Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 585 - 497: Squad Upgrade

Chapter 585: Chapter 497: Squad Upgrade

Technology is the highest driver of development.

For the sake of achieving further accelerated development, under the initiative and preparation of Miyazato Kazama, Nestor Corporation was about to formally integrate all Witch Researchers and technical talents, establishing a large-scale research department, but they were still lacking a super-strong Witch Researcher.

Ya Kou Liu Li.

Rinne browsed through the data images and saw a super strong metal humanoid, with a form forged from a single mold, battling on the battlefield. Codenamed "Nemesis Armament," its power was ferocious, single-handedly taking down several Elite Soldiers until it was finally pierced by spear number 102, which signified the end, a piece of intel from the initial company wars.

Although the Nemesis Armament wasn’t mass-produced, the few units that existed caused considerable trouble, highlighting the value of Ya Kou Liu Li.

Her ability was "Metal Shaping," and the last sighting was in the barren mountains in the northwestern part of Akasumi City. As Rinne looked at the intelligence, she pondered deeply.

Ya Kou Liu Li could transform Magic Power into magic metal with distinctive properties. The research department of Nestor Corporation couldn’t miss out on a Witch like her. She was a descendant of Honma Noriko, but because she had been working in a factory, she hadn’t had the chance to escape aboard the Orochi, and by a stroke of luck, she didn’t die at sea. In the end, she chose not to join Nestor Corporation, but instead, fearing judgement, chose to flee and live in exile.

According to the clues currently in possession, someone was secretly covering Ya Kou Liu Li’s retreat. Lila had already caught some traces but had not yet confirmed her exact location. Now, members of the Secret Front were tasked to capture Ya Kou Liu Li and bring her back, to join the research forces of Nestor Corporation.

"It’s time to become stronger," Seeking Shadow said, taking Rinne aboard the Anonymous to set off.

To become stronger, yes, after this mission, Mr. Web Monitor would provide the third training, inching her closer to becoming a qualified Helis Sea Operator. Rinne took a deep breath, adjusted her mindset completely, and pushed all distractions and pain to the back of her mind.

"How will Little Seeking Shadow become stronger?" Rinne pulled Seeking Shadow close to her.

"I want to download the Martial Arts archives of the Quantum Warrior," Seeking Shadow said earnestly.

The Anonymous arrived in Shangjing, and Rinne paid special attention to the changes in this vast city. Many factories had been relocated, the suburbs had become prosperous, while, conversely, the central streets had declined.

She checked the news, and the most notable point for Shangjing was that for the first time in a hundred years, the housing prices had shown a downward trend, currently plateauing. The average land price had slightly decreased from 160,000 per square meter to 158,000.

As Nestor Corporation developed the suburbs, people’s enthusiasm for working hard just to enter Shangjing had weakened. There were too many modern professions allowing individuals to work alone in the suburban counties. Many commentators believed that mega-cities were merely an anomaly in the development process, asserting that once urbanization reached a certain stage, a natural reverse urbanization effect would occur.

Intercontinental capital-backed real estate companies were considering whether to pull out, and other wealthy individuals with a lot of property were contemplating liquidating their assets to move overseas. Once someone began doing this, a stampede effect would destroy the entire real estate bubble.

Rinne saw a villa of 890 square meters being sold for 100 million Funds and became even more aware of the desperate disparity between the rich and the poor in this world.

But in the blink of an eye, her thoughts shifted because the Anonymous entered the Xisheng Shrine, and she soon had Shangjing’s greatest landmark building beneath her feet.

Costing over 646 billion Funds to build, it was the world’s most expensive skyscraper, capable of accommodating two hundred thousand residents. It was the pinnacle of modern architecture and engineering. Rinne was dazzled, never having imagined Seeking Shadow would bring her here.

So... big, so... beautiful. Rinne entered the Xisheng Shrine, immediately overwhelmed by its splendor and luxury. She wandered through the corridors laid with crimson silk carpets; the entire floor was like a maze, requiring careful measurement with every step. The ceilings were astonishingly high, specially designed for large combat robots to enter and exit, and she had to strain her neck to see the invaluable deluxe light fixtures at the top of the Divine Palace corridor.

The once-private domain of the Xisheng children was now the headquarters of Nestor Corporation. Each office had been transformed into a data center where diligent employees carried out their respective roles, managing the massive volume of requests coming from communities all over the Archipelago, and using precise distributed collaboration to mitigate the pressure of data processing. They all wore Nestor Corporation uniforms, insignia of work identification, not to erase individuality, but to display their pride and honor as part of the company.

Seeking Shadow hastened ahead, coming to a containment facility on the 85th floor. The Quantum Warrior was suspended by mechanical arms, its head and torso detached. Its sharp-edged metallic head was connected to multiple data cables of different sizes.

"Its consciousness has been extracted," Rinne observed, looking at the terminals nearby, which stored the personality matrix of the Quantum Warrior.

"Because the executioner perfectly decapitated its head without damaging any other parts," Seeking Shadow said, taking a seat. Rinne helped to plug the data cables into Seeking Shadow’s data port.

