013: Procurement

John slept until dusk, his day and night completely reversed. The clamor from the nearby restaurant penetrated the walls, as if urging him to hurry and find a place to stay.

“Whoa, so many messages and calls?”

John opened countless unread notifications. Although the cyber era relied on implanted chips for communication, there were still do-not-disturb and sleep protection features.

He read through them in order.

[Elona: If you’re free, come to the Damascus camp. We’re about to take on a job outside the city and need a driver. Let me know if you’re interested.]

John needed work. He casually replied with agreement and arranged to discuss details at the camp tomorrow.

Besides Elona’s message, there were a dozen missed calls and multiple unread texts from the same account. John glanced and saw they were all from a doctor—one of the guys who worked and drank at the Nocturne Bar.

[Rian Randall: You hacked the system, didn’t you? I knew something was off with the data back then—you screwed me over!]

[Answer your phone!]

[Fuck, Eden Waits killed Mato. That rock scumbag doesn’t matter, but the video of him running down the street with his crotch on fire is going viral!]

[You’re in deep shit, brother.]

[The reputation of Nocturne Bar is ruined; now the members are blaming the bar’s prosthetics and demanding an explanation!]

[Why won’t you pick up? Damn it, this is life and death!]

[Nocturne Bar is blaming the prosthetic doctors. I’ve been kicked out and made a scapegoat. Man, no, boss, you’ve got Eden Waits backing you, can you save me?]

[They’re breaking in, damn it!]

[Thank God, I escaped. Nocturne just sent a few lackeys after me. You can handle this, right?]

[Why aren’t you answering?]

[I found a place to hide. Can you help me lose a few tails? I owe you big time!]

[Lend me a hand, please. Call me back.]

[Sorry, I was a bit harsh earlier. I know you’re not obligated to help, but I have nowhere else to turn. If you can help me this once, I’ll reward you handsomely!]

[Really, I’ve got some good stuff saved up.]

...

John took quite some time to read through the messages. The intrusion into the system was brief, yet Dr. Rian noticed it without even going into deep dive—he was somewhat capable.

John couldn’t help but laugh wryly.

Eden Waits warned him not to get involved with Nocturne Bar, but unexpectedly, the prosthetic doctor was taking the fall for his mess—and now asking John for help.

[Mission: Deliver Aid in the Snow (Time-Limited)]

[Reward: Unknown Prosthetic]

A task popped up in John’s mind.

It even marked “time-limited.” If he didn’t help, Rian might really get killed.

John decided to take a chance; if it got too dangerous, he could always run.

People died daily in Eden City. There was no chance to build deep bonds from mere acquaintances.

Rian Randall was abandoned by Nocturne.

One prosthetic doctor wasn’t enough to quell the clients’ fury. The bar surely made an arrangement with the wealthy patrons but couldn’t save face, so they needed a scapegoat.

Judging from the timestamps, Rian was still safe for now.

John climbed into his Silver Steed and drove out of the shop.

He didn’t rush to the scene but headed toward the underground passage at the edge of Barrel Street.

He had money on hand and wanted to pick up some gear and weapons first.

John closed the car door and left without worry of theft.

The Silver Steed was a high-end sports car equipped with cruise control by Isenberg Corporation. When the owner left, it automatically searched for nearby parking or hiding spots.

John could summon it to wait anywhere, and the system would navigate through Eden City’s network.

“High price has its reasons,” John chuckled, shaking his head.

He knocked on the rolling shutter, bent down skillfully, and saw the secondhand dealer again, casually smoking and crossing his legs.

“Want me to make you a key?”

The dealer didn’t even get up. “You really come every day, huh? Today’s shopping day. What do you want?”

[Street Reputation Increased ↑]

[Black Market Unlocked More Goods]

A text prompt appeared before John as he said,

“You’ve probably heard about the Nocturne mess. Get me some modification parts, and throw in a rifle chip while you’re at it.”

“Sure, let me show you the guns.”

The dealer straightened his jacket and stood.

John had handled a kinetic rifle during the fight at the Safe Haven.

[Weapon: Ronso — Crocodile K1]

[Modules: Basic Armor Piercing, Physical Damage Boost]

“Hmm, pretty pricey. Worth upgrading.”

The dealer inspected John’s rifle and commented, “Most Ronso weapons are budget models. Only the Crocodile series is expensive and worth customizing.”

A cigarette was tucked in his metal mask.

“I’ve got plenty of parts in stock. If you switch brands, you’ll have to find a specialist.”

The dealer seemed an expert.

He deftly disassembled the rifle, fetched a dedicated case stamped with the Ronso logo from the warehouse, and installed new parts.

“Genuine factory parts!?”

John was surprised by the separate packaging. “Where’d you get these?”

“Outsider, huh? That’s not something you can just ask.”

The dealer flicked the spent cigarette away.

“As for the chip, I suggest buying an expensive one. You can reuse it if you change rifles. If you’re going to be a big shot in Eden City, you can’t be lugging around a Ronso forever.”

“I’ll take your advice.”

“That’s right. Dealers know what you need.”

The metal mask didn’t hide the dealer’s smile. Soon, a stack of factory boxes piled up at their feet.

John’s kinetic rifle was officially upgraded.

Basic tweaks included barrel fine-tuning and magazine expansion.

The distinctive Markdos gang-colored casing was swapped for a matte black with a chip firewall to prevent enemy electromagnetic devices from messing with accuracy.

“The power will definitely be stronger. Don’t worry. The new recoil compensator can absorb 65% of kickback, so even without robust prosthetics, your body can handle it.”

“The chip is top-tier too, with ballistic correction to prevent tracer outlines and enhanced armor-piercing capability.”

[Modules: Ballistic Correction, Intermediate Armor Piercing]

John felt the rifle’s balance and confirmed the quality.

Suddenly, he remembered something else.

“Keep an eye out for the Hound Digger drone, same specs as last time. I’ll pick it up when I’m free.”

The Black Spider drones earned money automatically; he needed more.

“No problem, big client. Just don’t die on me.”

The dealer pocketed the payment, then warned,

“John, you’re a bit too flashy. You should upgrade your ocular prosthetics.”

He meant an internal external lens jammer.

In layman’s terms, this made any surveillance footage show only a blurred mosaic—just an outline, no face—unless a hacker cracked it in real time.

Better prosthetics could even instantly compute the surrounding environment to make you vanish in a crowd.

Those were rare and expensive, rarely available on the market.

John left the underground passage holding his upgraded rifle, no longer anxious about the drug-addled thugs gathering nearby.

The roar of the sports car engine grew louder.

The Silver Steed stopped steadily, its doors rising automatically.

John gripped the handle and started the engine, then called Rian Randall. The call was answered almost instantly.

“Phew, thank God, fuck…”

The prosthetic doctor swallowed nervously.

“Thanks for calling me back. Markdos enforcers have found the warehouse. If you’d been any later, I’d be dead!”

“Sharing location now. Hide and don’t get yourself killed.”

John activated the car’s navigation and slammed the accelerator.