Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Xu Xiaoyou only felt noise.
She stepped onto the lift platform and soon arrived inside the room.
In the corner, the man whose face was as pale as ash looked at her. He didn't say much, only nodding.
"Congratulations."
Xu Xiaoyou waved her hand and glanced at the remaining dismantlers in the room.
The dismantlers scratched their heads, and the man took the hint. "All of you, out."
Once all the dismantlers had left and only she and the man remained in the room, Xu Xiaoyou finally sat down. She stared into the man's eyes for a moment; his eyes, like decaying fungus, were covered in white lines.
"Since Mother has chosen..."
"Sorry, I'm not interested," Xu Xiaoyou interrupted him directly.
The man froze.
What did she mean, 'not interested'??
Wasn't your purpose for coming here to become a Prophet?
However, because of that white-haired girl, he didn't dare to lose his temper.
After a brief internal struggle, he finally spoke tentatively, "Do you mean you actually have no intention of becoming a Prophet?"
"To be honest, the only reason I came here was to collect a debt," Xu Xiaoyou said.
"How... how much money?"
"Two hundred thousand."
"Two hundred thousand inspiration?"
Xu Xiaoyou didn't understand the man's reaction; he looked completely taken aback.
Inspiration was the currency of Star of Art, a hive city within Universal Heavy Industries' sphere of influence. It had the highest currency weight; according to the exchange rate, one inspiration could be exchanged for over a hundred credit points.
'Is he worried I owe so much that I can't pay it back?' Xu Xiaoyou thought.
"No, two hundred thousand credit points," she clarified.
The man was utterly dumbfounded.
So, you fought your way into the deepest part of a dismantler nest, earned Mother's recognition, and took a share of her power—nearly replacing him as the head of the family—all for a measly two hundred thousand credit points?
These dismantlers certainly wouldn't support a useless cripple, even if he had been their 'head'. If he were truly replaced by another Prophet, his fate would surely be death and being cannibalized.
Although that would be a form of release, he had done a lot of mental preparation for it.
He had only been in this nest for a few months; had the outside world already become this surreal?
Given the current danger level of Alley No. 5, it had to be at least a disaster-level threat. And yet, a mere company employee dared to dive deep into the nest alone just to collect a debt??
'Is this woman an urban psycho?' the man wondered, his thoughts in a mess.
"So, what you're saying is..."
"You're leaving as soon as you get the money?"
"Yeah, obviously. What else would I do? Stay here and become a monster like you?" Xu Xiaoyou said.
"Then why didn't you tell me that from the start!?" the man roared. "Do you know how much mental agony I just went through!"
"Only winners have the right to negotiate," Xu Xiaoyou said dismissively. "If I had said that at the beginning, you would have just treated me like a delusional lunatic and let those dismantlers finish me off."
"But now it's different. If you don't pay up, I can have those dismantlers finish you off instead." Xu Xiaoyou smiled.
The man couldn't find a way to refute the girl; her logic was too eccentric.
"Then... what about Mother's power?"
"You've already become Mother's 'child'."
Xu Xiaoyou pondered for a moment. "What will happen?"
"As long as Mother exists in this world, you will slowly be assimilated by her. Eventually, you'll become just like me, unable to ever leave this nest," the man explained.
"Even if you leave this place, Mother's flesh and blood will slowly 'grow' on your body," the man continued. "Perhaps one day you'll wake up and find your back completely fused to your bed. You will become a nest for the dismantlers."
Xu Xiaoyou breathed a sigh of relief. "Is that all?"
"You don't need to worry about that."
"What do you mean I don't need to worry!?"
The man became increasingly certain that the woman before him was an irredeemable lunatic.
He saw that the girl was in a hurry to leave. Although he didn't know why, he was terrified she might change her mind. He quickly settled the debt through the online network.
After seeing off this 'great buddha', the man let out a sigh of relief.
Although staying here and watching himself turn into a monster day by day was unpleasant, living like a dog was better than a good death.
Who knew? Maybe one day he would use Alley No. 5 to find success.
As long as he was still the head of these dismantlers and Mother's most beloved child, he could find a way to slowly eat away at this hive city until it was completely consumed!
A dark glint flashed in the man's eyes.
As long as Alley No. 5 eventually became a world-class urban legend! He could escape his current predicament as a king and make the world experience the pain he had suffered for so long!
...
Somewhere in the sewers.
Xu Xiaoyou leaned against a wall and submitted the commission task to Universal Heavy Industries.
Watching the reward arrive in her account, a look of satisfaction crossed her eyes.
