Chapter Nineteen: First Collaboration, Another Siege of the Revelry Camp!

On the call screen that had initially been just a shadow, a stunning girl with white hair appeared. Her perfectly shaped oval face bore features as if meticulously carved. She looked petite and delicate. Her eyes were lively and bright, tinged with a hint of mischief, and she was sucking on a lollipop, giving her a playful air.

Su Cheng said calmly, “If you were sincere, wouldn’t you come here yourself?”

“I’m a hacker; I use my brain. You’re too dangerous—I can’t come to you.”

“Speak then. How do you propose we cooperate?”

“You killed members of Death Rock. If it wasn’t just for robbing their prosthetics, then you must have a grudge, right?”

Su Cheng gave a noncommittal “hmm.”

Yang Siqi’s eyes widened in response. “What do you mean by ‘hmm’? You expect me to guess?”

“Ahem, forget it. It doesn’t matter. I want you to be my enforcer.”

“I refuse,” Su Cheng replied swiftly.

Yang Siqi was clearly taken aback, then her voice rose sharply. “What? What did you say? You refuse? Do you believe I won’t send the footage to the Death Rock boss?”

Su Cheng shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. At worst, I’ll just kill them all.”

“You’re so stubborn. Don’t try to box me in. Damn it, I want to be cute.”

Yang Siqi rubbed her delicate cheek. “Don’t lie to me. You’re indeed strong, but with your cautious style, you’d never want to expose yourself, right?”

Su Cheng walked to the edge of the rooftop, scanning the surroundings. This girl was certainly clever but seemed a bit unreliable. “You’re right, but I dislike being someone else’s pawn even more.”

Having a hacker ally would be very beneficial. When clearing out the abandoned parking lot base earlier, having hacker support would have made the operation much easier. But he couldn’t agree so easily. Although she had leverage over him, fundamentally, she was the one seeking cooperation.

Yang Siqi waved impatiently. “Let’s cut the nonsense. Playing mind games with you is exhausting. You don’t seem like someone in their twenties. I’ll be blunt.”

“Working with me has many benefits. I can cover for you after your missions and help you gather intel beforehand.”

“You always scout the target environment and key info before an operation. I can handle that.”

“No need to worry about surveillance or online communication—they won’t detect us. After all, I’m a genius hacker.”

“You only have to take care of some people for me. Don’t worry, they’re all despicable gang members or villains. How about it?”

Su Cheng pondered for a moment. This woman had done her homework and even knew his age. That proved she had genuine ability. Cooperation would be very advantageous. He had been planning to ‘borrow’ gang members’ prosthetics for synthesis and upgrades anyway. Now with hacker help, his future operations would be safer.

But Yang Siqi’s motives must run deeper.

“Why do you need an enforcer?”

Yang Siqi shook her head. “I can’t say yet. When the time is right, I’ll tell you. Just know I won’t let you be in danger because I need you!”

“Alright, let’s cooperate.”

Su Cheng agreed decisively.

“Hmm,” Yang Siqi seemed surprised. “You refuse so quickly but agree just as fast.”

Su Cheng headed toward the stairs. “Cooperation benefits me, and you’re sincere. No point in wasting time hesitating.”

“You’re a strange one. Wait, don’t leave yet. There’s a little gift for you in the flowerpot on the left side of the rooftop.”

Su Cheng stopped and approached the pot, retrieving a thin black metal piece.

“That’s an external brain-machine interface I made. It doesn’t bind to your ID info, can connect directly to me, and allows network operations. Just stick it behind your ear.”

Su Cheng pressed the metal piece behind his ear and immediately felt a slight sting. Two rows of pins extended, piercing the skin to hold it in place. His wrist chip’s call disconnected, and a virtual call interface appeared before his eyes.

Only he could see this virtual screen; the information transmitted straight to his brain.

“Now it’s convenient. No one else can overhear us. You can authorize it so you don’t have to use that old wrist ID chip anymore. Handy, right?”

Su Cheng nodded. It was indeed convenient.

Yang Siqi smirked proudly. “Hmph, I’m a genius.”

“I’m heading back now. If you have a mission, just tell me in advance. But don’t call me randomly.”

“Don’t worry. Calls require your answer. I’m not a peeping tom.”

Su Cheng pointed to a hidden surveillance camera in the corner. “Who watched the Wild Ghost footage earlier? And now who’s spying on me through the monitors?”

“Uh… me. I didn’t want to come up to the rooftop. Who knows if you’d get angry and stab me.”

“Fair enough. By the way, since you’re so capable, this should be easy for you.”

“Do what?”

“I need to buy 600 bottles of low-grade nutrient solution but don’t want to reveal my identity. Hard?”

“That? Just transfer the money to me, then pick up the goods tomorrow at the address I give you. Is that difficult?”

Su Cheng smiled and transferred the money immediately. “Thanks. That’s all for today.”

“Wait!”

Yang Siqi called after him. “Tonight, let’s do a trial run. The Carnival Camp swapped out some people. Let’s use that place for practice.”

“Alright.”

Su Cheng’s gaze sharpened. He was just short of some prosthetic synthesis upgrades—this would be a good chance to get some supplies.

“Let’s go. I’ll send you some info.”

Su Cheng went down the stairs and headed toward the Carnival Camp.

After he left, someone hurried upstairs, stunned to see two corpses on the ground. But soon, they began expertly dismantling the bodies.

…

“Because Wild Dog and his group died mysteriously the day before yesterday, the camp installed lots of surveillance.”

Yang Siqi pulled up all the Carnival Camp’s footage for Su Cheng. “They brought in ten new people. Fewer in number, but stronger!”

“This is the new leader, Black Bull.”

The monitor showed a nearly two-meter-tall, heavily built man drinking. His prosthetic arms were especially bulky.

“He’s fitted with D-grade mechanical prosthetic arms, specially modified for immense strength. Be careful—D-grade prosthetics are formidable!”

“His defense is high, wearing reinforced armor. Your weapons can injure him, but unless you hit his head, killing him will be tough.”

“The others’ gear is also upgraded a notch, and they’re more alert.”

Su Cheng listened intently. Cooperation was indeed beneficial. This intel was invaluable.

An old saying in 21st-century China: know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.

“But don’t worry, I’ve hacked their surveillance network. I can shut down their monitors anytime, so they can’t track or record you.”

“Their online communication firewall I can only disable for five minutes. Once it reconnects, they can send out your info.”

“Good enough,” Su Cheng said.

He returned to the alley, easily leapt onto a heating pipe, and sprinted toward the Carnival Camp.

“You’re fast. Let’s start. I’ve marked all their locations.”

A mental map of the Carnival Camp appeared in Su Cheng’s mind, red dots marking enemy positions.

“You were just in that old city building, right?”

“You’re a dangerous one.”

Su Cheng grinned. “Let’s begin!”

…