The Highest Level Security Meeting

Hongguo City, Liu Heavy Industries, mid-level employee apartment complex.

"Xiao Ai, shut off the network throughout the apartment," Lin Qi instructed.

"Nonessential network access has been disabled."

Xiao Ai replied. The essential network referred to the Crime Detection Network connected to Hongguo City's municipal government. If a crime occurred within its detection zone, Hongguo City's Riot Control Task Force would arrive immediately, then issue a fine.

There was no crime that a fine couldn't settle. It was only a question of how much money.

Those who couldn't pay their fines would be sent to Hongguo Prison, where they would perform at least twenty years of unpaid labor for nineteen hours a day.

Crime came at a high cost in this city. Liu Group had established this policy to maintain public order.

The policy was effective and profitable. Hongguo City had the lowest crime rate in the Asian Political Zone.

For that reason, the Crime Detection Network wasn't within Xiao Ai's operating permissions. Lin Qi, who had crossed over nineteen years ago, still hadn't mastered the technology needed to breach Hongguo City's firewall.

He entered the bathroom. The offline clock in the corner of the mirror showed 11:58 p.m. on February 31, 2089.

Lin Qi straightened his collar and gently touched the spot behind his earlobe.

A signal passed through the microelectrodes, displaying an image across his retina.

The time changed to 12:00 a.m. on February 32, 2089.

Text appeared before him:

[Reminder from Xiao Ai: You have received an invitation to the "Highest Level Security Meeting." Would you like to join?]

There was no network in the apartment, and Lin Qi's Brain had no signal, yet the meeting invitation had arrived right on schedule.

Lin Qi had shut off the network not to block the meeting, but to prevent ordinary network intrusions from noticing anything unusual about him.

"Join."

[Connection to meeting complete]

"Enable immersive mode."

[Enabled]

The Brain connected to his brain through the electrodes, and Lin Qi entered the meeting from a first-person perspective.

It was a completely sealed conference room, with no doors or windows and almost no lighting.

Even when Lin Qi stretched out his hand, he could make out only its outline. The mechanical parts of his arm were hidden in shadow.

Lin Qi sat at the side of a long conference table, second from the end.

A faintly glowing nameplate sat in front of him.

The number on it was the ancient Roman numeral "5," or "V." That was Lin Qi's codename for the meeting.

One person sat to his left, another directly opposite him, another diagonally to his left, and a fourth at the head of the table. Their codenames ranged from "1" to "4," written in ancient Roman numerals.

It was a secret gathering, but Lin Qi wasn't the one who had called it. That seemed to be a privilege reserved for the protagonist.

"I'm glad you're still alive."

"Wizard, have you been hunted yet?"

"Wizard" was Lin Qi's codename aside from the number "5."

Though the room was shrouded in shadow, Lin Qi could still feel the four attendees watching him.

Lin Qi shook his head. Even through the darkness, they could see the broad gesture.

He cleared his throat and spoke in a sultry woman's voice. "I'm planning to leave the Mercenary Group."

"You think we'd betray you?" Number "4," seated directly opposite Lin Qi, replied coldly, his voice betraying a sharp emotional reaction.

Numbers "2" and "3" said nothing, but looked toward Number "1."

Number "1"—or Guangleng—rested half of his left arm on the table, his right hand on the upper half of his left arm, fingers tapping lightly.

A somewhat steady, middle-aged man's voice spoke. "Wizard Profession Practitioners have been facing an unprecedented wave of killings lately. On the Black Market, specific information on a Wizard Profession Practitioner is worth one million Credit Points. It's understandable that Wizard has lost faith in us."

Number "4"—or Arthur—said nothing. He leaned back in his chair, sulking.

He had always thought Knights and Wizards would be loyal partners. Today, however, he'd been met with doubt.

Silence lingered in the conference room.

Guangleng broke it. "Wizard won't take part in the Mercenary Group's operations for now, but can still attend the weekly meetings. I'll just mute you when we discuss operational plans. If you run into trouble in the real world, you can ask the other members for help. I'm sure everyone would be happy to help."

Guangleng offered Lin Qi a show of goodwill, and Lin Qi nodded slightly.

If he could be sure he was safe, he didn't want to leave the Mercenary Group as a platform.

Taking part in the Mercenary Group's operations could earn him a decent income, but his life was his own, and the Witch Hunt had grown far too extreme lately.

What had Wizard Profession Practitioners ever done to deserve this?

Anyone with the Wizard Profession was targeted. Luckily, Lin Qi had always been prepared.

The meeting continued. When the members began discussing their latest mission, the sound in Lin Qi's ears was muted.

He wouldn't take part in the mission, wouldn't face the risks, and wouldn't hear anything he shouldn't.

At the end of the meeting, all four attendees offered Lin Qi words of comfort.

Guangleng remained as composed as ever. "If you run into trouble, you can email the [Highest Level] mailbox. I'll convene a meeting ahead of schedule."

Though Arthur was clearly unhappy with Lin Qi's decision, he still promised, "If you run into trouble, I'll help you once, free of charge. Just once."

Number "2"—or Master Ma—spoke in an elderly voice. "A reward of one million means the Mercenary Group that's after you can't be very high-level. With your skills, you should have no trouble escaping or even turning the tables. Of course, it's even more likely they won't find you at all."

Master Ma knew Lin Qi's style very well. They'd worked together in the Mercenary Group more than twenty times, but no member had ever been lucky enough to see Lin Qi's face—not even his back.

Finally, Number "3"—or Capitalist—spoke in a clear, girlish voice. "I recommend that Wizard keep his identity well hidden. As far as I know, the Witch Hunt is connected to a certain plan in the European Political Zone. The intensity of the hunt may increase further in the future."

Everyone looked toward Capitalist. It could get even worse?

What had Wizard Profession users ever done to deserve this?

The European Political Zone?

The treatment of Wizard Profession Practitioners was straight out of the Middle Ages.

Were Wizards supposed to be tied to stakes and burned alive?

"Thank you."

Lin Qi kept up his disguised, sultry woman's voice. After thanking them, he hurriedly logged off.

The Brain exited immersive mode. Lin Qi had been in the private bathroom of his apartment the entire time.

He went to the sink and gently touched the mechanical device on his arm. It made a sound as it unlocked.

He hesitated for two seconds, then abandoned what he'd been about to do.

After touching it a few more times, the mechanism locked again.

As everyone knew, Lin Qi, an L-level Researcher at the weapons design institute of Liu Heavy Industries' Hongguo City branch, was a pure mechanic.

He was a moderately cybernetically enhanced person.

All four limbs had been fully converted to cybernetic prostheses, and the Brain had been implanted.

I, Lin Qi, am absolutely not one of those Wizard Profession Practitioners with a spiritual aversion to altering their bodies, who reject cybernetic modifications of every kind.

Lin Qi decided that until that damn Witch Hunt was over, even if his arms and legs stank from being trapped inside his detachable Exoskeleton Armor, he wouldn't remove a single piece of that armor's disguise!