Chapter 197: Chapter 121: City Farm Branch 2

[Reward: Unknown]

A countdown appeared before John’s eyes.

This was the second time he’d triggered a temporary task while wandering the city; last time he managed to stop a junkie who had been kidnapped by a Ghoul.

Now, thinking back:

If he hadn’t intervened then, once the countdown ended, the Ghoul’s car would have left, and the temporary task had to find the target within the time limit.

John involuntarily slowed down the car.

He looked around on the bluish-grey streets, rolled down the car window, and suddenly gunshots rang out, seeming to come from the alley of the factory’s annexed apartments.

At the end of the road, there weren’t any onlookers; a person was lying on the ground in the crevice between the buildings.

John parked the car to the side, quickly ran with small steps, pressed against the wall, and observed from the side:

Inside was an open truck, with some frozen materials falling from the trunk, wrapped in transparent cling film, the scan shows…

[Item: Fresh Meat [City Farm]]

A gang of thugs blocked the truck and the driver in the depths of the containers.

They wore similarly styled white tank tops, holding cheap and durable Rongju rifles.

A little timid.

They might be new to the streets, or maybe have some skirmish experience, all sticking behind obstacles, raising their guns above their heads and shooting wildly.

In comparison…

The owner of the goods was extraordinarily bold, facing the assault of five or six people alone without flinching.

That was a middle-aged white man wearing body armor.

He wore a baseball cap, one arm was already soaked in blood, using his other arm to prop up a rifle, leaning against the truck’s explosion-proof tire, shooting continuously.

“Sangma Rebi Pool, you bastards, dare to mess with my business!”

The scene was already very clear.

This man had taken goods from the city farm and was robbed by a gang during the sale.

[Task Objective Updated]

[Eliminate gang thugs 0/5 (Not Achieved)]

John crouched down and activated Sianweistan.

His vision was covered with a bluish-grey filter.

The gunfire exploded into orange-red blossoms, bullets left gel-like afterimages in the air, everything in perception slowed down several times.

John jumped over a concrete block, pouncing on a gang kid who was changing clips.

The opponent had no time to react before his neck was twisted, and the others were left only with gasps of shock.

John rammed his knee into another person’s nose.

The underling’s face was instantly painted, his head also became dizzy, and the gun he was pulling the trigger on kept firing at the ground.

John lifted a leg, kicked his chin sideways, subsequently pulled the rifle into his own hands, and swung it like a baseball bat, whipping it with a whistling sound onto the third person’s head.

The power of Igdrasir was so overwhelming, it even distorted the opponent’s slot.

The chaotic gunfire instantly halved.

Instead came curses and screams.

John’s rifle was also slightly bent, so he simply threw it out to hit someone, then smoothly drew his handgun from his side, and blew up the fourth person’s head.

He turned around with a high side whip leg, seemingly having eyes on the back of his head, knocked the last one to the ground, and questioned from a superior position.

“Who are you with?”

“White… White Biker Gang.”

He trembled, not yet recovered, supporting himself with both hands on the ground, continually backing up.

John pulled the trigger.

The assailants were dealt with.

The man behind the truck was dumbfounded.

He dared not lower his rifle, but after witnessing the simple and straightforward execution, he silently walked out from behind cover.

Trying to say something.

John dialed the farm owner’s phone, and while waiting for it to connect, he raised a hand to stop the man, asking for his name.

“Bob, Bob Doug. I…”

He hesitated, lowering his gun, taking off his baseball cap, revealing his sweat-covered forehead.

“Shh…”

Knowing the name was enough for John.

The call had connected.

The old American’s gruff voice was as rough as ever.

[I have no notes for this number, who are you?]

“John, I’ve been to the farm, with Angelica, remember?”

[Oh, heavens…]

“Yes, yes, I’m still alive, don’t react like you’ve seen a ghost every damn time someone sees me. There’s a guy named Bob here, is he your client?”

[Ah, right. He’s a diligent guy, helping me open up the lower markets, are you acquainted or what?]

“A group of gang thugs attempted to rob him, I happened to run into it, no one left alive at the scene, they called themselves the White Biker Gang… do you know them?”

