The cramped clinic didn't offer a single clean patch of wall for Silver Wolf to lean against. The place was a hygiene nightmare.
But this was the best David could afford.
His family was poor. A proper hospital was out of the question—a single visit would bankrupt them, plunging them into a bottomless pit of debt they'd never escape.
Besides, he'd just gotten the school's equipment infected with a virus from a bootleg program. He desperately needed money to pay off that debt now; a legitimate hospital was impossible.
Fortunately, after checking his mother's injuries, she found they weren't too severe. A back-alley clinic like this could patch her up.
David sat slumped in a chair nearby, his mind a tangled mess, unsure of what to say.
"Hey, kid. Let's talk."
Pop. Silver Wolf blew a bubble with her gum until it burst. Feeling bored, she turned her gaze to David.
Following the principle of seeing a good deed through to the end, she'd stuck around after dropping them off at the clinic.
She could tell this young man, David, cared deeply for his mother.
Saving a family from ruin for what, to her, was the effort of snapping her fingers? It was a kindness she didn't mind extending.
"Talk?" David lowered his hands from his face, looking confused. He stared blankly for a second before blurting out, "Sorry, my mind's all over the place. I forgot to pay you."
He looked utterly embarrassed.
"Hah? Money's the most useless thing to me. I'm just bored," Silver Wolf replied, raising an eyebrow and shaking her head.
"Then... what do you want to talk about?"
David looked at the cute girl in front of him, at a complete loss for words. A girl this pretty… honestly, he'd only seen them on TV. In this world, beauty could be mass-produced, installed with cyberware.
But he could tell Silver Wolf was natural. Her body showed no signs of cybernetic modification.
If Silver Wolf knew what he was thinking, she'd have scoffed.
Punklorde had no use for that junk.
"Anything. What happened to you two?" Silver Wolf crossed her arms, her tone casual.
"Just got caught in some gang crossfire... Happens every minute in this city. You just have to accept your bad luck when it finds you."
David sighed, but a simmering hatred bubbled up inside him.
Those bastards... they didn't value human life at all...
If he hadn't reacted quickly, he and his mom would've been Swiss cheese.
As he spoke, he couldn't help but look at Silver Wolf with curiosity.
She seemed younger than him, yet she carried this air of utter nonchalance, like she didn't care about anything.
"This world... in the end, it all comes down to money," David sighed. "If my family was better off, if we had Trauma Team coverage... Mom wouldn't have been in such danger..."
He wasn't complaining about his circumstances, just lamenting the shitty hand the world dealt.
"You're that interested in money?"
"In this world, money is everything."
David thought for a moment before answering seriously.
Wasn't Arasaka ruling the world precisely because it was rich?
Saburo Arasaka was the uncrowned king of the planet.
"No, money isn't everything. It's just a number. Once you have real power, you can get as much of it as you want. Modern civilization is just a thin coat of paint over the law of the jungle, making it look less brutal..."
As she spoke, a hint of disdain flickered in Silver Wolf's eyes.
The corporations in this world were no different from the Interastral Peace Corporation back home.
All shiny and respectable on the surface, but drowning in filthy secrets under the table.
Their small talk didn't last long. A moment later, the door in front of them swung open.
A portly doctor emerged, shirtless, a medical apron tied hastily over his torso, his features hard to make out clearly.
"The surgery was a success, but she's still unconscious. We'll keep her for observation for a few days."
He looked toward David.
"Can't I see her?"
Worry was evident in David's eyes.
"No. The cheapest package doesn't include visitation."
The doctor refused without a second thought, his tone impatient. His eyes, however, darted around nervously.
When his gaze landed on Silver Wolf, who was staring right at him, he quickly looked away.
Noticing this, Silver Wolf narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing him.
'He's guilty.'
She wasn't a mind reader, but something felt off.
Letting family take a quick look? That shouldn't depend on some payment package.
The patient wasn't going anywhere, and it would calm the family down.
"Here's the bill. Settle the debt within three days. You can leave now; I have things to do."
Uncomfortable under Silver Wolf's piercing stare, the doctor spoke hurriedly.
"I understand..." David began to nod, but Silver Wolf cut him off with a wave of her hand.
"Wait. Let us in to see the patient."
"I already told you, the most basic package doesn't include visitation rights!" The doctor's impatience was growing, a touch of anxiety on his face. "Stop wasting my time. I'm busy. Keep this up, and I'll stop the treatment. Your mother just stabilized, kid. Transferring her now would be very risky."
"Silver Wolf... maybe..." David looked at her, hesitant and unsure what to say. After all, she was his savior.
"It's just money, right? I'll pay. Upgrade Gloria to the top-tier package. My treat. Now, can we see the patient?"
Silver Wolf narrowed her eyes. Though young, she radiated an intense pressure.
David could clearly see the doctor's Adam's apple bob as he swallowed nervously.
"Hahaha... Of course, of course. But, miss, you'll need to pay first."
The doctor sighed under Silver Wolf's forceful demeanor.
