Cyber ​​Ghost Record

Chapter 13: The Deal

"We'll have to see the goods first."

"Sug said cautiously."

Although he was prepared to invest in trial and error, 100,000 yuan was not a large sum of money.

He lacks too many things: first, a way to bypass regulations and enter the network; second, equipment and weapons for self-defense; and third, training in anchoring consciousness may require additional investment.

These things are mostly unobtainable through legitimate means, which means they are more expensive.

To date, including the debts repaid, I have spent nearly four thousand yuan. The biggest expense among them—that half-body exoskeleton—seems to have been a waste of money. In this era of highly customized commodity trading systems, returning goods is practically impossible.

"You're quite confident, aren't you? You used to be a tycoon?"

She looked at Suger, his silver mask reflecting the dim lights of the bar.

"I can't say for sure," Soger's answer remained ambiguous.

The waiter returned with a silver tray, placed two drinks on the table, bowed slightly in greeting, and then quietly left.

She picked up a disposable storage chip from the tray, inserted it into the neural repeater slot behind her ear, and then raised her martini glass of blue wine to Suger.

"Let's not dwell on the past, welcome to the 23rd century."

These words deeply moved Suger. For the first time in two weeks, this era had shown him acceptance. He paused for a moment, his hand holding the single-walled glass pausing, before raising it to her in a gesture of respect.

But then he only touched the rim of the glass with his lips and ultimately didn't drink the water.

She didn't pay attention to Su Ge's actions, but simply drank the cup of Yu Hua in one gulp. Her eyes were unfocused, and although she was still sitting on the sofa, her soul seemed to have flown away.

A few seconds later, she came to her senses with a dazed expression, let out a sigh of relief, and raised her empty glass to Su Ge.

"Thanks."

"Need not."

Suger put down his cup and saw her catch the chip that popped out from behind her ear and toss it aside.

"How does this wine taste?" he asked.

"As its name suggests, once you drink it, you'll ascend to immortality."

She seemed still immersed in that glass of wine, her gaze passing through the wisps of smoke rising from between her fingers, yet looking as if she were looking into the distance.

"Actually, they recently released a newer, more popular product that lets you experience real death... um... the experience of death."

Suger paused, realizing that the pastimes of this era were far too advanced for him.

"Death experiences? These are popular?"

"Heh, a lot of people just enjoy the feeling of dying once and then finding themselves alive again. You could try it sometime."

"I won't."

Suger shook his head. In a sense, he had already been reborn once, and it didn't feel good.

Don't speak too soon.

She curled the corners of her lips, leaned back on the sofa, turned her head, and looked at the long red walnut bar not far away.

"What do you think of it here?"

"where?"

"A bar."

"not bad."

How does it compare to your time?

"I haven't been there. Apart from the alcohol, the other places are pretty much the same."

"Right? This is a really retro bar."

She gave a knowing smile.

"Won't that drink cause any problems?" Socrates asked abruptly. "Won't there be any risks like brain death?"

She exhaled a puff of smoke and turned to him, saying, "If someone guarantees you that something is absolutely safe, they're definitely lying to you."

He pressed further, "Then shouldn't it be considered a contraband?"

She smiled and continued to look at the bar.

"As long as you don't drink it on the street, it's fine."

Sog had a pretty good idea of ​​the answer: if this place could provide contraband, it must also have other things he wanted.

However, such places also have unspoken rules for screening clients to maintain the delicate tacit understanding required for gray market transactions. If someone wants to gain approval, they might need an intermediary to secure a contract through a successful transaction.

"This way."

She suddenly waved towards the bar.

A tall, slender figure walked through the colorful lights to the booth, most of his face was covered by the pulled-down hood, only his nose and lip ring were visible.

Socrates eyed the uninvited guest warily, and the uninvited guest eyed him back, stating a price directly:
"Seventeen thousand."

Suger frowned.

She calmly exhaled smoke while her long legs were crossed.

It really is a bar scam.

