Cyberpunk, but urban

Ye Lan took off the ego suit he was wearing, and the [Delicious Soda] on his body melted into a ball of grape-flavored soda in an instant, falling to the ground and seeping into the dance floor, without even leaving a trace of water on the ground.

The pleasant smell of grape soda wafted into Roland and Olivier's noses, reminding them of the companion they had lost in District 25.

"…That soda machine, was it really you?"

"what?"

Roland's question was indeed a bit puzzling to Ye Lan. He was stunned for a moment before he realized that Roland seemed to have seen the Welch's Soda Abnormality somewhere.

"You mean Welch's Soda? That is indeed an Abnormality of our company. Maybe it is stored in one of our branches?"

Although he didn't know why Roland mentioned this, Ye Lan clearly felt that this guy's murderous intent had increased a bit. Suddenly, a possibility appeared in his mind: "Could it be that someone of you drank soda and was teleported away?"

"Teleport?"

Olivier understood this word clearly. If it was a teleportation, the cleaner under his command might still be alive, but why didn't he think of returning to the association?

Unfortunately, the current situation was not suitable for him to ask Ye Lan this question, so Olivier put the question back in his heart and quietly began to deal with Roland's mess.

Roland, on the other hand, did not react to this statement at all. After all, he simply wanted to find some reasons to make himself even angrier. As long as Ye Lan admitted that the damn soda machine belonged to their company, it would be enough.

Roland used strips of cloth torn from his suit jacket to temporarily treat the wound on his body, and once again pulled out the Mo Workshop's sword from Angelica's gloves.

The battle is about to break out.

Didi, Didi...

The timer on his watch sounded. Olivier glanced at the time and said to the two men who were about to fight, "It's almost midnight in the back alley. Are you two sure you want to fight now?"

"Isn't this indoors?"

Ye Lan was stunned by what Olivier said, they were now in a nightclub. According to the regulations, the time between 3:13 and 4:34 in the morning was considered as the back alley late night. The scavengers could deal with the corpses and living things that were still on the roads in the back alley at will during this time period.

However, they can only deal with corpses and living things on the streets. According to the rules set with the leader, all people or objects hiding in the house are beyond their reach, so Olivier is moving the middle finger's body out of the house.

However, it was precisely because of this action that he found a nightclub in the back alley before late at night that he needed to tell the two idiots who were preparing for another fight, that is, the wall of this nightclub had been demolished in the battle between Roland and the middle fingers, and the nightclub at this time could not be considered a regular house.

"Tsk, just wait for me."

Roland cursed and immediately turned around and left the nightclub. He was in poor condition. Even if he could defeat Ye Lan, whose trump card was unknown, it was hard to say whether he could survive the wave of scavengers.

Ye Lan knew that he would not lose to Roland, and he was not afraid of these scavengers who had appeared in the Indigo Noon Test.

Although the ones in the test were not real scavengers, they still told Ye Lan all their combat modes and the fighting methods they were good at.

With these experiences and more importantly, the ego equipment, Ye Lan wanted to stay here and try to communicate with the liquid life in the jars, but he didn't know if he could understand what those guys were saying.

After saying goodbye to Olivier, this meeting that didn't solve anything was over. Roland had a good time killing people, but he saw Ye Lan walk away with anger and injuries. Olivier tried to persuade him for a long time, but Roland didn't listen, so he wasn't very happy. Ye Lan was even worse off. He waited for extra money all night, but Roland gave him the middle finger. It was even more painful that he didn't make any money.

"Wait, the middle finger is dead. Then the money they put in these industries is..."

Now I have to thank Roland for his strong support.

Chapter 42. Scavenger

In less than thirty minutes, a large group of scavengers, whose bodies were tied with bandages and who were holding two hooks connected to cans on their backs, walked into the nightclub, which was no longer a house.

During this time, Ye Lan had collected all the eyes and other valuables he could find in the nightclub and put them all in a large backpack at his feet.

"One nine five three two six two two."

