Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 337 - 307: The Master of Fraud

Chapter 337: Chapter 307: The Master of Fraud

In Shangjing, most Ratmen had been killed.

Limbs and tainted blood of the Rat Clan flowed into the underground pipe system, alarming the residents of Shangjing and inciting panic, as the new generation firmly believed Ratmen to be urban legends, until they witnessed them with their own eyes.

Ordered by Lady Honma Noriko, Yanagawa Fumihiko set out to investigate, intending to uncover who was slaughtering the Rat Clan in the underground pipelines.

After a 7-hour search, he arrived at the dimly lit Rat’s Nest beneath Shangjing. He increased the brightness of his vision gear only to see the Rat Clan eradicated, with not a single survivor, including thousands of starving refugees who were in the process of transforming into Ratmen, now all murdered.

Yanagawa Fumihiko estimated that roughly 30,000 to 60,000 Ratmen had perished silently beneath Shangjing.

Yanagawa Fumihiko stepped over the scattered remains of the Ratmen, the bones beneath his feet clattering as he moved through the foul-smelling canal. Then, he looked up to see a small silver-haired cat atop a mountain of corpses.

"Meow." The Silver Cat let out a cute purr.

Yanagawa Fumihiko set down the two swords in his hands, one long, one short.

He was truly the finest swordsman of the Northern Archipelago, but knew not every battle was worth fighting, such as the one with the Silver Cat before him; he knew the chance of victory was all too slim.

"You are very skilled," he said, "How about working for us? 1 billion."

"I don’t lack money," said the Silver Cat.

"Resources, connections," Yanagawa Fumihiko said, "We are the de facto rulers of the Northern Archipelago."

The Silver Cat’s form elongated, shifting into the image of a middle-aged man with the head of a cat.

It took its outfit out of the void, dressing one piece at a time before Yanagawa Fumihiko. Starting with lace-trimmed undershorts to a white silk shirt, followed by a black suit and black trousers, it then put on an intricately fashioned old-fashioned black tie, placed a white-rimmed black bowler hat on its head, twisted its curved mustache, and walked down from the pile of rat corpses, taking a cigarette from its pocket and putting it in its mouth.

Yanagawa Fumihiko extended his index finger, which clicked as the metal unfolded, producing a flame from the built-in lighter to light the cigarette for the old man before him.

The old man took a deep drag of the cigarette.

"Lead the way," it said.

"Your name?"

"’Swindler’ Mack."

At Shangjing Bay, in the Junyue Hotel, Yanagawa Fumihiko arranged a remote meeting for Mack with Lady Honma Noriko. Her visage appeared on the screen, a noblewoman kneeling on the ground, in noble’s attire.

"Pleasure to meet you, ma’am," Mack said.

"Don’t let my age fool you, but this brain, this heart, they’re still working," Lady Honma Noriko said, "The Seven Seals have informed me about you. You possess immense strength and a mutable appearance, truly living up to your reputation."

"A Rat has acquired Divine Power here, I want to consume it," Mack said.

"Work for us," Lady Honma Noriko said, "Shijin Mansion, clear it up."

"Offering 1 billion?" Mack inquired.

"Even 10 billion would be possible," Lady Honma Noriko said, bowing deeply to Mack with slow movements.

Mack sat on the couch.

"No need for formalities, ma’am. I only need a wisp of Hermit Cloth, a disposable item," Mack said politely.

"Yanagawa Fumihiko will handle all your requirements," Lady Honma Noriko said.

The call ended.

Mack disappeared from his suit, turning back into a small silver cat. It crawled out of the neck of its clothing and mewed cutely at Yanagawa Fumihiko a few times.

Within 3 minutes, Yanagawa Fumihiko arranged for Mack a smart temperature-controlled cat house, expensive cat food, and a new cat climbing frame. Mack enjoyed a good day at the hotel before heading to Anjiu City.

It acquired from Lady Honma Noriko the two things it had asked for.

The disposable item arrived, a well-groomed male corporate man, 40 years old.

The Hermit Cloth also arrived, in dark gold, known within the company as "Anti-Magic Power Material," 50 times more expensive than an equal volume of gold, and Lady Honma Noriko provided an entire box.

Lady Honma Noriko needed Mack to investigate Shijin Mansion and ascertain the Ancient Witch’s dealings, to truly understand whether she was willing to transform herself into a Witch and to impartially share the Power of Eternal Life.

For this, Lady Honma Noriko was willing to invite another Ancient Mystic into the game.

"Mr. Mack, are you ready to investigate Shijin Mansion?" Yanagawa Fumihiko asked remotely, "Anjiu City might still have remnants of the Century Pure Land System, we can provide you with a chip that isolates detection."

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"There’s something more powerful than the Century Pure Land System in the city," Mack, in the form of a small cat, jumped onto the shoulder of a company person, extended its paw to look out, "Magic power is intangible like dust, a surveillance witch uses her magic power to sense her surroundings. I want equivalent intelligence, give me your satellite images, remote sensing reports, and drone reconnaissance records."

