My cyberpsychosis is a task prompt

Chapter 234: The Middleman
[Eden City - 013 Dani Street]

John slowly opened his eyes.

A white light slowly coalesced into a ceiling without sharp edges.

"...Fuck, what kind of nonsense is this?"

John sat up straight on the edge of the bed, stretching his muscles, his prosthetic eye scanning the familiar industrial-style furniture around him.

The familiar apartment pulled him back from the lingering afterglow of his chaotic dream.

"This is unbelievable."

John muttered as he got up, and as he walked down the steel staircase, the image of the red data from his dream kept flashing through his mind.

This doesn't seem like a simple dream.

slam-la-

Water jets splashed in the metal basin.

John leaned against the mirror, his mind racing with thoughts.

I had a hallucination of "predicting the future" in the funeral home, and now I'm dreaming about things that have already happened from another perspective.

As my body broke down, some programs malfunctioned.

John didn't know who to consult about his "symptoms," and he knew that if he spoke out, people would think he had a late-stage cyberbullying disorder and would eventually lose control and die suddenly while experiencing hysteria and hallucinations.

What if it really is cyber spirit?
John pulled up the plugin that the foil had given him and tested himself, finding that his mental illness indicators were well within the safe range.

"Ah."

He shook his head with a wry smile and buried his face in the pool.

The water rinsed across my cheeks, washing away the oil and stuffiness from my skin.

[Kuang Xin (Brilliant Unicorn) [Unread Messages]]

Sleep mode lifted.

Various pieces of information awaiting processing appeared in view.

John casually flicked his wrist, projecting the letter onto the glass, and while listening to the message, he hopped around to check his physical condition.

The drugs used in Fall Guys are truly amazing.

John slept soundly, and putting aside the strange dream, he did indeed recover well both physically and mentally.

The sluggishness and lack of focus disappeared.

slam-la-

A jet of water poured down.

The glass surface instantly fogged up, vaguely revealing John's well-proportioned muscles and the conspicuous black pattern on his chest—decorative artificial leather left from the Yggdrasil surgery, used to cover the ventilation seams and hypertrophic scars.

Kuang Xin's image flashed on the mirror.

The audio stored in the voicemail is transmitted synchronously.

[Kuang Xin: Wake up, bro! A good girl can't wait. I've checked Oulos's schedule for you. She'll be at the City Center Skyview Apartment before noon. Show some respect, speak gently, and remember, we're here to reconcile~]

In the video, Kuang Xin makes a fist-clenching, waist-shouldering motion.

[Also, friendship is friendship, business is business. Orlos isn't some easy girl to seduce. As the middleman, whether it works out or not, you owe me a big one!]

The holographic image disappeared with a whoosh.

Side Quest: The Middleman

[Reward: None]

Tick.

The shower head is off.

John wiped himself down while looking at the mission information that popped up in his field of vision.

This is the second time I've encountered a "task" without any reward.

Both times it was related to Orlos.

Eden City - City Center Plaza

John rested one hand on the driver's side window.

Neon signs cast a purplish-red hue in the haze, while floating cars crisscross overhead. The headquarters of ECPD and SAT are located in the very center of the city.

The frequency of patrols here is much higher than in other areas.

Some say it's to match the high land prices, while others say it's to protect the numerous corporate buildings clustered here.

The radical media figure also claimed that the municipality was keeping an eye on this foreign capital.

Rumbling--

Intercity rail trains traverse the high altitudes.

The subway was vibrating beneath my feet, the sound penetrating the heavy road and making the vending machines on the roadside buzz.

The green light comes on.

The projected patterns on the road change.

John sped up, verified his visitor identity, and drove into the parking lot at the bottom of the building.

[Floor: 22↑]

It wasn't until he was inside the elevator car that John remembered he had been here before. The property was registered in Orlos's name.

There is also a medical facility on the ground floor, which is ostensibly an urban branch of the emergency response team, but is actually a private clinic equipped with a complete set of prosthetic body installation equipment.

John's Igdrash was installed here.

[Floor: 32-]

What should I say when I see Orlos?
Before John could figure it out, the elevator doors suddenly opened.

Ding--

Standing at the door to greet John was a burly man with an upright posture.

But it wasn't the [Armored Behemoth] who often appeared beside Orlos, but another familiar face.

[Name: Hawthorne McCarthy (Saber)]

[Faction: Mercenaries [High-End Industry]]

"Hello, John, it's nice to see you again."

He stands with his hands behind his back, holding a military sword.

The aura of a veteran is immediately apparent.

Hawthorne McCarthy, a mercenary from the Dawn Industries, returned to Eden City out of respect for Mr. Vito, to protect Angelica during her hospitalization after her exposure.

John had seen him at the hospital and had a silenced pistol taken from him, supposedly for "collection".

The military knife's smile remained unchanged, overlapping with memories.

His short, thick hair was carefully styled, and his tie and suit were high-end, made of exquisite fabrics with a subdued color scheme, and they wouldn't hinder vigorous activity.

"Fuck, what are you doing here?"

John instinctively remained vigilant.

Saber's expression and tone remained unchanged.

"Isn't it normal for mercenaries to come and meet with the middleman?"

"Are you still looking for work? What, is Jingke Heavy Industries not paying you? Or are you looking to take on freelance work..."

"That's a different matter."

Sabre did not accept the provocation.

He calmly stepped into the elevator, smiling and nodding as a farewell.

The elevator car is closed.

John refocused his attention and walked down the soundproof carpeted hallway to the room.

The familiar panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows reflect the sky above Eden City.

The floors were all opened up and turned into a large dormitory, but only a few simple pieces of furniture were placed there.

Olos was lying down by the window.

To be precise, it was on a surgical chair.

Several robotic arms were working on her face, and a series of complex data were floating on the wall.

"Pour yourself a glass."

Orlos's voice rang out.

She was dressed in casual clothes, not under anesthesia, and there was even a glass of red wine on a high table within easy reach.

John approached as he heard the sound and got a clearer view.

The robotic arm opened up Orlos's eye socket, the barrel-shaped structure fitting the prosthetic eye perfectly, and several thin data cables connected to her slot and terminal respectively.

He didn't actually pour himself a glass of red wine.

The room was very quiet.

It was so quiet that you could hear the twisting sound deep in the sockets of Orlos's eyes.

Calibration and upgrades are extremely complex tasks, but performing them inside a living person's head is a bit creepy.

Orlos's voice interrupted John's observation.

"What are you thinking?"

“I went to Source Equation, and the equipment in your room is a bit like what they have there.”

"Wow, compared to the mercenaries in Eden City, you're quite experienced. Ordinary people don't even know the exact location there."

Oros placed her hands on her abdomen, calmly performing a routine care routine.

She raised her hand in an inviting gesture to John.

Why did you come to see me?

Before he could answer, Orlos interrupted him by raising a finger.

“My prosthetic eye is being adjusted, so you can lie for the next five minutes, John. Let me rephrase that: give me one reason why you won’t be kicked out.”

Orlos's tone was sarcastic.

Her raised index finger turned into her middle finger.

(End of this chapter)