Cyberpunk, but urban

"Yeah, so we have to give him a good beating."

The ego equipment on Ye Lan turned into countless black and white butterflies and flew away, and azure flames ignited on his body. In front of everyone's surprised eyes, Ye Lan grasped the bullet floating in front of him.

He put the pipe in his mouth and loaded the bullet into the chamber of the shotgun. A magic circle unfolded at the muzzle and shot a ray of light that penetrated everything in the direction of the meat ball.

The gusts of wind caused by the shooting blew up Ye Lan's blue coat and made Ezra's eyes light up with shining stars.

The magic bullet that was sure to hit penetrated the huge heart inside the meat ball, and black flames burned on the meat ball. Soon, the whole distortion was turned into ashes in the flames, and the body of a young man fell to the ground.

"Okay, it's time for us to return to the surface." Ye Lan said.

Chapter 55. Back to the Surface

It's actually not difficult to get out of this dungeon.

The stage where Ye Lan and several others landed did not look very solid, and the height was not very high. Ezra and Vespa only needed to use a little force to easily destroy it, and Ye Lan did not even need to do anything.

The group returned the way they came, bypassed the iron gate that was blocked by a mountain of rocks, and returned to their location under the stage floor.

"Which one of you two will do this?" Ye Lan asked.

Vespa looked at the wooden structure above and asked Ye Lan, "Should we split it open?"

"Correct."

Vespa swung the blade silently, and yellow trails cut through the sky several times, and the bottom of the stage fell down. Ezra held Luna lightly and dodged the falling debris.

Ye Lan was the first to jump up, and the scene above was like a massacre. Unlike the situation underground, the distortions they had faced underground were like people with many different minds, while the distortions on the ground were independent distortions that carried out their own desires.

Therefore, these distortions will naturally follow their own desires and kill each other in their own way. It is as if they are proudly showing off their abilities one by one, and the strong bully and tear apart the weak.

Vespa whispered, "Guys, I don't have enough strength to deal with this situation."

"Detective Moses... This seems to be more serious than the situation underground..." Yuria said from behind Ezra's head. Almost everyone heard the obvious sound of Ezra swallowing saliva.

"Don't panic, I'm here." Ye Lan comforted them and loaded the second bullet of the day into the shotgun in his hand.

The scene before them was the true heart of the village that had been suppressed for a long time. The dazzling distortions of various colors were entangled and torn apart. This was the village festival.

Several distortions seemed to have noticed Ye Lan and the others, and turned their heads to stare at them. A white ape-like beast without eyes; a red tetrahedron with eight eyes embedded in it; a yellow mantis with a lion's head. These three distortions exuded a hateful malice, staring at the few people with murderous eyes.

"...Ye Lan, can you handle it?"

"A piece of cake."

A flash of black flame ignited the pipe that was part of the ego's equipment. As the smoke was inhaled into Ye Lan's lungs, several magic circles lit up in front of the muzzle of the shotgun.

The second magic bullet flew out of the chamber, dragging a beam of azure light that instantly passed through the fatal parts of the three distortions. In just a moment, the three distortions fell down like cut wheat and returned to their original appearance - in the form of corpses.

"Bang!" A sound like firecrackers came from outside the village hall.

At the same time, footsteps were heard. The footsteps of several people came in. It was the sound of shoes that was familiar to Moses and made him sick.

People wearing golden masks with one eye painted on them and long black trench coats entered the hall.

...Dias's direct subordinate.

Wadjet.

They were like a black wave, wielding long scimitars and rushing towards the distortion mercilessly.

"Mr. Moses, please forgive me. But you are really amazing. I thought that if it was you, you would be able to control the distortion of this village without causing any extra casualties. But I really didn't expect that you would quietly find such a helper who has no information at all."

Han Xijun walked towards Ye Lan and others from the entrance of the village hall, then stopped in front of Moses, but stared at Ye Lan.

It was not until then that Moses finally understood that the commission they came to Oak Village for was not a commission from the Seventh Association at all. Han Xijun, the man who never told the truth, once again appeared as Dias's lackey and did all these things for her.

Although Ye Lan was present, only Vespa among Moses and his group felt a little uncomfortable due to hunger, while the others were in relatively good conditions. However, the group, including Ye Lan and Luna, were still arranged to receive treatment in a corner of the village square.

Dias's personal army, Wadjet, cleaned up the village in a neat and tidy manner. They locked the Distortion into an iron cage and prepared to transport it.

