A New Deal

"Shall we make a new deal?"

Upon hearing those words, Jie La Er's body trembled involuntarily.

How many times has this happened already?

From the eyes at the beginning to the fingers now, Jie La Er feels himself falling step by step into the abyss lured by the devil, and yet, each time it is his own choice.

What about this time?

He clenched the photo in his hand, feeling the rain hitting his body, looking at the completely ruined metal body... Jie La Er couldn't remember the last time he was in such a sorry state. Even when he came out of the Land of Corruption ten years ago, he had never fallen to this level.

And what will he have to face?

Jie La Er looked up; the gloomy sky felt like a piece of gray iron, making it hard for him to breathe.

He knew he was powerless to destroy this iron-like sky; to destroy it, he needed a fire, a fire capable of burning everything.

Jie La Er had already seen that fire last night.

It was only then that Jie La Er realized that each time, he seemed to have a choice, but in reality... he didn't.

"You..." Jie La Er began slowly, "What do you want?"

"Oh? Since you asked this question, can I take it as you already having this tendency?" Bai Wei said with a light laugh. "It seems you've already realized that now, only I can help you... It's just a pity that if you had realized this sooner, things might not have developed to this point. But it's understandable, if you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, you probably wouldn't believe what I'm saying, after all, in your eyes, I shouldn't be much different from that newborn Sinful Creature."

Jie La Er didn't speak, but both of them knew exactly what he was worried about—he was constantly afraid that he would unleash an even more uncontrollable entity.

"Actually, you don't need to worry too much about this. I don't have much of an interest in the city of Lyra... Besides, with your sacrifice alone, there's only so much I can do," Bai Wei said calmly. "Look, I only killed a bishop in Rhine, but what about that newborn Sinful Creature? He's going to kill your god! So, doesn't it seem like I'm pretty harmless?"

Jie La Er: "..."

"Let's not talk about these trivial things." Bai Wei put away his joking mood and shifted his gaze to his fingers, then slowly straightened them, "meeting" Jie La Er. "Since it's a new deal, I can show some sincerity first. I'll give you some free information. Your god... can only last for a month at most."

Despite his best efforts to suppress it, Jie La Er's expression still changed slightly.

If he hadn't seen it last night, he would never have believed Bai Wei, but now... it's not up to him to disbelieve him.

He didn't bother asking pointless questions like "Is the timing accurate?" He simply stared at his middle finger and then slowly asked, "What will happen then...?"

Bai Wei was pleased that Jie La Er had gotten straight to the point.

"People will die, many, many people. Because that New God is a being far more insane than Lyra, and His birth will inevitably be accompanied by death, a grand death."

Bai Wei did not lie to Jie La Er.

This is exactly where the normal storyline is headed.

A month later, the Tower of Babel collapsed with a roar, and the New God were reborn on the flesh and blood of the Old God, while simultaneously killing nearly a third of Lyra's people.

Bai Wei used his eye powers to project this scene into Jie La Er's mind. He saw the New God, formed from piled-up flesh and blood, spewing towering flames into the sky. Fire rained down from the crimson sky, and the magnificent Lyra City sank into a sea of fire.

The overwhelming sense of powerlessness washed over him like a tidal wave, almost causing Jie La Er to collapse.

But he held back, looking at the middle finger again. "Can all this be stopped?"

"Of course," Bai Wei said with a light laugh, "Otherwise, what would we be discussing right now?"

"You mean... you're here to stop it?"

"Of course... no." Bai Wei's answer surprised Jie La Er. "With only my eyes and fingers left, I have no way to directly fight against such a guy, even though he is not considered powerful among the gods."

"Not you to stop it?" Perhaps due to excessive blood loss, Jie La Er's mind was somewhat dulled. "Then who else could stop Him?"

"That's a strange thing to say," Bai Wei said. "Isn't your god still alive? Or are you already hoping your god will die soon?"

Jie La Er then came to his senses. He ignored Bai Wei's joke and asked directly, "You mean, save my My Lord Lyra?"

