Chapter 186 - 52: A Morally Noble Society

In a remote bar, a beat-up phonograph sputtered to life, playing an old song in fits and starts.

The stench of cheap alcohol mingled with the smell of motor oil. Gunshots occasionally rang out from the pitch-black alley by the door, but the drinking customers had grown used to it.

Despite the bad neighborhood, the bar’s owner was quite meticulous about its upkeep. Every day, she would cover the bullet holes in the walls with cheap wallpaper. Even if new ones were sure to appear by nightfall, she never seemed to tire of the task.

Through the bar’s window, customers could see the Glazed Tower in the distant city center. In the otherwise complete darkness, only the tower, soaring into the clouds, blazed with light, like a dwelling for the gods.

Everyone yearned to be there. It was a spiritual totem for all, the home of the Saints—a place only the most morally virtuous could enter.

A television mounted on a cantilever arm was broadcasting the news. The host, already half-machine, stared into the camera and declared with displeasure, "Our rate of moral growth is slowing. This is not a good sign. You—yes, you! Stop indulging in alcohol! Stop indulging in low-class entertainment like Mewtwo! Become more moral people! Long live morality!"

"Long live morality! Long live morality!"

A wide-eyed greenhorn who had just arrived shouted with fervor. He then looked around, confused, and asked, "Why aren’t you all shouting? Don’t you believe in morality?"

The others just stared at him coldly. Then, someone spoke up. "Three minutes. Five morality."

"I’m in."

"Five minutes. Ten morality."

"I’m in."

The Bartender silently tallied the bets, his cheap electronic eye recording each wager. He’d get a five percent cut for acting as the witness.

The greenhorn looked at them in confusion, then frowned in displeasure.

"You bunch of immoral bastards! I refuse to associate with the likes of you!"

He shoved aside the foul liquor before him and stormed out of the bar without a backward glance. Three steps outside, he was struck by a stray bullet from the darkness and collapsed.

From the darkness, figures so heavily modified they were barely human crawled out of a sewer grate. Mechanical tentacles slithered over the young man’s body, stripping it of anything useful.

As the one who fired the shot, he had first rights to the salvage, but only for ten seconds.

Ten seconds later, the mechanical tentacle, having found what it wanted, retracted back into the sewer opening, followed by a second, and then a third.

In the span of a single minute, six waves of scavengers swept over the spot. Not a single usable part was spared. In the end, all that remained was a pool of blood by the door. The body itself had vanished without a trace.

Back inside the bar, some customers clapped and cheered while others hung their heads in dismay. The greenhorn’s death had provided a fleeting moment of entertainment for them all—his one and only contribution since arriving.

A few minutes later, someone else walked into the bar.

The newcomer was rather good-looking, with no visible cybernetics on his face. He had to be a pure-bred natural human.

But the air was now so heavily polluted that the filters in one’s throat needed their screens changed daily. It was a mystery how this natural managed to survive.

The only thing that might be mechanical was the bionic bird on his shoulder. The little thing had been chattering nonstop since he walked in.

Pure-bred natural humans existed only inside the Glazed Tower. This meant the newcomer was probably some young master who’d snuck out on a whim. The risk involved in touching him skyrocketed.

The Bartender made a subtle gesture, warning everyone else not to ambush this man anywhere near the bar. Don’t bring trouble to his establishment.

Taking a seat, Duan Fei glanced around and nodded. "A cyberpunk bar. I like this instance. What do you want to drink, Yan Yuan?"

"I don’t know what it says, but I want that one!" Yan Yuan said, pointing to the largest line of text on the holographic projection.

The server glanced over and replied in a synthesized voice, "That’s the name of the bar’s owner."

"What, is the owner not for sale?!" Yan Yuan shrieked. "Trust me, if the price is right, she’ll be opening more than just the bar door for me!"

Duan Fei stared at Yan Yuan, unable to decide if the bird was sophisticated or just crude.

’On the one hand, you’re illiterate.’

’On the other, you can’t make jokes that filthy without years of practice!’

The server was also taken aback. He’d never expected a bird to be so shameless, so utterly depraved. He was momentarily speechless.

After a moment of silence, Duan Fei pointed at Yan Yuan and said, "I am in no way associated with this bird."

"Master, don’t you forget we’ve combined before! Are you just going to use me and cast me aside?!"

"It’s true, but could you not say it so suggestively? Also, you’re being so aggressive. Did something happen with Miss Black Cat?"

"Master, did you plant a bug on me?! How did you know?"

"I knew it... Never mind, just remember who your master is. The mission for this instance is also to eliminate the source of pollution. Since it’s a long scenario, we can take our time."

A group of people watched Duan Fei and Yan Yuan’s conversation with cold eyes, confirming that Duan Fei knew nothing about this place.

Just as they thought, a young master from the Glazed Tower.

Mmm, smells like morality.

Before long, someone sidled up to him and said with a greasy smile, "Young master, first time in a bar?"

"Mm, that’s right," Duan Fei replied.

"Then you’re gonna need a guide. It’s impossible to get anywhere around here without one."

"Oh? And where would I find a guide?" Duan Fei asked with a smile.

"What a coincidence, you’re looking at one right now. For just three hundred morality a day, I’m all yours! By the way, where’s your personal terminal? I don’t see it."

Those eavesdropping nearby sneered, thinking to themselves that this guy really lived up to his name, Hyena—he was greedy beyond belief.

Around here, a human life might go for fifty morality—thirty during the off-season. And this guy had the gall to ask for three hundred a day.

But the young master was clearly not from around here and had no concept of these numbers.

But Duan Fei wasn’t a fool.

He pointed at the menu on the holoscreen. "The most expensive dish here is only fifteen morality, and you’re charging me one hundred a day?"

"You get what you pay for," Hyena said with a grin.

Duan Fei was about to reply when he heard footsteps at the door.

A massive mech smashed through the door. This type of personal mech stood two meters tall, piloted by a soldier who had undergone a series of modifications, leaving only their head remaining.

After their modifications, they could hardly be called human anymore. Their terrifying bodies possessed two tons of raw Power, and equipped with various heavy weapons, each one could take on an entire regular army unit.

With built-in hydraulic pumps and nuclear power systems, they possessed not only Power but also agility, making these machines the perfect killing instruments.

From the moment the mechs entered, the other patrons were frozen in fear, not daring to utter a word.

These humanoid mechs were the most cold and ruthless Law Enforcers, brutal weapons that resolutely enforced the moral code, and everyone’s most dreaded Nightmare.

They walked up to Duan Fei, ignored him completely, and turned to face Hyena.

"You’re under arrest, Huai’an."