112

Kang Tao's senior management had impressive decision-making efficiency. Even though the meeting in Shengjing City took place late at night, it only took half an hour before Kansas Stevenson was officially handed over to Lin Carter.

Lin Carter's method of handling Kansas was simple.

Wake him up. Kill him.

He didn't even leave the Kang Tao stronghold the entire time.

Of course, this was the result of discussions between Kang Tao and Lin Carter. Since Kansas was a major risk, Kang Tao had to ensure he was truly dead.

That said, Lin Carter understood the underlying reason—Kang Tao feared that if Kansas were taken elsewhere, he could be tortured for corporate secrets or even sold to another company.

Lin Carter found this completely reasonable.

The desire to harm others may not be necessary, but the need to protect oneself was essential. He operated by the same logic.

However, Kansas's death was so "uneventful" that it surprised both Sarah Ling and Ember Ling.

From their perspective, Kansas had betrayed Lin Carter. While they didn't expect him to be tortured, they certainly didn't think he'd be given such a quick and painless death.

Lin Carter saw it differently.

To him, Kansas was nothing more than a temporary nuisance.

While he had been an important figure at Militech, Lin Carter didn't consider him significant enough to waste time on.

Rather than dwelling on this "small-time villain," he preferred to spend more time working with V and Panam on new projects.

After handling Kansas, Lin Carter prepared to return to his villa to deal with other matters.

At that moment, Sarah Ling stopped him.

"Lin, I have to remind you—Militech is starting to take notice of you."

"It seems like they won't act immediately, but you should still be careful. Western corporations have never been known for having a moral compass."

Lin Carter grinned. "Thanks for the warning. I've already figured out how to deal with it."

Sarah nodded.

After a brief farewell, Lin Carter and Ember Ling boarded the hovercar.

Inside the vehicle, Ember sat silently, lost in thought about her mother's words.

"Ember, Lin Carter's situation isn't as safe as it used to be. Militech could come for him at any time."

"So, you need to finish what the company assigned to you as soon as possible and return. Do you understand?"

What a joke!

How was she supposed to complete this task quickly?

Was she just supposed to break into a place and snatch it?

Time passed quickly in the silence, with Ember deep in thought and Lin Carter lost in his own musings.

In the blink of an eye, they had returned to the villa.

"Come on, since everyone's here, help me move!" Lin Carter clapped his hands excitedly, looking at the two strongest men in the group—Goro Takemura and Jack.

V looked at him skeptically and asked, "Didn't we blow up all our stuff? What exactly are we moving?"

Lin Carter's face twitched.

Yeah. Everything had been blown to pieces. What the hell was there to move?

"Wait—did you get a new place?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, Kang Tao finalized everything," Lin Carter nodded and then transferred 27 million eurodollars to Jack, Goro Takemura, and V.

None of them hesitated in accepting it.

In the past, tens of millions would have been life-changing for them.

But ever since they met Lin Carter, money started to feel strangely... casual.

"Oh, and there's this." Lin Carter handed over two special applications to V and Jack, each stamped with the Kang Tao logo.

"These are the insider memberships Kang Tao promised me."

"Once you apply, you can retire for life—no more work, Platinum membership with Trauma Team, and a monthly stipend of 100,000 eurodollars."

"Plus, VIP treatment in all Kang Tao facilities."

Jack and V were stunned.

"Wait... seriously?!" Jack's eyes widened.

Lin Carter explained, "This is compensation for the last attack. I have ten of these in total."

"On top of that, I also got 0.5% of Kang Tao's shares."

"Holy sh*t!" Jack suddenly stood up, staring at Lin Carter in shock. "Lin, that's insane! Kang Tao stock? You're a corporate big shot now!"

Lin Carter chuckled, patting Jack on the shoulder. "Don't forget—you planted the bomb that took down the Militech base. You're not doing too bad either."

Jack laughed. "Yeah! If my mom knew about this, she'd be happier than a turkey on Thanksgiving."

Even Takemura Goro sighed, shaking his head.

"Lin, you are the most incredible man I've ever met—besides Master Saburo, of course."

"Yeah, yeah, your Lord Saburo will always be number one," Jack teased.

It was clear that Jack and Takemura had developed a strong bond.

Not surprising, considering their personalities—they were both straightforward and charismatic, with no real conflicts between them.

As they talked, Ember and V quickly packed up the few personal items and clothes they had bought in the past two days.

The group of five then set off toward the mountains.

On the way, the atmosphere was lighthearted, with jokes and laughter filling the air.

At one point, Lin Carter called out to Johnny Silverhand.

"See that villa over there? That's Kerry's place."

"Kerry?" Johnny's expression grew complicated. "I wonder how that kid's doing these days."

Lin Carter smirked.

When it came to Kerry Eurodyne, he had been consciously avoiding him.

But he had to admit—the man's musical talent was absolutely terrifying.

"If he's living in North Oak, he's doing just fine," Lin Carter said casually, giving Johnny a brief update on Kerry's career in Night City.

Johnny sighed. "I always knew that little bastard would make it big."

And for the first time in a long while, Johnny looked... relieved.

At least some of his old friends were still around.

And thriving.

Unlike him—stuck in this half-dead existence.

Sensing Johnny's thoughts, Lin Carter smiled. "Don't worry, Johnny. Once I settle a few things, I'll figure out a way to bring you back."

Johnny raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? You actually got a plan?"

Lin Carter had been thinking about Johnny's resurrection for a while now. He had three possible options:

Blacklight Virus Evolution – If his virus evolved further, he might be able to replicate a body for Johnny and simply transfer the Relic.

The problem? The new body would carry Blacklight Virus properties, which was not something he wanted Johnny Silverhand to have.

Corporate Cloning Technology – Maybe Kang Tao or another corporation had perfected body-cloning tech.

But if that were so, why did Saburo Arasaka insist on mind-jacking his son instead of just cloning a new body?

Mechanical Immortality – Shockwave, a silicon-based lifeform and a Decepticon scientist, might have a way to transfer Johnny into a robotic body.

The feasibility of this method still needed to be investigated.

Johnny whistled. "Damn. You really are full of surprises."

Lin Carter smirked. "You have no idea."

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