"Eight three eight eight two five two four."

These scavengers, who used masks and armor to conceal their inhuman features, communicated with each other, using a unique digital language to evaluate the man in a suit in front of them.

In fact, perhaps only the leader and Angela in the entire city can communicate with these scavengers, and even the leader does not necessarily communicate with them through language. Their special language composed of zeros to nines is not something that ordinary people can decipher, and only non-human sentient beings like Angela can translate what they want to say.

Of course, from today on, the one who could understand the language of the scavengers might be Ye Lan. His ego ring, whose name he still didn't know, worked again, turning the language of the scavengers into words he could understand.

To be honest, judging from the effects it has now, Ye Lan wants to call this thing the Ring of Sauron. Don't tell me, judging from the effects it has now, it really looks like the Supreme Ring.

Thinking about these things, Ye Lan almost laughed out loud in front of the scavengers using their language, but in the end he held back.

The words that the scavengers just said, translated, mean:

"Brother, that man is so strange."

"Everyone be careful, he feels very strong."

"Ahem," Ye Lan cleared his throat and said to the scavengers, "Everyone, before you fight me, are you willing to talk to me?"

"You...you're family?"

The leading scavenger was surprised by the language that Ye Lan spoke, which belonged to them, and even forgot his etiquette for a moment.

Ye Lan opened his arms wide, exposing his appearance to the scavengers, and then said to the leading scavenger: "How could that be? Look at me, I look completely different from you."

"But you can speak our language. I've never met anyone who isn't family who can speak our language."

"It's incredible, neighbors, that this gentleman here is not our family, but he can speak the same words as us."

"I know, this is the first time I've ever spoken normally to someone who's not my family."

Several scavengers started talking heatedly. Each of them was surprised by Ye Lan. They even forgot for a moment that they were still in the back alley late at night and needed to get more food for their families.

"Alright guys, isn't it late at night in the back alley? Quickly decide whether you want to fight me or ignore me and continue to the other end of the street?"

Ye Lan ignored their threats nonchalantly, and even found a bottle of whiskey that had not been broken in Roland's previous battle at the bar of the nightclub in front of his neighbors, and poured himself a glass.

The sound of the ice ball falling into the wine glass woke up the scavengers who were still talking. They needed to make a decision about food and shelter.

"Sir, we have decided to leave here, sir. The leading scavenger, who was initially called "A-ge", bowed to Ye Lan and signaled the other scavengers to go ahead and continue to clean up the other corpses and creatures on the street.

Before leaving, the leader of the scavengers said to Ye Lan: "Sir, my name is Ethan. Thank you for not choosing to hurt my family. May I ask if we scavengers can know your name?"

"My name is Ye Lan. I am only talking to you at this time out of curiosity about my own power. I think this is probably the last time we meet."

The scavenger named Ethan said goodbye to Ye Lan and returned to his neighbors' team, continuing to direct them to clean up the corpses left by the Southern Middle Finger.

Ye Lan picked up the large backpack filled with the wealth looted from the Middle Finger Branch, and walked in the opposite direction of the scavengers. There was also an exit to leave the back alley. He planned to go back to Alley 10 to exchange the wealth for numbers in the account, and then go to the hotel where Luna was staying to catch up on some sleep.

Roland was covered in wounds, so he couldn't fight any more today. Ye Lan calculated the next time Roland would go out and attack someone, while hailing a taxi that hadn't rested yet or had just gotten up to go to work.

"Go to Area 10, just to the entrance."

After getting into the back seat, Ye Lan said nothing more. The taxi driver nodded silently in the rearview mirror and started his car.

The taxi drove quietly on the road, and Ye Lan and the driver in the car did not speak for a while. For Ye Lan, who once lived on Earth, this was a very unique experience. In the city where he lived at that time, or in every city in that country, taxi drivers were very talkative.

But this also made it easier for him to think about things related to the scavengers.