Han Xijun came over and said to Moses, "Teacher Moses, have a cup of hot tea and take a rest."

Moses ignored him and asked him instead: "What does Dias want to do with these distortions?"

"How can I know what that person is thinking?"

"..."

"But I didn't expect that you would have the forbidden hunter Vespa Craberro from the Nth Society by your side... and this one, I'm sorry, I don't have any information about you."

"Is Vespa famous?" Moses asked.

"Those who know will know. After all, I also belong to the Seven Association, right?"

Although Ezra wanted to ask Ye Lan about the equipment on him, now was definitely not a good time to ask for secrets. This usually carefree girl unexpectedly remained silent.

Vespa was silently eating the food that Ye Lan handed to him. After learning that this coffee + sandwich combo was made by the twisted boss in the dungeon, the taciturn young man bit the sandwich with a little more force.

"So I brought a message to this Mr. Vespa Craberro."

Is there any truth in what Han Xijun said? Moses thought, but no matter what, Ye Lan's identity is still something that this guy cannot know, which makes Moses feel a little happy.

“…What is it?”

Vespa swallowed the food in silence but finally asked, and Han Xijun handed him a paper bag. Vespa opened the bag, took a look, then crumpled it up and threw it on the ground.

"Han Xijun. Give this friend a T-shirt he can wear. It's embarrassing for me to see him." Moses tried to find something for this guy to do so that he wouldn't be an eyesore in front of him.

However, this was not something that was found casually. The coat and tights that Vespa was wearing had been in tatters for a long time because of the previous battle with Moses and the others in Alley 14.

"Okay, Mr. Moses."

However, Han Xijun just waved his hand, and one of the Wadgits brought a white T-shirt.

"Also, may I know your name and identity?"

He solved Moses' request lightly, but even Han Xijun, who had prepared everything in advance, was not so calm when facing the unknown Ye Lan.

"My name and identity?" Ye Lan, who was still sipping the tobacco in his pipe, glanced at him and said, "With your identity as a member of the Second Section of the Seventh Association, it seems that you are not qualified~"

Chapter 56. Dias

"...Mr. Moses, once this is settled, I will invite you all to Master Dias's house."

Han Xijun, who was rejected by Ye Lan, was silent for a moment, then turned around and spoke to Moses as if nothing had happened.

"Xijun, let me ask you a question."

"What is it, Mr. Moses?"

"Are you having fun playing tricks on me?" After all, Moses was not a man without temper.

“Not particularly pleasant.”

After Han Xijun greeted them, he walked quickly towards the distortion processing site as if he wanted to vent his anger.

Until then, Ezra grabbed the corner of Ye Lan's clothes with shining eyes and carefully observed the ego equipment he was wearing.

"Mr. Ye Lan, Mr. Ye Lan. Can you tell me about the equipment you have now?"

Ye Lan tapped the forehead of the big girl who was about to ride on him with his pipe. After she moved back a little in pain, Ye Lan waved his hand and took off his equipment.

At this time, Ezra finally discovered that the ring on Ye Lan's right index finger was emitting sparkling starlight.

"Eh?! Is this... is this the same divine weapon as the detective's pipe?"

"Maybe?" Ye Lan brought the topic back. As part of the deal, he did have to satisfy some of Moses' curiosity. "But that's not the point. For now, I'm just using it to reproduce the ego equipment I've used in the company."

"These ego equipment are special equipment made by extracting the core of [Abnormality], using our company's singularity technology."

"Even if someone has absolutely no combat experience, as long as he puts on the corresponding ego equipment, he will immediately know how to use it. Of course, if some of your characteristics are not up to standard, they will be swallowed up by part of the ego equipment. Dying directly is considered good, the more terrifying thing is to become a new monster."

Having said this, Ye Lan suddenly made a face at Ezra and little Luna who were listening attentively, scaring them both.

After a little fooling around, Ye Lan continued, "As for what the Abnormality is and what the company's singularity is, I won't tell you. But I can tell you about those boxes."

"That black box is a box for storing anti-Kabbalah energy for us, and a box for storing enkephalin for you."

"inverse?"

Moses found the problem accurately and asked Ye Lan, "Why is it the reverse Kabbalah energy?"

