"Can't we just use a different mode of transport?"
The two of them successfully passed through the inspection gate. However, Putato was extremely resistant to the upcoming ride on the Warp Train. He had no desire to end up like the other poor souls deceived by W Corporation, stuck on a train for a thousand years, only to be "restored" by the cleanup crew upon arrival.
Come to think of it, Lesti seemed to have joined W Corporation. He hoped they wouldn't end up meeting under those circumstances.
"Uh, Senior Vanda, this is the most time-efficient way. Otherwise, considering the time it takes to enter and exit Nests, we might not reach N Nest before the 'Night in the Backstreets' begins. Besides, on long-distance hauls, we're likely to run into Syndicate roadblocks."
"Last time Master and I tried to save some money, we ran into three different Syndicate toll booths along the way. If we had actually paid them all, it would've cost more than the train tickets."
Putato hesitated and glanced at the sky. It was just past noon. If he relied on 'Unfettered' to quickly track down the commission target, Grinch, he might even be able to settle this Urban Plague today.
"Philip, have you ever sat in first class?"
"That's really expensive. Senior Vanda, what do you mean?"
"Give me your communicator. I'll pay for the upgrade. This time, I'll let you experience what first class is like."
Swiftly upgrading the tickets, Putato looked at the success notification on the screen. He figured the Warp Train should be reliable enough for now; taking a ride once in a while shouldn't be an issue.
"But why? Before I joined the Dawn Office, I always took economy class. Every time, it was just a 'zip' and I was there. There's really no need for a better environment; it's just a way for rich people to show off."
"Though, every time Master takes me out, we do sit in first class. Offices directly affiliated with the Association get a discount, after all."
Upon hearing that Putato was paying, Philip became a bit embarrassed.
"I'm your senior now. Since this is the first time I'm taking you on a commission, of course everything has to be top-tier. Plus, you'll thank me next time you ride a Warp Train."
It wasn't that Putato insisted on keeping this secret to himself; it was just that it involved W Corporation's Singularity technology. If discovered, it didn't matter what grade Fixer you were, you'd be "cleaned up" entirely. If you were lucky, you'd only get the memory-wipe package.
Some things were better left unsaid to avoid inviting disaster. Who knew if there was mass data-eavesdropping inside the Nest? Besides, Urban Girl's profit margins were sky-high; Putato could easily afford this little bit of money.
After entering the waiting area, Philip immediately volunteered to buy two cups of noodles and went to a corner to prepare them. Putato, meanwhile, took the chance to scroll through a backlog of messages he hadn't seen in a long time. After all, friends needed periodic "top-ups," or the relationship would fade.
[Lesti: There are so many processes and regulations to memorize, it's a total pain. I have to do compatibility testing later; hope I get an 'Excellent' rating.]
A mountain of daily rambling mixed with a few selfies.
Wearing a dark blue uniform emblazoned with the W Corporation logo, she looked sharp and confident. Standing hands-on-hips in front of a full-length mirror, she gave a cool wink to the lens, the yellow beret Putato had given her perched atop her short blonde hair.
Putato only just noticed three small, whisker-like scars on her left cheek, which added a touch of liveliness to her aura.
[Putato: Looking good! Congrats on the stable job, but make sure to stay safe.]
[Lesti: Is this you?! No wonder you haven't been replying to my messages, you found a new job? Syndicates really aren't a long-term solution. Once I'm a regular employee, I'll treat you to a visit in K Nest!]
She tossed over a link to the Urban Girl livestream. Putato felt a bit bad about not telling her he'd been busy either doing commissions or heading to them.
[Putato: You've got to keep this a secret for me, otherwise, crazy fans might show up offline to cause trouble.]
[Lesti: Hahaha, was this avatar specifically modeled after you? It's even cuter. This is our secret; I won't tell!]
[Olivia: Big brother Putato, when are we actually going to the amusement park?]
Amusement park? When was that promised?!
Putato only now remembered that was a thing. He wanted to brush it off, but seeing that Olivia had messaged him every hour, he decided that once this commission was over, he'd squeeze in an afternoon to take the orphanage kids out. Worst case, he'd bail halfway to continue his work.
As soon as he sent a reply, Olivia excitedly fired back four or five more messages.
[Parui: I thought the Index was some high-class Syndicate, so why is there a livestream like this? Is the Prescript that took my sister just for this?]
Seeing this guy's wild imagination, Putato casually explained the structure of the Index to him.
[Gyeong-mi: ? You fucking vanished like you evaporated into thin air. Where are you?]
[Putato: I offended some people and had to lay low for a bit. I'll be in touch once things blow over.]
[Finn: Vanda, did you really become a Grade 5 Fixer?!]
Putato pulled out his Grade 3 Fixer certificate, snapped a photo, and sent it over. It made Finn unusually excited; you'd think he was the one who got promoted.
