Alex continued writing in his notebook, documenting everything he learned while in this world. One of his observations was that most people had cyber implants. What disturbed him most was the information about cyberpsychosis—if someone with mental issues overloaded their body with implants, they could eventually lose their mind.
However, the concept of "mental issues" seemed too vague. It was difficult to pinpoint what exactly could trigger an episode. Alex stopped writing and thoughtfully pressed the pen to his chin.
Lucy, who had been quietly observing Alex all this time, was slightly surprised to see him stop. She was curious about what might have caused him to pause.
"Do you have any questions?" she asked, glancing at him.
Alex snapped out of his thoughts and turned to her.
"Not exactly questions," he began hesitantly. "It's just that your words about cyberpsychos and how they become that way seem strange to me."
Lucy raised an eyebrow, not fully understanding where he was going with this. Alex noticed her confusion and decided to elaborate.
"Mental problems—that's too broad a term. For example, depression is also a mental illness and can lead people to commit horrific acts. And you don't need to be a cyberpsycho for that," Alex explained.
Lucy began to understand what he meant. She knew that so-called cyberpsychos were never truly examined. Cyberpsychosis was just a label slapped on those who committed violent acts, and no one knew whether their behavior was caused by the implants or something else. She couldn't help but agree with Alex.
"You're right. You can never know what's going on in someone's head," Falco added, supporting Alex.
Alex agreed with his words. Without the ability to read minds, it was impossible to fully understand what someone else was thinking or feeling.
"Is it possible to cure those who have already become cyberpsychos?" Alex asked, looking at his companions.
Falco and Lucy pondered for a moment before responding.
"I'm not sure about curing the cyberpsychos themselves. Once they're identified, they're usually hunted down," Falco admitted with a sad smile.
"There's treatment only for the victims, and even then, it doesn't always help," Lucy added, completing his thought.
Alex scratched his chin, reflecting. It made sense: if there's no way to cure someone who's committed so many atrocities, the best option is to eliminate them. As for the victims, treating them was always complicated since trauma could leave a mark that's hard to erase.
"That makes sense. There's no point in trying to save someone who's done such horrible things. Scientists have been trying to solve mental health issues for centuries, mostly without success," Alex said, shrugging.
Lucy looked at him in surprise. The calm tone with which Alex spoke about eliminating cyberpsychos unsettled her a little.
"Do you not feel any sympathy for these people?" she asked, studying his expression.
"It's not that I don't sympathize. Everyone has their own problems, and they have to deal with them in their own way. But that doesn't justify causing a bloody mess just because something went wrong in life. There are people who have it even worse, yet they don't give up and keep fighting," Alex replied, nodding as if confirming his point. He knew that a lot could be overcome if one didn't give up.
Falco listened carefully to Alex and nodded in approval, agreeing with his words. He also believed that one should keep fighting despite the hardships. But everyone knew how hard it could be not to give up.
"Wise words for someone as young as you, Alex," Falco noted with a warm smile.
"It's not wisdom, just life experience," Alex replied with a smile.
Falco watched Alex and couldn't shake the feeling that this young man had been through a lot before ending up here and losing everything. Lucy, in turn, thought that Alex was talking about his comrades, whom he might have lost before managing to escape. If Alex knew what they were thinking, he'd probably say they were overthinking things.
"By the way, Falco," Alex said, drawing the attention of the man behind the bar.
Falco looked at him, slightly surprised. He was curious about what Alex was going to ask.
"Yeah?" Falco responded, his gaze focused on the young man.
"Do you know anything about the local corporations?" Alex asked, glancing between Falco and Lucy.
Lucy, observing him, thought her assumption was correct: Alex had no information about the city, which was why he was asking questions. After all, most of this data was available to anyone.
"What exactly are you interested in?" she asked, watching as Alex tapped his pen on the bar.
"Their names and industries," Alex replied after a brief moment of thought. He didn't need to delve too deeply—if these companies were involved in anything illegal, they certainly wouldn't advertise it.
