Malfunctioning Utopia

Chapter 34: A Helping Hand

Hearing what Song 6PUS said, Sun Jack hesitated no longer. If he was already working as a mercenary, what was there to fear about danger?

"I'm in."

Once Sun Jack agreed, the others quickly followed suit. It was obvious that, despite Sun Jack's admission that his abilities were currently unstable, the team still saw him as a safety net. Some members even reconsidered joining the team specifically because of his talents.

"Alright, then! We're all set. Let's head back, get some rest, and prep our weapons. Tomorrow night, we make our move." Song 6PUS grabbed his chopsticks and began devouring his meal enthusiastically.

Midway through eating, he mumbled to himself, "Oh yeah, I still need to find bait. System, set a reminder for me."

Sun Jack, who was picking through his plate trying to find anything edible, perked up at the mention of "bait."

"Find bait? What kind of bait are you looking for?"

"Someone that matches the victims' profiles—young, female, with no visible prosthetics," Song 6 replied, sending images of the victims' faces directly to Sun Jack's UI.

"If you're planning to recruit someone as bait for such dangerous work, you should at least pay them well, right?"

"Of course! Do you think anyone in The Metropolis would do it for free? Oh, and by the way, the payment's coming out of the operating budget. We'll split it."

After a moment of contemplation, Sun Jack spoke up. "I'll see if I can find someone for the job."

"Fine by me," Song 6PUS replied. He had no reason to argue over such a trivial matter, especially since Sun Jack's involvement likely meant he was looking to skim a little extra for himself, just like everyone else.

When Sun Jack got home, he stuffed a pile of takeout boxes into his empty refrigerator. Though the sight was unappealing, food was food, and with how expensive a meal cost, he couldn't afford to waste it.

Sinking into the couch, he accessed his system and began searching for someone named AA. With her appearance and name known, it wasn’t hard to track someone down in a networked system.

"Who is it?" A haggard-looking AA asked cautiously through the video call.

When she saw it was Sun Jack, her face lit up with a smile. "Ah! It’s you! So your name is Jack? How are you?"

"AA, have you found a job yet?" Sun Jack asked directly.

Her smile froze, and she shook her head gently. "No," she said softly, then quickly added with a forced smile, "but I’ve been scavenging mushrooms in the sewers like the homeless guys. They’re enough to fill my stomach! Are you hungry? I can share some with you."

Hearing this, Sun Jack felt a pang of sadness for the girl. "I found a job for you. Would you be interested?"

Being bait wasn’t exactly a great gig, but even bad jobs were better than nothing when they paid. Sun Jack knew she was drowning in debt, and if she didn’t get some help soon, she might not make it.

Tears welled up in AA's eyes as she heard this. "Really? I can really work? Thank you so much!"

"Hold on," Sun Jack said, cutting her excitement short. "The job comes with risks, but the pay is substantial." While he wanted to help her, he believed in being upfront about the situation.

"That’s fine! As long as it’s a job, I can do anything!" AA nodded fervently, as though afraid the opportunity might vanish if she didn’t accept immediately. ʀÂΝ𝐨𝖇Ɛȿ

"Alright then. Add me as a friend, and I’ll give you the details. Come to my apartment tomorrow. I’ll explain everything. Oh, and don’t wear that suit from the other day—just casual clothes will do." Sun Jack sent her his address.

After ending the call, Tapai chimed in. "So that’s your plan? You want to help that girl? There are countless poor souls in The Metropolis. Do you think you can save them all?"

Sun Jack leaned back on the couch and exhaled in comfort, staring at the ceiling. "I’ll help one if I can. I can’t just ignore it when it’s right in front of me."

"Why not just give her the mission's payout directly?"

"F*** off!" Sun Jack grabbed a cushion and threw it at Tapai. "I’m just helping her out of convenience, not trying to become a saint!"

Settling back down, Sun Jack opened the system store and purchased insurance for himself. Tomorrow might turn out to be another tough fight.

With insurance handled, he began restocking ammunition for his prosthetic.

"Need anything? Should I upgrade the armor?" Sun Jack asked Tapai.

"RPG. I want rockets."

"Get lost. Too expensive."

"Cheapskate. Then at least buy some grenades."

The last fight had taught Sun Jack the importance of preparation. After much deliberation, he accessed the combat prosthetics store.

"Backup heart... subdermal armor... titanium skeleton..." A plethora of combat prosthetics scrolled past his screen, but they were all out of his price range.

"Is there nothing cheaper?" The absurd cost of food and combat prosthetics in The Metropolis was appalling, especially when cars and electronics were so cheap in comparison. On his current potential weekly income of 0.15@ as a customer service rep, he wouldn’t even be able to afford meals.

"Forget it. Let’s ask King Kong." Secondhand goods might be his only affordable option.

"Hey, King Kong, got any combat prosthetics for around 10@?" Sun Jack asked. With the potential 20@ payout from this job, he figured spending half to improve his chances was reasonable.

The hologram of King Kong lit up with excitement at the prospect of a sale. "Oh? What kind of combat prosthetic does Master Sun need? I’ll even give you a 20% discount!" He sent over a link to his online store.

Browsing the listings, Sun Jack found them to be at least 60% cheaper than official prices. Clearly, King Kong was the right person to call.

"Now, what should I get?" Sun Jack scrolled through the options, searching for something effective against cyber psychotics.

After much deliberation, he settled on the HPMW Interference Model 2 prosthetic eye. This eye could emit a narrow-band microwave electromagnetic pulse once per minute, effective against electronic components.

Besides its interference feature, the prosthetic also came with night vision—two functions for the price of one.

He chose this model because of his last encounter with the bald man, though unlike that man’s EMP, this was limited to single targets. Still, the lack of area-wide disruption meant Tapai could fight alongside him without risk of being disabled.

After negotiating with King Kong, Sun Jack managed to secure free installation as part of the deal.

An hour later, a beaming King Kong arrived at Sun Jack’s apartment, accompanied by his cybernetic Buddha, which carried a large bag of equipment on its back.