The Mechanical Head

The Ansa Black Market wasn't connected to the maglev tram lines, so the train stopped at a small town about five kilometers away.

More people got off at this stop than Tu Ran had expected.

Blending into the crowd, she slipped into a quiet corner and changed into men's clothes, pulling on a hat, mask, and sunglasses until she was completely bundled up before heading toward the black market.

Scattered shops lined the route, selling food, water, and disguises.

Most people coming to the black market had already thought to prepare such things, so they wouldn't bother buying them here. The storefronts sat quiet and nearly empty, with few stopping to browse.

The closer she got to the black market, the more crowded the streets became, and the more shops appeared, their wares growing increasingly varied.

Tu Ran estimated the distance. She was probably on the edge of the market now. She glanced at her watch—2:55.

Xie Xu said someone would come to meet her, so she'd just wait here.

She began to study the shops on either side of the street.

A rundown clinic, a rundown hardware store, a rundown casino, a rundown bar, a rundown diner...

Everything was a dull gray. Every shop sign looked like it might collapse at any moment, and the people coming and going were wrapped head to toe in gray or black clothing. The entire street held not a single spot of color—it was suffocating.

Many passersby were dressed much like her; some were even more covered up, while others boldly showed their full faces, though those faces were covered in gaudy tattoos—eye-catching, but impossible to identify.

Everyone on the street carried weapons, and the array of guns and explosives on display opened Tu Ran's eyes. One man had a rifle slung over his front and a long blade strapped to his back, the tip jutting out a good length over his shoulder; people deliberately gave him a wide berth.

What caught Tu Ran's attention most, however, were the cybernetically enhanced individuals.

Some had modified a leg, others an arm—steel limbs exposed for all to see, declaring their strength and ferocity. Beyond limb replacements, she noticed one person whose eyes had been swapped for mechanical prosthetics, like twin camera lenses.

Some had even replaced their entire head with a mechanical construct. A burly man was approaching her now, his skull a machine-built replica, though his exposed limbs looked entirely human. Tu Ran couldn't tell whether he was a robot that looked human or a human who looked like a robot.

Was his brain still a human brain? She couldn't tell.

She took two steps aside to let him pass. As their bodies crossed paths, she heard a very low voice.

"Follow me."

Tu Ran looked around—no one else seemed to have heard it. She turned back toward the source of the voice: the mechanical-headed man.

So this was the contact Xie Xu had sent to meet her.

He was already far ahead. If it weren't for that conspicuous silver metal head, she might have lost him entirely.

She hurried her pace, keeping a steady distance behind him.

Other pedestrians still flowed between them.

No one would ever guess he was guiding her.

They turned a few corners before he led her into a small clinic. From the outside, it blended seamlessly with the other shops—nothing special about it.

Inside, the cramped, narrow space was filled with the pungent smell of cheap medicine.

If Tu Ran had wandered into this clinic by chance as a patient, the odor alone would have convinced her the doctor was a penny-pinching quack, and she would have quickly walked right back out.