Open the Door!

"Let's make a deal."

When Jie La Er uttered those words, there was a moment of silence in the warehouse, even Bai Wei in his mind remained silent.

Tachibana blinked at Jie La Er, making the previously composed Jie La Er feel somewhat uneasy. He had no choice but to break the silence. "Is there a problem?"

Then they received responses from both of them.

"What do you think?" This was Bai Wei's rhetorical question.

"You're Wanted Criminal," Orange replied even more bluntly. "Do Wanted Criminal need to make deals?"

Jie La Er was somewhat troubled. He was never good with words, and the current situation was indeed a bit complicated. He could only try his best to explain, "I've run into some trouble right now, but..."

"Are you being framed?"

"... How did you know?"

Ju lowered her head, her dirty shoe toes swaying slowly on the ground. "I've met some of my father's comrades'... family members? When they were accused of being traitors, they all said they were innocent."

"... Is that so?"

"But they all say it's because of you, that you're the one who made them feel wronged, and that you're the only one who wasn't wronged."

Jie La Er: "..."

Jie La Er wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt like there was a voice laughing in his head.

"This matter is complicated," Jie La Er said to Tachibana. "I am also searching for the truth, but I can tell you that neither I nor your father are traitors, and I will prove that sooner or later. Please believe me."

As Jie La Er said this, he kept trying to look into Tachibana's eyes, but unfortunately, Tachibana kept her eyes on her shoes and seemed not to care about what Jie La Er said. She just gave a soft "Oh" after Jie La Er finished speaking, and then asked, "So what kind of deal do you want to make with me?"

"As you can see, I'm not in a good position right now." Jie La Er pointed to his leg. "The metal plate is installed backwards, and I have nowhere else to go. So if you can, I would like to ask you to help me."

Asking a ten-year-old girl for help was indeed a bit strange, but Jie La Er tried his best to avoid revealing it in his tone, as if he were talking to a normal adult. However, his light tone still revealed the cautiousness in his heart.

"But I'm not asking you to help me for free. You can suggest something to me... no, wait." Jie La Er shook his head, feeling like he was being led astray. Then he pulled a money pouch from his pocket and placed it on the table beside him, the coins inside clinking. "We'll do a normal transaction. I'll pay you at the normal market price. What do you think?"

Hearing the sound of money, Tachibana finally raised her head. She first looked at the money bag on the table, then at the wound on Jie La Er's leg. After a slight hesitation, she nodded.

"Good."

After agreeing, Tachibana really got to work. After carefully examining the model and structure of Jie La Er's leg parts, she efficiently crawled into the pile of parts next to her and started rummaging through them.

Jie La Er felt a little dazed when he saw that small figure from behind.

Then he heard Bai Wei's voice again. "Is it necessary?"

"...What?"

"I said, is it really necessary?" Bai Wei said calmly. "You're Wanted Criminal. Shouldn't Wanted Criminal do things that are more in line with Wanted Criminal status? Like grabbing her by the neck and saying, 'If you don't help me, I'll kill you.'"

"I'm not really Wanted Criminal."

"No, it's true, your wanted poster is still up on the wall outside."

Jie La Er's lips twitched slightly.

"Even if you really wanted to help her, you could have threatened her to help you and then left her some money afterwards," Bai Wei said calmly. "Wouldn't that have been more efficient?"

"No."

"Why?"

Jie La Er watched the small figure rummaging through parts not far away and thought to himself, "She needs more than just money. For her, there are things that are more important than money."

"For example?"

"Equality," Jie La Er replied briefly.

"I see." Bai Wei roughly understood Jie La Er's meaning, and he said with a smile, "Is this the experience you gained from your own daughter?"

Jie La Er recalled that small figure in his mind and said softly, "Let's just call it a little bit of insignificant experience."

"I knew it."

Then he heard Bai Wei's response.

"It seems you and your daughter have a good relationship. So where is she now?"

Jie La Er immediately fell silent.

Tachibana, who was searching for parts, turned around with some confusion and glanced at Jie La Er.

Even though she hadn't said a word since the beginning, for some reason, Ju felt that it was quieter now than before.

That's really strange.

"Really? We haven't found it yet."

Tower of Babel, Yong Xin stood by the window, gazing at the Lyra as night fell once again.

Last night's events—the death of the bishop and the explosion of the Fourth District Tower— have indeed shocked the Lyra People, so much so that many Lyra People have been discussing it throughout the day.

But... that's all there is to it.

Lyra is still operating normally, and the Lyra People are still working and living normally. The death of the bishop and the explosion of the branch tower only brought a little fodder for conversation to their monotonous lives.

The Lyra remained unchanged... except for the wanted posters plastered throughout the streets and alleys, and the Skeleton Corps stationed at various strategic passes.

All of this was naturally in order to find Jie La Er.