Lucy frowned, unsure of where to start. There were countless corporations in this city.
"Well… where to begin," she said thoughtfully.
"Start with the medical companies," Alex suggested. "I'll ask more as we go along."
"The best medical company is Trauma Team International. They handle life insurance and have rapid response teams. These teams are dispatched to the scene as soon as a signal about an injured person comes through," Lucy explained, watching Alex jot down her words in his notebook.
Alex circled the company's name in his notes, guessing that this corporation might have refused to help Gloria when she needed medical assistance.
"They don't help those without insurance, do they?" Alex clarified, just to be sure.
Lucy shook her head.
"No," she replied, noticing how Alex underlined the company's name.
She was curious as to why he was focusing on this particular company and what his connection to it was.
"Why are you asking all this, Alex?" Falco chimed in, intrigued by their conversation.
"Gloria once told me that when she had an accident, they refused to help her because she didn't have insurance," Alex admitted, revealing his motive.
Lucy looked at him in surprise. He was so intent on finding information for Gloria, and she couldn't quite grasp why.
"What does Militech do?" Alex suddenly asked, shifting his gaze to Lucy.
"Militech manufactures weapons for everyone, from private companies to the police," she replied. "Why are you interested?"
Alex frowned, realizing that his suspicions were confirmed. If this company had any interest in Gloria's case, they likely wouldn't allow their technologies to leak.
"That's bad," he muttered, considering the possibility that Gloria might be drawn into something dangerous.
Lucy noticed Alex's darkening expression, and her first thought was that he might be connected to Militech. But she quickly dismissed that idea—if he were one of their people, he wouldn't be asking about the company.
"Lucy, can corporations track their cyber implants?" Alex asked, hoping for a negative response.
Lucy shrugged.
"I'm not sure," she admitted, not knowing the answer.
Alex frowned even more, realizing that tracking was indeed a possibility. Most likely, the corporation dealing with optics could be recording everything people with implants saw.
"Why are you asking?" Falco inquired, noticing Alex's troubled expression.
"Because of Gloria. She got that implant from somewhere, and I'm afraid Militech might start hunting for their equipment," Alex replied, pausing.
Lucy understood why he was worried. Her gaze softened—now she saw that Alex was simply trying to protect Gloria from potential consequences.
"Don't worry, it's not the first implant we've gotten this way," Lucy tried to reassure him.
Alex looked at her, and his furrowed brow relaxed slightly. Maybe they really did know how to disable tracking, if it even existed.
"Well, that's good to hear. Because without my workshop, I doubt I could do anything," he said with a crooked smile.
Falco listened intently when Alex mentioned his workshop. It reminded him of a member of his team who also spent a lot of time building things in his.
"And what did you work on in your workshop?" Lucy asked casually.
Alex paused, thinking about how to answer without mentioning magic and runes.
"I made weapons and various devices that could help people," he replied. "But now it's all gone. All I have left is this," Alex nodded toward his belongings.
Lucy realized Alex was probably referring to what was hidden under his cloak and guessed it was the weapon he managed to take before fleeing.
"What happened to your workshop?" she asked, lighting a cigarette.
"Well, it went 'poof,'" Alex said with a grin, implying that the workshop had simply vanished.
Falco looked at him in surprise, realizing that the workshop had probably exploded.
"Sorry to hear that, Alex," he said, placing a beer in front of him in an attempt to comfort him.
"Thanks. But everything I need, I have with me," Alex replied, waving his notebook, which contained all his important ideas and plans.
Lucy glanced at the notebook, understanding that it played a crucial role in Alex's life.
"So that's what the notebook is for," she said with a smile.
"Yep, anything stored online can be stolen. But what I hold in my hands is much harder to take," Alex replied with a sly grin, knowing the notebook was always hidden in his inventory.
"Heh, smart," Falco chuckled.
"Of course. As a friend of mine used to say, 'I carry everything I own with me,'" Alex joked.