"Yes, although I don't have a good impression of Lyra either, so far, the only one who can deal with this New God is that Old God." Bai Wei said calmly, "Although His current situation is not very good, He is not dead yet. Gods are not so easy to kill, so the New Pursuit Society ... that is, your son's group, will take practical action to weaken His power by killing bishops, because that New God cannot kill Him immediately."

Upon hearing the words "your son," Jie La Er paused for a moment, but ultimately didn't say anything more about it, only asking, "So what should I do?"

"It's very simple," Bai Wei said calmly. "Use the same method."

"... the same way?"

"Yes, the New God want to kill the followers of the Old God to weaken their power," Bai Wei said slowly. "Then why can't you kill the New God's lackeys to weaken their power? In short..."

"They killed the bishop."

"You kill them."

Bai Wei's casual remark seemed to send a strong scent of blood into Jie La Er's mind.

He looked at the photo in his hand again; the boy's smile in the photo was now blurred.

"This is the deal," Bai Wei said slowly. "I'll assist you, tell you who the New God are, and help you deal with some troublesome guys. You saw it last night: all the New God's talents are focused on fighting Lyra, so you might not be able to handle their core figures. But for me, that's not a problem. After all... you've seen my abilities."

Bai Wei finally offered his deal.

But Jie La Er did not agree immediately; instead, he looked at him again.

"So, what's the price...? No." Jie La Er felt the question was inappropriate, so he shook his head and asked again, enunciating each word clearly, "What's your purpose in helping me like this? What do you really want?"

"Can't I just be kind-hearted and want to help you for free?" Bai Wei raised Jie La Er's eyebrows. "Or, do I also dislike that New God and want to help Lyra?"

Jie La Er didn't speak, he just stared at Bai Wei's fingers with Bai Wei's eyes.

Bai Wei also knew that this was an issue that could not be avoided.

However, he does not intend to avoid it.

The time has come for it to be made public.

Do you know what's in Contaminated Land?

Jie La Er remained silent for a long time, then softly said, "Your... body parts?"

"Oh?" Bai Wei was somewhat surprised. "You actually knew?"

"This is just my guess," Jie La Er said softly. "The only thing that might interest you is your own power. Just as you withdrew your eyes and fingers from the Rhine, you came to Lyra for the same reason."

"Hehe, since you've already guessed it, why ask any more questions?"

Jie La Er said, "But I want to know, which part of your body? What power do you possess? And, who are you..."

"That's enough, Jie La Er." Bai Wei interrupted Jie La Er calmly. "Although I understand you're eager to know what you and your team were doing all this for ten years ago, these questions... are beyond my scope. I have no obligation to answer you. You have to offer something in return, but as of now, you don't have anything more to offer."

Jie La Er was momentarily speechless.

"So the terms of the deal are clear. If I do nothing, my power will eventually fall into the hands of that New God, and then it will be very difficult for me to get it back. So in order to prevent that from happening, I've decided to help Lyra, and I'm asking you to help me get that body part in the end." Bai Wei asked, "So? Do you agree to this deal?"

After a long silence, Jie La Er said softly, "I want a promise from you."

"You say."

"After you regain your power, neither now nor in the future, you are not allowed to lay a hand on the people in this city." Jie La Er stared at Bai Wei. "You are not allowed to harm the people in this city."

"Heh... I thought it was something serious," Bai Wei said with a light laugh. "I can grant your request."

After receiving Bai Wei's promise, Jie La Er finally made up his mind. "Okay, I agree to the deal. I will help you retrieve the body parts."

"Very well, then I will allow you to use my power," Bai Wei said. "But before that, what about your body?"

Jie La Er lowered his head and looked at his own body.

As mentioned before, his metal body is completely destroyed and unusable.

He can use Bai Wei's power, but he can't use Bai Wei's power indefinitely.

Therefore, the first thing he needs to do is to replace his body with a healthy metal one.

After a moment's thought, Jie La Er said, "I know a place where what I'm looking for might be, if it's still there."

"But can you still walk properly in your current condition?" Bai Wei said slowly. "Don't forget that you're still wanted by the police. Being unable to move around will cause a lot of trouble."

