Chapter 53: The Mission Arrives
Even during the day, Border City is full of places to have fun.
Mason treated George to drinks at a bar on Chiba Street and conveniently found him a stunningly attractive female android.
Looking at the android's curves and the thousands of bedroom techniques programmed into her, Mason felt a surge of desire. He touched his empty wallet and could only grit his teeth and suppress his urges.
He wasn't just buttering George up for nothing. While there were many psychos like Johnny in this world, most people were driven by self-interest.
He suspected that Jeremy's unusual behavior must be hiding something, but since he couldn't investigate himself, he encouraged George to send someone to tail him.
If anything unusual was discovered, the credit would go to George, and the money to Mason.
As Donnie's trusted confidant, George always wanted to prove himself independently.
Mason was exploiting this psychology.
In fact, whether Jeremy was truly hiding something was no longer important. George needed some achievements, and Mason needed money—those two things were enough.
Jeremy was finished.
Mason didn't want to keep this guy around to stab him in the back—it was better for him to be eliminated.
He had no identity, no memories, and was hiding his secret in fear, so he couldn't be too careful.
After parting ways with George, Mason briefly checked on the delivery progress of his runners. Under Mason's guidance, they all displayed great enthusiasm.
Everything was running smoothly, and after everyone submitted their completed jobs, Mason leisurely went to the gym and began his first training session.
Half a month later.
"Bang! Bang bang!"
Mason, wearing a long-sleeved shirt, moved swiftly, constantly striking the heavy bag in front of him.
After half a month of training, with the boost of his rapid learning ability, he'd made incredible progress, and his physical stats had also greatly improved.
Probationary Courier Mason.
Physical Attributes: 2.34.
Mental Endurance: 2.47.
Energy Level: 0.
No augmentations.
No external armor.
"My God, this is incredible, Mason—your physical stats have improved again." Rico's voice came from beside him.
Mason wiped his sweat and stopped.
Since activating his body's data processing function, he hadn't tested his physical stats at the gym.
However, Rico's physical abilities far surpassed Mason's, and he was very experienced. He didn't even need Mason to exert his full strength—he could roughly estimate Mason's physical stats just by observing the muscle responses during normal training.
"The data hasn't changed much—it's probably just that my control has improved again." Mason didn't want people to notice his rapid improvement in physical abilities, as he was worried it would cause problems.
"You're a freak of nature!"
"Sometimes I really want to cut you open and see if you've got some secret bio-mods inside."
"At your learning speed, you'll probably exhaust all my techniques in less than two months, leaving only steady refinement." Rico looked exasperated.
"If I'd known you were this talented, I would have renegotiated the price. I've really undersold this deal!"
After two weeks of practice, Mason had experienced the benefits of his rapid learning ability.
All the moves Rico taught him were easy to grasp, and with practice, he could master them effortlessly. Mason had already absorbed the basic combat techniques—the rest was just improvisation and gradually gaining experience.
"What are you teaching today?"
Mason changed the subject. In his opinion, this gym wasn't particularly profitable, and he wondered how it maintained such a large facility and its daily upkeep.
It seemed this gym was more than it appeared, hiding some secrets. However, Mason had no intention of investigating. He was here for one simple purpose: to learn as many survival skills as possible.
"You've pretty much mastered the basics. Today, I'll teach you something special," Rico said with a pained expression.
"While it's not top-tier, it's a hidden technique. You're lucky."
"Come with me."
He then led Mason down into the gym's basement. Unlike the retro design of the upper level, the basement exuded a high-tech feel, with a clean and cold metallic aesthetic.
Walking down the long corridor, Mason felt constantly monitored and uneasy.
"Where is this place?" he asked uneasily.
"Your instincts are indeed very sharp," Rico remarked.
"Don't underestimate this ordinary corridor. Without my authorization, even with a standard set of military-grade Level 1 power armor, you wouldn't have made it more than thirty feet!"
Mason couldn't help but gasp.
Despite Rico's casual tone, military-grade Level 1 armor was no joke. Wearing it made someone feel like a walking tank. If it weren't for the need to prevent electronic intrusion, limiting it to a simple, closed system, its power would be several times greater.
Soon, the two arrived at a room approximately sixty feet long and wide. Rico handed Mason a pair of AR goggles. After putting them on, the entire room transformed dramatically.
The once spacious room was now overlaid with extensive visual data. Rico took off his shirt and stood in the center.
"The martial art I'll demonstrate for you comes from an old-school fighting system. Although it doesn't have many combat moves, it can stimulate potential and improve physical fitness, making it perfect for you at this stage."
"While physical attributes are fundamental, this is, after all, a technological age. Many people dismiss such old-school techniques, which is why there are so many screwups like Donovan."
Mason's face lit up. He'd been injected with the Super Soldier Serum, and his physical fitness was in a phase of rapid growth. This martial art could greatly accelerate his evolution. It
was perfect for him.
He wasn't fixated on high-tech weapons, nor did he dismiss traditional combat—anything that could improve his strength was what he needed.
Immediately afterward, Rico moved at lightning speed, his sharp strikes whistling through the air. In Mason's vision, the goggles displayed Rico's power generation methods and various biomechanical data.
Coupled with occasional explanations, it was better than any instruction manual. Mason absorbed this knowledge wholeheartedly, and as soon as Rico stopped, he couldn't wait to start practicing.
Time flies, and another half month has passed. Mason has completely established himself on Chiba Street.
Not long ago, George actually found evidence that Jeremy had been stealing from the Gear Gang's shipments, earning Donnie's praise, and Mason also got the money he wanted.
The first thing Mason did after receiving the money was to purchase special coating materials at the address George had given him. While this wouldn't completely hide the anomaly, it would prevent a clear determination of the exact structure of the contents within his body.
Shortly afterward, he also received a mission notification from the Dimensional Express Company.
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