"Because it is a failure in a sense. If positive Kabbalah energy, which is the enkephalin energy that everyone may have used, is a clean and pollution-free positive product, then these black boxes contain or have contained anti-Kabbalah energy that can pollute people's bodies and minds and distort them."

"To be honest, that... oh yes, that Dias can think of such a way of using it, which really opened my eyes. Of course, it was an eye-opener in the ironic sense."

Moses then asked, “So you think Dias’s idea is wrong?”

"What else? Seeing her use my company's singularity technology products in this way is like someone buying a box containing gems and discarding the gems like old shoes. Ms. Moses, I suggest you don't think of her as being so powerful. She is just a clown who has a little capital and wants to reach out and grasp something she can't hold."

“…I’ll remember that.”

Moses said.

After talking about the more serious things, Ezra pulled Ye Lan aside and asked him how many more types of equipment like [Holy Proclamation] or [Magic Bullet] he could come up with, and then asked him what effects these equipment had.

While Ezra was pestering Ye Landong with questions, Vespa, who had been sitting on the sidelines in silence for a long time, suddenly asked Moses: "...You said you can see the distortion in people, right?"

"Yes."

Moses lit a cigarette and replied to him.

"So, Ms. Moses, what can you see from me now..."

"...The torn bee wings are hanging on your back."

Moses sighed as if she had realized something. When she first saw Vespa, the illusory distortion on his body should have been a pair of complete, solid bee wings.

There is only one reason for such a change. Vespa has been fired by N Company because he was taken out of District 14 by them.

……

After a while, the group got into Han Xijun's car. The car sped along the road. Behind it followed a car full of twisted Wadjet.

The atmosphere in the car was like a funeral. No one spoke. Only Ezra endured the atmosphere anxiously. But she was not the child who broke the silence.

“Where are we going?” Vespa asked in a hoarse voice.

"You are all welcome to our hospitality. I believe it will heal your injured and tired bodies." Han Xijun replied.

"Did we pass her test?"

"Yes. Personally, I think Mr. Moses's work style and results are excellent as expected. I'm sure that person will agree."

"I think so." Moses replied indifferently and stopped talking.

Ye Lan and Luna, on the other hand, seemed to be independent of the atmosphere in the car at this moment. They watched the scenery passing by with smiles on their faces.

The convoy passed through the winding road and arrived in front of the mansion surrounded by magnificent lighting.

With a mansion like this, even if you work like a dog in the back alley for your whole life, you probably won’t be able to afford even a small corner of this mansion.

However, this was not even the house Dias lived in. It was just a villa like a pair of shoes placed in the corner of a shoe cabinet that she would wear once in a while. Moses even subconsciously guessed that she might have more than one such villa in each nest.

After getting off the car, Han Xijun began to lead the way. Ye Lan, Moses and others followed behind. Soon, Dias appeared in the room of the mansion, opened his arms and ran to hug Moses who was walking beside Ye Lan.

"...Moses! You must be very tired! You must be exhausted!" Dias seemed to be caring for Moses from the bottom of her heart. Suddenly, as if she had just discovered something strange, she turned her head to look at Ye Lan and Luna who was holding his hand, and asked Moses: "Moses, you haven't introduced these two people to me yet."

"They..." Moses was just about to find an excuse to get out of it. Suddenly, a loud gurgling sound came over. Several people nearby looked over and saw that it was Ezra's stomach rumbling.

“…I’m so sorry.” Ezra touched her head awkwardly. Even though she was a carefree person, she seemed reserved in such an occasion.

“Ezra! Are you hungry?! I thought you would be hungry, so I prepared a lot of delicious food! Let’s go eat together~!”

"Can they eat together?" Moses pointed at Ye Lan, Vespa and the others.

"Ah."

Dias replied indifferently.

Chapter 57: No Good Banquet

The overly long table was filled with more than a hundred dishes, but only a few people sat there. This meant that most of the food would be wasted. Moses estimated that the value of each dish on the table was enough to buy a house in the residential area in the back alley. It could be said that this was an extremely luxurious banquet.

However, luxury is a word that is only used to describe consumption that is not in line with one's status. Dias's extravagance is nothing to her. In her opinion, it is exactly the same as buying a ham sandwich as a meal.

"You've got something you want me to do that's why you've caused all this trouble... What's the real thing?" Moses asked Dias.

Dias smiled happily and said, "Can we go to the L company's nest?"

Vespa asked coldly, "Are you talking about the collapsed Lobotomy Corporation?"