Stiller's Vacation

In the shadows of the Alley, Stiller, who had changed out of his Truth Company Combat Suit and was now wearing civilian clothes, appeared before Lin Yu.

Smelling the murky air, Stiller looked around and spoke to Lin Yu.

"Ha, we should be in the Outer City, near the edge of the city wall. This area is full of slums and Gangsters territory. The place we are in now, along with the area of about three blocks to the left and right, is a pretty well-known place."

"The Three Great Corporations call this place 'South District Gray Three Streets,' which is the more formal name."

"But the more common name... mercenaries, Outer City, and Lower-Class Citizen would call this place 'Gold Rush Street'."

Lin Yu listened to Stiller's words and nodded slightly.

He called Stiller out so that this Native could explain to him where he was.

This is why Lin Yu chose the entrance to the "Wasteland" world—going to other places would be fine, but once he arrived in the City That Never Sleeps, with Stiller as his local guide, the start would definitely be much less troublesome.

"Then why is this place called 'Gold Rush Street'...? It sounds like a no-man's-land."

Lin Yu looked at Stiller and pressed for an answer.

"You're absolutely right," Stiller nodded. "The three giant corporations' control over the Outer City's periphery is, in some ways, even weaker than that of the Great Wilderness."

"Both the Divine Power Group and the Universal Trade Association have chosen to support 'gangs,' 'Gangsters,' and 'Mercenary Groups' as their spokespeople to govern the chaotic and lucrative Outer City outskirts."

After all, in the City That Never Sleeps, the residents of the Inner City are relatively wealthy upper-class citizens, while the residents of the Outer City are relatively poor and of lower social status, but they cannot be ignored because of their large numbers.

In City That Never Sleeps, people are consumers, labor force, and even energy, fuel, raw materials, and high-quality test subjects.

But once you reach the Outer City, near the city walls... the people there can only be called trash.

They have no use and are even dangerous.

A group of vicious and desperate people gathered.

Half of the people here are citizens of class nine or below, who are unclassifiable, while the other half are simply undocumented immigrants.

In the Inner City, a stone thrown could hit three Noble; but on the Outer City, a stone could hit five Prison Break or wanted criminals.

"You only mentioned the Divine Power Group and the Omnipotent Chamber of Commerce, what about your Truth Company?"

Lin Yu asked with a smile, Stiller shrugged.

"Truth Company has a shallow foundation and initially lacked a large following, so the company prefers to buy off the forces cultivated by the Divine Power Group and the Universal Trade Association."

"Although it has now become the third largest company, and its overall strength can even be called the strongest in recent years, it has become path-dependent in buying off the peripheral forces of the Outer City... so it is still using this method."

Lin Yu nodded upon hearing what Stiller said, "That really is the style of Truth Company... So, what's the origin of the special nature of 'South District Gray Three Streets'?"

"He's situated at the border of two large regions supported by the two giants, the Divine Power Group and the Universal Trade Association, which serves as a buffer zone," Stiller pondered. "In addition, the local bosses here are quite powerful. Although they aren't entirely subordinate to either giant, they each have their own connections, so they've created this lawless area in the city."

"On the surface, it's just a few bars and restaurants, but in reality, it's a paradise for freelance mercenaries and 'middlemen'—in a sense, it's a place where criminals and violent elements live."

"Without this place, most of them would probably have starved to death."

"In the company's assessment, the existence of this place is more beneficial than forcibly controlling or erasing it, because if those guys are really starving to death, they certainly won't obediently stay in their rooms waiting to die," Stiller said calmly. "Moreover, many company executives and Noble also need a place where they can quickly find high-quality mercenaries who will take on dirty work."

Lin Yu laughed, "That's true. The price for hiring dangerous individuals is definitely not low. Those who can afford that price... can't possibly be honest and law-abiding ordinary residents of City That Never Sleeps."

He understood why he had been placed here to start the game.

According to the initial blood letter, I need to complete a C-77 mission, which involves assassinating someone or several people.

This is the largest task commissioning center and talent market in the City That Never Sleeps.

"Alright, I get the gist of it," Lin Yu glanced at Stiller. "To clear this [Instance], I need to take on an assassination mission, so... where are these types of missions usually posted?"

After thinking for a moment, Stiller replied, "The Demon Pig Bar specializes in assassination commissions, and then there are the many middlemen at Meteor Restaurant; they have better access to information."

Watching Stiller's fluent answer, Lin Yu looked him up and down. "Ha, you really know this place well—you've taken on quite a few side jobs, haven't you?"

Stiller was surprised. "You can tell that?"

"The way you answered doesn't sound like you'd just be reciting company information. And your general life experience... being born Artificial Humans, serving in the Great Wilderness, and then returning to the City That Never Sleeps to become a big shot's right-hand man, the only way you could connect with this place is by taking on private jobs here."

Lin Yu smiled and said, "So, besides criminals, there must be quite a few 'mercenaries' here who, like you, are employees of large companies who have concealed their identities."

Stiller licked his slightly dry lips. "Yes, I'm sorry, I did intentionally hide this..."

"There's no need, Stiller," Lin Yu patted Stiller on the shoulder. "You've already gone through two [Instance] with me, so you should have seen it by now... I'm just a passerby in this world, and I've even passed through more than just this one."

Stiller understood Lin Yu's meaning.

He shook his head and smiled wryly, "You've misunderstood me. I was just feeling embarrassed... I took on side jobs, and even my boss didn't know."

"After all, I was looking for a thrill..."

Stiller spoke, Lin Yu burst into laughter.

"Ahaha, I see. I overlooked that."

"Alright, Stiller, I'm going to the restaurant you mentioned," Lin Yu waved to him. "You're free to do whatever you want—you've been away for so long, there must be a lot of things you haven't done, right?"

Stiller was stunned. "What?"

"Don't you plan to go back to Truth Company?" Lin Yu looked at Stiller. "You haven't been back in so long. Even if you don't have family... you must have friends, right?"

"You two seem to have a good relationship with President Paris, and you don't look like just a simple superior-subordinate relationship. You've finally come back, you should go and see him!"

"Go ahead, go ahead, consider it a day off from me, your new temporary boss!"