[Yun: I've received the money. To me, you're just Vanda now. I do have professional ethics, after all, though I suppose that doesn't really matter to you anymore.]
Seeing this angelic investor, Putato happily transferred another 1 million Ahn. Between Urban Girl's streams and everything else, he was making quite a lot of money.
[Olga: Putato, don't let me see you again! Who the hell treats someone then leaves first?!]
The message was accompanied by a photo of her bare feet standing in the spilled booze on the floor.
[Kokochi: This is the recording from Calw. I mixed it personally. Don't thank me.]
Putato ignored the Ring member's cross-dressing hobby.
[Wang: I heard Chef Yixin wants to call you back. Such a shame. Our time together was short, but it was a pleasure.]
[Rosedale: Vanda, I heard you joined Dawn Office and got a special promotion to Grade 3. Sasa, Darcy, and I congratulate you.]
Who is this?
It seemed to be those three from the Glove Office.
[Shamisen: BOSS, I've expanded the livestream base. Sent you the new address. That building was too dangerous; I felt like someone was always watching.]
"Senior Vanda, it's time to board."
The two entered the train through the fast-track lane. Putato looked curiously at the carriage filled with sleep pods. Philip expertly opened one, slowing down to demonstrate for Putato.
Pressing the button to close the pod, Putato felt a wave of drowsiness hit him. He fell into a deep sleep instantly.
...
The train announcement rang out.
Opening his eyes, Putato stepped out of the already opened pod, feeling relieved that this journey had been peaceful.
"Senior Vanda, next we'll likely need to research materials to find the target's location. Ideally, we catch them before they strike again."
Stepping out of the station, Putato immediately felt a vibe completely different from K Nest.
Pure white buildings were arranged in a strict, orderly fashion. Pedestrians were mostly expressionless, moving in a hurry. The only commendable thing was how strictly they followed rules, there wasn't even a scrap of trash on the streets.
THUD!
Putato watched agape as a black shadow slammed heavily onto the ground. Floating down from above was a nearly perfect test paper, swaying like a fallen leaf.
"What was that?"
Looking up, Putato spotted a woman leaning over the railing, looking down. She didn't scream or shout; she just waited a moment before climbing over the railing and jumping herself, flipping the test paper in the air.
"Is it Grinch? Can they hypnotize people?!"
"Probably not. Intelligence says Grinch has the ability to turn people into monsters. Their direct combat power seems high, but because N Nest has a 'No Photography' Taboo, specific details are unknown."
"The previous two Offices just camped out in office buildings and private schools waiting for Grinch to show up, then they were wiped out."
THUD!
Another man followed suit and jumped, making it three bodies on the ground, enough to merge into a higher-tier unit.
"What the hell is going on!"
What Putato found most incomprehensible were the pedestrians who completely ignored such a tragedy. Unless blood actually splattered on them, they didn't care at all, keeping their heads down as they hurried along.
Full of doubt, Putato walked onto the street to get a clearer look at the pool of blood. However, he didn't see a single curious onlooker. Instead, a nearby sanitation worker leaned his tools against a flower bed to take a break.
"Senior Vanda, we should keep moving. Perhaps N Nest has its own rules, just like T Nest. Master mentioned that when he visited, he had a hard time adjusting to their concept of time."
"Besides, they're already dead. No point lingering."
Just as Putato was wondering who handled the cleanup inside the Nest, a blue minivan roared past and screeched to a halt in front of the three bodies.
He didn't expect N Nest's humanitarian response to be so fast and efficient. They hadn't been dead for ten minutes!
After calming the anxious Philip, Putato approached out of curiosity, noticing two employees in black suits step out of the vehicle. They approached the bodies and quickly assessed the situation.
On the right side of the vehicle was a line of large text next to the N Corp logo:
[N Nest's Welfare Funerals — Body Collection Team Eight]
Damn!
This was the first time Putato had seen such a "practical" welfare benefit. Though collecting bodies didn't do much for the deceased's prior life, it at least had a certain psychological comfort effect.
"I'm an employee from Welfare Funerals. Excuse me, sir, did they die from jumping?"
"Yeah, that's right. I just saw where they came from, the fifteenth floor."
The two employees glanced at each other, gave Putato a quick word of thanks, and got back in the van to leave.
"Wait, aren't you here to collect the bodies?"
"Apologies, sir. Team Eight only collects those who die in solitude. Arbitrary shrouding causes trouble for others."
"Aren't all bodies the same? You have to categorize this stuff?!"
"It's not the same. Solitary deaths are non-profit allocations from above; we can't just collect bodies at random."
"Besides, our team is getting laid off next week."
Watching the blue minivan drive off, Putato actually felt what they said made sense, after all, body collection cost money. He then saw another minivan of the same model pull up in front of the bodies.
This time, Putato saw the text on the side was Team Three.