[Sangma Rebi Pool…]

John could even imagine this guy suppressing his anger, licking his molars, breathing in rasps, pondering how to get revenge.

After a long silence, the farm owner finally spoke.

[Is Bob still alive?]

“For now, yes.”

John turned to look.

Bob’s eyes lit up instantly.

[Well done, John. My business is all over the city, and you might run into similar situations again. As long as you help solve the trouble, I’ll pay you. This time, do you want money or goods?]

“Just save it for later.”

John hadn’t made up his mind yet.

[Don’t hang up yet, kid, I’ve got a pretty good impression of you…]

“Ha.”

John let out a cold laugh.

The farm owner was a very astute guy, never trusting anyone lightly.

He must have checked John’s background, heard the rumors and buzz on the street, and found something he liked before deciding to make nice.

Sure enough.

The farm owner proposed a new mode of cooperation.

[Lately, a lot of new faces have come into Eden City, and gangs and mercenaries aren’t the only choices. Some people modify vehicles for transport or invest in storefronts to open shops. If you want to be a restaurant owner, I’m willing to help and provide a stable supply…]

“Forget it, too much hassle.”

John was already losing interest—having lived a free and unrestrained life on the streets, he had no desire to be trapped in a shop.

[I knew you’d say that, young people always have difficulty settling down in a small business. It’s okay, ask around, and see who wants to do a little business in Eden City.]

John waited silently for more words.

The farm owner was also straightforward.

[There are people at the Wanderer Camp, though they’re quite exclusionary. I heard you have a good relationship with them?]

“Do you want me to bridge a connection?”

[Something like that, this is a win-win situation. A small company registered in Damascus has been targeted, and several original construction projects have encountered trouble… Didn’t you know? Well, I’ll give you a hint, Raqi Industry took action, the Eastern People want to squeeze out the Wanderers.]

“I can’t guarantee anything.”

[It’s okay, waiting for your news. Stability is a luxury for many, stay in touch.]

The farm owner hung up the phone.

John brushed off some dust, smiled at Bob, and tucked the gun into his holster before walking away.

[Temporary Task: Hyena Dog (Completed)]

[Reward: City Farm Points, Branch Qualification (Pending)]

All within just ten minutes.

It would be nice if all tasks were this straightforward.

John drove his Jurassic ZT15 out of the city, across the industrial district’s asphalt road, along a sandy, bumpy path.

In the wasteland beyond municipal traffic reach, the garbage mountain loomed away from the bustle.

[Eden City-Ⅲ Landfill Site]

As soon as John stepped into a certain area, the originally disconnected system rebooted itself via the Atlanta Virtual Network.

He stopped the car and opened the armored vehicle’s trunk.

A new Black Spider extended its limbs, and the old one, after rebooting, also lit up.

[Status: Deploying Operation]

With the landfill’s several pieces of equipment reactivated, the system showed there was a loot to be recovered before going offline, marked just before Black Light failed, but not yet collected.

Touching the loot would trigger a task.

John, already familiar with the process.

He walked through the towering, pitch-black tunnels—garbage was segmented and compressed into two-meter-high rectangular blocks, stacked to form a complex maze.

The Black Spider pulled something out.

An alloy fragment.

It seemed to be the remains of some kind of limb connector, with the last two digits of the product serial number erased.

John’s pupils contracted.

Accompanied by ringing ears and halos, various memory fragments rapidly flashed through his mind.

Intense gunfire echoed in the damp alley.

Neon lights illuminated the puddles, whirlwinds on the manhole covers spun, blood diluted by the rainwater, and he fell to the ground, revealing the tattoo above his wrist.

Owl Town Gang.

John immediately recalled their identity.

The person kept running despite being shot.

Even through distant memories, one could feel the pain and will to survive back then.

The gunfire caught up with him.

A bullet pierced his knee.

The vision whirled and spun, and before he fully fell, another bullet shattered his arm.

The pursuer flipped him over.

John saw them too—they wore heavy helmets, reinforced goggles above marked with the Special Operations Team symbol.

[Task: Seek Wealth amidst Danger]

[Reward: Payment (Variable), Implant (Unknown)]

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