Bursting Tomato 4

Those from Mechanical Pure Land who dared to crash the Dongye family building naturally had some skill.

They infiltrated the surveillance room the moment they entered the banquet and physically eliminated the hackers inside, ensuring nothing would go wrong in the operation.

The underground parking garage had always been sparsely guarded. Outsiders' vehicles were handed over to security, who drove them in through a secret entrance, and when guests wanted to leave, security would drive the cars up from the garage in advance.

Only internal personnel could take the elevator at Quhai Tower straight down to the underground. Mechanical Pure Land had counted on this when they chose the spot as an ambush point.

The hallucinogenic gas tossed from the canisters would incapacitate even an esper within a minute if they held their breath. As for the alarm they'd pressed, its signal had already been intercepted.

All they had to do was wait in the darkness, and they could seize the doctor without lifting a finger. No one would expect danger in their own territory.

But somehow, the power equipment that had been sabotaged suddenly came back online, the signal jammer failed, alarms blared, and their operation was exposed!

The sound of dense footsteps was fast approaching. The members of Mechanical Pure Land exchanged glances, their faces plainly marked with shock and panic.

It should have been a foolproof plan—how had it gone wrong?

"We need to break out!" one of them ground out. "Don't get captured. Don't expose the base."

"There's a vent at six o'clock!" came a hacker companion's voice through the earpiece. "Damn! Someone's tracking me. The person on the other end is fast—I can't hold on!"

"I'm marking the escape route for you. Go now!"

With that, the voice in the earpiece went silent.

They ran with their heads down, knowing their comrade had likely met a grim fate.

"Weir..."

"Right now, the most important thing is to survive and get out of here. Then we can figure out how to avenge her!"

The one speaking wiped the corner of his eye and crawled into the vent with his companions. Just as they climbed out and landed, they turned to find a dense line of guards waiting for them, guns raised.

...They were done for.

"Is Dr. Sera all right?"

Dongye Zhengqi had left the banquet and was pacing outside the medical room door, his face dark as a storm cloud, fury barely contained. "Who's so bold as to try to grab someone on my turf!"

"The doctor is safe and unharmed, just unconscious for a while. The moment we caught them, they self-destructed," said someone who looked like a secretary. "From what we've observed, they appear to be from Mechanical Pure Land."

"Them again. This isn't the first time. That lot has repeatedly sabotaged my operations, stolen serums, killed my guards, and they've been after the doctor for quite a while now."

Dongye Zhengqi gave a cold snort. "How exactly did they get in?"

"When they were captured, they were wearing waiter uniforms. They might have slipped in when we were hiring staff for the banquet," the secretary replied.

"Who's in charge of that?" Dongye Zhengqi narrowed his eyes.

"They've already been taken for questioning. We'll have the answer soon," the secretary said.

"Find a way to hit back at Mechanical Pure Land. They're getting too cocky. I'm putting this in your hands." Dongye Zhengqi left with those words, striding off; he still had to host the banquet.

While Mechanical Pure Land and the guards were tussling, Yan Xianchuan and Lu Mingqiu had already picked up their people and driven far away.

The exposure of Mechanical Pure Land was all Hei Ge's doing.

They'd physically cleared the surveillance room, and the moment they left, Gold Ring and his partner slipped over, sticking screw-shaped intrusion devices onto the mainframe, letting Hei Ge dismantle the defense system from within and leave a backdoor.

Then the two slipped away easily, while everyone was distracted by the attack in the parking garage.

The operation went smoothly. Sitting in the vehicle, Yan Xianchuan greeted them amiably, "Want some ice cream?"

"This is a new member, currently working with me. Call her Polite Biscuits," Lu Mingqiu's voice came through the earpiece.

"Hello, welcome aboard. I'm Gold Ring," said Gold Ring, pointing to the person beside him. "And he's Silver Ring."

Why was there no welcome party for a new member? Both harbored a flicker of doubt, but then they figured that with these troubled times, Oriole probably had her reasons, so they didn't press further.

Each took a cone, and Yan Xianchuan made one for herself as well, holding it as she ate. At a glance, the three of them sitting in a row looked quite harmonious.

They were also Resistance members, and these two looked like they had no guard up. When they first got in the car, they'd eyed her warily, but once Lu Mingqiu spoke, they relaxed, took the food, and ate without a second thought.

Because she was someone Lu Mingqiu introduced?

Clearly, their trust in Lu Mingqiu outweighed their own judgment.