Jie La Er didn't say much. He simply pulled out the metal fragments that were stuck in his flesh and hindering his movement, and then tossed them aside.

The blood quickly faded as it was washed away by the rain.

"That's fine."

He said this, and then walked into the downpour.

"Puff".

A little girl with short brown hair fell into the mud, leaving a bright red bloodstain on her tender face.

Then came a series of cheers, and then a fat boy whose two arms had been modified into prosthetics strode forward, grabbed the little girl by the hair and lifted her up, while taunting her loudly.

"Hey, let me see who this is. Isn't this... um? What's his name again?" The chubby boy looked at his underling.

Seeing this, the underling quickly stepped forward and said, "Reporting, boss! Her name is Ju!"

"Ju? What a lousy name." The fat boy looked at the little girl again. "Weren't you very tough before? You even dared to hit my underling. Don't you know his boss is me?"

The little girl stubbornly raised her head, her dark eyes fixed on the fat boy, a hint of disdain in her pupils.

"Your little brother, even with a prosthetic arm, can't beat me. He's so weak. It seems you, the big brother, aren't that great either."

Upon hearing what Ju said, the henchman next to him immediately became furious. "You, you, you... if it weren't for the lock in my prosthetic leg, I would have killed you already!"

"Really?" The little girl glanced at her underling with disdain. "You're going to get knocked down by my fists just because you can't use the weapons that come with your prosthetic limb? Well, you really are trash."

"You, you, you..." The younger brother's face turned red, but he didn't know how to refute it.

After all, as Tachibana said, even if a prosthetic limb cannot use the weapons inside, it is still made of metal, which is definitely not something that flesh and blood can withstand.

But he was beaten down by Ju, which made him feel very embarrassed. He could only look at his older brother, the fat boy, with hopeful eyes.

The chubby boy didn't say much and punched Ju in the stomach, making Ju's tender face contort in pain.

But she didn't utter a sound, she just stared coldly at the fat boy, her gaze was not at all what one would expect from someone her age, which made the fat boy tremble inwardly, and then he punched her again.

"Ha, you think I don't know why you don't have a prosthetic limb?" the fat boy said. "You don't want to get one? You can't! Because you have no parents! You can't get one without a guardian to vouch for you! You're just an unwanted orphan! Like a stray dog on the street!"

The fat boy cursed loudly, almost spitting his saliva onto Ju's face.

He hated Tachibana's expression; he couldn't understand why an unwanted brat could have such an arrogant look. Shouldn't she have cried and begged for mercy after witnessing his power?

Can't you be a little more discerning? This is the latest model of prosthetic limb. How dare you mess with me when you're a guy with no metal parts at all?!

Thinking of this, the chubby boy increased the force in his hands, wanting to hit Ju a couple more times, but then he heard Ju say, "I do not have a father or mother, but soon... you will not have children."

The chubby boy was slightly taken aback.

Then he heard a "crack" sound, followed by a sharp pain in his lower body that almost made him faint, forcing him to release Ju.

"Big brother? Big brother, what's wrong?"

When the chubby boy suddenly bowed down like a shrimp, the underlings quickly surrounded him.

"No, don't move!" The chubby boy cried out, his face turning red. "It hurts, it hurts so much..."

Pain?

Everyone's gaze immediately shifted downwards, and then they were all stunned.

All that could be seen on the chubby boy's lower body was a peculiar "lock" that had somehow appeared on his body.

A small clock hung on the lock, ticking away, while the lock slowly tightened over time.

And the tightened area, naturally, is...

"You bastard! What did you do to me?!" The fat boy stared intently at Ju.

Ju first spat out the blood in her mouth, then raised her neck high and looked down at the fat boy. "I told you, you'll soon be childless. This is a little gadget I made myself, called Timed Egg Bomb. As the name suggests, I set a timer, and you'll be bursting soon."

Everyone was stunned.

Then the fat boy couldn't help but curse, "Are you fucking crazy... Ah, my balls!"

