Gyeong-mi twisted his neck, his body covered in wounds. Two of the gashes, left by chainsaw blades during his earlier reckless charge, were deep enough to show bone.
Yet, this man simply wrapped a bandage around them and endured. Putato even worried for him, wondering if the wounds would eventually fester.
"My word is true. This time, I'll let you go."
That simple?
Putato felt as if he might be dreaming, but seeing Gyeong-mi's sinister eyes, he knew the other party had no intention of giving up. Perhaps he was just waiting to round up the Brotherhood and the others later.
"Cough, cough. Then, is there a possibility that I could join Stray Dogs?"
Bang!
Gyeong-mi kicked a trash can, sending it flying. Putato quickly performed a backflip to dodge. This agility, however, made the two executives frown. Putato could actually keep up with Gyeong-mi's speed.
"Boss, this guy is too arrogant. Let me kill him! You can let him go, but I can't!"
The spiked-collar man, holding his head, glared ferociously at Putato.
Putato smiled awkwardly. "That kick earlier was work-related. Now that everyone is off work, let's just consider it water under the bridge."
"You piece of sh*t!"
"Go."
Bald Zulu stood up, his entire upper body covered in Tattoo Augmentations, making Putato realize he was also a ruthless individual close to Gyeong-mi.
"Putato, are you going to get lost or not? If not, the boss will still let you go."
"Sigh, I'm being serious, really. I want to join you and then deal with the Brotherhood of Iron."
"Huh?"
Putato saw that they finally showed some interest and let out a sigh of relief, hastily organizing his new idea.
"Actually, I was originally a Fixer at Good Office. You should know that place was ambushed. Because I had some Prosthetic Modification skills, I wasn't killed but was taken by the Brotherhood as an intern. But I can never forget my best friend Khaji, who died in Good Office. He and I... he had no special abilities, so he hoped I could become the pinnacle of The City. Even if I have not the slightest chance of fulfilling this promise, I can only agree to his dying request. Now, at least I can avenge him by destroying the Brotherhood of Iron."
Putato narrated calmly, desperately recalling various negative events in his mind to stay in character. He thought of the broken lock on a public restroom door that he had to hold shut by hand, knowing no fear. He remembered the embarrassment of attending a class reunion while working as a waiter during university. He recalled eating a sample at an exhibition stall, only to realize he had mistaken someone's spat-out seed for food, wishing he could reverse time out of pure regret.
"This is my personal vendetta, but it also benefits you. You can recover your losses and rebuild your reputation. Besides, haven't you just suffered a lot of casualties? Why can't you let me join?"
Dino, hearing this, actually nodded. If they followed Putato's plan, it could indeed mitigate the losses the Brotherhood of Iron had inflicted on them these past few days. Otherwise, they would have to play another game of cat and mouse with them.
The other gang members could also sense the sorrow in Putato's words. No one questioned him; after all, such stories were all too common in The City. Hatred was always the main theme of this place.
"You seem quite principled, courageous, and resourceful." Gyeong-mi took off the iron chain draped over his arm and put it back around his neck. "But you, this dog, you think that's how you become my brother?! Your hatred cannot cancel out my hatred!"
Putato immediately braced himself, secretly sighing. He had not expected the emotional appeal to be ineffective. It seemed he could only bring up the Night in the Backstreets.
"But I'll give you a chance. This time, it's still a bet, heh heh!" Gyeong-mi sneered, revealing his pearly white teeth. "You all listen up! If this guy isn't dead after three of my punches, I'll consider letting him join. All of you, don't say another word! As for you, if you lead us to destroy the Brotherhood of Iron, it's no problem for you to join as my subordinate. But before that, you have to survive!"
"It's a deal!"
Putato's words instantly made him dodge sideways.
Whoosh!
A tearing gust of wind brushed past his ear, vibrating his eardrum.
"First punch!"
Gyeong-mi gritted his teeth, stamping down to halt his forward momentum, then swung his arm with all his might at Putato's head, as if wielding a thousand-pound sledgehammer. This terrifying force immediately made Putato recall that unlucky Fixer whose head had been smashed.