Completing this S-rank commission would likely cause a stir within the company.
The company's high-level executives would certainly take notice of her. Securing a ticket for the Heart's Desire train was now a guaranteed certainty.
She wasn't interested in being promoted to an S-rank employee or climbing the corporate ladder.
Universal Heavy Industries hung over her head like a sharp blade, its shadow looming over her.
Once she lost her value, failed to bring profit to the company, or hindered its development, she would be heartlessly abandoned and dealt with no matter how high she climbed.
After leaving this hive city, she would find a way to rid herself of that shadow.
She had no intention of being a puppet for the rest of her life.
"Xiaoyou, legend, dangerous."
Beside her, Anya tugged at her hem and mumbled.
"Alley No. 5, growing, dangerous."
Xu Xiaoyou struck a match. The flickering flame illuminated her face, casting a mysterious glow.
She looked up toward the direction she had taken to leave the nest.
"Don't worry, Anya. From the very start..."
"I never planned to let Alley No. 5 go."
...
BOOM—
A thunderous explosion echoed from the depths of the nest.
The entire nest trembled.
That massive heart sensed an immense threat. Its chambers quivered, and the crimson light it emitted grew brighter and brighter.
"What's happening!" a dismantler shrieked.
Inside the room, the man's fantasies were shattered. He looked panicked. "What's the situation outside?"
"I don't know! Mother is afraid!"
"Mother..." the man murmured in a daze, "is afraid?"
BOOM—
Another explosion.
"Listen up, criminal inside! You are surrounded! You have nowhere to run!"
Bai Youyou shouldered Osiris, her face dark with frustration.
Staring at the wall of flesh that had been blasted open, she thought of how she was about to catch that criminal, and an excited smile finally broke through the clouds on her face.
She picked up a megaphone and shouted:
"I promise that if you come out and surrender, the association will reduce your punishment! If you remain stubborn and resist arrest, don't blame me for using excessive force!"
Two officers followed behind Bai Youyou.
Their entire bodies were shaking as they gripped their pistols and looked at each other.
"Man, this place... no matter how I look at it, it looks like Alley No. 5. Could the criminal really be here?"
"I... I don't know. Those things over there are dismantlers, right?"
They were afraid, but the dismantlers inside were even more terrified.
The man in the room was roaring, "What is with this crazy woman? What the hell does she want!"
"Hurry and stop her! Don't let her get near Mother!"
After entering the nest and seeing the scene inside, Bai Youyou's expression darkened slightly.
Earlier that morning, she had received a tip from a helpful citizen regarding the criminal's hideout.
But as she looked around, this didn't look like a place a human would hide.
On the contrary, it looked exactly like Alley No. 5, which had been the talk of the town lately.
Even as naive as she was, she realized something was wrong.
This appeared to be a dismantler nest.
She looked up at the bright red heart above, shielding her eyes.
"So this is the core of Alley No. 5..."
"Well, that certainly saves some effort."
Countless dismantlers lunged at her, only to be effortlessly smashed to pieces by the girl swinging her mimicry hammer.
The two officers watched the scene, feeling deeply impressed.
It was too brutal.
They had originally thought all grade 3 fixers were this strong.
Now they realized that the only one who was actually strong was this little princess from Oasis...
Looking at the mangled limbs of their kin littering the ground, the dismantlers realized that with their power, they couldn't possibly stand against such a monster.
The dismantlers of Alley No. 5 wailed:
"Mother, your children are suffering! Please, wake up!"
"Yes, Mother! Please protect your offspring! We have reached our moment of life or death!"
In their despair, these dismantlers pinned all their hopes on that bright red heart.
They formed a circle and performed a ritual. Countless streams of blood flew from the blood pool into the air. Dark souls condensed on the surface of the heart, and piercing wails echoed throughout the underground cavern.
As if hearing the calls of her children, the heart finally awoke.
It grew even larger, its beating accelerated, and the crimson aura swirling around it became denser and more intense.
Countless blood-red tentacles reached out, wild and chaotic, like a demon god descending upon the world!
Hearing the thunderous rhythmic thumping, the dismantlers shouted in unison, bowing before Mother's grand will.
Tears streamed down the man's face. "Mother..."
In the moment of greatest crisis, even a non-human heart erupted with intense emotion. She truly loved her offspring.
When the strength of the entire family was united, there was nothing they couldn't overcome.
The hearts of the dismantlers were linked at that moment.
They held hands, smiling at one another, setting aside all past grudges, more united than ever before.
Until they saw that bright red heart take a direct hit from the girl's cannon, exploding into a rain of bloody chunks.
