Great, we're doomed now!

“Let’s examine it more...more carefully…”

The left and right sides of the abdomen.

"This pattern is clearly a trace of cybernetic modification."

"As a hacker, you need to install stealth devices on your spine, and the skin there is usually modified."

Lucy's lips moved slightly as she looked directly into Ye Shou's eyes, her hand being guided downwards.

"..."

"..."

"doctor?"

"……Um?"

"Can you tell the difference?"

Lucy's breathing grew heavier: "Is this artificial skin?"

"I need to look into this carefully... um?"

Ye Shou's movements were originally gentle and slow, but Lucy suddenly got up and tackled him, causing him to lean back on the sofa.

The girl forcefully grabbed his hands and sat on his lap with a single step.

In this position, Lucy's waist and hips were slightly raised, and her gaze was slightly higher than Ye Shou's. When the two looked at each other, he felt as if he was being looked down upon.

"Ugh?"

Suddenly, Ye Shou was stunned as the situation turned around and he found himself in control.

Lucy stared at him expressionlessly, then suddenly let go of his hand, unzipped her jacket, and took off her already disheveled clothes, leaving her in only a form-fitting bodysuit.

"Doctor... are you ready?"

"W-What preparations?"

"I want to be here..."

Lucy's delicate lips brushed against Ye Shou's ear, her cool silver hair brushing against his face.

The murmuring sound flowed into the brain like liquid—

"It will leave you with a mark that you can never erase for the rest of your life."

……

When Lucy couldn't hold back any longer and actually opened her mouth to bite her own shoulder, Ye Shou finally understood the meaning of her previous words.

—But she was clearly speaking too soon.

Since it's only just begun, if this counts, she's leaving far too many marks on Ye Shou this night...

Chapter 83 What's the most valuable thing in the cyber age? Talent!

Nothing happened that night. The next day, Ye Shou got up early, washed up, greeted Lucy who was still in bed, and went alone to the upper floor of Garden Plaza in the city center—he had arranged to meet Mann there.

Not to mention Ye Shouyi's smug and confident demeanor, his entire demeanor had become carefree and relaxed. Mann, on the other hand, gave off the impression of someone who had been up all night and suffering from insomnia; he looked listless and even a little flustered and uneasy.

This is rare for a seasoned mercenary who has been in Night City for many years. After all, in order to survive in this cruel world, they should have been able to toughen up their nerves to the point that they are used to anything that happens.

"What's wrong, didn't sleep well?" Ye Shou handed him a can of beer, and for the first time ever, he opened one for himself.

"You look exhausted, Boss Mann~"

"It's all thanks to your Mewtwo... Sasha mentioned it to me before, and I thought it was just something with added ingredients, but I never expected it to be something like this..."

Mann covered his head, leaned forward against the railing, and gazed at the entire city from the edge of the rooftop.

"I understand why she keeps thinking about it."

It sounds like they're talking about contraband—Ye Shou curled his lip.

Of course, Mann's insomnia wasn't solely due to the content of "Mewtwo," but mainly because of a piece of information integrated into it:

Using his own image as a navigator, Ye Shou produced a historical documentary about the differences between the "main world" and "cyberpunk," mainly summarizing the development of "Ye Shou's hometown" in the 20th and early 21st centuries.

The extensive and detailed historical records simply don't seem like they could have been forged!

—Ye Shou comes from a "parallel world"!

It sounded unbelievable, but considering Ye Shou's various miraculous behaviors, Mann subconsciously believed this outrageous truth.

They've even used magic! Even if they're scammers, they're being incredibly sincere. You'd feel bad if you didn't fall for it!

"You really dare to tell me something so important." Mann turned his head, observing Ye Shou's expression through his sunglasses. "Aren't you worried that I'll sell your information? I'm sure quite a few companies will be interested in you, this 'otherworldly person'!"

Of course I'm not afraid, not just anyone can afford the price I'm offering!

This isn't about having a lot of money or a little; it's about the fact that only Ye Shou can provide certain things, which could be considered a monopoly!

—Doesn't Mann want to travel or even settle in another world like Lucy?

Moreover, whether from the original work or his own personal experience, Ye Shou understands Mann very well. Mann is someone who still has the concept of "companionship" even in his cyberpsychotic state, which is quite reminiscent of the ancient Chinese emphasis on loyalty and righteousness.

Ye Shou was quite confident about how this mercenary would act.

Even if he misjudged and was truly betrayed, the company, unless they were foolish, would choose to capture him alive, or at the very least, want his complete brain. But Ye Shou only needed a thought to open the "door" to return and leave this place; the initiative was always in his hands—of course, Ye Shou wouldn't reveal his ultimate trump card directly.

He smiled calmly, looking back at Mann with clear and firm eyes: "If it were anyone else, I certainly wouldn't be so reckless. It's precisely because it's you that I have nothing to worry about."