Putato deftly swung his Multi-functional Belt. The metal-threaded belt immediately wrapped around Gyeong-mi's right arm, then pulled forcefully, bringing him in.
"Second punch!"
Gyeong-mi, in a continuous assault, forcefully stepped forward again, closing his arm. His knuckles, gleaming with cold light, resembled sharp fangs ready to tear Putato's flesh.
In this critical moment, Putato quickly pulled out the tear gas and smoke bomb from his waist. Even Gyeong-mi, who fought with reckless abandon, consciously reduced his strength when he saw these familiar throwing devices. After all, that stun grenade had left a deep impression on him, and this gave Putato an opening to escape.
Clang!
Sparks flew.
Putato, with lingering fear, looked at the panting Gyeong-mi in front of him, feeling that this guy was truly a lunatic.
"Third punch, ha ha ha, you little brat, you're quite interesting! Don't go back today. Stay with me inside!"
Zulu stepped forward and supported the trembling Gyeong-mi, while Dino nodded towards Putato, signaling for him to follow.
A person under another's roof has no choice but to bow their head. Furthermore, the Night in the Backstreets was approaching. Putato could only close his eyes and go with them.
...
A night passed.
Thump.
Thump, thump, thump.
"What—what is Putato doing? He's only returning now."
"Wait, the footsteps outside sound far too numerous."
"Hold on, that is definitely Putato's knocking code."
The moment Consta opened the door, he wasn't greeted by Putato, but by a heavy fist wrapped in iron chains.
Boom!
The heavy steel Prosthetic was instantly sent flying backward.
Watching the Stray Dogs flood into the clinic alongside Putato, Mo and Arnold realized immediately that Putato had been captured—or worse.
"Well done, Putato."
Gyeong-mi felt the frustrations of the past few days vanish with that single punch. He looked at Putato with far less annoyance than before.
His words, however, made Mo hesitate and take a step back. The situation was not what she had imagined.
"You—you said you had a safe way to escape! What is the meaning of this?"
Putato exhaled a long sigh of relief, his posture relaxing significantly.
"From today onwards, the Brotherhood of Iron is history."
"But I told you I trusted you!" Mo cried out.
Two Stray Dogs executives stood shoulder to shoulder, instantly subduing the two Prosthetic individuals. Even with their recent Prosthetic upgrades, they were trapped in the cramped room with enemies closing in from all directions. They had nowhere to run.
"No, you didn't trust me," Putato replied calmly. "You only trusted money."
"If there were no money, I would have died the first time we met."
"You—you bastard!!!"
No matter how hard Mo tried to reach Putato, it was in vain. In less than three minutes, her mechanical body was torn apart at the waist. She advanced stubbornly without another word, while Arnold could only desperately ask "why."
Putato tapped the Prosthetic frame of the incapacitated Consta, then reached out and retrieved the Chip from the side of his head.
"Boss Gyeong-mi, once these Prosthetic individuals' Personality Chips are broken, it's essentially the same as brain death in a normal human."
"Oh? Such body-discarding tech is indeed unreliable. A single card is far too fragile."
The scene quickly fell silent. All three Prosthetic individuals had their limbs torn off and were laid out on the ground. The two executives ordered their men to pack up all the valuables and, after receiving Gyeong-mi's approval, led the team to escort the "parts" back to the factory.
In the chaotic clinic, only Gyeong-mi and Putato remained. Putato, directly in front of Gyeong-mi, snapped the Chips in the heads of the other two.
"Your Prosthetic skills aren't needed by Stray Dogs," Gyeong-mi stated flatly.
"But you've seen my agility. Even without Tattoo Augmentations, I can handle most situations."
"Fine then. Stray Dogs happens to have business with the chefs in District 23. You'll head that up to prove your worth."
"Are you going back on your word? You said that doing this would get me into the Syndicate."
Gyeong-mi merely sneered. He was aggressive, but he wasn't a fool. Did Putato really think a few words could sway him so easily?
"You can ask the others. I only promised to consider it."