"What gives? Jumping again? Aren't there plenty of suicide vending machines around? They're really making trouble for us!"
"Did you reach anyone?"
"I tracked the location and dialed the number on the way here. Let me check... This couple came from The Backstreets and has no other relatives in the Nest. Their company isn't willing to pay the funeral costs either."
"Sigh, can't these people set aside funeral money before they die? This is just creating unnecessary trouble."
"Then I'll just call Team Eight. Let them handle this sort of thing; consider it waste utilization."
Watching this collection van about to drive off, Putato was speechless.
The philosophies of these Wings of the World sounded better and better, yet when it came to actually providing welfare, they were stingy as hell.
Putato was just about to step forward to help pay the fees, as a thank-you to these three for giving him a "good start" in N Nest, when his communicator suddenly rang.
Checking it, he saw it was the same client from K Corporation who had specifically requested him last time.
The call began with a synthesized electronic voice.
"Fixer Vanda, first, congratulations on your promotion to Grade 3. Secondly, our side has fully investigated the locations where the Regeneration Ampules were stolen. To match your new rank, I have increased the commission fee."
"Please arrive at the K Nest's Fried Chicken shop (Candy Street branch) before this weekend. At that time, I will send you the full details of the commission. Do not be late or absent under any circumstances. I hope you prepare your affairs thoroughly, as the duration of this commission will range from one day to one week."
"That is all."
Before Putato could inquire further, the other party hung up. Putato immediately grew even more puzzled by this commission from a high-level K Corporation manager.
Then again, he was just an ordinary Grade 3 Fixer; to a Wing of the World, that was merely a slightly more senior employee. It was unlikely they would go through so much effort just to target him specifically.
"Senior Vanda, do you want to head to the residential area? Several monsters created by Grinch are being held there; maybe they can provide us with some clues."
Putato's focus quickly returned to Grinch as he finally reviewed the printed intelligence Philip had compiled.
This guy was a lunatic who had recently emerged. Local Offices had conducted door-to-door investigations; the culprit likely wasn't from N Nest, and the targets were crowded areas, presumably for revenge against society.
Based on eyewitness descriptions and sketches, the subject had pointed ears and floor-length green hair, standing over two meters tall. Other than that, no further details were visible.
Every victim who shook hands with him would turn into a monster, though a very small fraction would become individuals similar to Grinch.
Because there were no cameras, it was currently impossible to determine exactly where the target was hiding.
"This is insane! Would it kill them to have a camera? Searching for a criminal in this place is a goddamn nightmare!"
"No wonder these people are so cold. Is it because they can't tell if the person next to them is a murderer, so they just keep their distance? What is this, a Dark Forest?!"
Grumbling, Putato shoved the intelligence back to Philip, who was busy contacting people, and hailed a car for the Beehive Residential Area.
The moment he got out of the vehicle, Putato was stunned by the residential area before him.
The white high-rise buildings were packed so tightly it looked like a desperate game of Tetris. Just looking at it felt suffocating. A quick glance revealed seven or eight alleys leading into the residential complex.
"The monsters are locked up in here?"
"Uh, this area was originally cheap rental housing. Someone opened a budget private prison inside. There's currently no cure for those monsters, and even if there were, it'd be too expensive. They've basically been abandoned."
"They opened a prison in a place this crowded?!"
Putato followed Philip, who had clearly done his homework, into the complex. They navigated the damp, narrow alleys, and the local residents carefully kept their distance the moment they saw their distinctive attire.
...
Budget Prison.
"What a blunt name."
Greeted respectfully by the guards, Putato's first sight upon entering was a luxurious cell. Inside, a fat man sat at a desk, watching TV and eating voraciously. As soon as he saw their clothes, he immediately put down his fried chicken and started shouting.
"Ah! Respected Fixers, I am the warden here, Javert. As you can see, I am currently incarcerated myself, so please, make yourselves at home."
"Though you probably know this, I must emphasize: those weirdos crouching in the corners are perfectly safe. They eat and sleep on their own. But do not look at their faces. Last time, several guards who bet on doing so ended up in the blue vans."
Putato blanked for a moment before realizing the "blue vans" referred to the body collection vehicles he'd just seen.
Ignoring the bizarre fact that the warden was also a prisoner, Putato hurried into the prison block and soon found the room holding the weirdos.
Unlike the other inmates who started a commotion upon seeing newcomers, the four people in this room were all facing the wall with their faces covered. Across four cells, thirteen of these weirdos were held; outwardly, they looked no different from normal people.
"Open the door."
The guard beside him immediately looked troubled, clearly terrified of these seemingly docile individuals.
"Give me the keys and get lost."
Hearing this, the guard acted as if he'd received a royal pardon, shoved the keys into Putato's hands, and scrambled away. The surrounding inmates suddenly fell silent.