Chapter 12: Before Sunrise (3)

‘That’s about it…’

Snap.

Qiao Anni turned off the TV in the corner.

Through the TV programs, she was slowly learning about this world, but still didn’t feel real.

Corporations, oligarchs, cyberbodies—all these concepts still sounded so surreal.

‘I don’t get it…’

This strange world, and her own body too.

She raised her arm; it looked pale and slender.

Although she had seen it and was told that underneath was not flesh and blood but cold metal, she still lacked a sense of reality.

She gently pinched a piece of skin; it felt exactly like real skin.

When she tugged hard, there was a slight sting.

Qiao Anni vaguely remembered that in that garbage dump, she had been hit directly on the head with a hammer.

Logically, being struck in a vital point with that kind of force could have killed her instantly, but at that time she was almost unharmed, and her body felt no pain.

‘Was it due to that strange state?’

She thought.

A crackling sound came from the lights.

She looked outside, and the few old streetlights had started to turn on one by one.

It was already evening.

‘He really hasn’t come back…’

She threw the empty cup of instant noodles into the trash and lay down on the sofa in a daze.

He told her to stay put, but just sitting here was boring.

She couldn’t just count the stains on the ceiling, could she?

Staring blankly at the ceiling, she thought.

After a while, unable to bear the monotony, Qiao Anni got up from the sofa and began exploring the office.

‘He only said to stay in the office, not that I couldn’t look around…’

She thought with a bit of hope.

Of course, out of basic respect for Bres’s privacy, she wouldn’t rummage through his things.

At least that was the plan.

‘How could it be here?’

Qiao Anni looked at the handgun on the table in confusion.

She clearly remembered that when Bres left, he had taken—

‘Ah.’

She picked up the raincoat from the sofa and reached into the pocket.

It was empty.

‘This is bad…’

That idiot Bres had taken the wrong gun, and it happened to be a faulty one.

Qiao Anni put the gun away and put the raincoat back on.

She quickly recalled the conversation she had overheard in the bathroom.

‘I think it was the Third District?’

But where exactly?

‘I’ll go check it out first… hope nothing goes wrong…’

Grabbing a map from the table, she muttered and rushed out of the office.

It was near midnight.

After waiting in the shadows for hours, Bres quietly climbed into the factory.

‘Just as I thought…’

Bres murmured.

Inside, several large machines were set up, and small plastic bags of blue powder lay quietly in crates.

MCS-2 was originally a military-developed psychotropic drug, intended to enhance soldiers’ neural reaction speed and thinking ability.

However, within a few years, scandals emerged about long-term use severely damaging the brain, sparking strong public condemnation. Soon, under pressure, the military abandoned the drug.

Logically, it should have been destroyed, but obviously no one followed orders, and MCS naturally entered the market.

Before long, addicts looking for a new thrill discovered that a single, large dose of this drug that enhanced neural speed and thinking could produce intense euphoria.

Soon it gained a new name: “Ecstasy.”

Its original name and purpose were gradually forgotten.

Though now used for pleasure, its combat-enhancing effects were real.

Bres recalled the guards he had encountered along the way; most of them were clearly equipped with combat cyberbodies.

With combat cyberbodies and military drugs, the reason for the Giant Gang’s continuous victories in turf wars was obvious.

Bres looked at a nearby guard. The man’s breathing was heavy, and his limbs twitched occasionally, meaning his brain had been severely damaged by MCS-2—now called Ecstasy.

In a few months, he would likely become a drooling wreck lying on a street corner.

But that was no longer Bres’s concern.

For now, he needed to focus on the commission.

Though, in a few days, some anonymous letters might appear at the Nevernight City Police Department.

Bres tiptoed silently deeper into the factory.

At the same time, in the Third District.

Barely containing the laughter behind him, a drunken thug staggered out of the casino.

‘What a bad day…’

After confirming the casino door was closed and no one inside could hear him, he cursed loudly.

Maybe he had bad luck, but today he lost almost every bet, even the reward Pei Lun had given him yesterday.

He had planned to go to a dance hall in the Fourth District to find a girl and have fun, but that plan was ruined.

‘Why can’t I control my hands…’

He pounded his palm in frustration, as if all the bad luck was its fault.

Just as he was thinking about how to win back his losses, a timid voice called out to him.

“Um… could I bother you for a moment?”

“Who’s there…”

The thug turned around irritably, but the curse stuck in his throat.

A beautiful young girl was looking at him timidly.

She had long black hair, eyes like a rabbit’s, a voice like a silver bell, and a hint of charm in her gaze (or so he imagined).

But her clothes were a turn-off.

‘Why is she wrapped up tight in a raincoat? I can’t see any of her curves at all.’

He commented internally.

Then he noticed something unique.

On her fair, smooth neck was a black choker.

It clicked.

‘So this is some kind of roleplay?’

He hadn’t taken “Ecstasy” today to keep a clear head at the card table, but now his brain was racing to imagine what was under the raincoat.

“Um… sir? Are you listening?”

Her voice brought him back to reality.

“Ah, ahem! What is it, little beauty?”

He wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth (he thought discreetly).

“Excuse me, do you know about the Giant Gang? I need to ask about something.”

What a coincidence.

“What luck! You came to the right person! I’m in the Giant Gang!”

The girl gave a sweet smile.

“Really? Can you help me?”

“Of course… but I have a condition—”

The thug stared at her, his intention obvious.

“How about a drink first? What do you say?”

He didn’t notice the disgust flash in the girl’s eyes.

The girl’s eyes flickered.

“Hmm… that’s not impossible. I know a good bar. I’ll lead the way?”

“Okay…”

The thug was already enchanted and followed her into a nearby alley.

“AAAAHHHH!!!”

“I was wrong! I was wrong!!!”

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk! Spare me…”

“AAAAHHHH!!!”

The girl walked out of the alley with a relaxed expression.

Behind her was a man beaten black and blue, folded like a piece of paper and stuffed into a roadside trash can.

“That was easier than I expected.”

She casually wiped the blood off her face.

“Alright, where are you, Mr. Bres?”