In Lobotomy Corporation, the level of the Scavenger's test is Noon, and the color is Indigo. Among all the tests, this is the most unique color, because there is only one Indigo test, Noon.

In contrast, the Amber Trial is the only type of trial that does not have noon. Judging from the name of the Amber Trial - fresh food, food chain and eternal feast, this type of trial that can directly lead to the end of the world is basically related to appetite.

Its image is that of a certain Zerg. The amber midnight, a corner of the scenery of Doomsday, is also displayed in the company's facilities in the form of a Zerg nest.

The social structure of the scavengers in the city is very similar to that of the Zerg. In Ye Lan's previous life, many players believed that the scavengers were a Zerg controlled by the leader through some means, and they regarded their own race as humans.

This blocks their possibility of evolving into Doomsday, so they appear as the only Indigo Test in Lobotomy Corporation.

"Here we are... cash or card..."

The shaking of the taxi when it stopped woke Ye Lan from his thoughts. The driver, who had not said a word the whole way, asked Ye Lan for the fare in a hoarse and slow voice.

Ye Lan asked him, "How much?"

However, the driver did not answer him, but just repeated what he had just said:

"Here we are... cash or card..."

Chapter 43. Taxi Driver

"Here we are... cash or card..."

The taxi driver spoke the same words slowly and intermittently. His head turned 180 degrees, and his whole face was staring straight at Ye Lan who was sitting in the back seat.

Ye Lan finally saw the face hidden by the hat clearly. The driver's head had completely turned into a steering wheel, and his hands holding the steering wheel of the taxi had become two huge loudspeakers.

Distorted, I don't know whether to say that Ye Lan is lucky or unlucky. He just stopped a taxi on the road and stopped a taxi driver who turned into a twisted one.

However, the threat level of this distorted taxi driver is definitely not as high as that of the pianist. If anything, it is probably only at the level of an urban legend.

Although his body had been severely mutated, he was still able to work normally and collect fares from passengers. In other words, his distortion was lower than expected, and the emotions that distorted him were probably of a relatively minor type.

Ye Lan thought about it, then took out a stack of the largest denomination bills from the big backpack and stuffed them into the taxi driver's hand. The driver, whose head had become a steering wheel, counted the bills with his non-existent eyes and hands like horns, and then returned the excess amount to Ye Lan.

Seeing that the driver seemed to be less distorted after receiving the fare, Ye Lan asked him, "Speaking of which, Master, you have been very silent all the way. Is there something on your mind?"

For the twisted detective Moses, there are four steps in the process of solving the twist, namely 1. Cause, 2. Explanation, 3. Understanding, and 4. Identification.

This four-step process is what Ye Lan is planning to replicate on the twisted taxi driver. The first step is to combine various clues to confirm the reason for his twisted behavior.

"I...I didn't get paid. Those...customers...ran away without paying me...the company...the company wants to fire me."

So, that's the reason. For distortions like this driver, whose distortion and threat level are low, just asking them what happened can basically get those reasons.

"Oh~ So it's because of this kind of thing. Master, the company threatened to fire you because some bad customers evaded the fare. Hey, this company is really too much."

Ye Lan began to try the second step, which was to explain the causes and consequences to the distorted people. As for the third step, it was to make them understand the reasons for their own distortion.

"Ah... yes, damn the guests... damn the company..."

The driver's twisted hands transformed into a horn, and an angry roar that could shatter an ordinary person's eardrums came out. But to Ye Lan, who was able to withstand the roar, the driver's words sounded so slow that it was a bit ridiculous.

"I say, Master, even if you encounter such a thing, you wouldn't lock the door tightly and keep watching a good customer like me pay, right? You see, there are always only a few customers who run away with their money, right? Isn't it inappropriate to guard against a customer like me who takes the initiative to ask you how much money I need as if I were a thief?"

The final step is for the distorter to identify when and in what form his distortion will occur. If this process is successful, the distortion can be resolved to some extent.

"...Well...I'm afraid you'll run away. If I can't collect the money, the company will really fire me." The driver continued speaking, and his head was gradually returning to normal.

