He got into his flying vehicle and watched as Liu Xuan's took off and flew away, activating his Spiritual Vision.
'Liu Xuan switched vehicles. Four bodyguards? All of them have S-Class Prosthetic Body implants?'
It seemed Liu Xuan's security detail had been upgraded as well.
He closed his eyes, sensing his surroundings.
The feeling of being watched from yesterday was gone. The corporation had most likely dealt with those mercenaries.
Lin Qi started his vehicle and left the corporate premises immediately, avoiding another anomalous detection by the smart system.
The journey back to the Prosthetic Clinic was smooth.
Just as he parked the vehicle, a call came in from the corporation.
Lin Qi quickly answered. It was his supervisor, Wei Wei.
Wei Wei's expression was complex, as if he was still savoring what had just transpired.
After a two-second silence, Wei Wei spoke. "Lin Qi, starting tomorrow, your position is being temporarily reassigned. You'll be an A-level Researcher at the Greenfield City branch, participating in an A-Class project."
"You must be at the corporate office before 7 AM tomorrow to take the Red and Green Train to the Greenfield City branch with the other personnel."
Lin Qi was baffled. 'A promotion? To A-Class?'
But this didn't seem like a good thing.
On his own merits, Lin Qi was confident he'd become an A-Class, or even S- or X-Class, researcher sooner or later. A promotion this early meant it came with a price.
More importantly, Lin Qi knew that chaos had already erupted in Greenfield City, even before it hit Red Fruit City.
Lin Qi's brow furrowed slightly. Seeing his expression, Wei Wei, on the other end of the call, thought for a moment before adding an extra tidbit.
"Only high-level corporate personnel are going to Greenfield City this time. Their entourage must be at least A-Class."
Wei Wei was dropping a cryptic hint. He had clearly chosen his words carefully, not revealing too much detail.
Wei Wei was confident that if Lin Qi really had something going on with a member of the Liu Clan, this hint would be enough for him to figure out the truth.
Lin Qi's frown slowly faded.
'High-level personnel?'
Besides senior management and researchers at S-Class or above, the only people in the corporation who could be considered "high-level personnel" were members of the Liu Clan.
And the only one Lin Qi had a connection to was Liu Xuan.
'Liu Xuan is going to Greenfield City? So she's taking me with her?'
'The Liu Clan of Red Fruit City and the Si Clan of Greenfield City... Have they made some secret deal?'
'With the current turmoil, a Liu Clan member traveling to Greenfield City means the two families must be collaborating.'
"Thank you," Lin Qi replied.
Seeing Lin Qi's expression, Wei Wei knew he had already put most of the pieces together.
'I was right. Lin Qi really is deeply involved with a Liu Clan member. Maybe one day he'll become one of our own.'
Wei Wei ended the call, his objective achieved.
It was just a notification; Wei Wei didn't need to make a personal video call. A simple message, as per corporate policy, would have sufficed.
Choosing to make a video call was entirely his own initiative.
To climb the corporate ladder, you need direct attention from the higher-ups.
Lin Qi was merely a means to an end.
Lin Qi didn't immediately enter the Prosthetic Clinic, instead sitting in his vehicle and sinking into thought.
He recalled the intel from the Capitalist and King Arthur. Both cities were on the brink of turmoil, and a clash between S-Class individuals and Tier Four Extraordinaries was highly likely.
Since the two megacorporations were now posturing for cooperation, it meant the conflict wasn't between them.
There was still a third party hiding in the shadows.
'The Assassin Alliance?'
'Or a third party that hired the Assassin Alliance to carry out the assassination?'
'Were the mercenaries in Red Fruit City who targeted the Weapon Research Institute also sent by another faction?'
Lin Qi's status and clearance weren't high enough to grasp the full picture.
'The destructive power of S-Class individuals and Tier Four Extraordinaries is too great. If I get caught in a close-quarters battle, my L-Class body and Tier One power won't be nearly enough.'
'Relying on Spiritual Vision alone isn't enough to mitigate the risk.'
'Maybe I need to contact King Arthur. But he seems to be pinned down by something. I can't rely on his power unless it's absolutely necessary.'
Based on Lin Qi's assessment, of the two members of their elite Mercenary Corps who were always on field missions, the strongest was probably Master Ma. He was most likely an A-Class full-body Prosthetic Implanter and a Tier Four Extraordinary.
The combat power of the Extraordinary Side was greater than that of prosthetics.
Lin Qi based this judgment on the aftermath of their missions.
As for King Arthur, he was likely an Implanter with a partial S-Class Prosthetic Body, and he also possessed some combat power from the Extraordinary Side, though his specific level was unknown.
His overall combat power was probably weaker than a full S-Class individual or a Tier Four Extraordinary.
The fact that someone with his level of power was trapped in Greenfield City meant King Arthur was in serious trouble.
'In a critical moment, I can ask Guang Ling for help. The network's influence over a Cyber City is immense. As long as Guang Ling is willing to make a move, he can even stall an S-Class individual or a Tier Four Extraordinary for a short time.'
This was Guang Ling's personal promise: if any member of the Mercenary Corps faced a major crisis, he would unconditionally use his full power to save them, but this offer was limited to once per person.
This was the fundamental reason the four members were willing to join this elite Mercenary Corps.
In the Cyber World, the power of the network was simply terrifying.
'So, I have two trump cards to save my life in Greenfield City. But I'm still too weak.'
'Upgrading my Prosthetic Body—or rather, my Exoskeleton—is on hold for now, but I can try to advance on the Extraordinary Side as quickly as possible.'
'A Wizard's abilities are more esoteric than those of other Extraordinary Professions. I need to become a Tier Two Wizard as soon as I can.'
Lin Qi was two Extraordinary Items short of becoming a Tier Two Wizard.
Lin Qi's thoughts drifted to the Tier One Extraordinary dagger Lin Xin always carried with her.
He shook his head. There were plenty of Extraordinary Items in the Doomsday World; he didn't need to stoop to going after Lin Xin's.
That dagger came from the Assassin Alliance. God only knew what kind of monsters and ghouls were attached to it.
Stepping out of the vehicle, he walked into the Prosthetic Clinic.
"Is Dad still not done?" Lin Qi asked Lin Xin.
He'd been waiting all day and hadn't heard anything from his old man.
Lin Xin shook her head. "This client is a tough one."
'How tough?'
Lin Qi activated his Spiritual Vision and "looked" directly into his father's workshop.
His father, Doctor Lin, wore a manic grin as he continuously picked up tools, sending sparks flying off the client's body.
Lin Qi took a closer look at the client. Holy crap. He was a full-body L-Class Implanter, and his father was in the middle of upgrading his arm with A-Class components.
And he meant full-body in the truest sense of the word.
The conversion rate was over 90%. There was probably only enough flesh left on his entire body to make half a plate of dumplings.
"I think my nerves are going numb," the client said.
"Numb my ass! You wanna make a name for yourself in Red Fruit City, this is the price you pay! Or what, you wanna be some nameless punk in a gang? Wait until you're eighty to die in a hospital bed with a catheter sticking out of you?"
"Maybe they'll just wrap up that head and balls of yours into dumplings and feed 'em to the dogs?"
The client was silent for a few seconds. "I trust your skills, Old Lin."
"I don't trust your wallet. You still owe me fifty thousand Credit Points for this A-Class Prosthetic Body. Alright, kid, it's done. You can go."
Lin Qi watched all this, realizing his father was once again using his own words to swindle street punks into getting Prosthetic Implants.
He even set the punk up on an installment plan.
'A nameless punk? Making a name for yourself?'
The allure of that was just too great for a gangbanger.