
He then boarded his U107 vehicle and headed straight for No. 8 Fortress Road.
He still had a few hours before he had to be at work, so he could get some rest.
He reached No. 8 Fortress Road as quickly as possible and parked his flying vehicle.
Lin Qi subconsciously glanced at the empty parking spot beside his.
’Isn’t that the spot Liu Xuan usually uses? But it’s empty.’
"Liu Xuan’s not here?"
Lin Qi was curious, but not so much that he’d use his Spiritual Vision to spy on Liu Xuan’s room.
’What if she’s in her room?’
’It’s rude to snoop.’
Lin Qi didn’t dwell on it. After one last look, he went back into the villa and into his room.
Wash up, lights out, rest.
...
His work alarm, transmitted to his eardrums by the Intelligent Brain, went off. Time for the cyber worker to get ready.
The alarm was two minutes later than usual today. Lin Qi had accurately calculated that his new vehicle’s performance would get him to the company two minutes early.
After freshening up, Lin Qi headed out, piloting his U107 toward the H4 Skyscraper.
At 9:59 AM on March 27, 2089, Lin Qi’s U107 successfully arrived at the H4 Skyscraper.
Just then, opposite him, another flying vehicle was also slowly descending in sync.
Lin Qi froze for a second.
Normally, the flying vehicle that appeared in this spot at this time belonged to Liu Xuan.
But the vehicle across from him was clearly a brand-new Mische-U107-Ultra, the same model as his own.
The only difference was that this one was purple.
Lin Qi stepped out of his U107. Across from him, the door of the new purple U107 slowly opened as well.
Liu Xuan emerged.
"What a... coincidence."
Liu Xuan looked at Lin Qi, pausing abruptly as she spoke, her eyes fixed on him.
The Prosthetic Body in her left eye suddenly flared with a brilliant blue light.
It was an L-Class Suppressor, and for some reason, its power output had suddenly spiked.
Lin Qi glanced from Liu Xuan to her new vehicle, then replied, "It is. You, uh... got a new ride?"
Liu Xuan finally snapped out of it. The light in her left eye dimmed, and the Suppressor’s power level decreased.
Liu Xuan said, "My old flying vehicle was getting a little worn out, so I upgraded to a new model."
Even though Liu Xuan owed Liu’s Heavy Industries hundreds of millions, spending a few million Credit Points was no big deal for her.
Lin Qi nodded automatically, glancing at Liu Xuan’s vehicle, then back at his own.
They looked like the same model, but...
’Mine is a knockoff!’
’Parked next to the genuine article all day... won’t my vehicle’s built-in AI get embarrassed?’
’No, wait!’
’Let’s reframe this.’
’My vehicle is parked next to the genuine article every day—and it’s Liu Xuan’s, no less. Who would ever suspect mine is a knockoff?’
’Even if it’s a knockoff, spend enough time with the real deal, and it basically becomes the real deal.’