Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Daughter of Mariko

It was six in the afternoon when I left the Kaka-Dan Prosthetic Clinic.

At the edge of the horizon, a heavy crimson glow unfurled, with sparse rays of sunlight piercing through it like ripples spreading across the surface of a lake, shimmering and brilliant.

The second sentence was not a metaphor.

These dense clouds were genuinely glowing; in some of the most concentrated areas, they resembled the iridescent, flickering wings of a colorful butterfly.

Over decades of production in the new industrial zone, radioactive dust, chemical vapors, biofuels, and all manner of strange substances had been discharged at will, naturally accumulating in the clouds along with the air. The relentless, corrosive acid rain, the bizarre and iridescent clouds of the moment, and the thick, unyielding layers of dust were the consequences of this brew.

After all, the Deep Moss District lacked the "artificial sky" that blanketed the White Gate District and the Central Hall, which could adjust the climate and filter out impurities at will.

Even the current state of things was considered to have undergone a round of purification. Although there was no guarantee against minor issues like deformed births, radiation sickness, or acid rain eroding people, it was, on the whole, habitable and held a promising future.

Most of the wastelands outside the city were in far worse condition than the Deep Moss District. Since the corporation had performed a semi-charitable purification without charging too high a service fee, one had to be content.

Gazing at the sunset for a moment, Song Shi shook his head and withdrew his eyes.

Next, he went to a "storage locker" to pick up the items he had bought yesterday in Thousand Star City, then returned to the low-rent hotel.

"...Hmm, the quality is acceptable."

He casually swiped away the pop-up window that read, "You have violated the terms of your contract. Please report to the research institute within two days, or we will downgrade your credit rating and place you on the list of untrustworthy persons," and looked at what lay before him.

The bed in the low-rent room was covered with all sorts of items.

White Armor Type-III power bracers, a simple reagent insertion belt, a kinetic "Black Fire" pistol, a TTU-type multi-functional entrenching tool, a small ammunition box, an Atat Ring...

These were all of Song Shi's current assets.

He had just performed a simple inspection, and the quality was quite good.

The TTU-type multi-functional entrenching tool was secondhand, and its built-in hydraulic booster was damaged. However, given its high-strength manganese steel construction treated for water toughness, combined with the augmented strength of the power bracers, Song Shi was confident he could snap a person's neck with a single swing—unless the opponent had replaced their skeleton with alloy, standard protective measures would be as fragile as paper.

Then there were the White Armor Type-III power bracers.

Song Shi extended his right hand, slowly curling his fingers, feeling the power bracer that now completely encased his forearm and hand.

It was a rather peculiar sensation.

Through the "Neural Link Unit" implanted in the underlying skin, once the bracer enclosed the arm, apart from the brief, initial sensation of cold, the two quickly completed the sensory nerve connection and the construction of the adaptation circuit—and then, all discomfort vanished.

With just a single thought, the bracer moved according to Song Shi’s intent. Curling fingers, flexing joints, complex movements—all were fluid and natural, devoid of the awkwardness that most people experienced when first starting out.

"—As expected of me."

Song Shi smiled with satisfaction.

A major reason why the White Armor series was considered niche was its high difficulty of operation. Compared to ordinary industrial prosthetics used for moving bricks, the difference in usage requirements was like that between "addition and subtraction" and "multiplication and division."

—But he was a top-tier expert who could even demolish "algebraic topology"!

If he could be left sweating after using nothing more than a set of [White Armor Type-III], how could he have the confidence to go to the Empire and pull off something big in the future?

After using them for a little while, Song Shi took off the power bracers and put them back into the box.

To his past self, the White Armor Type-III was an old piece of equipment from over twenty years ago; how could he possibly remember every specific detail? However, after a few minutes of rehabilitative use, Song Shi already had a firm grasp of them.

The adaptability and coordination of the White Armor Type-III were excellent, feeling just like a natural arm with almost no sensation of it being a foreign object. It was sufficient to support him in using some high-difficulty techniques.

The drawback was that the output threshold was not particularly high; the bionic muscle bundles used in the Type-III were slightly subpar, leading to a decrease in overall output—but twisting a steel bar would certainly be effortless.

Including the aforementioned items, plus the few vials of medicine, two high-crystalline titanium scalpels, the Black Fire pistol, and the ammunition prepared for the latter...

"Roughly three times stronger than I was yesterday, I suppose?"

Song Shi pondered and reached a conclusion.

As for a more specific assessment...

If he were to face the same burly man from yesterday again, even without resorting to disguise or a sneak attack, he could snap the man's head off in a head-on confrontation within three rounds!

After organizing his current equipment configuration, Song Shi packed everything away.

In his current situation, "equipment" was the fastest means of increasing his combat capability.

"Psionic energy," however, was not something that could be rushed, especially since in this life, he must—and absolutely would—glimpse the scenery of the Fifth Ring, [True Spirit]. There was no need to be overly anxious and risk falling into a divergent path by mistake.

Once finished, Song Shi leaned against the headboard and opened the display screen—the United Government provided newborns with a personal chip for free, along with a semi-implant surgery that allowed for retinal projection interfaces without the need to replace one's prosthetic eyes.

Now.

There was one more thing.

Gazing at the floating light screen before him, Song Shi slowly opened the communication interface labeled "Maliko."

Inside was a file.

It was something Maliko had given Song Shi not long ago via a physical link, containing information about the former.

To be precise, it was primarily information about his daughter.

—Mela Bennett.

She was born to Maliko's ex-wife, who unfortunately became addicted to sugar. After a bout of stupor from an overdose, she ran out into the street and was crushed to death by a car seven years ago.

At that time, Mela was just nine years old.

After handling his ex-wife's funeral, Maliko chose not to remarry, instead raising Mela on his own. Now, she was a sixteen-year-old sophomore at "Hode Middle School."

"Hode Middle School" was an auxiliary talent-cultivation facility affiliated with a local enterprise, the Hode Company. The latter's primary business was the distribution of biological agents such as vaccines for Emerald Pharmaceuticals, effectively serving as a downstream distributor for them.

Therefore, at least locally in Palos, the Hode Company held considerable prestige.

Maliko had spent a great deal of money to get Mela into Hode Middle School, hoping his daughter would study hard and enter the talent incubation center of Emerald Pharmaceuticals through the school's internal advancement channels, and then, through the center’s internal channels, gain employment at Emerald Pharmaceuticals—even if it were just at one of the latter's outsourcing companies.

A triple jump.

Because even so, as long as one could be associated with "Emerald Pharmaceuticals," it offered a glimpse of light.

Unfortunately, a series of subsequent events crushed Maliko.

Thus, the mortgage on the new home in the Rota District, the exorbitant tuition fees of Hode Middle School, the installment bills for his implants, and the non-compete agreement—these things piled together, becoming a terrifying pressure capable of crushing a person instantly, forcing Maliko to volunteer.

At that time, the reason Song Shi used to persuade him to sign the agreement was an "orphanage."

And for Maliko, that reason was his daughter.

Song Shi did not intend to break his word.