However, Moses's solution can only alleviate the problem, not eradicate it. Because the door of his heart is not open to her, he cannot fundamentally correct the distortion of the target person.

But it is indeed difficult for people to see the non-existent door of the mind before the seed of light is fully launched.

Although the appearance of distortion has nothing to do with whether the Seed of Light is fully emitted, it is only related to Carmen who lives in another form mixed in the light.

The official novel "Leviathan" records a lot of Carmen's chatter, which completely makes the old argument that the distortion of the Seed of Light is caused by its incompleteness untenable.

For Carmen, distortion is what she wants. As long as urban people learn to "love themselves", they will be what she hopes for in her heart, and "loving oneself" is expressed outwardly through one's own body, which is distortion.

Shenbei was able to appear because of Ayin's integration. In his opinion, people should not lose their proper appearance. "We have to fight, but because we are human, we don't use emotion, but reason... We must maintain the image of a human, and fight in the most human-like appearance through clothing and tools."

This is what Carmen said, and it is also his expectation for the urban people. Because of his thinking, the Seed of Light Project can be launched in a new form, thus bringing the urban people the hope of God.

So, back to the inner door. Before the light seed is fully launched, it is difficult to show the inner door to others. Even if you show power by gaining a part of the light, you still cannot fully expose your heart to others.

However, for Ye Lan, who holds the "Supreme Ring", it is not that difficult to push open the door to other people's hearts. Just like using sophisticated tools to salvage treasures from other people's minds, Ye Lan can also use his ring to skillfully open the door to the heart.

Push open the door, and the twisted taxi driver is waiting in the chaos. As long as you defeat him, you can make the twisted person truly recall the memories in his heart that he should not forget, and gain the courage to face everything from there.

Summoning a set of [Frost Fragments], the king, covered in a winter coat made of ice and snow, walked into the arena formed by the inner space with a spear formed by icicles in his hand.

The distorted driver released earth-shaking sound waves with the horn formed by his hands, and then froze into ice chips on the ground in the cold air spreading around Ye Lan.

The heart blocked by grief and tears, even the voice will be frozen. Endless frost and coldness pierced the twisted driver with the spear in Ye Lan's hand, turning him into an ice sculpture.

Using He-level ego equipment to attack an urban legend-level enemy is a bit of a waste, Ye Lan confirmed this once again.

Soon, Ye Lan, who had been driven away from his heart by the driver, came back to his senses in the taxi, and the driver also returned to his normal appearance.

"I remember now. I'm not worried about not getting any money from the bad customers..."

Chapter 44. Title: Chasing dreams with the taxi driver

"Since you are not worried about the fare, then what are you worried about, master?" Ye Lan adjusted his sitting position, curiously waiting for the taxi driver who had just escaped from the distortion to express his worries.

"You know, I'm a driver." The master started talking nonsense.

"A taxi driver naturally has a bastard taxi company." The second sentence of nonsense.

"Just yesterday, a bastard customer ran away with the bill, and then this bastard company wanted to fire me." The third sentence is nonsense.

Ye Lan took a deep breath and said, "Let's get to the point."

"Yes, let's get to the point." The driver nodded and continued, "Look, I've been a taxi driver all my life. I have to obey traffic rules every day, and then I have to obey the company's rules. Since I got this car, I've never driven it at its maximum speed."

Now, a feeling of "I am about to spend the most regrettable period of my life in the car" appeared in Ye Lan's heart. If he guessed correctly, the driver would then tell a string of stupid stories that were enough to suffocate him.

"So, I thought... since the company treated me like this, why should I obey their rules? Screw them! I want to drive at the maximum speed!!!"

"..."

"Haha, thank you for helping me think clearly about what I really want to do. Next, I'm going to be a fast racer and let this precious girl run at her full strength..."

Ye Lan couldn't hear a word of what the driver said next. He felt like Dante in Yinfeng - he couldn't speak.