Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 169 - 147 Shallow Dream

Chapter 169: Chapter 147 Shallow Dream

They might be the targets of the bounty hunters, Xu Yang observed carefully, leaning on the moss-covered entrance to the cave; inside, it was pitch dark with a twisty structure that made it impossible to see through.

Lila could sense what was inside and report to Xu Yang.

"No weapons, seems very anxious," Lila judged, "Like they’re escaping or exiled."

"Relax," Xu Yang tried calling into the cave, "We mean no harm."

Murmurs and whispers arose from inside, with Lila silently investigating and listening to these anxious dialogues.

"What to do... we’ve been spotted..."

"So hungry..."

"There’s no way to run at the back."

"We have food, crepes, come on out," Xu Yang called to them, "We just arrived too, don’t worry."

"He said there are crepes."

"It must be a lie!"

"You heard the noise just now," Xu Yang bluffed to a certain extent, "Those people will come back soon, and then you won’t be able to hide at all."

They were truly out of options and finally had to leave the cave, looking disheveled under the sunlight, but they were all quite cute girls.

The tallest one among them had an extremely full figure, her clothes only covered her upper body, stretched tight and bulging, like pairs of balloons, yet her expression was extremely vacant, as if she knew nothing about what was happening now.

"Is there really food?" she asked innocently.

"We’ll head to the crepe shop right away," Xu Yang said, "What’s your name?"

"I’m Bud," she sized up Xu Yang and Lila, "What are you here for?"

Bud? Xu Yang was struck by a thought. They had previously appeared on the bounty list, having escaped from the Z10 Research Institute under Kyoto Infinity, and were somewhat involved with the turmoil caused by the Rat Tide.

"Don’t be afraid," Xu Yang comforted them, trying to confirm, "Where did you escape from?"

"A big place," Bud gestured vaguely, "with white walls, white walls, and white walls."

Not very clever, but her description matched the information Xu Yang had collected to some extent.

He then turned to the other two girls: one with blond hair and blue eyes, dressed in a white shirt and dark brown skirt, looking like an office lady, and on noticing Xu Yang’s gaze, she met it head-on with a determined expression.

The youngest girl was about 15 years old, under five feet two inches tall, wearing dirty, ragged pale experimental coveralls, her hair too long and unkempt from lack of care, staring at Xu Yang with a fierce glare, as if ready to pounce and bite him at the slightest provocation.

"That’s the symbol of the Z10 laboratory," Lila began analyzing from the traces on their clothing, connecting to the internet to search, and quickly found a corresponding answer, "They did indeed escape from the lab, collectively worth 5.5 million in funds on the bounty list."

"We can’t stay here," Xu Yang warned them, "There’s only one way to survive, and that’s to leave with us on the shuttle machine; pursuers could arrive at any moment, and your condition probably won’t hold up much longer."

Obviously, they hadn’t eaten anything more nutritious than wild berries for a long time and were very weak.

"First, tell me who you are," the office lady was very alert. The little girl remained silent, and Bud was clueless about the situation. Xu Yang was also frustrated; not one of the three girls made a competent conversational partner.

"Follow me for something tasty," Xu Yang managed to mollify Bud, the least astute of the trio.

"Yay!" Bud followed right behind Xu Yang.

"Bud—Bud, don’t..." the office lady tried to reach out for her, but it was too late; she gritted her teeth in silence as Xu Yang led Bud away.

"Don’t overthink it, we won’t harm you," Xu Yang led them toward the Innovation, the large shuttle machine’s imposing shape causing them anxiety.

While settling the three escapees, Xu Yang revisited the information on the Z10 laboratory.

The lab was a biological research institute under Kyoto Infinity, located in the suburbs of Anjiu City, specializing in biotechnology research with a focus on artificial life, exploring the possibility of synthesizing humans in laboratory conditions, and seemed to be developing artificial witches. The lab conducted large-scale acquisitions of quality embryos and prime biological fragments; many men and women were happy to donate their genetic material to Z10 in exchange for a considerable sum of funds for making ends meet.

Previous bounty lists had given clear information on these three: Synthetic human Bud worth 100,000; research institute staff member Cloris worth 400,000; experimental witch Shallow Dream worth 5 million. During the Rat Tide, the ground laboratory also suffered power disruptions, giving them the chance to escape.

Xu Yang also found reports from that day; more than these three had taken the opportunity to leave, with a plethora of bio-beasts and mutant creatures escaping, causing a small disturbance in Anjiu City, only to be killed or recaptured shortly after. Only Bud and her two companions remained at large.

So they escaped to this abandoned beach for sale, whereas the laboratory mistakenly thought they had run into Aizu City; no wonder they hadn’t been found. Xu Yang mused. This wasteland wasn’t under the surveillance of the Century Pure Land System, with complex terrain lending itself to hiding. The previous bold bounty hunters must have guessed this and thus came to investigate.

Lila contacted Ruoye Construction Company to pay a 500,000 deposit to reserve the beach for future purchase and development. Then the Innovation hummed into life, slowly heading back to Aizu City.

