My cyberpsychosis is a task prompt

Chapter 222: What Happens After Death
A brief flash of fire ended the life of the sisal rope.

The skyscrapers of Eden City roared and clattered, consuming the living people who inhabited them.

Countless freaking things happen every day.

Sisal rope is neither special nor particularly impressive.

His story, even if broadcast on an illegal radio station, would only garner some ridicule and abuse, and it would only be turned into a joke because of the company's special products.

What haven't mercenaries seen?

John was actually more concerned about Gino's condition than the sword and rope—she was a good person who cared about her friends.

Gino took out an e-cigarette from his waist bag and silently inhaled.

Her gaze tried to drift into the distance, but was blocked by the heavy buildings. She could only stare at the twisting holographic projections and take deep breaths, emptying her mind in the hazy smoke.

The buildings in Sakura Cross Street are denser than the solder joints on electronic components.

Those low-rent apartments and kabuki theaters took root in the cracks of the buildings like proliferating cells.

When night falls.

Holographic projections and neon lights flowed down, engulfing everyone's souls.

Gino stood in the corridor, smoking less and less frequently, as if he were in the shoes of the sword rope, wondering how to maintain his sanity amidst this dazzling spectacle.

Aside from those illusory things like plush catgirls, what else can provide a source of emotional support?
E-cigarettes can wait.

John's yellow tobacco had curled up to the very end.

He tossed away his cigarette butt, gave Gino Tenn some space, and went back to his room alone to clean up the mess.

There were no body bags at the scene.

John could only find some waterproof material to make do, first putting the sisal rope together, then quickly searching the suicide scene, and finally cleaning up the large pieces of debris and overturned furniture...

He then turned his attention to the catgirl android.

John stepped forward, used the folding knife on the bar as a tool, and pried a chip out of the wreckage.

It has slight burn marks, and the dark purple parts have lost their luster.

[Collected item: RTH chip - 770125 (damaged)]

[Description: A product of the Source Equation Custom Soul Project, it suffers from serious product defects, has extremely high production costs, and has not yet entered mass production. All related experimental personnel and test subjects have been registered as deceased.]

John hasn't acquired any collectibles in a long time.

These kinds of items are relics, recording stories that are either poignant or regrettable.

[Quest: Business Monster (Completed)]

[Rewards: Project key [Bismarck], reward [partial bribe from Bismarck], RTH chip - 770125 (damaged)]

A prompt message appears.

This deal is theoretically closed.

However, completing the task does not mean that things are completely settled.

The troubles that death brings are left to the living.

John washed the blood from between his fingers, returned to the corridor, and told Gino about the chip.

Sisal rope had contacted Bismarck.

The source equation will likely learn of his death soon.

The catgirl chip is an undisclosed technology, and the project team will send field personnel to retrieve the products that have been lost.

John holding the things in his hands meant taking all the responsibility and consequences upon himself.

What am I afraid of?

Just don't drag Gino down with you.

So, only one question remains—what to do with the body of the sisal rope?
John tilted his head to indicate the "body bag" next to the sofa.

He has killed many people.

There are so many that it's impossible to count them all.

But he never considered how to properly dispose of a corpse.

Gino understood his hint and began to think about the problem.

If left unattended, the sisal rope's body will decompose naturally in the rented room.

The unpleasant smell will spread.

Sewage will seep into the building below.

Mosquitoes and flying insects may also disturb other guests.

Ultimately, the rental company that receives the complaint will dispose of the body along with the garbage.

Surely someone close to him should come and collect the body from the sisal rope?

But he did terribly.

A socially awkward hacker who doesn't even know any of the Outerwearmen, he supports himself entirely by working alone. No one has ever seen him, and if Gino hadn't been a fellow member of the Wanderers' Alliance, he would never have been able to touch him.

From this perspective, Sisal Rope is a successful hacker.

But the more legendary a hacker is, the more lonely their death is; many renowned and formidable figures have disappeared from the world without a trace.

Most people don't know they are dead.

So there's an old joke circulating in bars.

Perhaps one day, in some junkyard, we'll find the corpse of a god of the internet.

The social tree of sisal rope has also withered to the extreme.

The family branches are almost nonexistent.

Beloved family and friends are nowhere to be found.

If we have to talk about close relationships, then only some members of the Wanderer's Alliance remain, according to Gino.

The members of the Wanderers Alliance are social islands, and many hackers are unwilling to contact other members, only communicating with the Bloodline Line.

"That's okay."

John spread his hands.

"Send a message to the serum specialist and ask her to handle it."

"..."

Gino didn't say anything.

Serum is a roving AI.

This matter was like a leaky secondary heart, constantly sending unease through Gino's heart.

She didn't say it aloud.

But even John could see that Gino was becoming increasingly wary of the serum and the Wanderers Alliance.

An extraordinary fear.

John's cigarette ash fell into the damp, dark alley.

"You're overreacting a bit."

"The roaming AI is a mass of talking data. It can think like a human. You can't even tell it apart through cyberspace, but it has nothing to do with humans at all."

Gino gently bit the e-cigarette mouthpiece with his teeth.

"I have personally witnessed them blow up substations, cram information channels with traps, and burn the brains of hundreds and thousands of hackers, all to achieve some very stupid goals."

John nodded without arguing.

He had actually experienced the riots of wandering AIs.

The recent intercity train derailment incident involved a high-speed steel train crashing down from an overpass, paralyzing three city blocks.

The number of destroyed buildings and the direct and indirect casualties is incalculable.

The incident stemmed from a rogue AI "retaliating" against a former internet surveillance agent.

Their "emotions" are insane, and their values ​​are distorted.

John was on that train at the time, lying in a pool of blood, repeatedly losing consciousness, his heart stopping several times, struggling to breathe on the verge of losing consciousness...

Gudong.

John would frown whenever he recalled it.

It's impossible to say how many people died in that accident.

It took more than a month for the intercity rail to resume operation.

But John was not deterred by the roaming AI.

He knew they were dangerous.

But... I'm not afraid.

John himself couldn't explain why.

He chose to remain silent.

Gino didn't elaborate on the topic, but continued to stare at the building across the street—the e-cigarette twirled rhythmically between her fingertips, then gently tapped against the railing.

John knew she had something on her mind.

Regarding serum.

Regarding the death of the sisal rope.

John didn't press the matter further.

If Gino were to reveal some of her troubles, such as talking about a friend's death or a mental health issue, John would be at a loss for how to respond.

most of the time.

Women always focus on the problem itself.

The man, on the other hand, was thinking about solutions.

In comparison, preparing a corpse is much simpler.

John simply said it outright.

"You want to clean up the body yourself?"

"Ah."

Gino nodded, then added.

“You have limited time. It may sound terrible to say this, but I’m telling you, John, if there’s something you need to do, just go. Even if it’s picking up girls, having a good drink, or going to Steel Hot Forest for another night of fun, don’t leave any regrets and don’t waste your time here.”

Side Quest: What Happens Afterward

[Reward: Black Box Plugin [Pending]]

John glanced at the mission prompt, but then ignored it.

"really?"

He flicked the cigarette butt far away.

"This is the Cherry Blossom Crossroads. I can't guarantee I can pull you out of the ice water pool again."

"You don't need to get involved."

"You don't need to come with me to blow up the airship."

John exhaled the lingering smoke from his mouth.

"Friends are meant to be a nuisance."

(End of this chapter)