Su Ge glanced at the empty glass on the table and sent Yang Guan his location and a message asking for help. Regardless of whether the anomaly investigators dealt with such matters, he intended to insist that the other party was also a demon trying to bewitch him.

He had just sent the message when he heard her say:

"Twelve thousand, I guess." Su Ge paused for a moment, sensing something was amiss.

"You'll have to find someone else to pay this price," the man said.

"Twelve thousand." She said casually.

“This is military equipment,” the man said coldly.

"It's military equipment from decades ago, but it's been retired for a long time. Exoskeletons aren't selling well these days."

She gestured with her chin towards Suger.

"Only a flesh-based fundamentalist like him would need such equipment."

The man seemed to waver and hesitated for a moment.

"At least 14,000 for a set of 'Gu Diao', and then..."

They weren't talking about the price of the liquor, but rather a set of retired military exoskeleton equipment.

Suger secretly hung up the phone.

But almost the next second after he hung up, Yang Guan sent a contact request, and Su Ge's heart, which had just been at ease, jumped again.

"Hey, what do you think?"

She looked over.

"Although the 'Gu Diao' has been retired, it was a genuine military exoskeleton before."

"Ah, that's good."

Suger snapped out of his daze.

"Wait a minute, I need to use the restroom."

He got up and left the booth, hurrying between the bar and the dance floor.

I found the toilet, and as soon as I walked in, I heard groans coming from inside.

A toilet door was vibrating rhythmically.

He had just reached the sink when Yang Guan hung up the phone, followed immediately by a text message:
Hold on for seven minutes, I'll be right there.

Suger sighed.

I rubbed my face in front of the mirror, trying to make my expression look natural, and then dialed the number back.

Just a second later, Yang Guan's half-body illusory image appeared in the field of vision, asking seriously, "Where are you now?"

"bar."

"You didn't encounter any danger?"

"Nothing."

Suger observed his smiling face in the mirror.

"I just suddenly thought of buying you a drink. You saved my life, and I haven't properly thanked you yet."

“In the future, just explain these things in the message. I have something to do today, next time…” Yang Guan sighed. He was about to refuse when he suddenly remembered that most hibernators would develop psychological problems due to loneliness, so he changed his mind. “Never mind, wait for me a bit.”

Su Ge was caught off guard when Yang Guan, whom he had only met once, actually accepted his invitation.

"Hi, I've thought about it, and today is indeed not a convenient day, so I won't take up your time."

Yang Guan didn't understand Su Ge's fickleness. He hesitated for a moment, then looked in the direction of the shaking toilet door, as if he understood something.

"You didn't come alone?"

"More or less." Su Ge smiled.

"Okay, then next time."

Yang Guan smiled knowingly and cut off the communication.

Su Ge finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling his cheeks aching from faking the smile. He scooped up a handful of water, vigorously washed his face in front of the mirror, and hurriedly left the restroom.

……

Suger sat down on the dark red velvet sofa; the empty glasses on the table had already been removed.

The gaunt, cyborg—the middleman in this deal—sat beside her. His hands were crossed, each knuckle gleaming with an alloy-like sheen.

"A set of Gu Diao, plus a sports system, adds up to 14,000."

The middleman quoted the agreed price and then said, "But you need to think it over carefully. Without connecting to the cerebellum, even if you add a renovation system, it won't be able to reach its full potential."

Su Ge hesitated for a moment, then said, "I want to try it."

“No problem, you can try it out.” The middleman seemed very confident. “According to the rules, you pay a 30% deposit first, and I will activate a three-day trial for you.”

"Then it's settled. When can I expect to see the goods?"

"Going right now."

The middleman stood up after he finished speaking.

"I've saved you a lot of money."

The female neighbor on the sofa stubbed out her cigarette, her eyes conveying a meaningful look, as if she could see through his doubts and misunderstandings.

"Oh, and don't forget my commission, it's 1,000 yuan."

(End of this chapter)