Unfortunately, after a whole half-day, there was still no news of Jie La Er.

Yong Xin was not surprised by the result. He said to the skeletal Knight who came to report, "Simply controlling the Gear Train and blocking the main streets is unlikely to catch him. He knows this city too well. There are many places he wants to go and can go. You need to do more to catch him."

"We understand," the Skeleton Knight replied, "But Level One Wanted Order can only do so much. To conduct a house-to-house search, we would need to upgrade the warrant to at least Level 2... We need a warrant."

As he spoke, the skeletal Knight presented an application.

The natural response would be to request an upgrade in the wanted level.

Yong Xin glanced at the application, then picked up the pen on the table, ready to sign it.

But when the pen tip touches the paper, it just won't fall.

The hand holding the pen trembled slightly, as if trying to stop the action from happening.

Yong Xin narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Lord Yongxin?" The skeletal Knight asked, seeing that Yong Xin hadn't started writing yet. "What is this?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Yong Xin slowly put the pen back, then chuckled and said, "I just suddenly remembered that I haven't fully taken over Bishop Holman's authority yet, so I can't sign Level Two Wanted Order."

"Is that so?" The skeletal Knight hesitated. "If that's the case, I'm afraid we have no way..."

"Why not give it a try?" Yong Xin looked at the skeleton Knight with encouraging eyes. "Now is the time for innovation, why not try something bolder?"

Yong Xin's voice seemed to possess a certain Magic Power, causing the Skeleton Knight to momentarily lose his composure.

"I understand." The skeletal Knight bowed to Yong Xin. "I will bring some like-minded people to help you accomplish this task... but I cannot command everyone."

"A portion is enough," Yong Xin said calmly. "Search a few key areas; he can't run far."

The skeletal Knight nodded, then bowed again before leaving.

After the door closed, Yong Xin looked down at the unsigned Level Two Wanted Order and his hand still holding the pen, and let out two laughs.

The laughter was full of contempt and mockery.

"Haven't they found Jie La Er yet?"

A dull sound came from the drawer.

Yong Xin put down his pen and opened the drawer.

This time, his hand showed no abnormalities.

Inside the drawer lay a strange tentacle. Sensing the drawer being opened, it twisted its body and tore open another mouth.

"At a time like this, there shouldn't be any more unexpected changes."

A dull sound came from the torn mouth.

"There's nothing I can do. My situation isn't much different from yours," Yong Xin said calmly. "Ultimately, it's because we started a month early and couldn't finish those last few preparations."

"This should not be an excuse."

"I'm just stating the facts."

"The fact is, our Great Lord is about to be born, and this process should not be disturbed by any factors," the tentacle said. "We used to be in the shadows, but now, it is he who is in the shadows... What do you think he will do?"

"Logically speaking, he should have come to me," Yong Xin said calmly. "After all, no father would not want to see his son who has come back from the dead, and by seeing me, he would be able to know everything that happened ten years ago... the truth he has always wanted to find."

Will he come looking for you?

Yong Xin thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, at least not for now. After going through so much, I think he has regained his senses. He should know very well that it is not so easy to find me directly, so he will probably start from other places."

"For example?"

"I can't make an accurate judgment on that," Yong Xin shrugged and said. "Just as you said, we are in the open now, and he is in the shadows."

"But we don't have many points that are currently exposed in the open."

"Yes." Yong Xin looked at the tentacles and asked, "But do you think he won't be able to find them?"

The tentacle fell silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "Indeed, ever since he returned from Somu City, he's been like a different person. For the past ten years, he's been wandering around like a headless fly, but now, he's become so purposeful, as if... someone is guiding him. Haven't your men returned from the Rhine yet?"

"How could it be that fast? Rhine isn't Lyra; we can't lay the Gear Train tracks there," Yong Xin said. "Let's be patient. Are you in such a hurry because they're going to find out?"

"Heh... those guys didn't even realize Huo Er Man's power had disappeared, so how could they have noticed me?" the tentacle said disdainfully. "In the end, they're no different from the living dead, just a last bit of their willpower is keeping them going, just like... Lyra."

"How is Lyre's condition now?"

"It's just the last gasp of life," the tentacle said. "In the end, He is just a 'fragmented' god. The fact that He has been able to survive until now through his strange skills is already His limit... It's time to make way for the birth of New God."

At this point, the tentacle paused.

"It's about time. Just to be on the safe side, I can't disappear for too long. I'll leave the rest to you. Take care of him as soon as possible."

As it spoke, the mouth on the tentacle closed again, and there was no more movement.

Yong Xin slowly pushed the drawer back, then looked at Lyra again, muttering to himself.

"An incomplete god?"

In the dimly lit warehouse, a girl with brown hair squatted in front of an oil lamp, wielding a wrench to disassemble a broken part.

Jie La Er looked at the orange in front of him.