"Wise words," Falco agreed, acknowledging the truth in them.
They laughed at the phrase, recognizing that their lives forced them to always be prepared. Alex continued adjusting to a world where eyes lurked around every corner, and the slightest reveal of his abilities could attract the attention of major corporations.
Even though he could protect himself and those close to him, it could lead to unnecessary casualties. He wasn't a hero, but he didn't want innocent people to suffer because of his selfish decisions. If he survived without his powers before, he could do it again, keeping them hidden.
Lucy watched Alex, who sat with a smile on his face, holding a cigarette. She felt an increasing urge to learn more about him, but she understood it would only happen when he started trusting her.
The longer she watched him, the stronger her desire to dig into his thoughts grew—it was like a snowball rolling downhill, getting bigger with every second. But she knew they hadn't known each other long. Maybe if he joined their team, he'd open up and share more about his past.
Alex, on the other hand, was wondering why Gloria was taking so long. After a moment of thought, he decided she was probably just caught up in a conversation with a friend, sharing her recent worries.
"Hey, Falco, while I'm waiting for Gloria, do you have any work for me? I'd like to know what I can expect," Alex asked Falco.
Falco pondered for a moment, considering what task he could give Alex in this situation. He didn't know what Alex was capable of, and it seemed Alex wasn't very familiar with the city yet.
"Work isn't that simple right now. You might want to wait for Main—he's sure to have something to offer," Falco replied after a pause.
"Nothing at all?" Alex raised an eyebrow and looked at him with interest.
"Well, there's delivery work... and whatever Lucy's been doing today," Falco nodded toward her.
Alex turned to Lucy, who was smoking and watching him intently. Their eyes met.
"Lucy, what were those things you were pulling out of the passengers' necks?" Alex asked, not breaking eye contact.
"They're fragments. Basically, remnants that we sell later," she answered calmly, maintaining eye contact.
"So, they're like memory chips?" Alex asked with some skepticism.
"Almost," Lucy nodded.
Alex pondered the information, which reminded him of old phones where memory cards would pop out if dropped. The thought seemed so amusing that he barely restrained himself from laughing.
Lucy noticed Alex smiling and shaking his head, but couldn't understand what made him feel this way. Her answer didn't seem to suggest anything funny.
"By the way, who's Main?" Alex asked, turning his gaze back to Falco.
"That's me, chum," a voice came from behind Alex.
He turned around and saw a group of people approaching them. Among them was Gloria. Leading the group was a tall, muscular man with sun-tanned skin and gray hair. He wore a vest and military pants. He stopped in front of Alex, surveying him from head to toe.
"So, you're the Alex Gloria picked up?" Main asked, scrutinizing him.
"Sounds like she found a stray kitten," Alex replied with a smile.
Main's smile widened—Alex was exactly as Gloria had described him.
"You're a cheerful guy. Nice to meet you, chum," Main said, extending his hand for a handshake.
"Chum?" Alex shook his hand, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"Heh, you'll figure it out," Main grinned.
"I'm Dorio, Main's right hand," introduced the woman standing next to him.
Alex looked at the tall, muscular Dorio. She wore a jacket over something like a strange bikini covering her chest. She had white hair and cold blue eyes.
"Nice to meet you," Alex said, extending his hand.
"You've got a strong handshake for someone like you," Dorio observed, gripping his hand.
"Well, what can I say, I'm special," Alex smiled, playfully teasing the situation.
Alex was about to say something when suddenly someone grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously. He looked at the culprit and saw a guy with long arms, a mohawk, and strange futuristic glasses. He was wearing a vest.
"I'm Pilar, and this is my sister..." the guy began, but was immediately punched in the stomach.
Alex watched as Pilar curled up and fell to the floor in a shrimp-like pose. He looked up to see who had done it. In front of him stood a girl who looked very much like Hestia in terms of height and cuteness. She had green hair styled in two braids and eyes with red-green irises. She wore a hoodie, under which a bikini was visible. Alex's first thought was that he had met Hestia's twin in this world. His eyes widened in surprise—he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"I'm Rebecca, chum," she introduced herself, gripping his hand roughly and pulling it towards herself.