"...Hmph! That kind of thinking will get you into big trouble in Night City!"

Despite saying that, Mann looked away and turned his head to the other side—he must have felt quite embarrassed, judging from the faint upturn of his lips, he also seemed a little smug.

"Should I give you the VR device to wear?"

"exist."

"Use that to talk."

Both of them took out the glasses-like [AmuSphere], but instead of entering full stealth mode in this place, they used a physical connection to temporarily set up a mini local area network between the two machines.

While seemingly enjoying the scenery from the edge of a rooftop, they simultaneously engage in conversations by reading brainwaves, using it as a social media app.

After all, what they were about to discuss was extremely important, and this method effectively prevented eavesdropping and left no trace on the public network.

"To be honest, I still find it hard to believe that you come from a parallel world or something... But if this is a prank, it's too realistic, and there's no need to go to such lengths to fool a poor guy like me."

Hearing this, Ye Shou laughed.

Mann was certainly not poor; he didn't have any major vices and was considered to have a lot of savings among mercenaries.

But wealth and poverty are never determined by numbers, but by who you compare yourself to. Putting someone like Ye Shou next to him immediately shows his true worth.

"Lucy has already been to my hometown. You can ask her for details later."

Ye Shou didn't move his lips, but his brainwaves transformed into his voice as he said to Mann, "The reason I'm telling you all this is to sign a long-term employment contract."

“Hiring?” Mann frowned. “While I am quite confident, to be honest, there are countless mercenaries of my caliber in Night City, at least dozens... If you can take someone through time, like Lucy... I believe even the security chief of Arasaka Tower would be impressed by you.”

"When doing business, it's often not about looking at the other party's capital, but whether they are reliable."

Ye Shou frankly stated, "I might be able to find mercenaries better than you, but I can't trust their character and integrity. And in my capacity, only the most reliable people can do this—like you, my brother Mann."

"Ah!"

Touching his nose, Mann was quite proud of himself: "You have good taste... What kind of business? For Lucy's sake, I'll give you a discount!"

"Trade in people".

“…Huh?” Mann was taken aback; this was indeed unexpected.

"Or to put it another way—talent introduction."

Ye Shou paused for a moment and said, "I plan to build a team and I need your help to find some reliable technical talents who are in good mental condition, mainly hackers. If there is an opportunity, you can also bring in a few firewall engineers."

Ideally, they should be those with few attachments, or those who harbor fantasies about the outside world and want to escape Night City... I will take them back to my 'hometown' to add strength to my world.

"So, how difficult was it?"

"Difficulty?"

Mann thought about it and felt that the main difficulty of this job lay in "how to find a reliable person in Night City," whether the other party could trust him, and whether the target was willing to leave Night City...

What a joke! Anyone who hasn't completely fallen from grace would want to leave. It's just that everyone has nowhere else to go and no other way to make a living!

In his "cyberpunk" team alone, including Lucy, there are three hackers, all of whom want to escape this hellhole!

There's no need to explain "parallel worlds" to them; as long as they can live a peaceful life in a rural area, they'd be more than happy.

"Night City lacks everything—clean water and soil, even air… but it has no shortage of people!"

Mann, however, was quite confident: "Politicians who dare to use 'Escape Night City' as their campaign slogan should be able to get a lot of votes."

"We don't need that many people," Ye Shou shook his head.

Shrimp? Just kidding. He plans to recruit talent from Night City, but the number will be strictly controlled. Better to have fewer but better quality talent!

Just like many large foreign companies that bring in Indians as senior executives, you'll find that individually they are quite capable, with many truly talented individuals. However, once they band together, a subtle chemical reaction occurs, like fermentation starting, and it quickly goes bad.

Therefore, this department must be under Lucy's control in the future, as Ye Shou doesn't trust anyone else to manage it!

"About twenty or thirty people should be enough."

Ye Shou said earnestly, "Try not to attract the attention of the company."

“A bunch of people die every day in Night City… Of course, I’ll be careful.” Mann nodded. “How about I let you take two or three with you each time?”

"How do you plan to persuade them?" Ye Shou pondered. "You can't just tell strangers about the 'parallel world' like you are now."

"Your Mewtwo is enough!"

To put it bluntly, if you really wanted to, you could build a religion just from that Mewtwo that even makes me want to cry!

Mann was confident: "I'll keep an eye on those guys who are already desperate. Don't worry, people in Night City are generally willing to take a gamble when they see hope."

"Then I'll leave it to you... When it's almost time, would you be willing to visit my hometown?"

Is this the reward?

Mann took a deep breath: "I can't control what others do, but Dorio will probably choose to follow me."

"Of course, family members can also come."

"Haha! Then I have no reason to refuse!"