My cyberpsychosis is a task prompt

Chapter 218: Gino's Value (Thanks to Alliance Leader "Her Malgob")
“Call Bismarck.”

John snapped the dazed Sword Rope out of his reverie with a commanding tone.

“I know you have his contact information. Tell him that if there’s a problem with the android doll and the project key, and the SAT finds out, his secrets will be sent to rival companies, and Serum won’t let him off the hook!”

"...Yes. (Japanese)"

Sisal rope reacted a beat slower, but once it came to its senses, it quickly sent a message to Bismarck as well.

beep--

The cars queuing behind us honked their horns to urge us on.

John started the car and caught up with the queue of vehicles.

Gino sat in the passenger seat, sticking his middle finger out the window, which drew another round of honking from the drivers behind, but that was all.

Most of those stuck at the checkpoint in the morning have had a tough time.

Just getting around in the city is exhausting enough; nobody wants to get into new trouble because of road rage.

John kept his pace steady, not in a hurry.

If Bismarck doesn't reply before reaching the next fork in the road, he will either rush out of the passage and hide in the wasteland, or go directly to find the wanderers and enter the city through Nando's channels.

This is where connections come in.

fortunately.

Bismarck remained obedient.

A stretched Doug with the Plato logo drove up from the other side of the tunnel and stopped in the dedicated lane. Then, people in company uniforms got out of the car and negotiated with the SAT and ECPD.

At this point, John's supercar was stuck at the fork in the road.

He is waiting for the final result.

The vehicles behind couldn't help but honk their horns again.

John picked up a submachine gun and casually extended it, resting it against the driver's side window.

Sure enough, it became quiet behind me.

The sound of horns began to appear in the distance.

The group of corporate employees, dressed in suits and ties, wearing sunglasses and headphones, seemed to have gone through some kind of handover, instructing the ECPD to clear a path for John and his team.

[In-vehicle system authorization/confirmation]

Blacklight detected a data change.

This Silver Knight 577 is now a Plato vehicle and is transporting an unreleased commercial product into a checkpoint.

According to the Free Trade Act and the Eden City Independence Act, they have exemptions from inspection.

John did not finish reading the terms and authorization information.

He floored the accelerator, and the supercar drifted out of the traffic, speeding away along the already opened emergency lane.

hum-

The wind pressure inside the steel tunnel is extremely high.

Silver Knight 577 left two trails of light in its wake, speeding away amidst the flashing yellow lights overhead.

"Phew~ Luckily you have experience, otherwise we would have been doomed."

Gino felt like he had survived a disaster.

She frowned again, glancing at the sisal rope through the rearview mirror—the guy had fallen asleep while holding the omnic, and had started snoring not long after contacting Bismarck.

John believed Gino had noticed it too.

"Something's not right with him."

"Indeed... a bit. Everyone in the Wanderer's Alliance knows he's an idiot, but in his current state, he really seems a bit mentally unstable."

"I apologize for speaking out, but after this job is over, make sure he sees a proper doctor."

John offered advice.

Gino nodded without saying a word.

As the car drove onto the South District Elevated Highway, the surrounding scenery seemed to slow down.

She hesitated before speaking.

"John, what...what's your impression of Bismarck?"

"..."

John gripped the steering wheel and glanced to the side—Gino's brow was furrowed, a metal plaster adorned his cheek, his freshly cut hair was stubble-covered, and his prosthetic eye reflected the skyscrapers outside the window. "Are you thinking about joining the company?"

"Ah."

Gino didn't swear or try to hide anything; he was like a cat that usually bared its teeth and claws, now crouching in a corner, quietly licking itself.

“Angelica is gone. To be honest, I thought I was mentally prepared, but when I encountered something upsetting, I suddenly realized... I didn’t even have anyone to talk to.”

"……All right."

John didn't know how to comfort the girl.

He thought for a moment and then gave his opinion.

"If you're asking about joining the company, I must say, it's definitely a legitimate job, the kind that even Marceau couldn't find fault with. You know, I used to work at Tiebang Logistics..."

John talked about his past.

To be honest, the memories of running long-haul trucks only become clear when I try to recall them carefully. Looking back, they always feel like they happened in a past life.

Joining the company is like exchanging your soul for a survival voucher.

The material security and technological privileges it could provide were unimaginable to ordinary citizens of Eden. The phrase "transcending social classes" was no exaggeration in the face of Plato's invitation to his technical director.

“Companies are not like the streets. None of the guys sitting in those hovercars are reliable. They will betray you without hesitation as long as you have enough chips.”

"Damn, I knew that too!"

Gino was even more annoyed.

John, however, spoke with a smile.

"You've got it wrong, little girl. You just want to earn some money to pay for Macaoo's medical treatment. Besides, even if the boxing gym goes out of business after the Black Gold Gang's leadership is replaced, you'll still have a way to survive, right?"

"uh-huh."

Gino turned to look at him.

The mercenary had a slight smile on his face and spoke in a relaxed tone.

"Working for a company and working for a middleman are actually about the same level of danger. You don't need to join Plato. Just sell the technology to them, like that one you had last time... the EMP transmitter that could blast through a transport drone with one shot?"

John was very impressed with this thing.

According to the information from the artificial eye scan, the core of Gino's EPM transmitter is actually an electronic countermeasures unit leaked from the Plato warehouse.

Products of the company Bismarck worked for.

Gino's ability to modify this weapon indicates that she has grasped the core technical principles and has also unexpectedly discovered a vulnerability in the drones of Tiebang Logistics Transportation Company.

"You think this is just a minor invention?"

John saw confusion on Gino’s face.

"This technology is very valuable."

If you sell it to a well-known middleman.

Within two weeks, big news will break: a fringe walker squad will blast open a transport plane and steal important company assets.

If you sell it to a corporate dog, like Bismarck.

He can use it to threaten competitors, fix company vulnerabilities, and even obtain experimental data on his own products.

“Bismarck wasn’t exaggerating; curing Macao was truly a piece of cake. But you underestimated your own value. Turning EMP’s technology into a chip and giving it to him would be enough to cover his medical expenses. There’s no need to throw yourself into it by signing a contract and selling your soul.”

"...Hmm, is that so?"

"correct."

John, expanding on his thinking, continued to offer suggestions.

"But you can't put all your eggs in one basket. If Bismarck gets too close to you, it will be really dangerous. So find several partners, such as well-known middlemen, like Raphael from the East End, who has real businesses and can find connections."

There are several ways hackers get work from middlemen.

Those who enjoy high risk and high reward will join the Edge Walker team to participate in on-site combat.

There are also skilled jobs that don't require showing your face.

For example, critical equipment repair, data recovery, prosthetic body technology upgrades, advanced chip overclocking, etc.

The amount of money certainly won't be much.

Luxury cars and upscale apartments require time to accumulate.

With Gino's skills, making a few orders would be more than enough to support himself and Macao.

(End of this chapter)