With that, Gyeong-mi, far too bored to stay in such a dilapidated hole, turned and left.
Putato stood there, watching the digital clock for half an hour before finally closing the door. The weight in his heart finally lifted.
"It's a good thing these Syndicate illiterates are clueless about Prosthetics. That's why I specifically moved the sound cards to the head units."
"I suppose these idiots also don't understand how a Personality Chip actually works. It saved me quite a bit of time."
Click.
Putato inserted a Personality Chip into a recorder. This was a small indulgence of the Doctor's, considered a rare antique in The City. However, the device required some custom modifications for compatibility.
"Putato Putato Putato Putato Putato!"
Damn it!
The incessant, repetitive shouting made Putato's head ache. He quickly hit the toggle switch.
"What's going on? Is that Putato?"
Putato had absolutely refused to let The City's Doctor modify him—one only had to look at the monstrous forms those three had become to understand why.
"Damn it, I trusted you so much! Why did you betray me!"
Clearly, without sensors to perceive the outside world, the three Prosthetic individuals were in a state of extreme anxiety. Putato walked over to their discarded mechanical bodies and inspected them. The Stray Dogs had been brutal; every power source was destroyed.
In the short term, restoring their bodies was impossible, and Putato lacked the cash to build three complete Prosthetics.
"I'll have to ask you to stay in the recorder for now. Otherwise, you won't even be able to speak."
Although this mechanical workaround slightly exceeded standard Prosthetic techniques, all Putato needed to do was add two more Chip slots and strip away the useless parts. He tucked the exquisite radio into his pocket and plugged in a pair of wired headphones.
"Putato Putato Putato Putato Putato!"
"Are you mental? Stop f***ing yelling."
"Putato! Putato! Putato!"
Putato was genuinely sweating from the constant shouting. He quickly switched to another track.
"Now, what exactly is going on? Putato, can you hear me?"
Hearing this relatively rational question, Putato immediately replied, "Yes. This is my escape method. Besides, your fully Prosthetic bodies don't feel pain anyway."
After clarifying the situation, Putato labeled this Chip slot as Consta's. The next track belonged to Arnold.
"Then why didn't you say so earlier? I really thought you had abandoned our trust. You scared me to death."
"With your intelligence, letting you in on the act would have gotten me killed."
"But why can only one of us speak at a time?"
"Nonsense. You're all plugged into one recorder. I can only listen to one track at a time."
"So, what do we do next? I can hear that Mo's condition isn't very good."
Putato breathed a sigh of relief, finally collecting his thoughts.
Arnold's continuous irrelevant chatter began to grate on his nerves, so Putato directly switched to the next track.
First, he had to complete the task Gyeong-mi had assigned him to officially join Stray Dogs. Then, he would see if he could convince Gyeong-mi to expand the Syndicate.
Based on his earlier observations, Stray Dogs—apart from their boss Gyeong-mi—likely only had Zulu and Dino serving as executives. Managing any more people would surely become impossible.
Worst case, he could always "physically persuade" the two executives to step down.
His loyalty to the organization was absolute. Failing to get promoted would truly be a loss for the group, and Putato would never allow anything to hinder the organization's development.
"Don't worry, all of you. I'll find an opportunity within Stray Dogs to secure new bodies for you. Then, you can covertly assist me in my rise to power."
"Once I replace Gyeong-mi as the boss, our Brotherhood of Iron can easily occupy the Nest like a cuckoo in a nest. We might even be able to participate in the Star of the City or attend the Thumb's meetings!"
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What the hell?
Putato had never heard of the Void Fist Syndicate in the game. He guessed they were about to be crushed by the Thumb this time.
Thinking of this, Putato couldn't help but be tempted by the idea of betting.
What was the point of honest work? It was much better to hit the jackpot and get rich overnight.
"Wait! What good is getting rich quickly?"
Ignoring his sudden gambling impulse, Putato quickly switched the radio back.
"Putato."
"Mo, you must have heard everything just now. Can you just act normal?"
"I clearly gave you all the money."
"I know. Now that I've opened your channel, I can hear you."
"Putato!"
Silence.
