"I didn't expect that a simple trip to negotiate a truce would grant me information about another world."
Cipher stroked her chin, reflecting on the intel she had gathered.
"Feline demi-humans from a magical world deep within the Spiritual Tide... but didn't the Spiritual Tide disappear a hundred years ago? According to that guy Li Yan, it seems like coming out of there recently is considered the norm?"
If they had crossed over during the Spiritual Tide a century ago, Cipher felt Li Yan would have no reason to deduce she was from another world based solely on the fact that she was a powerful expert who had appeared suddenly.
Therefore, there was only one truth! The Spiritual Tide had reappeared without her knowledge, and very recently at that!
With this thought, Cipher opened her Terminal and began searching for information regarding the "Spiritual Tide." However, whether her deduction was wrong or the traces of the event were being suppressed, the only results on the network were about the incident from a hundred years ago. As for anything recent, there wasn't a single scrap of news.
"Can't find it... Well, it's not a big deal. I'll ask Li Yan about it later, though I won't use traditional methods to ask. For now, I need to rest."
Cipher flopped onto her bed. After rolling around a few times, she got up to find the Ember Squad; she needed to check how their commission was progressing.
"Speaking of which, if people from an isekai have been coming through the Spiritual Tide recently, I wonder if I'll run into any?"
While treating people at the clinic, Hyacine was lost in thought. She was quite curious about that other world; if she could meet a local from there, perhaps she could satisfy her curiosity.
"Hyacine, this is bad! Someone said Genesis Tech is heading our way. They aren't coming to trash the place, are they?"
An anxious shout interrupted her musings. Hyacine looked up to see Hong Guoguo running toward her with a face full of worry.
"They're finally here?"
Hyacine didn't feel much of anything upon hearing the news; in fact, she felt these people were a bit too slow. She had expected them to rush over the moment her shop opened. Having waited this long, she wondered if this was really the efficiency of a major corporation.
"Guoguo, don't worry. I'll go out and have a look."
Under Hong Guoguo's concerned gaze, Hyacine picked up Little Ica and walked out of the clinic.
Immediately upon exiting, Hyacine saw two armored freaks—the same models as before—standing in front of her shop. Between the two armored figures stood a young man in a white lab coat. Surrounding the trio, a crowd of patients and their families stared them down with eyes full of loathing and resentment.
When the young man saw Hyacine emerge, he stepped forward with a beaming smile.
"Miss Hyacine, hello. I have long heard of your great name. I am one of the heads of the Genesis Tech branch in the Chaos Capital. My name is Xu Zhe."
"Long heard of my name? But I only arrived here yesterday. How has it been a 'long' time?" Hyacine asked curiously, petting Little Ica in her arms.
Also, the name Xu Zhe... I feel like I've heard it somewhere before?
"Uh..." Xu Zhe was momentarily at a loss for words but quickly recovered. "We began paying attention to you shortly after you arrived in this place, so in a sense, it counts as having heard of you for a long time."
"Hmm... I suppose so," Hyacine nodded slightly. "So, what is the purpose of your visit?"
"You possess a very powerful healing-type Superpower. Such a formidable ability should not be allowed to go to waste. Therefore, I am here to sincerely invite you to join our company. We can provide you with better resources, a superior environment, and more Credits than you could ever spend. There is no need for you to come here and treat so many people for a pittance."
Xu Zhe looked at Hyacine with an air of sincerity, seemingly desperate for her to join.
"And... what if I don't want to join?" Hyacine thought for a moment before throwing the question back at him. She had no desire to be bound by an ordinary company. If this were the Interastral Peace Corporation offering her a P45 position, she might actually consider it.
"This... Miss Hyacine, I know this request is sudden, but joining us would only bring you benefits." Xu Zhe didn't explain the details, choosing instead to keep coaxing her. "Besides, you might not understand just how vast our company's influence is..."
Hyacine interrupted him before he could finish.
"I know. One of the four major corporations of the United States of Pacific. You could say nearly a quarter of that nation's resources are in your company's hands, and that doesn't even count your expanded branches elsewhere. But I'm sorry, I still have no intention of joining your esteemed company. So, please leave."
Hyacine shook her head slightly and turned to head back into the shop.
"Wait a moment."
Hyacine paused and turned back to Xu Zhe once more. "Is there something else?"
"If you truly are unwilling to join us, that's fine," Xu Zhe took a deep breath. "But, Miss Hyacine, could you move your clinic elsewhere? There are many places more in need of medical care than the Chaos Capital. There's no need to stay specifically here. If you agree, we can book you an international flight immediately, and you can continue your charitable work there. What do you think?"
"Sorry, I've been here for two days and have grown fond of it, so I won't be leaving anytime soon. Mr. Xu Zhe, please leave."
Hyacine slowly walked back into the medical clinic. Seeing this, Xu Zhe exhaled sharply, turned around, and began walking away from the street. The armored freaks flanking him cast one last look at the clinic before following him out.
"Sir, she's just a healer, yet she's so arrogant. Do you need me to teach her a lesson? We should be able to resist the control from Bubble by now."
"Idiot." Xu Zhe shot the armored freak a look and cursed him directly. "Have you forgotten how B149 died? He was hit by an impact force of a hundred tons in an instant. Even if you can use AI to bypass Bubble's control, your current armor can't withstand that kind of collision."
"Then what do we do? Just let that Ability User ruin our plans?"
"As if." Xu Zhe snorted coldly. "The technology from Arasaka Heavy Industries arrives tomorrow. We can directly eliminate that Ability User then. And we won't even need Arasaka to act—she might not even survive the night! You should know that the sub-businesses Genesis Tech excels in have never been about frontal combat."