They couldn’t just take them back directly. Xu Yang pondered. The checkpoint entering Aizu City was monitored by the Century Pure Land System; they couldn’t go through with the shuttle. They had to enter the underground city through the city’s drainage system, using the Ratman Communicator to navigate the Rat Paths.

But first, they had to adjust their stance, to get them to lower their guard.

"Our territory lies deep within Aizu City," Xu Yang explained to them, "It doesn’t belong to any of those companies you’re familiar with—it’s an independent force. As fugitives, your only option for now is to seek temporary refuge with us; otherwise, you’ll only be captured and punished."

"..." Besides Bud, who looked bewildered, the other two remained tense.

"What’s your name? And you?" Xu Yang asked the female company employee and the girl.

"...Cloris," the woman hesitated before responding, and seeing that the girl didn’t answer, Cloris spoke for her, "And she is Shallow Dream."

Shallow Dream glared at Cloris with annoyance, as if she didn’t want to reveal her real name.

Lila held a gun as a precaution, supervising the activities of the three girls to prevent them from escaping or resisting.

Innovation was parked on the outskirts of Anjiu City, in a small place called Takasago Village. Xu Yang went to the nearest convenience store, bought some burritos, bread, and cola, then returned to the inside of the shuttle machine.

"Among you three, those who are willing to follow me will not only get food but also a job," Xu Yang negotiated with them, "And once you leave the shelter of the shuttle machine, there’s the risk of being caught at any time."

"Oh!" Bud, sitting in her seat, beamed as Xu Yang handed her a burrito, and she started eating contentedly. It felt like luring a child, although Bud was tall and beautiful, she appeared to have the mental capacity of a 6 or 7-year-old girl.

"You’re conning us, threatening us!" Shallow Dream, though a little girl, had a particularly fierce attitude, "Bud has no idea what’s good or bad."

Experimental Subject Witch. Xu Yang thought of the term the institute had used for Shallow Dream.

"The first figure we encountered was Bud," Lila said, "She was trying to pick things up on the beach."

"From danger to safety, from hunger to food, that’s good," Xu Yang said, "So far, have we done anything bad?"

He watched Bud devour her food hungrily, wiped her mouth for her, and she once again revealed an innocent smile that suggested the mind of a 6 or 7-year-old girl.

"I..." Shallow Dream was at a loss for words and took a while before she found a point to counter, "You must be one of those bad people who run a company."

"I do own a company," Xu Yang said. "But it’s the good kind."

"If you can help us," Cloris frowned, "...I need to re-establish contact with Fraternity Company."

Fraternity Company. Xu Yang remembered the past. When he had transferred money to Selita, he didn’t send the 50,000 funds directly to the Pioneering Guerrillas in White Elephant Continent but first connected to a hidden account of a company called Fraternity Company on the deep anonymous network, executing the funds transfer through their channels.

"I’ve heard of this company," Xu Yang said, "I’ve had dealings with them."

"Really?" Cloris’s eyes lit up, "When?"

"In White Elephant Continent, there was a warrior leading people in resistance," Xu Yang suggested cryptically.

Selita’s identity was not well-known; if Cloris was aware of it, it indicated she had a certain understanding of the anti-corporate movement.

"You... are you close to her?" Cloris narrowed her eyes.

"Of course," Xu Yang nodded, showing Cloris the pamphlet on pioneering idealism that Selita had once sent him.

"...We’re on the same side," Cloris was visibly excited, "Rest assured."

"Aren’t you a member of the research institute?" Xu Yang asked curiously.

"Actually, I’m an agent dispatched by Fraternity Company to the research institute for undercover operations," Cloris explained, "I’ve done a lot of investigating, and the route was correct... but a sudden power outage occurred, forcing us to launch the escape plan early. It turned into a mess; the person meant to receive us was killed, and the backup plan was to flee to the beach, yet there was never a good opportunity to withdraw."

"Is she very important?" Xu Yang observed the Experimental Subject Witch, Shallow Dream.

"Shallow Dream’s magic power is very strong. If she isn’t rescued from the laboratory, Kyoto Infinity will acquire an insurmountable power to control the world," Cloris said gravely.

"Cloris!" Shallow Dream looked shocked and betrayed, "Why... why did you tell him!"

"We will take you to a safe place," Cloris reassured, "to avoid the fate of being an experimental subject, and use your power to fight against the companies."

Shallow Dream looked extremely uneasy.

A flash of magic power glinted in her eyes, and as Lila swung the butt of her gun toward the spot where Shallow Dream was standing, she missed. By the time Xu Yang saw Shallow Dream again, she had already appeared at the cabin exit, struggling with the door, attempting to flee.

That distance was no match for Xu Yang’s long reach, and he caught her and pulled her back.

"Let go of me!" Shallow Dream cried out in panic.

How did she suddenly move to the cabin exit? Was it teleportation? Xu Yang pondered, well aware that there was already a teleportation magic power at his own home.

"Any traces of magic power?" Xu Yang asked Lila.

"It wasn’t teleportation, nor high-speed evasion," Lila assessed, "...based on a reading of the reality variance and magic traces, what just happened was... Time Stop."

Cloris nodded earnestly, and Shallow Dream trembled continuously.