By the ti the second day rolled around, Arthur slowly got out of bed. He grabbed a piece of paper from the bedside table and stuffed it into his pocket. Just as he was about to stand up completely, his legs suddenly gave out, nearly sending him crashing to the floor. He quickly caught himself by gripping the wall beside him.
After a few monts, he finally regained so strength. Piece by piece, he pulled on his scattered clothes, still feeling the lingering exhaustion from the night before. With unsteady steps, he made his way out of the room, his muscles sore and weak.
Arthur knew it wasn't his fault.
What kind of joke was this?
Even if he didn't fully trust his own stamina, he should at least trust the capabilities of his cyber-enhanced body. His modifications were top-tier, built for endurance. A normal night out shouldn't have left him feeling this drained.
The real issue? lissa.
That crazy woman had undergone just as many cybernetic enhancents as he had—maybe even more. She was relentless, pushing their limits until the bed itself was completely ruined. The wooden base was covered in deep gashes, all caused by her Mantis Blades snapping out mid-action.
It was a level of intensity that even Arthur hadn't anticipated.
By the ti the sun ca up, he felt completely drained, his energy sucked dry. That's why he decided to make a quiet escape before lissa woke up, grabbing the note she had written and slipping out of the room.
A New Task
Arthur made his way to the hotel lobby, stopping by a vending machine to buy a bottle of water. He took a long sip before finally pulling out the note to examine it.
lissa had written an address, a na, and a phone number—all neatly penned in careful handwriting. It was clear she wanted him to contact this person.
Arthur rubbed his chin in thought. It wouldn't be right to just show up empty-handed. A gift would be appropriate, sothing to make a good impression.
But what should he bring?
Then, an idea struck him.
For corporate employees, the best gift wasn't money or food—it was stimulants.
Workers in these big companies pulled exhausting 16-hour shifts every day. Their als often consisted of nothing but performance-enhancing drugs, stimulants to keep them awake, and sleeping pills to force rest when their bodies refused.
Yes. Stimulants would be the perfect choice.
Arthur finished his drink and tossed the empty bottle into a trash can as he exited the hotel. Before leaving completely, he asked the receptionist to put the charge on lissa's account. A cyberpsycho like her wouldn't even notice the cost of a single drink.
As he stepped outside, he quickly typed a ssage to lissa, explaining his sudden departure.
Just to ss with her, he also attached a certain photo from last night—one where she had been begging for rcy.
At the bottom of the ssage, he added so provocative words, just to get under her skin.
A Strange Reward
As he walked, a sudden notification rang in his mind.
[Ding~ Congratulations to the host for successfully signing in and obtaining soil improvent technology!]
Arthur stopped in his tracks.
What the hell?
Of all the possible rewards he could've received, why this?
What was he supposed to do with soil improvent technology? Grow vegetables in a wasteland?
Then again... maybe it wasn't such a bad idea.
Arthur took a mont to examine the technology stored in his brain-computer system. It was a fascinating breakthrough—one that could restore even the most barren land to a fertile state.
This was huge.
Given the current state of the world, where nuclear devastation and industrial pollution had left most of the land unusable, this technology was priceless.
"This could be my next big business venture," Arthur thought.
The suppressor chip business wouldn't last forever.
It was only a matter of ti before major corporations reverse-engineered his work, either bypassing his patents or outright stealing his designs. While he planned to register his patents soon, big companies had ways of getting around such things.
Unlike small businesses, these corporations had endless resources.
If they wanted to steal sothing, they would—either by buying out the original creator or eliminating them entirely.
That was just how the world worked.
"Yeah, this soil improvent tech could be my ticket to sothing bigger."
Shopping for Stimulants
A little while later, Arthur arrived at a high-end pharmacy in Little China.
This was one of the wealthiest areas in Heywood, a place where only the richest corporate workers shopped. The pharmacy shelves were lined with top-tier stimulants—the kind used by high-ranking executives and elite employees.
Arthur stood out like a sore thumb.
While most of the custors wore expensive suits, he was dressed in casual street clothes, clearly out of place. But he didn't care.
He browsed the aisles, selecting the most expensive and most effective stimulants available.
These weren't the cheap, watered-down versions sold in back-alley clinics. These were premium-grade enhancers designed for those who worked impossible hours and needed to stay sharp.
Of course, the price tags were outrageous.
Arthur cursed under his breath.
"This stuff is more expensive than robbery," he muttered.
Still, he didn't hesitate. If he was going to bring a gift, it had to be the best. He loaded up a bag with the top-tier stimulants, not bothering to check the total cost.
An Unsettling Encounter
As Arthur approached the counter to pay, sothing caught his attention.
A middle-aged man stood a few aisles away, carefully examining a shelf of stimulants. He had sharp blue eyes and an unnervingly calm deanor. Unlike the other corporate workers in the store, this man radiated a different kind of presence—one that felt far more dangerous.
Arthur imdiately looked away, pretending not to notice.
He had no interest in drawing the attention of soone like that.
After completing his purchase, he quickly made his way to the exit. But just as he stepped outside, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched.
From inside the store, the blue-eyed man had turned his gaze toward Arthur's retreating figure.
A calculating expression crossed his face.
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