Chapter 202 - 68: Luminous Heavy Industry’s Invitation

That morning, after the Bartender learned that Hyena had seen something strange, he looked at him doubtfully and asked, "It couldn’t be cyberpsychosis, could it?"

"No," Duan Fei said, shaking his head.

Cyberpsychosis was always accompanied by contamination, but there were no signs of it on Hyena.

Hearing this, the Bartender thought for a moment before saying, "It must be a second personality."

He picked up a small booklet next to the instrument, flipped through it, and said, "This is a collection of notes others have left behind. I remember someone writing about a similar situation... Ah, here it is."

Holding the booklet, the Bartender asked, "Are you experiencing any discomfort? Like headaches, dizziness, or nausea?"

"No." Hyena shook his head honestly.

"Can you make physical contact with what you’re seeing? Can you touch it?"

"No."

"And you’re sure you’re the only one who can hear its voice?"

"I’m sure."

After a few more questions, the Bartender snapped the booklet shut. "Confirmed. It’s memory dissociation. Nothing to worry about."

Noticing everyone staring at him, the Bartender smiled. "I graduated from the philosophy department at Wing City University. May I presume to explain this phenomenon to you all?"

Duan Fei raised his hand. "I get the concept, but I don’t get why a top student like you is working as a bartender here."

"It’s a long story. I seduced the chancellor..."

"Tell me more about the seduction part."

"That’s enough," Anna cut in, reining in Duan Fei’s avid curiosity. "Bartender, please continue explaining Hyena’s problem."

The Bartender nodded. "This has happened before, though it’s rare. The lost memories conflict with the present ones, preventing them from merging. These unintegrated memories then form something akin to a second personality. But if he goes to a place the second personality once frequented, he can establish a connection between them, and they should merge quickly."

"I see..."

Duan Fei nodded in understanding.

Recalling what Hyena had said the previous night, Duan Fei felt increasingly certain that the man was hiding a wealth of secrets, making it all the more necessary to dig into his past.

"Alright, Hyena. Our next stop is Luminous Heavy Industry. Let’s see just what you were up to."

"Luminous Heavy Industry..." The Bartender mused for a moment, then pulled out a flyer and handed it to Duan Fei. "I think you’ll be interested in this."

The flyer was a promotional poster for Luminous Heavy Industry. The headline was scrawled in an exaggerated font: "A Million Morals Awaits You."

Below that, the text read: Luminous Heavy Industry is testing new weapons. All mercenaries welcome. Destroy any weapon and win one million Morals.

And at the very bottom, in tiny print nearly invisible against the background, was a single line: "Luminous Heavy Industry reserves all rights of final interpretation for this event."

After reading the entire poster, including the fine print, Duan Fei couldn’t help but sigh.

’Now this is what you call capitalism.’

’Sending people to their deaths while figuring out ways to shortchange them on the hazard pay—that’s pure, unadulterated capitalism for you.’

He figured Luminous Heavy Industry was doing this because he’d thrashed them yesterday. Now they were trying to get even.

’They’re using mercenaries to field-test their new weapons. Keep the effective ones, scrap the failures, and then use the upgraded arsenal on me.’

Once he understood their plan, Duan Fei almost felt flattered.

’What have I, Duan Fei, ever done to deserve all this special attention?’

’They’re making me feel like a pretty big deal. I should probably strike a pose.’

After a brief discussion with the others to decide on their next move, Duan Fei was about to start preparations when he heard the Bartender ask with a smile, "I don’t suppose you’d be willing to bring me along?"

"Why?" Duan Fei asked, confused.

"This world has hit a dead end. No matter how many answers I seek from philosophy, I find that destruction is the only path left. The system of Morals is wrong. It tyrannically imposes its creators’ idea of morality onto everyone, but it does nothing to resolve the fundamental contradictions of our society."

"So you want to destroy it?"

"Yes." The Bartender nodded with a smile. "And don’t let my appearance fool you. I’m quite skilled at intelligence gathering. I have thirty-seven thousand hive drones integrated into my body. These bee-mimicking drones can collect a great deal of information. On top of that, I’m an excellent sniper. Are you really going to turn down talent like this?"

After a moment of contemplation, Duan Fei pressed on. "Why us? Surely there are bigger and better mercenary crews you could choose from."

The Bartender tapped the side of his head, producing a metallic PING. "Intuition. My intuition has always served me well. I get the feeling you all are here to turn the world upside down, and I want in."

Duan Fei stared at the Bartender, sensing a profound madness in him.

It was a rational madness; he had arrived at the conclusion that the world needed to be destroyed through careful thought, but his actions would likely be indistinguishable from those of any other cyber-psycho.

Duan Fei mentally ran through his list of tasks, slotting the Bartender in. He realized that no matter the mission, the probability of success would skyrocket with the Bartender on board.

’The man wasn’t boasting. He’s the real deal.’

Realizing this, Duan Fei extended his hand. "Welcome aboard."

"I look forward to showing you what I can do," the Bartender replied with an elegant smile.

And with that, Duan Fei’s team grew once more.

Team Leader: Duan Fei. Assassin: Lone Ranger. Swordsman: Lear. Strongman: Anna. Logistics and Maintenance: Hyena. And now, Intel: the Bartender.

The moment he joined, the Bartender hung a "CLOSED" sign on the bar’s door. "I’ve already registered us," he said. "Based on past events, they’ll run a preliminary screening on all applicants. Only those who pass will proceed to the next stage."

"What’s the preliminary screening?" Duan Fei asked.

"It’s a way for them to burn through old inventory while testing our capabilities. They’ll probably use drones, mechs, and other armaments. Ah, speak of the devil."

A piercing WHINE filled the air, and a spray of bullets ripped through the bar’s wall, riddling Lone Ranger with holes.

But as he hit the floor, the body of the Lone Ranger dissolved—it was his Doppelganger. The real man had already slipped into the shadows, lying in wait.

Detecting that there were still life signs, the drones outside changed course and swarmed the bar again.

Duan Fei was about to activate his [Spiritual Armor], but the Bartender stopped him, saying softly, "Let me handle this."

The Bartender spread his arms. Duan Fei watched, stunned, as they began to shift and reform. In the blink of an eye, the Bartender’s entire upper body, from the tips of his left fingers to his right shoulder, had reconfigured itself into a heavy sniper rifle. His modified eye became a targeting scope, locking onto the drones in the sky.

Once locked on, a deafening shot rang out. The Bartender’s gun-form shuddered with the recoil. The shot blew a hole through the bar’s remaining wall, obliterating the drones outside in a single, explosive blast.

Expelling a puff of white smoke, the Bartender turned to Duan Fei and offered an impossibly elegant smile.

"Done, Captain. Their invitation has arrived."