Putato pushed open the door and stepped out, wondering if Mo had a virus. Could Prosthetic individuals in The City actually suffer from electronic psychosis?
"Hey."
Damn it!
Putato jumped in fright. It was the bald Zulu, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed.
This guy didn't hear anything just now, did he?
His hand tightened around the small knife in his pocket.
It had come to this. Putato could not let his plan fail now.
In this chaotic City, he couldn't ensure everyone's survival, but at least his own people had to live.
Even if they were just Personality Chips.
"What's wrong? Why so surprised? Guilty conscience?"
"You try having someone sneak up on you and see if you don't jump!"
Zulu examined Putato from head to toe, then moved away from the wall.
"Next, we're heading to District 23. If you have nothing else to prepare, come with me now."
"What business is so urgent?" Putato couldn't help but ask. Stray Dogs' operational speed was remarkably fast.
Zulu, leading Putato toward the food street, spoke calmly as a reminder: "Putato, you are currently in your probationary period. I can be flexible with the rules, but you would be wise to pay attention to matters of etiquette."
"When a superior speaks, a subordinate should not interrupt. You must show deference and request permission to speak."
"Besides these, there are many other rules like this. You should understand."
"Making mistakes in Stray Dogs usually just earns you a scolding. But if you ever encounter someone from the Thumb's main branch, your mouth will be cut off on the spot."
Putato suddenly spotted an old acquaintance standing by the entrance of a Wings of the World employment agency.
Yun, exhaling a cloud of smoke, subtly glanced at Putato before immediately averting his gaze.
"Boss Zulu, I haven't eaten a single bite since last night. How about I deal with this first?"
"Alright, just don't delay Syndicate business. Remember not to go to that family's processing plant. I heard the head chef is from District 23."
Putato noticed that while Zulu seemed indifferent and taciturn, he was actually quite talkative.
"Why?"
"How do I explain their processing plant... it is difficult for me to tell you."
"Look at this."
Zulu pointed at the waste by the roadside.
"I have had potato and lychee caviar in other places before, along with imitation braised pork with rice. Personally, I really enjoy that kind of 'decomposition and reorganization' culinary art."
"But this shop's method of decomposition is to starve people for three days and then have them eat the raw ingredients, turning it into... this."
"People actually eat that?!"
Putato was once again blown away by the depravity of the people in The City.
"Yeah, it is quite popular among a certain minority."
Zulu watched Putato warily glance at the restaurant signs around them, as if he were scanning for a hunter's trap.
Compared to Putato's desire to join, Zulu was actually more concerned with maintaining his current status.
Even if Gyeong-mi had given an unqualified kill order this time, Zulu would not resort to unnecessary violence. Who knew? He might even have to work with this kid in the future.
Seeing Putato enter a fried rice shop, Zulu left without another word.
"Hey, Yun, did you need something?"
"I just came to congratulate you, Putato, on successfully joining a large Syndicate. The commotion yesterday was quite significant."
"Nothing is set in stone yet. I still have to complete a test to officially join, but I appreciate your good wishes."
"If you join, don't forget to tell me. I'll prepare a gift for you then."
"Boss Yun, you're too kind. It's I who should congratulate you on expanding your connections."
What was this guy up to? Had he decided to make a move on Stray Dogs?
Putato wasn't worried about Yun's strength. In The City, money could buy power. At worst, he could just take out a loan for some upgrades.
Halfway through his meal, Putato excused himself and hastily left. He certainly had no intention of paying for Yun's share.
"Yun, was that Putato?"
Eri, sitting at a table behind them, stood up and walked to Yun's side, watching Putato's retreating back.
"That was him. I'm waiting for the right moment to contact Gyeong-mi."
"I thought you really intended to develop him into a spy."
"I did at first, but haven't you seen the news? The Thumb is going to war. What if Stray Dogs is preparing for that? The Thumb might be meticulously observing the south. If we get into a conflict with them, our Office will have only one outcome."
"It's better to be sure about this. Besides, a direct connection with the leader of Stray Dogs is worth far more than a simple spy, isn't it?"