After a few turns, the two got out to head to their own safehouse. The pair parked the car in a roadside spot and left as well.

The safehouse was a modest one-bedroom unit in the West District, a place where fourth-class citizens congregated, filled with drunks, addicts, crude cursing, and every sort of troubled soul. Compared to the movie queen's residence, it was like night and day.

Lu Mingqiu walked through the street without looking around. Yan Xianchuan followed behind, head swiveling like a kid on a first trip to the market.

The safehouse was on the second floor. They went up the stairs, unlocked the door, and a shabby but tidy living room appeared.

The slightly grimy street outside was a minor matter; the real issue was that there was only one bedroom.

"You take the bedroom, I'll take the sofa," Lu Mingqiu said, folding down the back of the sofa, which looked like it formed a single bed.

Yan Xianchuan watched her make the bed for a while, feeling no guilt whatsoever about hogging the big bed. "So what's the mission next?"

"We need to find a local who can get us into the district where Dr. Sera lives."

In the safehouse, they dropped their disguises and returned to their original faces.

Looking at Lu Mingqiu's face alone, no one could call it anything but beautiful, but when she was thinking, analyzing, the spark of intelligence leapt in her eyes, and at such times, her beauty seemed to climb another notch.

Because that kind of beauty was alive, not a vase, not an ornament, not an object to be placed at will.

What truly caught Yan Xianchuan's attention wasn't that face, but the extraordinary soul beneath the surface.

The longer she knew her, the more interesting she found her. Lu Mingqiu hid many thoughts and secrets in her heart—her ideas, her personality, what she was really in Spark for.

Lu Mingqiu was like a book, its true contents wrapped in layers of coverings, and she wanted to read it.

"That rare raw material definitely isn't as simple as they make it out to be. If it were just a matter of high value, that wouldn't be a problem; the top conglomerates earn more in a month than a small family makes in years."

"Half of Night City's industries belong to the Dongye family—food, medicine, real estate... just about every sector. Would they be short on money?"

Lu Mingqiu crossed her arms over her chest. "There has to be another factor. We need to get to Dr. Sera and uncover the secret."

A puzzle game. Yan Xianchuan replied with feigned enthusiasm, "Okay, okay."

"Have you always been in a command role?" she asked. "I mean, doing support, no combat."

If that were the case, she'd find it a bit dull.

"No."

In her mental evaluation, Lu Mingqiu bumped the label 'bloodthirsty' up a notch.

"Get ready. We're going out tonight to post a bounty."

"Where to?" Yan Xianchuan asked.

"Sunrise Bar," Lu Mingqiu replied.

Sunrise Bar was on Heiyan Street, its sign adorned with jellyfish-like colored lights, and beside the name hung an octopus lamp with tentacles draped over rocks, flashing rings of blue light.

Apparently, the owner had a fondness for sea life.

Heiyan Street and the safehouse were in the same block, very close. Choosing the safehouse here must have been deliberate.

Yan Xianchuan followed Lu Mingqiu into the bar, weaving through the gyrating crowd to a private booth near the back, its door decorated with astrolabe and tarot stickers.

The other doors were wine-red; only this one was blue-black, setting it apart.

Lu Mingqiu knocked three times before pushing the door open, revealing a thick black gauze curtain, like a dark river, sealing off the room beyond.

Yan Xianchuan lifted the gauze and found a mysterious, perhaps parlor-like space. She hedged with 'perhaps' because she couldn't be sure. Besides the few chairs on the dark carpet in the center, the room was packed floor-to-ceiling with books in the corners, constellation charms hanging from the ceiling, a crystal ball on the coffee table, and compasses and crosses mounted on the walls, filling the cramped space to the brim.

Yan Xianchuan suspected that beneath the carpet under the chairs there might be a hexagram array for summoning demons.

A woman with long wavy hair emerged from an inner room. Her hair was dark and curly like seaweed, threaded with fine silver chains strung with pearls. Her face was painted with blue-green patterns, and her gold eyeliner flicked up like a peacock's or a priestess's.

"I like guests who aren't late. Please, sit wherever you like."

She gestured to the chairs, and Yan Xianchuan noticed her nails were also painted gold-green, with an opalescent sheen.

"Just call me Ms. Yue," she said, settling into the sole high-backed chair. "You're the guests Boss Hao sent over, so you get a ten percent discount. Tell me, what kind of bounty hunter are you looking for?"

