Her palm was cold, but her skin felt exquisite, like wiping the finest moon-white silk.
"Here’s the deal, I prefer actions over sweet talk. Give me a list of everyone involved in this affair, anyone you can remember. I will investigate this to the end and cleanse their sins with their blood..."
Anyway, he was bound to confront Huang Ban someday.
Lucy watched Lin Miao carefully wipe her hands. She wanted to express that she didn’t want to pursue these matters. Let these painful memories stay buried in her heart forever and not resurface. She also didn’t want Lin Miao to throw himself against Huang Ban over this.
That’s an indescribable monster; its claws and eyes are everywhere across the globe. Your moves will never escape its watchful eyes. Huang Ban eliminates countless up-and-coming minor forces like Lin Miao year after year, even forcing the high and mighty Military Science of the United States out of Night City with the Kujira six years ago.
Such actions would be tantamount to Lin Miao courting death.
But Lucy’s smile curved her lips nonetheless, shaking her head lightly as she looked up at the moon. She wanted to tell Lin Miao that none of it mattered—Huang Ban, Night City. She didn’t care...
She knew today that Lin Miao would never agree to these terms. This man was born with the mission to burn the world to ashes; only one of them could survive.
"Lin... I’m not telling you this because I want you to pity me... I just want to say we can rely on each other as kindred spirits... I no longer care about those things now."
Lucy didn’t reveal that she knew Lin Miao was an artificial human, although Lin Miao had probably guessed the implication. This made meeting his gaze difficult, even leading him to regret concocting this fake background story.
His complex expression of wanting to speak but stopping himself was just the reaction Lucy expected...
"It’s okay, I know..."
Don’t show that ’understanding sister’ expression!
Lin Miao felt a need to clarify things, but his mind was too jumbled to know how to explain it.
Just then, Lucy withdrew her right hand, already wiped clean, and stroked Lin Miao’s cheek, the cool sensation sending a shiver through him.
"I want to face the future with you... can you give me this chance... whether it’s Huang Ban or any other corporation..."
Lucy gazed directly into Lin Miao’s eyes, not sure how much courage it took her to say these words.
She no longer wished to go to the moon; she wanted to stay in this burning hell, even if it meant turning to ashes at the end.
Lin Miao discovered his own face reflected in her moon-bright eyes...
Though the sequence of events was somewhat bewildering, and Lucy’s motives seemed odd, it ultimately fulfilled Lin Miao’s original purpose.
He grasped Lucy’s hand that was upon his face, placed it before him, and solemnly took a chip from his pocket and placed it in her palm.
"Sign this, and you’ll be our company’s second officially outsourced employee."
"Sec... second?" Lucy glanced at the chip in her palm and then at the players gathered noisily below, a bad feeling swelling inside her.
"They’re internal employees... you know... not included."
By this point, no explanation was necessary—once she signed the contract, all questions would be answered.
Still in disbelief, Lucy connected the chip to the back of her neck.
No file regulations, no parties A and B, no non-compete agreement, nothing.
Only a dark red signature field, which Lucy signed without hesitation.
In the next instant, her irises were filled with countless dark red data codes, and her body slackened as though it had lost control. Fortunately, Lin Miao held her, preventing a fall.
He had experience; Gloria had also reacted this way days ago, though she was seated on the sofa, denying Lin Miao the chance to catch her.
Lucy’s body was light, and Lin Miao easily lifted her. Compared to last time, he could devote more attention to such details, estimating she weighed at most 45 kg, yet soft, cool, and distinct.
The employee contract presented by the system wasn’t a traditional legal document but another kind of contract, effective in a physical and network sense.
Signing the contract required wholehearted agreement from both parties; coercion, hypnosis, demonic puppet control were ineffective.
Simultaneously, once an employee signed the contract, Lin Miao had to ensure they received reasonable treatment while they would be passively protected by the system. If anyone tried to invade their consciousness, it would likely result in brain burnout like that Huang Ban hacker.
It’s deemed passive because it can’t be actively triggered.
The employee’s duty was to pledge loyalty to Lin Miao.
They mustn’t subjectively act against company rules or harm company interests.
One may make mistakes, but not intentionally.
Otherwise, Lin Miao would know immediately and burn your brain.
Once signed, the contract could not be revoked. It would persist unless all involved parties died.
Yes, there’s no concept of firing or dismissal, so choosing employees required utmost caution from Lin Miao, even avoiding targeting them before any wrongdoing occurs.