Planet of Sand and Oasis of Iron

Chapter 19 19. This leather suit will be your new prison cell...

If it weren't for the loss of voice in her throat, Lin Shenxue should be able to make the sound of the past on the stage now... No, that's the past tense.

She covered her mouth and staggered back two steps, her heart almost jumping out of her chest - but she managed to hold it back and tried to make herself look more curious.

It’s not that she’s afraid of the fact that Cypher is a robot, it’s just… well, that’s the environment she lives in.

For humans, any machine that can move on its own cannot be said to be an out-of-control servitor, but at least it should be said to be a rectification agreement.

So what exactly is Cypher... It's hard to say. At least Lin Shenxue can still communicate with him now, so it's hard to say whether he is an enemy who can go crazy at any time.

After she looked less shocked, Cypher put on his helmet. "Okay, that's enough. I'm going to go get some things and fix your tablet while I'm at it."

"Before that, you can go to the warehouse and see if there's any paper or pens in stock. This car is relatively small, so you won't get lost, right?"

Lin Shenxue nodded.

So Sefer went to the node city without any worries and went to the boss of the trading area to get the goods... After all, there was no other economic benefit from this vision, and the independent mercenary identity license was still in the hands of someone else.

On the way, he slowly told Laika about the huge train he had experienced in the vision, and the monster that was silent like a river surging on the snow.

There was also a giant machine that could shake the human body like an egg, causing the yolk to scatter. Laika interrupted him several times and asked him how he could withstand that kind of force?
Because it's a machine body... Cypher thought for a moment and answered seriously, "Because I might be stronger."

"Hmph...never mind. But I do remember the content of the vision you mentioned. Even the thing you were driving wasn't something unique to visions."

"Independent mercenaries form their own teams and take on jobs from various companies in the desert. But each independent mercenary's price is different."

Leica sent a price list. In addition to the basic commission price, there was an additional value added at the end of each price list to attract famous mercenaries.

"When moving a base, one must consider possible encounters. However, a large vehicle would be too slow to maneuver and vulnerable to enemy fire. Even so, some mercenaries still choose giant vehicles. Do you know why, Red Crossbow?"

"do not know."

The overly straightforward answer caused Leica to remain silent for a while before continuing to explain that the technology in this vision has been applied to a certain extent in the company's mines, production facilities, R&D institutions and other areas.

Some independent mercenaries can obtain a driver's license after certification on the [Independent Mercenary Support System] platform, purchase and drive self-developed units, and complete tasks more efficiently.

Aggression and counter-aggression, disputes between armor and artillery...

Cypher felt like he was home, but he just nodded slightly. "I see. So where should I go to get this license?"

"What are you talking about, Red Arrow? Your mercenary license includes a driver's license, otherwise why is there such a high penalty?"

As if teaching someone without common sense, Leica said in a condescending tone, "Anyway, first find a way to earn enough money to reopen the independent mercenary license, and then consider these things."

"If the mission you receive is to defend a facility, or if the intelligence is vague about an unknown hostile unit, I suggest you refuse it outright. With only a single soldier and light equipment, you'll quickly perish in a conflict."

Seifer thanked her sincerely for her advice, which made Leica a little unsure of how to respond. After all, she had only met a few independent mercenaries, and being able to keep a conversation going was a talent.

"Anyway... the company will provide you with weapons and equipment, whether it's refined individual weapons, weapons for large-scale equipment, or even customized mobile bases... Make good money. Edge Node City should have plenty of business."

It should be said that there were a lot, because in just a short while, Seifer saw a lot of tasks related to reconstruction and exploration pop up in the independent mercenary system.

There are even several commissions that require a fleet of freight vehicles to go to another city to transport supplies to build a new fixed site for the vision, and the price is quite high.

The business district was still bustling, and the cubicle owners were in high spirits. After the collapse, their business saw a boost, and everyone wanted to explore the new anomaly—including the restaurant owners.

When mercenaries go out, they can't help but bring food and drink. After processing the worms they just acquired, won't the high-quality protein have a place to be used?

Walking through the bustling crowd, as perhaps the only weirdo in the city who was wearing protective clothing, Cipher was immediately recognized by the boss who had previously commissioned him - he waved and asked Cipher to come into the house.

He took out the box without hesitation, and after opening it, Seifer saw inside was a lifelike head sculpture made of soft material.

The facial features are quite delicately made, and the fair and indifferent face is also very beautiful, but no matter how you look at this head sculpt... it doesn't look like what you want, right?