"Someone who can get us into Warren Tower," Lu Mingqiu said.

"Warren Tower?" The self-proclaimed Ms. Yue raised an eyebrow. "That's a bit tricky. Let me think."

She pondered for a few minutes, her fingertips swiping across a holographic screen, apparently searching for candidates. "This one should do."

She turned the screen around and opened permissions, revealing a name, with contact information below it.

Atmore.

"Welcome back anytime. I also offer fortune-telling services."

Lu Mingqiu paid, pocketed a string of contact numbers, and pushed the door open to the sound of Ms. Yue's farewell.

"Are all info brokers based in bars?" Yan Xianchuan asked, the ultimate question.

"Bars are like a melting pot of all sorts; heavy foot traffic means plenty of intel," Lu Mingqiu said. "I'll contact this hunter first. Once I get a reply, you can head to the bar and buy yourself a drink."

"You're so—"

"Go on now," Lu Mingqiu cut her off. "There's no seating soon."

Yan Xianchuan glanced over and saw only one empty seat. She had a point, but she still suspected Lu Mingqiu just didn't want to hear her say "you're so nice."

Yan Xianchuan studied her for a moment, found no excuse to pick a fight, and gave up, settling placidly at the bar. "I'll have a drink, not too strong on the alcohol, but not too weak either, and preferably sweet."

Such a request didn't even rank among the oddest demands in the bartender's career.

"Is your bar's owner..." Yan Xianchuan began, and the other caught on immediately.

"...Boss Hao," the bartender finished. "That's him standing by the railing on the second floor."

She'd figured Ms. Yue didn't seem like the owner, all mystical and weird—an owner's office wouldn't be that small.

As they spoke, the bartender slid a pale purple drink across the counter. Round ice cubes bobbed in the liquid like plump, glistening grapes.

Yan Xianchuan picked up the glass and was about to take a sip when an arm bumped hers, spilling the drink all over her.

She set the glass down, turned her gaze to the culprit, and said calmly, "You bumped into me."

He had green hair and wore a T-shirt printed with "GET LOST." He glanced at her. "Oh? So what if I bumped you?"

He leaned against the bar, revealing half a metal arm, fingertips gleaming. "Give me a Hellraiser!"

"Didn't your mother teach you to say sorry when you bump into someone?" Yan Xianchuan asked, feigning curiosity, though to his ears it was plainly an insult.

"Damn you, you bitch, you dare curse me?" The green-haired punk jumped up, baring his teeth, and swung a slap at her face.

Yan Xianchuan caught the slap, twisted hard, and a crisp crack sounded. The punk screamed, his arm hanging limp, his face turning deathly pale.

She rose from her chair. The punk's eyes went wide, and he stumbled back, clutching his shoulder, bluffing, "You dare start trouble here? Boss Hao won't let you get away with it!"

"Oh?" Yan Xianchuan smiled, then lunged, grabbed his hair, and slammed his head into the bar. The glass was solid, but his head wasn't. "Shouldn't you worry about yourself first?"

The bartender sidestepped, watching the blood smear down the glass, a mix of concern and voyeuristic glee in his tone. "Break the furniture and Boss Hao will be angry."

"I'll pay for it." Yan Xianchuan slammed his head again, thud after thud, like cracking a watermelon.

"Apologize."

"Stop it!" Lu Mingqiu had been watching out of the corner of her eye. The moment the conflict started, she'd cut her communication with Su Hong and rushed over, but the dance floor was packed, and it took her a while to push through.

By the time she arrived, the punk was in a pitiful state. His forehead was swollen, nose broken, and probably a few teeth knocked out. The moment Yan Xianchuan let go, he slid down the bar, leaving a long streak of blood, and collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

So he'd fainted. Yan Xianchuan looked enlightened; she'd thought he was just too stubborn to say anything.

"He bumped into me first. I told him to apologize, and he cursed me," Yan Xianchuan said, looking innocent and wronged.

"Look, my clothes are soaked, my hands are dirty, and I didn't even get a single sip of my drink—it all spilled on me."

The purple liquor had soaked into her clothes, staining both top and pants. Yan Xianchuan stood there in her wet outfit, complaining about the punk's misdeeds with a pitiable expression.

Lu Mingqiu looked at her, then at the punk on the floor—chest rising and falling, breathing faintly, still alive.

