034: A Shrewd Person

John’s first reaction was that something was missing. The mission settlement report mentioned a special pass and a souvenir, yet neither was present in the old casino. He then realized they must be the gifts prepared by Vito.

[Eden City - Danny Street]

The Eisenberg supercar pulled into the underground garage. He drove into the VIP section without obstruction, watching as his exclusive Warehouse A31 opened automatically. The payment from Mr. Vito had already arrived, finally giving John a bit of financial breathing room.

Another sleepless night had come to an end. John swore he would get some proper rest; the point of earning money was to make life better, not to run himself into the ground like an idiot. He stood before the garage terminal, deciding to spend a little. He had been seeing vehicle maintenance packages advertised on the elevator screens every day, and now that he had money in his pocket, he finally had the courage to browse the detailed service manual.

Life in Eden City was always frantic; every time you stepped out, there was a chance you wouldn't come back. Busy big shots certainly couldn't spare the time to stand by their vehicles, bucket in hand, scrubbing away. It was better to leave professional work to the professionals.

When a client purchased a vehicle maintenance package, even the lowest tier included an automatic cleaning service. As long as your ride hadn't exploded and could still be driven back to the garage in one piece, professional deep-cleaning service was at your disposal! Whether it was dust, gravel, mud splatters, old shell casings under the seats, shards of glass, or even organic matter—mostly bits of flesh and bone—wedged in the wheel wells, they could clean it all away completely.

If the vehicle wasn't needed for a while, they would even perform repairs, covering collision damage, rust, and firearm-related wear, ensuring the client's beloved car remained in peak condition. The package even utilized specialized channels to interface directly with the production factories of major vehicle manufacturers—a level of access that typical repair shops and black-market dealers couldn't touch. If you took your car to a random, unqualified workshop, they might just swap out your genuine parts for fakes. Naturally, the cost of materials was calculated separately.

John paid for the mid-tier package and tapped confirm on the panel. The automatic car wash in the garage whirred into action immediately. Scanners began their assessment, the iron-mesh floor rose to the appropriate height, and four mechanical arms began their work.

John felt at ease leaving his "Silver Knight" behind. The "Black Light" had already swept the system, and he could remotely monitor the vehicle's status through the Atlanta Virtual Net. He would never again have to worry about a petty thief driving off with his car before he even noticed.

He rode the elevator up slowly, marveling at the quality of the VIP services. Or rather, he reflected that in Eden City, only a life with money had any quality to it. Everything was expensive, nothing could be wasted, and resources had to be spent where they mattered most.

John returned to his apartment, bag in hand. The door unlocked, revealing the filtered, crisp air of the interior. The climate control system hummed efficiently; just being inside was relaxing, and the whole-house audio system played his favorite driving music.

***

John took a refreshing shower and then sat down on the sofa with an energy drink. Vito’s gifts were laid out before him.

First was a black-gold chip. He inserted it into the port at the base of his neck.

[Data reading...]

Mr. Vito Russell, dressed in a sharp suit, appeared before him.

"John, this authorization chip is a gold-diamond membership card for the Borago Club. Once you link your biometric data, the biggest money-sink in the West District will be open to you..."

This video was pre-recorded. Mr. Vito’s figure shrunk to the top-left corner, leaving the center of the screen for club promotional information and the biometric binding option.

"Supermodel pools, private auctions, celebrity banquet halls—it’s all yours to access. Of course, the card itself is empty; you’ll still have to foot the bill for your own spending inside."

"Don't call me stingy. This card is a symbol of wealth and status; you can think of it as a shortcut to the upper echelons."

He spread his ring-laden arms and smiled.

"If you find it troublesome, or if you hate socializing, just dump it on the black market. You’ll soon realize how valuable this gift really is. Don’t worry, I’ll turn a blind eye; I can trace the serial number, so it won’t cause any trouble for the Black Gold Gang... but I’d be a little disappointed if you actually did that."

The recording ended, and the binding prompt popped up. John pulled back the metal shutters of his window, looking out through the glass to see the Borago Club in the distance. It was an area exclusively for the upper crust to enjoy, and it was the Black Gold Gang's largest source of revenue.

This card was an opportunity Vito had given him. It looked great on the surface, but there was a lot left unsaid, tucked away in the membership terms on the back of the chip. Club members had to pay high annual fees—a sum that was somewhat expensive for John at the moment. Fortunately, the first year was already paid for, granting him a period to experience it.

Vito Russell was indirectly incentivizing him to take on more missions. In the West District, interactions with the Black Gold Gang were inevitable, and this was a way to integrate this talented young man into Danny Street. His intentions were laid bare on the table; as a gang leader, he wouldn't run a business at a loss.

John thought for a moment and then linked his biometrics. Since the first year was free, he might as well see what it was like; if it wasn't worth it, he just wouldn't renew.

Beside Mr. Vito's card, there was a metal box on the table. Inside was a gun.

[Collectible: EMP Emitter]
[Description: Gino’s EMP gun. A brilliant piece of ingenuity, equipped with experimental Plato-stage ICE hardware.]

There was also a note from Gino inside the box:

[Mr. Vito said he was giving you a gift. Thanks for saving my life, so I’m sending a little something too. Hmm, I’m not sure if you found what you were looking for in the casino, but since you seemed quite interested in EMP modifications... take this one of mine.]

***

This was a pure, pleasant surprise. Counting the windfall from the Black Spider, this was already his third collectible.

John went to his workshop, carved out a space in the hardened foam, and cleared an area directly opposite his weapon display rack. From now on, this space would be dedicated to his miscellaneous collectibles. Currently, there were two: from top to bottom, the Exile's Ion Dagger and the Gang Hacker's Electromagnetic Rifle.

Just as John finished tidying the room, he received another delivery notification—it was the workbench module he had ordered from "Cabinet." This guy was truly the best second-hand dealer on Oil Drum Street; along with the delivery came the accompanying installation chip.

John inserted the chip into his living room player. A holographic projection shimmered over the metal coffee table, simulating the outline of the workshop to scale, based on the parameters John had previously recorded. The video began to play, using 3D animation to teach him how to install the ammunition manufacturing station, detailed enough to point out the position of every single screw.

"Damn, even a fool could do this... you’re really thoughtful, Cabinet."

Dressed in a gray tank top, John started assembling the workbench like a tech-geek living in a garage.

Everything Cabinet sold was top-tier. The tabletop was an electromagnetic plate with precision range-finding, and the sides were equipped with a full suite of tools for crafting ammunition—comprehensive and rich in accessories, capable of churning out any bullet found on the market. There was also a chip in the delivery that, once decompressed, provided an installation package containing tutorials for common ammunition.

After watching, John realized that the workbench Cabinet had picked out for him still had room for upgrades. As long as he connected the data cable to his main console, it could sync with the workshop's system. If he added a few more mechanical arms, he could even build a fully automated bullet-production line.

John was deeply tempted and immediately placed an order for the additional accessories via Cabinet’s link.

"Cabinet deserves to make a fortune."

He looked at his account balance again and frowned slightly. Despite all the running around he’d done, which seemed to net him a lot, he realized that without restraint, money flowed through his fingers like water.

He still had missions to do.

John closed his eyes on the sofa to rest, starting to sort through the final loot from this mission.

[Transport Protocol 308 (Program)]