Chapter Summaries

Jonas demonstrated that words could trigger the implanted chip’s heightened sensitivity in Amau Sueko, then used it to silence her when she threatened him. She lost consciousness after Jonas revealed he had accidentally raised her sensitivity to fifty times normal.

• Jonas explained that the chip let him control Amau Sueko’s physical sensitivity through words, and she realized something was wrong with her body.
• Amau Sueko struggled to adjust to her heightened sensitivity and challenged Jonas, calling his methods cheap and filthy.
• Jonas reminded Amau Sueko that he had already defeated her, and she stopped responding to avoid provoking him.
• Amau Sueko threatened to seize an opportunity against Jonas, but her body went rigid and she collapsed onto the hospital bed.
• Jonas apologized for accidentally setting her sensitivity to fifty times normal and asked what she had been about to say as she lost consciousness.

After leaving the unconscious Amau Sueko in the hospital, Jonas began planning to recruit researcher Eudora Ray, whose invention could transform District 25. He decided to push her into a desperate situation so his help would earn her loyalty, while strange phenomena began in Amau’s room after he left.

• Jonas left the hospital room after his ordeal had rekindled Amau Sueko’s desire for revenge, and the room’s water and vase began trembling while she remained unconscious.
• Jonas resumed his plan to recruit researchers and considered Eudora Ray, whose Bioactive Agent could awaken psionic energy and reshape District 25.
• Eiffel suggested that Jonas simply invite Eudora Ray to join him, but Jonas argued that loyalty bought with Credit Points would not last.
• Jonas decided to push Eudora Ray into despair so that his help would make a lasting impression, and Eiffel silently pitied her.

Jonas planned to reach Eudora Ray’s illegal clinic in Vordell District while Celine recovered rapidly in the hospital. During his visit, Celine revealed that she could move a glass with an unseen force, leaving Jonas bewildered.

• Jonas prepared to approach the powers in Vordell District before targeting Eudora Ray’s illegal clinic in the Aphrodite District.
• Celine’s condition improved dramatically, while Mister continued plotting to remove Jonas from their partnership.
• Jonas visited the sleeping Celine, who dreamed aloud and then mistook him for part of her dream before realizing he was there.
• Celine complained that Jonas had not visited in nearly half a month, refused his disc, and drew him close while her sister was absent.
• After two hours, Celine told Jonas she had something to reveal and summoned a glass of water into her hand with an unseen force.

Celine revealed that she had awakened psionic energy, and Jonas recognized her as a potentially exceptional talent. He warned her to keep the ability secret as she prepared for her discharge from the hospital.

• Celine demonstrated that she could move objects with her mind, surprising Jonas.
• Jonas asked whether she had told anyone, and Celine said she had kept the ability secret even from her sister.
• Jonas warned Celine not to reveal her power to outsiders, and she agreed.
• Celine explained that her telekinesis was growing stronger but that she could only lift light objects for short periods.
• Celine asked Jonas to visit when she was discharged and suggested sitting with him in the car, but Jonas stopped her suggestive comments with another flick to the forehead.

Jonas traveled with Eiffel and Iris to Aphrodite District in Vordell District, a crime-ridden region known for its red-light district. He announced that they were going to the brothels, leaving their purpose for the visit unstated.

• Jonas left Earlis District Wetting Hospital without telling Miss Esnie about Celine.
• Eiffel and Iris waited for Jonas in a private car, and Eiffel questioned him about spending three hours with Celine.
• Jonas, Eiffel, and Iris traveled to Vordell District, where gangs and crime flourished.
• Eiffel followed Jonas into Aphrodite District, and Jonas said they were going to the brothels.

Jonas Wetting met with Smuel, leader of the Titanium Crystal Gang, and proposed working together to develop Aphrodite District. Smuel accepted after realizing Jonas might support a purge of the district’s other gangs, and Jonas began to explain the favor he wanted.

• Jonas Wetting met with Smuel at the Titanium Crystal Gang’s base, where Smuel recognized Jonas’s identity and worried about his intentions.
• Jonas asked Smuel about Aphrodite District, and Smuel explained its economy and described how he had risen to lead the gang.
• Jonas said the district had too many entrenched factions and asked whether the Titanium Crystal Gang would help him develop it.
• Smuel hesitated until Jonas appeared ready to approach another gang, then stopped him and asked what help Jonas wanted.
• Jonas smiled and said he needed Smuel to do him one small favor.

Eudora Ray agreed to treat wounded Earth Gang members after Itra warned her of an impending gang clash. The next day, unidentified attackers abducted Ray, and Jonas confronted her in an enclosed room.

• Eudora Ray treated the Sex Dolls of Aphrodite Street at her unlicensed clinic.
• Itra asked Ray to treat up to thirty Earth Gang members injured in a coming clash, and Ray agreed on the condition that she would not join the fighting and would treat anyone who came to her.
• Unidentified individuals attacked Ray’s clinic and abducted her the day after Itra visited.
• Itra led the Earth Gang into a clash with the faction she suspected and demanded that they return Ray.
• Jonas watched the bound Ray in an enclosed room and considered how kidnapping, threats, and training suited him better than slowly winning her over.