Although the guy on the floor was a bit worse for wear, and Yan Xianchuan had hit hard, the moment she saw he was still breathing, Lu Mingqiu let out a sigh of relief, somehow feeling gratified.

The provoker was still alive and well in this world. Lu Mingqiu truly couldn't ask for more.

As for lecturing her with some "he didn't deserve that" platitude—Lu Mingqiu didn't even consider it.

If she did that, she'd be the one with a problem and should check herself in for a check-up.

"I'll buy you new clothes on the way back."

The crowd had spread into a circle, though the music hadn't stopped. The portly Boss Hao ambled down from upstairs. "What's all this? Bloodshed?"

The bartender quickly explained the situation.

"Some of you, drag him out and toss him outside. Don't leave him lying here and costing me business."

Boss Hao then turned to Yan Xianchuan, beaming. "You've got a mean punch. Not counting you as starting trouble, so I'll let it slide, but business is business. You'll have to pay for the cleanup."

"I'll handle it." Lu Mingqiu transferred ten thousand credits. "Are there any rooms upstairs? We need to change."

"Rooms, yes. Clothes, too." Boss Hao waved a hand, his gold chain glinting on his wrist. A server came over. "Take them to Room 6. No extra charge—they've already paid."

"I didn't get to have my drink," Yan Xianchuan said.

"...Make another one of those, and they can pick it up later," Lu Mingqiu said.

The room was a standard motel setup: a bed, a shower, a small cabinet. The only unusual thing was the lighting—it was pink-purple.

Perhaps meant to create a dreamy ambiance.

"Are you angry?" Yan Xianchuan pulled a pair of one-size-fits-all shorts and a work shirt from the cabinet, tearing off the tags, and asked casually.

"You always seem so calm, so rational. Have you ever let emotion get the upper hand?"

"I'm human. Of course I get angry," Lu Mingqiu said, sitting with her back to her, her tone flat. "But in most cases, relying on emotion to solve problems just makes things worse."

"These clothes are ugly." Yan Xianchuan muttered as she changed, frowning at the print. "I don't think so. I'm very emotional, and haven't things I've handled turned out worse?"

Lu Mingqiu was pondering how to sidestep the trap in that question when a low chuckle came from near her ear. The other had somehow crept up silently, and she hadn't noticed at all.

"Don't you think this is boring?"

Too close. Too sudden.

Warm breath grazed her ear as she spoke, sending a shiver down Lu Mingqiu's spine. If she'd come to snap her neck instead of whisper, what then? She hadn't let her guard down, yet she hadn't noticed the other approaching at all.

"Step by step, rational, always following a plan. You're bound by worldly rules, so you're always a step behind me. You want to be the hero, but heroes are destined to be held back by ordinary people."

The words slipped into her ears, slow and deliberate. Lu Mingqiu turned her head without expression, meeting the other's gaze. Her face was calm as a windless sea. "An inability to restrain oneself is a sign of low intelligence, and you will always lose to me because you're too emotional, always chasing your opponent while missing the key details."

"That's a quote from 'The Salier Epic.'"

"Oh, darling, your memory is impeccable." Yan Xianchuan straightened up, her gaze as gentle as a hummingbird kissing a flower, her tone intimate. "Then do you remember how many days it's been since you last smiled at me?"

"You're treating me differently from others."

The room fell into a vast silence, the kind of silence that precedes a storm.

Yan Xianchuan didn't admit to having psychological issues; her insistence on being "normal" bordered on the absurd. Lu Mingqiu didn't know the reason behind it, but she did know that if she didn't resolve this, the fragile balance they'd maintained would shatter immediately.

An ordinary person wouldn't be treated differently by others.

It was like standing at a fork in the road heading toward a cliff. She had to choose the right path.

"I thought you didn't like fake pleasantries," Lu Mingqiu said.

"I don't. They're troublesome." Yan Xianchuan nodded in agreement. "But not liking them doesn't mean I don't need them."

"That's on me." Lu Mingqiu understood, giving her a gentle, warm smile. "Since we've changed, let's head downstairs. Your drink is waiting."

Her face was still that ordinary, forgettable, completely unremarkable one, the kind you could pass a hundred times on the street and never remember.

But when she smiled, eyes curving, lips turning up, that face seemed to gain a soft glow.

Beauty cannot be defined, and Lu Mingqiu was beauty.

Yan Xianchuan was satisfied. She tugged at her ugly outfit. "Have you gotten hold of that Atmore? I want to head back soon and change."