"Have you ever wanted to freeze someone?" Rebecca asked, not waiting for a reply.
Alex still couldn't help but compare her to Hestia. They looked almost identical, except for one important detail—the chest. Hearing her question, he looked at her in surprise, realizing he had probably found a kindred spirit ready for chaos and disorder.
"Got any offers?" Alex asked with a slight smile.
"Heh, we'll see," Rebecca smirked, grabbing Pilar by the leg and dragging him towards the nearest table.
Alex watched the scene intently, which didn't go unnoticed by Gloria and Lucy, who were observing him. Then his attention was drawn to another girl standing a little behind. He looked her over: she wore a cybernetic mask, a short bob haircut, and a long red cloak that nearly reached her ankles.
"Kivi," she introduced herself briefly and headed to the table where Rebecca had already settled.
Alex surveyed the group and was slightly surprised by their diversity. Lucy seemed cautious and distrustful, Falco was friendly and thoughtful, Main appeared to be the leader, though a bit reckless, likely under the control of Dorio. Pilar was clearly the fun and carefree one, Rebecca acted like a restless gremlin, and Kivi remained mysterious and inscrutable.
"Quite an interesting crew," Alex thought as he got to know each of them.
At that moment, Alex noticed Main sitting down at the bar and decided to approach him to discuss work.
"Gloria told me about your situation. I can only sympathize, chum," Main said, looking at Alex.
Alex glanced at Gloria, who nodded, signaling that everything was fine.
"Well, as they say, shit happens to everyone," Alex replied with a smile.
Main was surprised by his positive attitude. Usually, people in such situations fall into depression or even lose themselves. "As Gloria said, this guy is too nice for this world," he thought, watching Alex's reaction.
Not only Main was surprised by his reaction, but also Dorio, who was sitting next to him. Main didn't yet know what kind of work to offer Alex, as he didn't understand his capabilities, but decided to test his skills to be sure.
"Listen, Alex, I don't know what you're capable of yet, so I can't offer anything serious at the moment," Main said, taking a sip from the glass that Falco had placed in front of him. "But Gloria vouched for you, and no offense, but for now, I can only offer courier work," he added, eyeing Alex closely.
Alex heard Main's words and understood that he was right. No one here knew what he was capable of, and he had to prove it.
"Well, I don't mind. You have to start somewhere," Alex replied with a slight smile.
"Man, you're too optimistic," Main chuckled.
"And when do we start?" Alex asked, lighting a cigarette.
Main looked at him, surprised by his readiness to start working immediately.
"You seem pretty impatient, as I see it," he remarked with a grin.
"Not so much impatient, just need to pay the rent. I'm staying with Gloria for now, and I want to help her in any way I can," Alex explained.
"You seem like a responsible young man," Dorio interjected, glancing at him.
Alex smiled in response. He didn't consider himself particularly responsible, just wanted to help Gloria as best as he could.
"I just want to help her," he said, smiling kindly.
Gloria, watching him, suddenly felt tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn't help but draw parallels between Alex and David. In her mind, the image of David overlapped with Alex, and she struggled to hold back her emotions so that no one would notice.
"He helps me more than he thinks," she thought, discreetly wiping away her tears.
Main, without commenting on Alex's words, simply nodded briefly. In his life, he had met people who viewed the world with such optimism but broke under pressure. He planned to watch how Alex handled real dangers.
"Alright, your first task is to deliver these shards to a guy named Rizz," Main said, setting the glass on the bar.
"Address?" Alex asked, realizing he didn't know where this Rizz lived.
"Don't worry, I'll provide it," Main replied, nodding toward Falco.
Falco quickly exited through the back door and soon returned with a sealed package, which he placed on the bar in front of Alex.
"You need to deliver this personally," Main said, pointing to the package.