"Boss, you..."

"The kind of stuff you want is rarely used. It's only bought by customers who need to record videos without showing their faces, or those who need personal items."

The boss explained this, then took out a box and opened it, which was full of artificial hair. "What kind of hair do you like? I should be aware that these things are not heat-resistant, so don't store them in an overheated environment."

...If I remember correctly, Cypher described a face that wasn't exactly square, but at least had the righteousness of a researcher, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and regular features. How could you give such an answer? "The machine that makes this thing isn't here. I spent a lot of time choosing, and this is the only one I can sell. Don't be picky. These days, it's good enough to get something you like."

The boss looks confident, maybe he is the only one selling this thing here.

Seifer was equally confident. He crossed his arms and began to negotiate with his boss over a price difference of a few dozen yuan. The result? Needless to say.

As a result of his frequent battles with the finance department, Cypher was able to buy the head sculpture... and other accessories at a 10% markup.

Judging from the boss's painful expression, he may have only earned a little hard work fee and wasted so much time and effort.

"Happy transaction. Also, I'd like to ask... can you repair electronics?"

This was probably his specialty. The middle-aged boss put the heavy box on the ground and took the tablet with a cracked screen handed to him by Seifer.

"Your board... the screen is broken. It's not a problem to repair, but it will take some time."

The boss wanted to put it away and deal with it later as usual, but he saw Seifer standing there quietly.

"you……"

"I hope you can fix it as soon as possible. I need it urgently. It would be best if you can fix it now, right here, immediately and immediately. Thank you."

The boss was about to explain that he had other work on his hands, but he saw that Seifer had already sat down and was looking at him through his helmet. Considering that mercenaries' brains were not working well after fighting too much, he decided to give up explaining.

"If you fix it now, I can give you an extra 5% for the repairs and 5% for the late-night drinks."

The shop owner did not hesitate and immediately pulled out the workbench and set it up. He took out the tools with swift movements and asked Seifer to wait in the lounge for a while.

Many times, many problems are simply due to lack of money. Once the money is in place, the problem is no longer a problem.

Taking advantage of this period of free time, Seifer locked the door of the lounge and took out the set of things the manager gave him... and then he was shocked that people in this world had such a way of having fun in such a harsh environment.

It was a complete set of soft, skin-like 'leather jacket' made of silicone. If he had a sense of touch, Seifer should have been able to feel its smooth and soft texture.

In a sense, when wearing it, Cypher can become a suit man.

But this leather case...it doesn't look like the one I ordered?

After spending some time getting dressed, Cypher moved his fingers, which now looked slender and long, not like they could hold weapons but rather play musical instruments, and he felt that the technology in this world was truly strange.

Raising his hands to gather the two soft lumps in front of him that were too soft to be grasped with one hand, Cypher put on the head sculpture and protective clothing, and then he started to pick and choose among the pile of wigs.

It is impossible to say that he didn't feel a little emotional. In his previous life, Sefer could only use a computer on the external network to watch the foreign scenes, which was not as intuitive as the first-person perspective he has now.

But the problem remains. Although the mind is very active, the machine's body does not need to breathe or react. After the initial curiosity and a little shame have passed, take another look...

It’s pretty good, after all, humans are visual animals.

Especially with the cold expression on her face and the short silver hair that she had just found from the pile of wigs, and combed it a little, she looked like a cool elite special forces soldier (female) wearing protective clothing.

In the next few frames of the comics, she will show off her beautiful and graceful body in front of the camera, and then be caught and tortured by the enemy.

In daily negotiations, a more graceful posture can often add a lot of points to the negotiation... After slightly adjusting the parameters of the sound device, Seifer fiddled with it for a long time and finally contacted Leica.

When he told her that he wanted to change his voice, he thought Leica would say something, but he never expected that Leica would quickly prepare several different voices for Sefer.

He even recommended two digital voice-changing plug-ins from companies affiliated with the Business Union... How come you are so familiar with them?

As soon as Seifer came out, the boss waved the tablet in his hand like he was presenting a treasure. "It's fixed. This thing is more delicate than I thought. Fortunately, only the screen is broken."

Unlike the chat he had with Cypher just now, after seeing this calm face, the boss seemed a little embarrassed even though he had sold the head sculpt himself.

In the end, he even reduced the charge for drinks by 5%, allowing Sefer to buy some food from the food stall cubicle on his way back and bring it back for Lin Shenxue to try.

- It's also important to try a little of everything and observe her reaction to determine how it tastes.

(End of this chapter)