Jonas Wetting revealed that he had abducted Eudora Ray to force her to treat the Titanium Crystal Gang instead of the Earth Gang. Eudora refused to betray Itra, giving Jonas the response he had been waiting for.

• Jonas reflected on the careful plan that had led to Eudora Ray's capture and watched her wake while tied to a chair.
• Eudora asked who Jonas was and where she was, and he told her they were on Rillfors Street in Vordell District.
• Jonas confirmed that Eudora's cooperation with the Earth Gang had drawn his attention and revealed that he was Jonas Wetting.
• Jonas demanded that Eudora treat the Titanium Crystal Gang and refuse the Earth Gang's requests.
• Eudora immediately refused because she would not betray Itra, and Jonas seemed pleased with her answer.

Jonas forced Rui to take T-S14-5, a drug that heightened her sensitivity, and used it to torment her exposed foot with a feather. Rui resisted and tried to hold back her cries, but Jonas continued the punishment.

• Rui refused to change her mind, and Jonas forced her mouth open to apply T-S14-5 to her tongue.
• Jonas explained that the drug heightened sensitivity, and Rui felt its effects begin.
• Jonas removed Rui’s boot and sock, leaving her foot exposed and unusually sensitive.
• Jonas brought out a feather and began tickling Rui’s foot as punishment, making her cry out despite her efforts to endure it.

Jonas had Eudora Ray tortured for information, then arranged for Smuel to hand her over while setting events in motion between the Earth Gang and Hummingbird Gang. As the rival gangs neared war, Jonas met Rachel, Shigure Ryoko, and Esnie in the Aphrodite District.

• Jonas had the unconscious Eudora Ray handed over to the Alt Corporation after Smuel confirmed his arrangements were complete.
• After two days without finding the Earth Gang’s missing squad, Itra watched the Earth Gang and Hummingbird Gang blame each other for the deaths and stolen shipment.
• The Earth Gang attacked the Hummingbird Gang, and the conflict escalated further when Eudora Ray’s clinic was attacked and she disappeared.
• Itra demanded that the Hummingbird Gang return Eudora Ray, but they drove her away, pushing both gangs toward war.
• Jonas waited beside a black sedan in the Aphrodite District as Rachel, Shigure Ryoko, and Esnie got out.

Jonas’s schemes pushed the Earth Gang and the Hummingbird Gang toward war while Esnie’s nighttime visit and Eiffel’s eavesdropping created an awkward night. After the Hummingbird Gang secured support from seven factions, it attacked the Earth Gang, leaving the conflict at its worst point.

• Jonas had used Titanium Crystal Gang moles and planted attackers to orchestrate the conflict between the Earth Gang and the Hummingbird Gang.
• Esnie went to Jonas’s room at night, found Iris in his arms, and stayed with him while Eiffel overheard them from the next room.
• The next morning, Smuel told Jonas that the Earth Gang and the Hummingbird Gang had gone to war.
• Will Goda persuaded several gang leaders to support the Hummingbird Gang by offering them thirty percent of its existing profits.
• Itra suspected an unseen hand was driving the conflict and hesitated to attack, but Will Goda launched attacks on Earth Gang territory after receiving help from seven gangs.

Itra tried to contain the conflict between the Earth Gang and the Hummingbird Gang, but her threat against the Mister Gang strengthened the Hummingbird Gang’s alliance instead. The feud escalated into a massive battle on Aphrodite Street, while an unseen outsider waited to profit from the fighting.

• Itra ordered a strike on the Mister Gang’s bases to deter other gangs from supporting the Hummingbird Gang.
• The Mister Gang withdrew from the coalition, but other gangs rallied more firmly behind the Hummingbird Gang, fearing the Earth Gang’s power.
• The Earth Gang and Hummingbird Gang traded raids that damaged their businesses and intensified the conflict.
• On a rainy day, more than a thousand people joined a gang battle on Aphrodite Street in Aphrodite District.
• As Itra and Will Goda lost the ability to stop the fighting, an unseen hawk watched for a chance to claim the ultimate prize.

Jonas and Esnie waited for the fighting between the Earth Gang and the Hummingbird Gang to weaken before making their move. Esnie captured Itra, leaving the Earth Gang leaderless as the Titanium Crystal Gang blocked the Hummingbird Gang and its allies.

• Jonas told Esnie to wait and let the Titanium Crystal Gang enter the fight first.
• Itra decided to command the Earth Gang’s forces personally at the front line.
• After two hours of fighting, Will Goda learned that an unidentified third force had attacked his people.
• Esnie entered the battle and overwhelmed the Earth Gang’s fighters with her Thermal Sword.
• Esnie subdued Itra in fewer than three exchanges and knocked her unconscious.
• With Itra captured, the Titanium Crystal Gang intercepted the Hummingbird Gang and its allies, while the Earth Gang held back.