"MAMA!!!"
"AAAAAAHHHH!!!"
Countless dismantlers shrieked. Amidst their wails, they followed the heart, turning into blood and melting away.
Bai Youyou looked confused. The cannon form of Osiris shifted back into a heavy hammer.
She stared at the suddenly silent, empty nest and fell into deep thought.
The two officers looked at each other.
"Is it... over just like that?"
"It seems so."
Bai Youyou fell into a state of self-doubt. "Did I still fail to catch the criminal?"
She looked at her hands, her face filled with deep frustration.
Even though she had just incidentally taken down a disaster-level urban legend.
...
The next day.
"Well?"
Xu Xiaoyou looked calmly at the werewolf sitting behind the desk.
Wilson swallowed hard.
He had, of course, seen the news on TV about Alley No. 5 being wiped out single-handedly by an unknown fixer.
And the blonde girl in front of him had just recovered the debt from Alley No. 5.
It was hard for him not to connect the two.
Going deep into Alley No. 5 alone, entering the dismantler nest, recovering the debt, and even annihilating it in the end.
That was a freaking disaster-level hive city legend!
He couldn't even imagine how the girl had managed to do it!
The company's upper management had already rated her as an S-rank employee. Every S-rank employee was a strategic talent resource to the company; their importance went without saying.
In other words, she was now on equal footing with him.
Actually, not quite. As a minor branch department head, he was probably less important to the high-level executives than an S-rank employee...
If a choice had to be made, the company would undoubtedly abandon him first.
"Grant me a month of leave," Xu Xiaoyou said. "I don't want to work. I'm tired."
Wilson nodded like a little chick pecking for seeds. "You got it, boss."
"Paid leave."
"Of course, no problem!"
"Oh, right. That investigator has recently narrowed her search down to company employees. She might investigate me. Transfer Xu Nian's identity and position back to the company in Sector 9 and forge the records properly."
"Where are you going?"
"Nowhere. I'm waiting for a ticket." Xu Xiaoyou stood up and gave Wilson a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You must find a way to make her believe Xu Nian is in Sector 9—and that she's been there the whole time."
"Understand?"
"I understand, I understand." Wilson felt a chill under her gaze and nodded frantically.
After giving her instructions, Xu Xiaoyou walked through the office area. The employees of the security department cast glances of envy and admiration.
"You've made it big, Xu Nian!" Tailu came over and said.
Just like a month ago, he still had that warm attitude, laughing boisterously as he spoke, still the same senior who was outgoing with everyone.
But her status had undergone a world-shaking change.
In just one month, her status had jumped repeatedly, from a vagrant in a scrapyard to a strategic employee at the top of this hive city's pyramid.
She didn't see Glos or Aphrah; they were probably busy with their own matters, she thought.
That last embarrassing incident would be her final memory of them.
Xu Xiaoyou knew in her heart that this was likely the last time she would spend time with these employees.
With only one week left until the deadline for the 'Do the Stars of the Universe Dream of Spacetime Travel?' event, her contribution points far exceeded those of any other Universal employee in the Corrupt Hive City.
She would soon leave this city and head for another hive city.
As for where, she had a general idea as she looked at the new up-rate character on the gacha interface.
"Star of Art," she murmured.
In the afternoon, she sat in a café, enjoying a rare moment of peace.
The sunlight was bright, spilling onto the solid wood tabletop. Golden light followed the grain of the wood, hitting the blinds. Warm steam rose from the coffee, misting the glass.
Outside the window, every pedestrian walked their own path, doing their own thing, their spirits low.
In this hive city, living lonely in one's own world was the norm.
Only the children ran in groups, carefree, their kites flying like butterflies, the children themselves like butterflies dancing in the free wind.
The phone screen on the table lit up.
She received messages from two people at the same time.
Lin Ran: I'm planning to leave. I've already planned where to go next and made a detailed travel itinerary.
: Also, remember how I wasn't home for a while? I actually found a job washing dishes at a restaurant and earned quite a bit of money. I've transferred it to your account.
: If Anya is willing, use this money to send her to school.
: Take care of yourself in the future. Dry your clothes quickly after washing them, or they'll get moldy! For food, I sent you those online tutorials; they're very easy to learn!
: I actually left this morning. Don't miss me!
Attached was a Super Baby emoji.
Bai Youyou: Yuzu, where are you right now?
: There's no one at home, and all the stuff is gone...
: Where did you go?
: Why haven't you replied to my message from last night, Yuzu?
(TL Note: Omission of names imply same sender)
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