Alex took the package, feeling its lightness, but didn't dwell on it. As long as there weren't any drugs or organs inside, he wasn't concerned.
"Is there anything else I should know?" Alex asked, standing up from his chair.
"You need to go to Drake Avenue, you'll figure it out," Main replied, not fully understanding the question.
"I'm not asking about that. Are there any gangs I should be wary of?" Alex clarified.
Main squinted, realizing what Alex meant. In Little China, gangs rarely caused trouble, but sometimes members of the "Tiger Claws" showed up for a bit of fun.
"Gangs usually don't operate here, but the Tiger Claws sometimes drop by. Be careful, I don't want Gloria getting upset again," he added quietly, approaching Alex so only he could hear.
Alex nodded, understanding Main's concerns. Gloria had recently experienced a heavy loss, and he didn't want her to face anything like that again.
"Don't worry, I've got ways to protect myself," Alex said with a smirk.
"Yeah? And what's that?" Main asked, sitting down beside him.
"Here they are, my beauties," Alex said, pulling out his pistols and displaying the weapons.
Alex took out his pistols and casually placed them on the bar. Their appearance immediately drew the attention of everyone in the room. People began to closely examine the weapons, intrigued by their unusual design.
"Hey, kid, where did you get these beauties?" Main asked, keeping his eyes on the pistols.
"Made them myself," Alex replied with a smirk.
Alex's answer elicited even more surprise from those around him. But among all the onlookers, there was one girl whose interest was especially noticeable. Her eyes literally sparkled with excitement as Alex displayed the weapons. Upon hearing that he had made them himself, she could no longer contain her curiosity. Instantly appearing beside him, she grabbed one of the pistols.
"You made these yourself?" Rebecca asked with genuine admiration, holding the pistol in her hands.
Alex looked at her in surprise, taken aback by how she had approached him so subtly.
"Yes, and here's another one," he said, pulling out the "Blue Rose" from behind his back.
Rebecca's eyes lit up even more when she saw the revolver. She grabbed it, carefully inspecting every inch of the weapon. Her gaze was focused, and soon she understood the purpose of the two barrels.
"Two barrels to increase penetration power?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the revolver.
Alex was slightly surprised by her insight.
"That's right. What do you think?" he asked, wanting to know the opinion of someone from this world on his weapons.
"Great design, but I want to see them in action," Rebecca replied enthusiastically, clearly reluctant to put the weapon down.
"I wouldn't mind seeing yours," Alex suggested with a smirk, looking at her.
"Interested in my weapons?" Rebecca squinted suspiciously.
"I'm always interested in weapons, so I wouldn't mind seeing something new," Alex admitted with a smile.
Rebecca looked at Alex with an expression as if she had met a kindred spirit.
"He's also interested in weapons and knows how to make them. If he can shoot well too, that would be perfect," she thought, not hiding her delight.
A smile played on her face, and she clearly pondered how to invite Alex to test the weapons.
"Can you shoot with them?" she asked with curiosity.
"That's the wrong question," Alex replied, taking the weapons from her hands.
Rebecca tilted her head, not understanding why he said that.
"The right question is whether it can kill," Alex said seriously, putting the pistols back in their holsters.
Hearing his words, Rebecca's face lit up with a wild grin.
"Hehehe, you're right, kid," she said with laughter.
"If Main likes you, I'll invite you to shoot," she added, heading back to her table.
Everyone present watched their interaction as if two weapon enthusiasts had met and immediately clicked.
"Looks like you impressed our Rebecca," Dori noted with a smile.
"Nice to meet a fellow enthusiast, especially here," Alex replied, glancing at Rebecca, who winked at him from across the room.
"Are you also a fan of weapons?" Main asked with interest.
"Yeah. I love collecting them and then testing what they can do," Alex said with a smile, recalling his workshop filled with weapons.
He stood up, stretching to loosen his muscles. He had one simple plan: deliver the package quickly and return without any trouble. If all went according to plan, he would avoid any issues and get back home peacefully.
To be continued…