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"Will it affect you?" Rinne sat at another console, studying the documents, worried that Seeking Shadow’s temperament might be affected.

"It’s a pure upgrade in fighting capabilities," Seeking Shadow explained, "Before, I didn’t have enough experience to inherit the Quantum Warrior’s powerful battle skills, but now I can download some of its martial arts techniques."

"Both dead and alive." Rinne looked at the Quantum Warrior’s remains, suspended still in the air, and then at its digital persona within the terminal—a file devoid of consciousness, completely stripped of emotion, memory, and individuality, useless for anything but combat.

"Beep beep." Seeking Shadow closed her eyes and began downloading and analyzing the combat data, which included about three-quarters of the Quantum Warrior’s strength; for Seeking Shadow, this would be a leap forward.

Rinne, assisting with the operations from the side, realized that with Seeking Shadow’s analysis speed, it would take another two hours to complete the download. She decided to leave the room for a while and took the opportunity to stroll through the legendary Xisheng Shrine.

In the shrine’s largest cafeteria, Rinne felt as if she were in a golf course—no end in sight, tables followed by more tables, with more than a hundred food supply stations, enough to satisfy twenty or thirty thousand people dining at the same time. Indeed, family gatherings of Xisheng’s children often reached these numbers.

Rinne approached a food supply station where Synthetic Human chefs and waiters continuously served up large quantities of fresh and delicious food. Many Nestor Corporation employees were feasting on juicy steaks and fresh salmon.

Having never eaten anything particularly delicious before, Rinne decided to try a plate labeled with the highest quality of tuna belly sashimi, stuffing it into her mouth. The fish melted in Rinne’s mouth, and the sensation made her stand still for a while. This was the tastiest thing she had ever eaten in her life—rich, fragrant, and sweet. She was glad she hadn’t given up on herself and replaced her tongue with an artificial one, though the fish would only meet the grinder once inside her modified stomach.

Rinne noticed a staring gaze from the side and turned to see a Little Witch who looked like a delicate doll, dressed in white overalls and sitting beside a milk dispenser with a baby bottle on her back, gazing at her with a vacant look, appearing rather foolish. Rinne walked over and crouched down to look up at the little girl.

"Who are you? Where’s your daddy?" Rinne asked curiously.

"Gua." The Little Fool said.

The adorable sound genuinely pleased Rinne, who quickly picked up the Little Fool. The little girl waved her arms and legs in the air, trying to get away.

"I’ll show you something fun." Rinne, activating her magic power, stepped out of the cafeteria and walked along the side of the wall. The Little Fool stopped struggling and gaped at the shifting perspective. Rinne moved swiftly and lightly, giving the impression of gliding through the air, which made the Little Fool decide to cling to her, especially since Rinne smelled of Xu Yang, which the Little Fool found appealing.

Rinne felt she wasn’t yet worthy to linger in the Xisheng Shrine, not until she became Mr. Web Monitor’s assistant at least. Only then would she be entitled to enjoy everything here. So, after a brief look at the nearby interesting sights, she returned to the Quantum Warrior’s containment facility and waited for Seeking Shadow to finish downloading.

After a while, Rinne saw the progress bar fill up and Seeking Shadow opened her eyes. Her chip now stored an abundance of diverse combat techniques. She was now vastly improved, having crossed a boundary in martial arts and reaching the standard of the company’s high-level elites. If Seeking Shadow confronted those mid- and low-level ninjas from the forest of Xijin Town today, she could take on six of them without being at a disadvantage.

"Gua." The Little Fool had sat on the nearby floor watching the entire time. She had also finished her milk, hung the empty bottle on her back, and returned to her sacred source of milk to refill.

"Do you know her?" Rinne watched the Little Fool leave and turned to ask Seeking Shadow, "I feel she is a very wonderful... very unique girl, a Witch?"

"Yes, Mr. Web Monitor’s daughter," Seeking Shadow replied.

This was the most impactful news Rinne had encountered in her life.

"We’ll have to bring her back to Shijin Mansion next time; she hasn’t seen Mr. Web Monitor in a while," said Seeking Shadow, quickly leaving.

Rinne followed Seeking Shadow, and they reassembled outdoors, calling on Nidelaide, Hosoda Yoshiyuki, and Chiyuki Sajou to join them—this time, Lu Jing was also with them.

Rinne took a glance at Lu Jing, dressed in Green Clothes, brimming with vitality and confidence, and thought about them already having installed the Digital Mind, which stirred an indescribable feeling within her.

"The enemy is terrifying," Hosoda Yoshiyuki remarked, viewing the intelligence, "It’s said an impressive ninja volunteered to protect Ya Kou Liu Li from assassination attempts—Master Kano Masato, who was once defeated by Nestor Corporation, shot in the head, nearly dead, but saved by a secret art, now thirsting for revenge. Stronger than any ninja you’ve fought before... Hmm, with so many messy ninjas, we’ll probably receive a mission to flatten Shinobi Village within a few days, until they promise to never let ninjas bother us again."

"We need to recruit a newcomer," Seeking Shadow reminded, "Someone who can fill in the gaps for all of us, to ensure the success of the upcoming mission."

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