My cyberpsychosis is a task prompt

Chapter 235: The Creditor
John angered Orlos.

That's normal.

This legendary middleman flew from Europe to Eden City to resolve the technical bottleneck of the armored Behemoth [reduced cybernetic enhancement], and incidentally to investigate some personal matters.

Orlos and John were able to get together in order to investigate information related to "Blacklight" and uncover the truth behind those "coincidences".

A little unexpected.

A bit of luck.

The relationship between the legendary middleman and the street mercenaries wasn't as strong as one might imagine.

How long has John been in this business?

The number of people he's killed is probably less than the number of weapons he's collected; compared to the professional experience of a legendary mercenary, he's far too inexperienced.

So John always had a question.

Why did Euryth choose me when she came to Eden?

She has no shortage of connections.

Top-level relationships have also been established.

If Orlos wants to do something big in Eden, she'd definitely be better suited to use a mercenary like [Saber]—efficient, ruthless, experienced, and most importantly, not swayed by emotions.

Having dealt with John for a long time, I'm certain that Oros lost money, and it's the kind of debt that's hard to pay off.

Having figured this out, John had nothing to worry about.

"I'm going to die."

His tone was calm, and his expression was natural.

Oros answered instantly while lying on the operating chair.

"so?"

"So I've come to return Idgrash's combat data, as we agreed."

"Well, you're quite trustworthy."

Oros reached out and made a motion in the air.

The two robotic arms retracted, and a long metal wire was pulled out of her eye sockets. After a short, clear ticking sound, the data on the wall went out.

“You’ve gotten smarter, John. I’m the middleman, so of course I’ll be interested in the business.”

She walked barefoot on the floor, picked up the glass of red wine and took a sip. As she passed John, she gave him a familiar teasing look and gently patted his chest.

"That's a reason that's hard to refuse."

The smile didn't linger on Orlos's face for even a second before she turned away, her expression blank.

[Mission target update]

Follow Orlos. (Not achieved)

The elevator goes directly to the medical center downstairs.

John followed Orlos into the room and saw a huge ice pool.

The armored Behemoth was lying inside.

He seemed unable to move normally most of the time; at least in the few times John saw him, he couldn't communicate normally and always had medical aids with him.

It's the same now.

Behemoth's entire head was covered by a metal shell.

His body was covered with countless tubes.

The pool he was soaking in was bubbling and the main body of the pool was covered with wires of all sizes, like a spider web covering the entire room.

John stepped over the obstacle and looked around.

Various prosthetics are hanging on the walls, ranging from alloy skeletons to ankle joints, and even artificial organs soaked in dialysis fluid.

"Don't make a fuss, you were lying here when you had your surgery."

Orlos interrupted him, pulled out a data cable, and gestured for John to turn around and sit down.

[Data transmission detected/Agreement reached]

There are usually several ways to recover prosthetic data.

One method is real-time networking, which uses online transmission and real-time monitoring to capture every change during the actual combat process of the prosthetic body.

Another option is physical recycling.

To put it simply, it's about waiting for someone to die, then taking the items back while collecting the body, and making adjustments based on the remaining information inside.

The black light blocked the prosthetic body's internet connectivity.

If Orlos wants to access data, she can only do so through a direct connection, and she needs John's authorization before Blacklight will grant her access to the prosthetic body.

John sat on the floor, letting the other man lift his clothes and search for a point of entry on his spine.

Data transmission has begun.

The black light repeatedly displayed warnings that it could infiltrate the underground medical system.

John refused all of them, but instead granted her full access, allowing the combat data recorded in the prosthetic body to be returned to Orlos without reservation. This was something he owed her.

Suddenly, a glass of red wine was handed to John.

He turned his head and saw Oros sitting on the table next to him, speaking in a flat tone after he refused to drink again.

"Besides the data, is there anything else you want to tell me?"

"Regarding a roving AI called Serum..."

John rested his hands on his knees, leaned back against the table, and recounted his experiences and retribution during the data transmission.

This includes the trading of serum, the relationship between the source equation and the vacuum tube.

"You think roaming AI can save you? How? They're just a string of abnormal code; can they conjure up a body for you out of thin air?"

"...To be honest, I don't know either."

John did not hide his concerns.

Euryth smiled.

"So you've resigned yourself to your fate: if you can save someone, they'll live; if you can't, they'll die?"

"I have accepted this ending."

“You’re lying, John.”

Oros suddenly let go, and the glass filled with red liquid tipped over John's head.

Hey.

John gripped the glass instantly, his reflexes were so fast that the nearly empty drink only swirled around the rim of the glass before falling back down.

Not a single drop was spilled.

Orlos touched John's face with her hand.

"You don't want to sit and wait to die, and you have a really bad idea, so bad that you think you're going to die, that's why you're so eager to say goodbye to your friends and take care of your affairs. You didn't even tell your little lover who you sent out of the city."

Her short hair fell down, blocking the light source, leaving only her prosthetic eye shining.

The intricate structures deep within the iris are scaling.

John stared into those eyes and did not deny it.

"...Are you my friend?"

“Middlemen have no friends, John. The first lesson we learn when we enter this business is to betray and exploit others. So I’m certain that you’ll die in a hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress scenario sooner or later. Those childish emotional games will ruin the people you care about.”

Orlos stood up and walked towards a wall.

She waved her hand, and a row of individually sealed clothes popped out of the hidden cabinet door. Then, without any hesitation, she began to take off her loungewear.

"I am the kind of absolutely rational businessman. Negotiation and the exchange of interests are my areas of expertise. If you have the illusion that I am very friendly and can have in-depth conversations, it is just my social habits at play."

A pair of trousers covered her hips.

John noticed Orlos's lower back.

Those exaggerated heat dissipation slits present symmetrical lines, running down along the muscle texture and converging on the metal structure of the lumbar spine.

This level of transformation would require countless iterations.

Cybernetics is cold.

Orlos can withstand it because she has a mechanical heart.

“If you came to me with a sliver of hope, I’m sorry to disappoint you, John. This time I won’t save you, nor can I. Physical collapse is a bottleneck in the field of biotechnology, and I’m just a middleman. I only lend money and collect profits.”

"Alright, nice to meet you, I'm off now."

John put the wine glass back on the table, only to find Olos standing with him in front of the elevator.

"how?"

"It's obvious, it's about debt collection. The data on the alloy skeleton is part of the contract, but what about the rest? Aren't you going to pay the interest for saving your life and helping you investigate the accident?"

"Fuck, you want me to pay?"

“I can’t afford to pay you back, John. According to our debt relationship, you have to give me whatever I want, because you’re the kind of fool who keeps his promises.”

Orlos's tone was sarcastic.

How many days are left until the Martyr GTX?

"Six...or maybe five?"

"Alright, let's go then. You're mine today. Remember, this is to pay off a debt."

Where are we?

The elevator doors opened on the first floor.

Euryth turned up her hood and asked, hands in her pockets.

"Did you drive here?"

(End of this chapter)