Chapter 184: Chapter 161: The New Member is an Honest Person?

The new member’s words drew everyone’s attention, though Guang Ling was unsurprised.

"You’re not going to die. The disposal chute you’re in has malfunctioned, and it’s not currently in the repair queue."

Guang Ling offered a kind reminder, seemingly unable to bear watching the new member rashly lose his last shred of dignity in front of the four old hands.

The new member froze for a second before continuing, "I was attacked out of nowhere. My entire Prosthetic Body is short-circuited, and my Suppressor has stopped working. In my condition, if the Suppressor remains offline for more than three hours, I’ll inevitably succumb to cyber psychosis."

"I still need help."

For the new member, the good news was that he was safe for the next thirty minutes. The bad news was that if no one came to his rescue, he’d go insane in three hours, tops.

Lin Qi didn’t rush to speak. He simply felt that this new member was rather unlucky.

King Arthur, however, found it strange. "Why didn’t you call the Intercontinental Stability Trauma Emergency Company for help? According to you, your prosthetic level must be over 70%. Facing that kind of risk, you can’t possibly not have even a basic trauma membership, can you?"

King Arthur was casting doubt.

’How could someone too poor to afford a trauma membership have the money to maintain such a high rate of prosthetic implantation?’

’The costs for that level of implantation are terrifying.’

The new member remained candid. "I have no money. My Prosthetic Body is entirely from low-level prosthetic experiments for various corporations. I’m a professional test subject. My prosthetic level has reached 85%. Please, I’m begging you, anyone, just save me first! I don’t want to die!"

Far away in the European Administrative Region, King Arthur’s face was a mask of shock.

’Finally!’

’Finally!’

’The Highest-Level Mercenary Corps has finally gotten a new member for the bottom rung!’

’I’m finally not the lousiest one in the Mercenary Corps anymore!’

Hearing this, all eyes fell on Capitalist.

The Asian Administrative Region, Alliance City—this was the Cyber City where the Big Business Alliance was based, a place that absolutely abided by the laws enacted by the Big Business Alliance.

It was the most stable, and also the most chaotic, city in the entire Asian Administrative Region.

For corporate operations, Alliance City’s financial conditions were stable enough that nearly every major corporation had a sizable branch there.

But for the people living in Alliance City, the city was also utterly chaotic.

It was a place where gangs ran rampant, but also a sanctuary for those looking to wash their records clean and go legit.

As everyone knew, Capitalist had close ties to the Big Business Alliance.

If their assumptions were correct, there was a high probability that Capitalist was in Alliance City.

Sure enough, feeling everyone’s gazes on them, Capitalist turned toward the new member and spoke. "I’m not sure why Guang Ling invited you to the Highest-Level Mercenary Corps, but as it stands, I don’t see you as having sufficient value. Why should I save you?"

This response was typical of Capitalist’s style.

In every action the Mercenary Corps took, and even in their attitude toward every member, Capitalist was consistently driven by one thing: profit.

Lin Qi wasn’t put off by this; he was even tempted to emulate it. He quietly watched, waiting for the new member’s reply.

As for Guang Ling, they didn’t interfere at all.

It was as if after extending the invitation, Guang Ling was no longer responsible for after-sales support.

Whether he could integrate into the Mercenary Corps, bring it value in the future, and in turn gain value from it—all of that depended on the new member’s own efforts.

Lin Qi had gone through the very same process.

He watched in silence, awaiting the new member’s reaction.

The new member’s response was swift, and consisted of a single sentence: "I’m using a second-hand M-Class Suppressor."

That one sentence immediately earned a response from Capitalist: "A Trauma Team from the Big Business Alliance will arrive in twenty minutes. Just broadcast your distress signal and wait for rescue."

Capitalist’s reaction didn’t surprise Lin Qi, but it did pique his interest in the new member.

’An 85% prosthetic implantation rate!’

’That number meant that besides his brain, there was probably only enough flesh left on his body to make half a plate of dumplings.’

’Even if that 85% Prosthetic Body was all M-Class, the strain on the brain wouldn’t be something a mere M-Class Suppressor could handle.’

’To have survived this long and maintained his basic sanity with just a second-hand M-Class Suppressor... this new member was nothing short of a miracle.’

’For any corporation involved with Prosthetic Bodies, his research value would be immense.’

Having scraped by in the underbelly of Alliance City for so long, the new member most likely knew the exact research value of his few remaining pounds of human tissue.

Using that as a bargaining chip, he had secured Capitalist’s help.

"A Trauma Team from the Big Business Alliance? Are you a high-ranking executive in the Big Business Alliance?"

The new member’s shock was so palpable it seemed to fill the virtual meeting room. This was a big shot of a caliber he had never encountered before.

At that moment, the new member looked at the five shadowy figures. Even his short-circuited body was affected by his frayed nerves, and he began to tremble.

’And the Highest-Level Mercenary Corps has five big shots like that!’

’No wonder they dare to call themselves that. With the combined power of these five, they could probably shake the major corporations to their core, couldn’t they?’

In his mind, the new member had already begun to deify the Highest-Level Mercenary Corps.

Capitalist didn’t respond. In any case, it wouldn’t be long before the new member was taken away by the Big Business Alliance’s Trauma Team.

Then, the new member would be on Capitalist’s home turf.

Capitalist felt a flicker of something unusual. This was the first member of the Mercenary Corps whose identity had been exposed to them.

’The new member is just so candid,’ Capitalist thought. ’Unlike King Arthur, Master Ma, and Wizard. Even after using every trick in the book, I’ve never managed to uncover their true identities.’