"He'll be here soon. Just hold on a little longer, okay?" Lu Mingqiu's tone was laced with both guilt and tenderness. "You want some fries? Let's order some while we wait, alright?"

An actress—this was professional skill.

Yan Xianchuan knew she was performing. Lu Mingqiu knew Yan Xianchuan knew she was performing. But that didn't matter; all that mattered was the result.

Besides, Lu Mingqiu's expression and tone were flawless, as if it were her natural state.

"Sure," Yan Xianchuan said, looking happy as a three-year-old, easy to please. "I do love fries."

She bounded downstairs, delighted, and took her seat at the bar.

The glass counter was spotless, not a trace of blood on the floor. The crowd was reveling on the dance floor, as if nothing had happened.

"Your drink." The bartender slid a goblet full of liquid over. Ice clinked in the glass, a series of crisp sounds.

"And an appetizer platter," Lu Mingqiu said.

"Coming right up." The bartender called an order to the kitchen.

Fried foods have a certain inexplicable magic that brings inexplicable joy and ease to those who eat them.

"Aren't you eating?" Yan Xianchuan popped a ketchup-dipped fry into her mouth.

"You go ahead. I don't eat," Lu Mingqiu said softly.

Yan Xianchuan thought, Why do I feel like I'm being treated like a kid?

Just as she was about to mull it over, a man with blond hair and blue eyes appeared beside her. Classic Western look, pale skin, and a bright, easygoing voice. "Finally meet you. I'm Atmore."

"Let's talk in the room."

Back to Room 6.

Atmore stood with one hand in his pocket. "I charge a lot."

"Price isn't an issue, as long as you can complete the mission without a hitch," Lu Mingqiu said. "Get two people into Warren Tower."

"Guess what? I know a friend who lives there, though she's not easy to deal with. I can ask, but one thing I need to make clear first." Atmore raised a hand. "Her fee is separate."

Yan Xianchuan sat on the side, eating her leftover snacks, watching Lu Mingqiu agree without batting an eye.

Clearly not much of a haggler.

Atmore's friend was named Harper. She was a sex doll—someone who sold her body for credits, though that wasn't the whole of it.

Some sex dolls lived in their workspaces, burdened by heavy debts, while others, like Harper, lived in Warren Tower.

The holographic call made her appear before them as if she were real.

Harper wore black leather. She stood with one foot on a chair, her spiked heel sinking into it, adjusting a thigh holster, not looking up.

"State your business. I've got work to do."

Her voice was richer and more intoxicating than the strongest liquor.

The two seemed familiar. Atmore spread his hands. "I'm just here to bring you a job. Get people into Warren. Simple as that."

A hand with red-painted nails paused at the buckle. Harper straightened and looked over. It was then that Yan Xianchuan saw her face—a woman as vivid and thorny as a rose.

"The tower is on high alert lately. Security's tight. Everyone has to pass a scan to get in or out." Harper's gaze swept over the two, letting out a snide laugh. "Clearly you're in some special situation, and you want me to sneak you in?"

"Know why I've lived this long?" Harper's eyes held mockery. "Because I never touch what I shouldn't."

"I'm hanging up."

The room went quiet again, save for the sound of Yan Xianchuan eating.

"Relax, relax. It'll work out." Atmore let out an awkward laugh, then made another call. "You're giving up the money?! This one job could net you three months' income!"

Harper's voice dripped with pure, clear sarcasm. "I want money, but I want my life more. If you don't value yours, don't drag me into it."

"Don't hang up! You're rejecting me without even asking—at least hear me out, what the reason is." Atmore spoke quickly.

"Fine. So tell me, what reason?" Harper scoffed.

"Well... hold on." Atmore cleared his throat. "She wants to know what you're going into the tower for."

"To find someone," Lu Mingqiu said. "Best to discuss details in person. Online isn't secure."

"As for compensation, no need to worry. I'll offer a sum we can both agree on."

"Is there danger?" Atmore asked.

"You just need to get us in. Nothing more."

"I'll think it over," Harper said. "I'll give you my answer tomorrow morning."

After exchanging contact numbers, the two left the bar and returned to the safehouse, ordering a late-night snack.

Yan Xianchuan, dressed in loungewear, sank onto the couch and said slowly, "You said meet in person. Is that to make it easier to control her?"

"If she insists on refusing." Lu Mingqiu opened a small box containing two round daifuku. "For you. Strawberry-filled."