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Lin Mo silently read through the communication log, each word felt like a demon recounting its sins, taking joy in the horror.
These crimes were beyond heinous. To treat humans as mere commodities, stripping them of their dignity, their humanity—it was unspeakable. Worse, it was done so casually, as if these records were just notes in a mundane journal, kept to document profits and pleasures. The Scavengers didn't even see the evil in their actions; to them, it was just business.
Lin Mo took a deep breath, trying to calm the fire of rage stirring in his chest.
The air in the room reeked of rot and blood. There was none of the sterile smell that would typically accompany a medical operation.
He could easily imagine these people using the cheapest tools, working with grim efficiency to strip useful cyberware from their victims while paying no mind to their screams. If the noise became too irritating, they'd likely knock the victims out with a blunt object.
The unlucky ones might actually be grateful for being knocked out—perhaps even dead—just to escape the unimaginable pain.
"Do you know why Scavengers prefer to remove cyberware while their victims are still alive?" Sasha's voice was low as she leaned in close to Lin Mo.
"They believe it keeps the implants 'fresh,'" she said coldly. "They think removing parts from a living body retains more 'vitality' compared to doing it from a dead one."
Lin Mo scoffed, his voice bitter. "What nonsense. Even the faith I have in taking my daily dumps is cleaner than their twisted beliefs."
Sasha gave him a slight smile, though there was a glint of sadness in her eyes. "I guess the person you're looking for isn't here."
Lin Mo nodded but didn't seem discouraged. "If she were in this room, I wouldn't have much hope left. Her not being here means she's still alive, somewhere."
"When was she taken?" Sasha asked.
"Two days ago. It's been about 48 hours," Lin Mo responded, recalling the timeline.
Sasha frowned. "That's cutting it close."
Although they still hadn't figured out why the basement was eerily empty, they agreed that the room they were in was clearly used to "process" victims.
"Since this is the processing room, the place where they keep the 'raw materials' shouldn't be far," Lin Mo deduced.
Sasha agreed, and the two continued searching nearby rooms.
Soon, Sasha found what they were looking for—a room that served as the holding area for the Scavengers' victims.
Sasha, with her experience in infiltration and reconnaissance, was quick to identify the room before Lin Mo had a chance.
Lin Mo stood by the door, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, Black Unicorn, as he gave Sasha a questioning look. "Is this it?"
She nodded, pointing to her cybernetic eyes. "Based on the heat signature, it's colder in there. Could be where they store bodies."
Lin Mo steeled himself and pushed open the door.
Inside, the room was filthy, as though it had once been a storage room repurposed into a makeshift prison.
When Lin Mo saw what was inside, his eyes grew cold, and his hatred for the Scavengers deepened.
The room could be described as "small but lacking." A pathetic, squalid space filled with only two main things:
—On one side, several bathtubs filled with ice, holding the lifeless bodies of those whose organs had already been harvested.
—On the other, several dirty beds with people lying on them, their eyes vacant, their fates uncertain.
Lin Mo, despite his composure, was shaken by the sight. He stood frozen at the threshold as if unwilling to take another step into this hellish scene.
Sasha, however, maintained her cool. She gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder as she passed him, her eyes reflecting the cold, ghostly light in the dark room.
The beds were large and dilapidated, but spacious enough to hold multiple bodies. They were meant to hold the victims before they were processed—just another step before being turned into "merchandise."
Sasha methodically searched through the room, her movements precise and focused. Soon, she found the woman they were looking for.
Without hesitation, she connected a cable from her cyberdeck into the woman's interface.
Seeing this, Lin Mo raised an eyebrow, impressed. Accessing someone's neural processor was a risky move, as there was always a chance of contracting malware or a virus. But Sasha didn't seem concerned.
After a while, Lin Mo asked, "What's her condition?"
"She's alive," Sasha said coolly.
Lin Mo exhaled in relief. "That's something, at least."
"But she's not in good shape," Sasha added, turning the woman's body over to show Lin Mo the damage.
Lin Mo's eyes narrowed in disgust.
The woman was wearing nothing but a dirty white apron. The Scavengers had even stripped them of their clothing, likely to sell as well. When Sasha turned her over, Lin Mo saw her bare back, her pale skin marred by the brutal reality of what had been done to her.
Her waist had two large, poorly stitched incisions—evidence of hastily done surgery. The wounds were oozing, the makeshift sutures already failing.
"They removed both of her kidneys. The infection set in afterward, and now her body is on the verge of collapse," Sasha said flatly, her voice betraying a trace of bitterness.
Lin Mo inspected the crude cuts and frowned. If the Scavengers had already harvested her organs, why bother stitching her back up?
That wasn't typical of their methods.
Even though the stitching was horrendous, it was still an attempt to keep her alive just a little longer. But why?