"Don't worry, brother! Let me help you take it down!" Eager to show his loyalty, the younger brother immediately reached out his hand, but as soon as he touched the egg-bursting device, he saw the small clock on it ticking away even faster.

Then the chubby boy screamed even louder, "Ahhh! Don't move! Don't move! It hurts!"

"The more he struggles, the more it hurts; the bigger the movement, the faster he'll pull back," Orange said with a smile. "I suggest you take him to the nearest prosthetics shop as soon as possible, otherwise..."

Ju shrugged.

"You'll be using a prosthetic for this part of your body from now on... This should be a precedent, right? How about calling it... Steel Egg?"

Ju's words startled the boys.

The chubby boy couldn't accept the thought of having to replace his third leg with a prosthetic, and his face instantly turned pale. "Quick, quick! What are you waiting for? Carry me to the prosthetic shop!"

"Oh oh oh oh!"

The boys immediately sprang into action, lifting the fat boy like an animal, during which he made constant pig-slaughtering noises.

"Ah! Gently! Gently!"

"It's going to explode! It's really going to explode!"

In response to this, Tachibana simply smiled, and smiled again.

Just as they were scrambling to leave, the henchman saw Ju still smiling and became furious. He then pointed at Ju's nose and said...

"To do something like this! No wonder you're the daughter of a criminal!"

Ju's smile froze for a moment.

Another little devil chimed in, "Not a criminal! A traitor! Someone who betrayed Lyra! Your dad's a traitor! Your mom's crazy! No wonder you did something like this! Just wait, your fate will be exactly the same as your parents'!"

In response to the two brats' mockery, Ju slowly pulled out two small Timed Egg Bomb from her pocket and waved them in front of them. Their faces turned pale, and they dared not say anything more. They picked up the fat boy and ran away.

The fat boy continued to threaten her menacingly, "Just you wait! One day I'll kill you! I'll send you to join your parents!"

Soon, the kids left, and the alley became quiet, leaving only Tachibana alone.

Ju lowered her head and looked at herself in the reflection of the puddles on the ground.

His hair was a mess, his clothes were torn, and there was blood at the corner of his mouth. He looked like a broken toy.

Fortunately, she was used to it. She shrugged and put away the two Timed Egg Bomb devices. Then she picked up her schoolbag, which she had left behind, and slowly walked back while humming a song.

Her childish and off-key voice echoed in the narrow alley, sounding somewhat monotonous.

Ju returned to her home—a small house in a remote area of District 2.

Actually, this isn't a proper residential house at all; it's just a small storage room.

This was left to her by Tachibana's father, whom she had never met.

Actually, Ju knew that her father had left her a house in a place called Rim Station, which was a proper residence, but Ju didn't want to live there.

Because living there would lead to people pointing fingers and saying that the child was a "rebel" and that he was likely to be corrupted.

Ju disliked this very much. She had never even met her father, so why should she be talked about like this?

So she moved here alone. Although she still gets talked about like that from time to time, she's gotten used to it.

Ju took out her key and opened the warehouse door.

Then, a bunch of metal parts came into view.

This is also my father's legacy.

Ju heard that her father used to be Mechanic, and a very good one at that.

I don't know if she inherited it from her father, but Ju is quite talented in this area. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to create such a little gadget as Timed Egg Bomb without any instruction.

Otherwise, she knew she would have been bullied even more.

After entering the warehouse, Ju hummed a song, put down her schoolbag, and then walked towards the workbench while rubbing her messy hair.

The Timed Egg Bomb still has its drawbacks; it can only be installed at point-blank range, which is not ideal. We still need to develop some ranged weapons.

With that thought in mind, Ju walked to the workbench and found that someone was already sitting there.

What kind of person is he?

His entire body was covered in blood.

His body was incomplete, missing pieces here and there.

Bloodstained metal was piled up at his feet.

Ju froze.

She slowly raised her head and met a pair of eyes as bright as stars.

This is what surprised Ju the most.

Why does such an ordinary old face have such an eye that is completely out of place with its temperament?

... a long silence followed.

The other person finally spoke slowly, their words sounding slightly unnatural.

"Don't be nervous, I'm just... passing by."