Even a Drink-Mixing Robot Had a Trump Card

Along the way, Himeko asked a few more passersby for directions and noticed something very interesting.

It seemed none of them knew how to communicate. Even a simple conversation required them to consult their AI assistants.

"Could they not think without AI?"

Himeko found it strange, but every world had its own distinctive features. That was understandable.

Before long, Himeko discovered that this world was not populated solely by people who needed AI to communicate normally.

Besides these string bean mounts, some street thugs had also appeared on the streets, setting their sights on Himeko and preparing to borrow a little spending money from her.

Their taste was unique, and Himeko could not bring herself to compliment it.

Never mind their hair in every color of the rainbow-the real issue was how they dressed.

Their sleeveless leather jackets were studded with rivets, with no other adornments on their upper bodies. Certain parts of their bodies had been replaced with mechanical Cybernetic Implants, though the quality did not look particularly good.

They had ear, lip, and nose piercings without exception, and some had replaced half their faces with machinery. Most eye-catching of all were their afros and Mohican hairstyles.

These people cornered Himeko against a wall, their expressions hostile. The Mohican with a stud in his tongue stuck it out at Himeko,

"Hey, lend us some spending money."

"What's this round-headed thing? A company housekeeping robot? Bet it'd fetch a good price."

"You've raised a pretty fat fox. We'll have something extra for dinner tonight!"

They pointed and commented, deciding Shut Up's and Himechi Cat's fates in just a few words.

One would go to a secondhand shop, and the other into a pot.

"Actually, I'm the company housekeeping robot. Shut Up is the pet," Himechi Cat made an attempt to protest.

"Holy shit! Your fox speaks human!?"

"Wait, boss. She doesn't seem to have any Cybernetic Implants."

The underling with a pompadour nudged the Mohican with his metal arm. Only then did the Mohican realize that Himeko's human content, from head to toe, was a full 100%.

A human. A pure, unmodified human.

"Go contact a few organ buyers. We've landed a big fish."

Greed instantly filled the Mohican's eyes. The underling with a pompadour was still uneasy.

"Boss, don't forget that other person without Cybernetic Implants we ran into a while back."

At that, they all shuddered. The Mohican slapped the underling with a pompadour on the head.

"No way we're that unlucky. Quit your yapping and get to work! We'll make a fortune off this job! Might even be able to get a Military Spine."

By the wall, Himeko patiently listened to their entire conversation. Only when they were about to act did she speak, unhurriedly.

"And you are... what should I call you? Mohican?"

"Begging for mercy, little bitch? Hahaha! Sure, you've got soft skin, but selling you would give us enough money to hire a hundred sex dolls."

Himeko smiled and shook her head.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions. Your answers will determine my attitude."

"That cocky, huh? Cut the power to her housekeeping robot. Don't let her call the cops."

With them being so uncooperative, Himeko could only demonstrate a little of what she could do to calm them down.

Himeko did not raise her gun. She was worried they would not understand how powerful her weapon was, and that damaging public property would bring the police to her door. She chose to saw off the Mohican's hands and feet with the Monomolecular Saw.

Seeing Himeko attack, the others rushed her together. In the blink of an eye, the first wave was already on the ground, their survival uncertain.

Exposed wires crackled with sparks, and the Brain-Computer Interfaces implanted in their brains grew abnormally hot, cooking their heads outright.

The remaining thugs tried to flee. Himechi Cat caught up with most of them and beat them soundly.

Shut Up set his sights on the few stragglers.

The Astral Express was full of hidden talent. Even a mere Drink-Mixing Robot had terrifying methods: Shut Up already held a cup of Himeko's coffee, ready to splash it into someone's mouth at any moment.

Barely a minute passed between the first attack and the end. Some street thugs were dead, others wounded, and those still breathing were dragged into an alley nearby.

Himeko's words were much the same as before.

"I'm still going to ask you a few questions. Think before you answer. It'll be better for both of us."

Without hands or feet, Mohawk lay on the ground like a piece of meat on a chopping board, at someone else's mercy.

His earlier arrogance was completely gone, and his whole body trembled.

If he had not been so short of money that he had his entire OO cut off and sold, replacing it with an uninspected Return to Silence, he would surely have wet himself in terror by now.

"P-please, go ahead..."

"Why don't you rely on AI like everyone else?" Himeko asked.

"Those AI chips cost a damn fortune. How could bottom-rung people like us afford them?"

"AI chips are expensive?"

"Of course. Even the lowest-grade AI chips cost over a hundred thousand. Who can afford them apart from those people working for the companies?"

Over a hundred thousand did not sound that expensive. Seeing that Himeko did not understand, the Mohican hurried to add more.

"If people at the bottom like us get regular jobs, we make two or three thousand a month at most. Back when I had no way out, selling my hand only got me eight hundred."

"That cheap?"

Himeko recalled the price list she had received. By comparison, those prices were astronomical.

"You gave up your own flesh for such a low price?"

"What else could I do? A body of flesh and blood is useless against cold machinery. Only by getting Cybernetic Implants can you gain more strength and avoid being robbed by people who have them."

"And rob other people more effectively." Himeko understood their motives. "Is robbery profitable? It sounds very risky. Aren't you afraid of trouble from the police?"

"One robbery means not worrying about making a living for over ten days. Of course it's profitable. As for the police, there's so much illegal shit going on across the city every day that they can't handle it all."

Himeko understood. This place really was chaotic.

When she first arrived, the National Destiny Instance had explicitly warned that danger lurked everywhere here.

So far, however, she had yet to discover what exactly was dangerous about this place.

These local thugs were not particularly strong. The native Blue Star contestants Himeko knew might not be able to turn the tables and kill them, but simply escaping would be easy.

Moreover, Exploration Progress had increased. That increase had come from other contestants elsewhere, indicating that they had not encountered any major trouble yet either.

"Do you have chips in your bodies?"

Himeko approached the Mohican and felt around for a while, finding a Brain-Computer Interface port an inch below his left ear.

When she pressed it, a card slot popped out, with a tiny chip fitted inside.

The chip had no fancy casing, only the most basic functions. It was as crude as the Railgun Himeko had previously cobbled together by hand.

"It doesn't look much like the chips I'm familiar with."

"It's a defective one scavenged from a dump. After repairs, it barely works. Only cost a little over four thousand."

"A robber using a toy gun. What do you spend the money you steal on?"

Himeko was puzzled. Normally, they should rob people, sell the stolen goods, then upgrade their equipment once they had money so they could rob richer people.

Why did this man not upgrade his equipment?

"Equipment? Better Cybernetic Implants and chips can easily cost over a million, and you need special connections. Might as well go have some fun instead."