Jonas revealed that he had orchestrated the conflict between the Earth Gang and the Hummingbird Gang, then demanded that Itra join the Wetting Conglomerate. He offered to release the Earth Gang’s captured core members if she agreed, and ended by presenting her with a silver collar.

• Itra, held prisoner, accused Jonas of causing the gang conflict, and he admitted it.
• Jonas introduced himself as Jonas Wetting, and Itra realized the events were a conglomerate plot.
• Itra asked about Rui, and Jonas assured her that Rui was safe.
• Jonas demanded that Itra join the Wetting Conglomerate and said the Earth Gang’s core members were also captured.
• Itra asked whether Jonas would release them, and he promised he would if she complied.
• Jonas told Itra to put on a silver collar.

Jonas forced Itra to submit to him after she accepted his terms, then told the imprisoned Rui that the Earth Gang had fallen under the Titanium Crystal Gang’s control. Rui agreed to take over Itra’s contract in exchange for Itra’s release, and Jonas presented her with a collar.

• Itra accepted Jonas’s terms to secure the release of her people, and he fastened a collar around her neck.
• Jonas used the collar to force Itra to kneel and demonstrate her submission.
• Jonas visited Rui and told her that Will Goda had died, Itra Xiu'e had been abducted, and the Earth Gang had come under the Titanium Crystal Gang’s control.
• Jonas showed Rui a video of Itra’s submission, and Rui demanded to know what it would take to free her.
• Rui agreed to accept Itra’s employment contract if Jonas released her, and he told Rui to put on a cyan collar.

Jonas brought Rui to her new laboratory and officially recruited her, while Rui accepted the arrangement to secure Itra’s safety. After settling the partnership between the Titanium Crystal Gang and the Alt Conglomerate, Jonas learned that Amau Sueko had gone missing.

• Jonas gave Rui a tour of the advanced laboratory he had built for her and explained that he valued her talent.
• Rui asked about Itra, and Jonas assured her that Itra was safe and that the collar let them share sensations.
• Jonas welcomed Rui aboard, and the Titanium Crystal Gang and Alt Conglomerate agreed to pursue a close partnership.
• Jonas received an urgent message from Wetting Hospital reporting that Amau Sueko had gone missing.

Jonas tracked Amau Sueko after she escaped the hospital and realized she had reached Helios District, where she was meant to meet the original protagonist. Injured and weakened in the slums, Amau was attacked by gang members until a reporter intervened, leaving Jonas stunned that the protagonist was a girl.

• Jonas monitored Amau Sueko's location and learned that she had fled to Helios District after removing her sex doll chip.
• Amau Sueko struggled through the slums while injured, weakened, and searching for an underground clinic.
• Three gang members confronted Amau Sueko, and one slashed her abdomen when she tried to retreat.
• A girl in a reporter's uniform confronted the gang members and warned them to leave Amau Sueko alone.
• Jonas watched the encounter through Amau Sueko's perspective and recognized the girl as the original protagonist, but was shocked that she was female.

Beigong Ling rescued Amau Sueko from three thugs and offered her a place to recover, while Jonas watched the encounter and realized Ling had awakened the Extrasensory State. Jonas then summoned Miss Yucas, hoping to secure her loyalty during her three-month trial period.

• Beigong Ling defeated the three thugs attacking Amau Sueko and introduced herself as Ling.
• Amau Sueko accepted Ling's invitation to rest at her place and gave her the name Amau Xi.
• Jonas recognized Ling's red-tinged eyes as a sign that she had entered the Extrasensory State earlier than expected.
• Jonas called Miss Yucas, addressed her by her alias Miss Alec, and ordered her to come to his office for a private discussion.

Yucas Amili met Jonas while posing as Alec and feared he had discovered her identity. Jonas assigned her to investigate Yucas Amili, leaving her to realize he was trying to win her over by making her investigate herself.

• Yucas suspected Jonas was connected to the unrest in Vordell District but went to meet him at the Alt Conglomerate.
• Jonas asked Yucas, posing as Alec, about her work near the Wasteland border and the dangers she had encountered there.
• Jonas offered Yucas an intelligence-gathering assignment suited to her experience.
• Jonas told Yucas to investigate Yucas Amili, including her preferences and personality.
• Yucas realized Jonas had marked her as someone he wanted to win over, and that she would have to help him do it.

Jonas sent Yucas to investigate herself while keeping her away from his plans, then launched the Nanomedical Robots project under the Alt Corporation and quickly earned substantial profits. Mister, furious that Jonas had taken the project from him, began plotting to ruin it.

• Jonas ordered Yucas, posing as Miss Alec, to gather information about Yucas Amili, and she left his office wary of his suspicions.
• Jonas prepared the Nanomedical Robots project for launch after testing and secured it with support from his Steel Alliance partners.
• The Alt Corporation officially launched Nanomedical Robots on July 17, and the product attracted widespread attention and brought in over ten million Credit Points within days.
• Mister saw that Jonas had launched the project under the Alt Corporation rather than the Wetting Conglomerate and realized he had lost the profits he expected.
• Mister crushed the screen showing the news and formed a sinister plan to recover his losses by stopping Jonas from profiting.