After all these days of traveling, Su Mo had grown accustomed to the slaughter. He tossed away the cow-head mask in his hand and said, “Stop talking nonsense. Look at these people’s weapons and gear; take whatever you can use.”

He then pointed to the tall cardboard boxes beside him: “These contain the debts released by the Red Blade Association. You can arrange for someone to collect them. I don’t ask for much, just a fifty-fifty split of the money you recover.”

“Oh, and when collecting debts, handle those deadbeat hooligans however you see fit. Don’t hold back.”

“But for those who were trapped or had no choice but to borrow money to survive, give them time to repay slowly. If they really can’t pay, let it go. We don’t need that money.”

No one who hangs around the frontier is a good person, Haywood isn’t a good person, and he doesn’t think Su Mo is one either.

But after spending time with Su Mo, Haywood always sensed some traits from him that didn’t belong to the frontier. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.

Haywood nodded: “Got it. Take it easy, kid, and try not to cause such a commotion every day. I don’t want to be the one to pick up your corpse someday.”

“Alright, I’m off.” Su Mo left the Red Blade Association’s stronghold.

As soon as he mounted his motorcycle, his phone rang.

He answered, and Audiana’s voice came from the other end: “Young man, the commission payment has been transferred to you, fifty grand in total.”

Audiana was an efficient person who never did anything unnecessary.

The matter of commission transfers was something the bank’s built-in text notification could handle; there was no need for a special call.

Su Mo figured she had something else to say and proactively asked, “What’s up, Lady Countess? Do you have any instructions?”

Audiana: “Nothing else; I just find your work always exceeds my expectations. I sent you to eliminate a fighter from the Red Blade Association, and you ended up taking down the entire organization.”

Su Mo was long used to Audiana’s intelligence-gathering prowess, and he asked with a smile, “There’s no rule against over-delivering on commissions, is there?”

“There isn’t indeed. I’m not calling to hold you accountable or blame you. It’s just…” Audiana paused, her voice growing deeper, “Is there something you’re hiding in your heart?”

“I always feel like you’re in a hurry, as if something’s chasing you, and you approach tasks very aggressively. I’ve seen a lot of mercenaries eager for success, but none like you.”

Su Mo lightly asked, “If I tell you what’s on my mind, would you help me unconditionally?”

Audiana answered crisply: “No, we’re in a broker-mercenary cooperation, not friends. I can help you with some things, but only if you have something of equal value to exchange with me.”

Su Mo shrugged: “That’s it, then. I don’t have anything of equal value right now, you won’t help me, and I don’t need to tell you my mind.”

Laughter came through the phone from Audiana.

Some might see Su Mo’s words as distant or even offensive.

But a seasoned woman like Audiana wouldn’t mind at all.

Exchanging interests is how adults interact.

Audiana meaningfully said, “You’re quite interesting. Maybe one day we could become friends, but not today. Until then, do your best and stay alive.”

…

Su Mo rode his motorcycle to the sewer entrance, slipped inside once more, and found the small hideout of Future.

Future hadn’t packed much, and the hardware facilities in the hideout hadn’t been moved.

According to her, in case Su Mo accidentally perished someday and she found herself with no options, she could always retreat back here to her burrow.

The only thing she took along was the cage with a mouse.

This genetically modified breed of mouse was quite a prize.

It could serve as a receptor for future experiments.

When bored, she could play with it on her palm.

When hungry, she could roast and eat it.

Upon leaving the hideout and arriving at the surface, Su Mo emerged first, taking deep breaths of fresh air.

Future cautiously peeked out of the sewer entrance with the mouse cage, warily observing the surroundings, her probing manner mirroring that of the little mouse in the cage.

Su Mo, a bit annoyed, said, “I told you, the Red Blade Association is gone, no one’s going to chase debts, just come out at ease.”

Future finally crawled out, looked up, and marveled, “Ah, the long-missed sunlight—still as annoying as ever. It’s much more comfortable in the sewers.”

Su Mo helped her onto the motorcycle: “Let’s go, I’ll first take you to get cleaned up and change clothes.”

Su Mo rented a hotel room and got a new set of clothes for Future to tidy herself up.

Future spent a full hour inside, using several bottles of body wash and shampoo.

When she came out in new clothes, Su Mo was taken aback.

Future had started slacking at the age of 20, for 3 years. Now at 23, she was in the prime of her life.

Before, in the sewer, she was disheveled and looked like a primitive, so you couldn’t tell much.

After washing up, it was clear she was a downright beautiful girl.

Her skin was snow-white from a lack of sunlight exposure, her thin red lips were gently pressed, and her natural woolly curls draped over her shoulders exuded the spirit of youth.

A slightly humorous touch was the dark circles under her eyes.

Though she didn’t have to work while slacking in the sewer, the absence of light variation disrupted her biological clock, compromising her sleep quality.

Over the years, she became a “little panda.”

Future yawned and drowsily asked, “Where to next?”

Su Mo: “Do you have a citizen ID?”

Future lifted her wrist, revealing a scar underneath and said, “I used to have one. I dug out the chip before hiding in the sewer. I didn’t think of coming out again, but then I met you.”

Su Mo: “…You’re a rascal.”

Su Mo took Future to find Haywood to get her a new citizen ID.

This time, the earnings from his bets totaled 270,000, plus the 1.07 million he robbed from Scarface, a commission of 500,000, and he sold sundry pieces of jewelry for 30,000, bringing his total income to 1.87 million.

After deducting the 150,000 for Haywood’s citizen ID fee, the net earnings totaled 1.72 million, plus a Future.

This haul was simply an epic win!

A bit unfortunate was that in the public crowd, he couldn’t activate the Ancestral Blood Code to absorb Simpson’s Molten Iron Blood Code.

But it’s not a big issue since the Molten Iron Blood Code and the Mad Corpse Blood Code are similarly defensive codes specializing in going head-to-head, which he might not necessarily find useful.

There will be plenty of opportunities to devour blood codes in the future, no need to dwell on it.

Now, KK is in charge of logistics, taking care of all the miscellaneous matters, sparing Su Mo a great deal of effort and time.

Adding Future to the team provides Su Mo with technical support.

Based on Future’s displayed abilities in the game’s storyline, as long as she’s given enough time and hardware support, there isn’t anything in application areas she can’t handle, whether it’s blood code compilation, prosthetic implant, spiritual brain development, or various weapon and equipment manufacturing.

With logistics and technology ensured, Su Mo is free to focus on making money and growing stronger.

The next day, after finalizing the identity documentation, Su Mo took Future back to his residence in the Rust Wall District.

Hearing the knock on the door, KK opened the door to greet them: “Boss, you finally came back… Eh, who’s that girl behind you?…”

Su Mo smiled, “Let me introduce her, Future, our future engineer.”

“Future, this is KK, our little logistics assistant. For anything in daily life, you can go to him.”

KK nodded back to consciousness: “A new companion? Hello, hello, pleased to meet you.”

“Great~” Future lazily greeted KK, then turned her gaze to Su Mo, her tone urgent: “Can I start researching your blood code now?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep