1800 Words on this chapter!
— “This little one is Vira, my spirit creation.
Cute, right?” A spirit?
A creation?
What exactly did that even mean?
Silver Wolf finally noticed the couple standing directly behind the little floating whale.
The man was tall and handsome.
He wore a casual off-white outfit and gave off an otherworldly, distant aura.
The woman leaning against him affectionately seemed elegant and mysterious, but there was something about her that felt dangerous.
The way the woman stared at Silver Wolf felt strange.
Neither of them had any Cartridges showing, and there was no Level indicator above their heads.
Silver Wolf’s heart throbbed.
She sized them up on high alert.
“Are you…
Cartridge Merchants?
What’s the price?” In Punklorde, an Aether Cartridge was equivalent to a Masked Fool’s mask.
Cartridges could store anything—virtual money, entertainment, secret information, even commands that could shut down the global network.
If someone could steal a real mask, they could definitely steal a digital Cartridge too.
Even the legendary Aether Cartridges from famous hackers like ‘Zero’ and ‘Stoneblade’ had ended up as collector’s items known to everyone.
“…” Kafka’s face looked even more confused.
Earlier, while they were in the bath, she had seen Zane create a Cartridge from nothing.
She already suspected that the strange things happening around Silver Wolf were connected to him.
Zane stared at her, obviously amused.
Silver Wolf narrowed her eyes and became even more cautious.
He is pretty handsome, though.
He didn’t have the usual ‘template face’ that came from cheap genetic upgrades.
“A Cartridge Merchant?
What’s that?” “Little girl, do you want to make a real name for yourself?
Take up my mantle and turn this world upside down to your heart’s content.
As for the price…” Zane grinned playfully and reached out his hand to her.
“Become my daughter!!” As soon as he spoke, everything seemed to stop.
The cold rain falling between them made the moment feel even more absurd.
“…” Kafka’s eyes grew wide in surprise as she opened her mouth to speak.
What kind of weird kink is adopting random daughters on the street?
But then she remembered last night, when Zane had held her close, whispered in her ear, and made her call him ‘Daddy.’ Her cheeks turned a little red.
Silver Wolf was completely shocked.
Her light gray eyes went wide, and she showed her small fangs, glaring at him in embarrassment and anger.
“Are…
are you freaking kidding me?!” Zane was about to tease her again, but suddenly a loud shout came from down the wet street.
“Yo~ look what we have here!
The glow of a high-rarity Cartridge!” “A golden legendary?
Oh, that’s definitely a premium collector’s item.” “Hey, kid!
Hand over the Cartridge if you know what’s good for you!
I’m in a good mood, so I might just let you live.” Then came the loud grinding of machines, the click of a weapon loading, and a huge explosion.
A hot shockwave rushed down the alley, throwing debris and thick smoke at them.
Not far away, three threatening figures moved closer.
One had a big energy cannon on his shoulder and fired wildly at the scared people running away.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Fireballs exploded one after another.
Shop windows broke into pieces, burning hovercars flew into the air, and the fire turned the whole block into an inferno.
“Damn it, Cartridge Hunters!” “More of these cyber-psychos.” “Level 60?!
Are you kidding me?!
What the hell is a high-tier boss like that doing down in the slums?!” “My arm!
Aaaagh, somebody help me!” Screams, shouts, and cries of pain filled the air.
The whole street fell into chaos.
“Kid, you’d better play it smart!” The huge man leading the group was almost two meters tall and looked like a steel fortress.
Except for his real head with a cyber-eye, most of his body was covered in weaponized cybernetics.
Metal plates covered his body, and his fake skin shone with a metallic light.
Above his head, a bright neon [Level 60] indicator floated.
Level 60!
Someone that strong could do whatever they wanted in Night City or even the Oasis District.
Why would a monster of that caliber be slumming it down here?
“…” Zane knew exactly what they were doing.
They were showing off their power, trying to prove they were in charge.
Silver Wolf stared at the red-hot cannon and spinning cyber-claws coming closer.
She shook with fear, feeling frozen in place.
She wanted to run, but her legs felt heavy and stuck.
Move, damn it!
Move!
Her mind screamed at her to move, but her body was already frozen by the cold rain.
‘Is this really it?
Am I going to die here?
Damn it…
I never even got to become a legend.’ “Yo~ I totally missed this earlier.” The Level 60 brute stepped closer.
His glowing red cyber-eye swept over Kafka, pure greed instantly flashing across his scarred face.
“Kafka, the wanted Stellaron Hunter.
A bounty of 10.899 billion credits.
Now that is one hell of an unexpected payout.” “Fuck off,” Zane ordered softly.
He kept his left arm around Kafka’s waist and slowly raised his right hand.
And then, Silver Wolf saw the light.
Vvvvmm!
A bright ball of light appeared at the tip of his finger.
Golden lightning crackled and danced across its surface.
“Holy Spirit Demon Flash.” BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A loud roar filled the air.
A huge golden pillar of light, as thick as a water tank—shot from Zane’s fingertip with incredible force.
Wherever the beam went, the rain, smoke, and even the air itself seemed to disappear.
The blast of energy swallowed the three hunters right away.
There were zero screams.
The golden light didn’t even slow down, slamming violently into the heavy alloy walls of a skyscraper at the far end of the street!
Hsssss!
The huge building disappeared instantly, reduced to nothing.
“!!” Silver Wolf stared in shock, frozen in place.
As the golden light faded, she saw something she would never forget.
The three Cartridge Hunters had vanished without a trace.
All that remained was a pair of feet stuck to the pavement, the ends sealed smooth and glassy from the intense heat.
They were completely erased from existence!
“This…” Silver Wolf felt her heart pounding furiously against her ribs.
Her frail body trembled violently, far worse than before.
Zane turned around, his eyes locking onto Silver Wolf.
“Little girl, do you believe in the light?” Silver Wolf kept her mouth slightly open.
‘The light?’ Right then, Zane seemed incredibly cool to her.
Her tired gray eyes started to shine with new light.
Zane’s earlier words echoed loudly in her ears.
[Little girl, do you desire power?] [Little girl, do you believe in the light?] [Become my daughter!] She was so sick of being looked down on, pushed around, and forced to hide in damp alleys like a piece of garbage.
She wanted power.
She wanted to become a legend and reach the top of Punklorde.
She wanted everyone who had mocked or humiliated her to pay the price—a hundred times over!
Silver Wolf took a deep breath.
Her lips trembled for a moment before she found her courage, and her knees gave out as she fell to the ground with a thud.
“I’ve been surviving alone my whole life, looking for someone worth following!
If you don’t mind taking in a stray, I swear my absolute loyalty right here and now!
I’ll gladly call you Father and serve by your side!” ‘Wow, this little wolf is a bit of a drama queen, isn’t she?’ Kafka chuckled.
“Good.
I appreciate the enthusiasm, but the kneeling really isn’t necessary.” Zane leaned in and reached out to help Silver Wolf stand up.
“My…
legs are just stiff from the cold.
I slipped…” Silver Wolf muttered, her face turning bright red with embarrassment.
She had meant to stand up and bow, but her cold muscles locked up and she ended up on her knees.
“Right.
Let’s just head home for now.” “From now on, you’re never going to have to worry about your next meal again.
And I’m going to make sure you become a living legend in Punklorde.” Zane patted the small whale, lifted Silver Wolf by her arms, and set her gently on the whale’s back.
A moment later, Vira’s small body swelled like a balloon.
In seconds, she became a huge, magical whale, stretching dozens of meters long.
Silver Wolf sat still on the whale’s wide back, then nodded seriously.
That was a huge promise, and it sounded almost too good to be true.
“But what’s the real catch?
You can’t seriously…
just be looking to adopt a daughter, right?” “…” Kafka’s eyes showed a brief, odd expression.
‘Little girl, being his daughter means something very different in this context.
Right now, I’m technically your mother.
But later…
we’re probably going to be sisters.’ “Who knows?
Maybe I really am just that wholesome.” Zane laughed softly.
He tapped Kafka lightly on the waist, and a small golden light floated from her body into his hand.
“You’re free to go.” “…” Kafka’s body shook a little.
She felt her sealed Path energy return all at once.
For a moment, her face showed a mix of emotions.
She stayed silent, giving Zane a long look, then glanced at the confused Silver Wolf on the whale.
Without another word, she turned and walked away into the pouring rain.
“Who was she?” “One of my…
girlfriends.” Zane hopped onto Vira’s back, wrapping an arm around Silver Wolf as he casually explained.
Kafka, not far away, stopped for a moment.
For some reason, she suddenly felt a wave of real happiness.
But why did he pause in the middle of his sentence?
(This universe is about to get completely turned upside down.) Kafka took a deep breath, pushed away her swirling thoughts, and disappeared around the corner.
“Let’s go.
We’re heading home.” Zane patted Vira.
The huge whale gave a long, otherworldly hum and then soared up into the neon-lit sky.
“Oh, right.
Here, this is for you.” As soon as he finished speaking, a glowing holographic screen appeared in front of Silver Wolf.
[Ding: Zane has invited you to join the ‘Ultimate Grind Squad’.] [YES!] [NO!] “What is this?” Silver Wolf stared at the sudden prompt, hesitated for a moment, then tapped [YES!].
[You have successfully joined the ‘Ultimate Grind Squad’.] [‘Pink Piggy’ has joined the group chat.] [‘Silly Furina’ has joined the group chat.] [‘Martial Arts Addict Fox’ has joined the group chat.] [‘Paramecium’ has joined the group chat.] [‘Kiki Cat’ has joined the group chat.] [‘Eva Can’t Fly’ has joined the group chat.] — Silver Wolf (Image) Kafka (Image) A little support goes a long way.
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