Even though he had a premonition, he still couldn't help but show a surprised expression.

Because Ju's technique was just too skillful.

It's worth noting that Jie La Er has met many Mechanic, some of whom are even more outstanding than Tachibana, such as her father Eric. But all of them are seasoned veterans who have been in the industry for many years.

Jie La Er had never seen anyone like Orange, whose hands were smaller than a wrench yet could still skillfully disassemble and reassemble things.

Based on speed and skill alone, Jie La Er could tell that Tachibana was already better than 80% of junior Mechanic.

With her help, Jie La Er is rapidly transforming from a "disabled" person into a complete one, with old and new parts quickly filling in the missing parts of his body.

A few hours later, Jie La Er felt that he had recovered 60% of his body's functions.

The reason it's only 60% isn't because Orange's technique is bad, but because some of his parts are military-grade and not available here. After all, even Eric, who was once a member of the Night Star, wouldn't have stockpiled so many military-grade parts in his private warehouse.

Therefore, Jie La Er has only regained the most basic functions, such as walking, running and jumping, which are no longer affected. In fact, because he has fewer accessories, he feels more relaxed.

However, the cost is that his body can no longer perform "overload," which will undoubtedly greatly reduce his combat power.

Moreover, he doesn't even have a weapon now. His Chainsaw Sword was destroyed last night, and no matter how powerful Tachibana is, he can't possibly forge a Chainsaw Sword for him.

Even so, Jie La Er was already quite satisfied.

He looked at Ju again. She was covered in sweat from working for several hours straight, with a fine bead of sweat on the tip of her nose. But her face was expressionless, and she seemed neither proud nor pleased with her skills.

"You're really amazing," Jie La Er said to Tachibana. "You've completely exceeded my expectations. You're more skilled than many junior Mechanic, even comparable to your father..."

At this point, Jie La Er paused subconsciously. He wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do to mention Eric in front of Tachibana, since in Tachibana's eyes, he was the murderer who killed Eric.

But seeing that Tachibana didn't react much, Jie La Er still quietly said the second half of his sentence: "Even as good as your father, who used to be the team's best Mechanic."

Just as Jie La Er had expected, Tachibana still had that poker face that was completely out of character for her age. She didn't change much just because Jie La Er mentioned her father. She simply reached out and wiped the sweat from her face, then looked at Jie La Er again and asked hesitantly, "So, are you still going to pay?"

Jie La Er was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but let out a helpless laugh.

It turns out she thought he was trying to renege on his debt by praising her.

This left Jie La Er somewhat speechless, but he knew that explanations were pointless at this point. So he took his money pouch, unpacked it, and chuckled, saying, "Of course I'll pay. It's a deal between us. By the way, do you know roughly what a Mechanic's income is?"

"I know," Ju replied calmly. "I used to work at a prosthetics shop."

"Oh? And then what happened?"

"Later, when they found out I was the daughter of a rebel, they let me leave," Ju said. "They didn't even pay me."

Jie La Er paused for a moment, then looked at Tachibana very seriously and said, "So, I'm your first official customer? The kind who has to pay?"

Ju nodded.

"Really?" Jie La Er seemed pleased. "Very well, then you can name your price."

Ju hesitated for a moment.

"Don't worry, name your price." Jie La Er looked at Tachibana with encouraging eyes, then said, word by word, "This is what you deserve."

Seeing Jie La Er say that, Tachibana nodded again and then gave a number.

Jie La Er's expression froze for a moment.

"How much?" Jie La Er thought he had misheard.

So Ju repeated it again.

Jie La Er's expression froze. He subconsciously opened his money pouch, looked at the money inside, and his face gradually turned pale.

Then, he heard Bai Wei say in his mind, "Are you kidding me?"

Jie La Er was at a loss for words to explain.

He didn't really know much about this, because when he was still the Evening Star Captain, Lyra paid for the replacement parts, and he didn't have to pay.

And in the past ten years, when he was not Evening Star Captain, he has hardly had any parts replaced.

The only time he ever had maintenance done, it was Carol who helped him, and he didn't pay for it at all.

So Jie La Er had no idea how much it would cost to replace parts, especially the entire body.

This is rather awkward.

Jie La Er counted the money in his purse again and again, but it never seemed to be enough.

So, he could only raise his head with a complicated expression and look at Ju.

"Um... can I buy on credit?" Jie La Er sighed, then said rather helplessly, "I don't have enough money."

Ju tilted her head.

Just then, Bai Wei suddenly spoke up, "There's someone outside."

After a brief moment of surprise, Jie La Er reacted immediately, reaching out to extinguish the candle beside him, plunging the entire warehouse into darkness.

Before Ju could understand what was happening, she heard a loud knocking on the warehouse door.

Knock knock knock!

"Open the door!" someone shouted from outside. "The Skeleton Corps!"

Recommend a book~