"Public databases show that the most powerful surveillance witch in Anjiu City is President Lila Nestor of the Nestor Corporation," Fumihiko Yanagawa said.

"Then it’s her," Mack demanded cat food from the company person.

"Does the Nestor Corporation also have ties with the Shijin Mansion?"

"They are the gatekeepers. If you want to infiltrate, you’ll have to bypass them, or kill them."

Following Mack’s instructions, the company person walked it to Chengxia Town, downloaded the report sent from Xisheng at a store terminal, then shut down the entire shop afterward. Three shop operators and two customers were ’harmlessly’ processed.

"If Lila uses her sensory magic to scout the city instead of the system," Fumihiko Yanagawa inquired, "then deploying troops or infiltrating becomes very difficult, as any slight movement would be detected."

"Only a Supreme Witch can maintain surveillance magic power around the clock, and she is far from qualified," Mack said. "Follow my orders, hire three people through undetectable channels, to set out at 9 o’clock, 9:30, and 10 o’clock respectively. One of them will place a plastic bomb in a non-open area, the second will attempt to steal neutral assets, and the third will try to climb the back wall of a small private bank. All three should appear to attack, but do not actually proceed."

Fumihiko Yanagawa arranged as instructed, and Mack had a company person brew a pot of black coffee.

Before long, the experiment concluded.

"The people at 9 and 10 were arrested," Fumihiko Yanagawa replied, "It took only 3 minutes from deployment to capture. The person working at 9:30 was not discovered, and the explosive he placed was retrieved at 10:10."

"This proves the lady scans the city once every hour with her surveillance magic," Mack said.

"But it’s possible that around the Shijin Mansion area, she scans non-stop day and night," Fumihiko Yanagawa said.

"Shijin Mansion is our last handle. Hire people from the suburbs and other cities, arrange for an attack at 2 o’clock, 2:10, 2:50, and 4 o’clock tomorrow morning. Threaten using different methods, without letting others discover or call for help. The targets are a hospital, a primary school, a transit station, and a jewelry store – aim at the city’s own industry."

"Understood."

Mack downloaded President Lila Nestor’s corporate file, took a sip of coffee, and studied it carefully. Then it browsed the bounty list, old social news, Xisheng’s files, and the Corporate Alliance data, quickly identifying hundreds of noteworthy individuals.

It paid particular attention to A40, Seeking Shadow, Pan Ruiyi, an unknown Ancient Witch, Mouse Witch Sally, Matteo, Suzuki Shinji, Asa Katsuragi, Cui Junyou, Cyber Specter, Oohara Nobuhiko, Han Shishan, and others who have been part of the recent turbulent events.

Afterward, it compiled and drafted an event timeline and charts in its mind.

It went to sleep, and a little after 4 in the morning, Fumihiko Yanagawa sent a message, reporting the state of affairs since dawn.

The 2 o’clock attack was dealt with at 2:13.

The 2:10 and 2:50 attacks were dealt with at 3:12.

The 4 o’clock attack was dealt with at 4:08.

"Look, even at night, she scans the entire metropolis every hour. Lila Nestor doesn’t rest, as precise as a clockwork," Mack said. "She was once rubbish, now reborn. I guess she has been transformed into a robot, which can be killed with electromagnetic interference."

"Among the Ancient Mystics, you are one who understands modern technology," Fumihiko Yanagawa appraised.

"I was a journalist in Constantinian for a century, trust me, my knowledge of technological progress is deeper than yours."

"Then our tech team can launch an electromagnetic attack on Anjiu City, disguising it as a major solar event, to be used against Lila," Fumihiko Yanagawa said.

"Useful, but also quite limited," Mack said, "It must be used when they are split apart."

"They? Who?"

"Just remember one thing: whether you defeat anyone from Nestor Corporation or the Shijin Mansion, collect them intact immediately, and do not leave any debris. If necessary, even package the air and soil, and put it in a box. Check it daily, and if the content disappears or there’s a violent breakout, it proves the subject has been resurrected unharmed."

"Understood." Fumihiko Yanagawa uploaded the intelligence to Xisheng’s core database, "They even call you ’Swindler’ Mack."

"I deceive those who are self-righteous, and this proud Ancient Witch is the proudest of them all," Mack said.

Earlier, it had sought to collaborate with Farosa, only to be met with her ridicule and rejection. This incident could not end on good terms.

In the pitch-dark room, Mack made preparations, while a company person sat opposite it. When Mack was awake, the company person was awake; when Mack slept, the company person didn’t necessarily sleep — utmost diligence.

"They make you work like this," Mack said, "How much do they pay you? 50 million? 5 million?"

"Not a penny," the company person said.

"Then why do you still agree to it?" Mack sneered coldly.

"If I do this, my child can get out of here."

"Fair enough, isn’t it?" Mack transformed back into a small cat, "Come, company person, wrap me with Hermit Cloth so that water can’t get through and hide me in your briefcase. This way, sensory magic won’t be able to detect me. Oh, don’t worry, I’m a demigod; I don’t need to breathe. Now let’s get the information on Shijin Mansion crystal clear, and then deliver it to Lady Honma Noriko’s desk."

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