Silver Wolf's attire didn't sport any expensive-looking cyberware. The doctor concluded she wasn't rich, which was why he dared to stand his ground.
"No problem."
Silver Wolf nodded and looked at David. "Don't worry about it. This is my call. I'm paying."
As she spoke, she transferred the payment.
"Received. Please wait a moment. I'll handle the paperwork, then take you in."
The doctor checked his machine, nodded, gave them a brief instruction, and left.
"I'm sorry for the expense," David said apologetically.
"Don't mention it. It's not my money anyway. Doesn't hurt to spend it."
Silver Wolf waved it off.
Without bothering to hide her actions from David, she flicked her wrist. A virtual screen materialized in the air. She tapped on it a few times, hacking into the local network, and began sifting through the hospital's chat logs and contact lists.
If she was wrong, no harm done. But if she wasn't... Silver Wolf wouldn't be holding back.
Soon, she pinpointed a contact. The name was simple and blunt: Organ Procurement.
"Oh? Now this is interesting..."
As she skimmed the logs, she heard footsteps approaching. With a casual wave, she dispersed the screen.
David, who had been watching, stared wide-eyed.
What was that virtual screen? New tech? But it floated in mid-air and she interacted with it... it didn't seem like any projection tech he knew.
Before he could ponder further, the doctor returned.
"Follow me. Keep quiet once inside."
He spoke flatly, then walked past Silver Wolf and David.
Passing through a heavy metal door, Silver Wolf entered a rudimentary operating room. It had only the most basic sterilization tools, and the air was thick with the coppery tang of blood.
It was supposed to be an operating room, but the overwhelming stench of blood was enough to make anyone nauseous.
No, David was clearly feeling sick after entering.
"The patient hasn't been moved to a recovery room yet, so she's still here," the doctor explained as he opened the inner door for them.
Seeing Gloria, David rushed to her side.
She was still unconscious, her lips pale and bloodless.
Her body was haphazardly wrapped in bandages, blood slowly seeping through.
Her breathing was shallow, like she could stop at any moment.
"What's going on? These wounds... they haven't been properly treated!" David panicked, seeing his mother's state.
"That's what the basic package covers." The doctor shrugged.
"Enough of the act, you flesh-peddler," Silver Wolf cut in, curling her lip and shooting a look of pure contempt at the man, ripping away his facade.
"A hospital on the surface, but really an organ trafficking center... If we'd left today, David would never have seen his mother again, right? Let me guess, you'd call him tomorrow, say his mother took a turn for the worse and died, then have her cremated immediately... After all, organs aren't like bones; they burn away to nothing. No body, no evidence."
"What!? What are you talking about!?" David was clearly picking up that something was very wrong.
"How dare you slander me!" the doctor spat, feigning anger.
"Hmm... I got bored and skimmed your chats earlier. Tsk, tsk. Heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys... all have nice new homes lined up. Not bad, looks like they're in high demand too."
Silver Wolf looked mockingly at the bloated pig in front of her. Calling him a doctor was an insult to the profession.
"So what?"
After a brief silence, the fat man's face twisted into a vicious smile. He looked at Silver Wolf and David. "You're clever, but also stupid. If you'd kept this to yourself, you might have walked out of here safely. But now... do you really think I can let you leave?"
As he spoke, hurried footsteps echoed from outside the door.
"You got a little smart, couldn't wait to show it off, but you forgot—you're just an ordinary girl, and this kid isn't strong enough either!"
The door swung open. Five large men filed in, instantly making the room feel claustrophobic.
"What do you think you're doing!?"
David looked at the menacing figures, gulping.
He was just a student. He'd never been in a situation like this.
"We do what we want. Don't worry, kid, it'll only hurt for a second. And as for you..." The fat man leered at Silver Wolf. "I know plenty of rich folks who'd pay a pretty price for a thing like you."
Malice dripped from his words.
Seeing this, Silver Wolf sighed. "Moron."
"What?"
The fat man frowned, not understanding why she showed no fear.
"You presumptuous fool. Why do you think I said it to your face? It's because... I can take you all on by myself!"
Silver Wolf raised her hand, giving them a thumbs-down, her face a mask of mockery.
Enraged, the men behind the fat man charged at Silver Wolf and David.
But in the very next instant, as they lunged toward her, a transparent, nearly imperceptible barrier shimmered into existence around Silver Wolf's form.
Then, the moment they made contact—
Their bodies began to disintegrate.
In a way they couldn't possibly comprehend.
Their forms broke apart like monsters in a pixelated video game upon death.
Spewing out pixelated fragments of their existence.
"What... what's happening!?" one man shrieked in terror, but before his cry faded, his entire body dissolved into streams of cascading data.
"Eeeaaaagh! Stay away!" The portly doctor witnessed the scene, his legs turning to jelly. He let out a blood-curdling screech.
"Scum like you belong in hell. Try not to be human in your next life."
Looking at the pitiful, terrified mess of a man, Silver Wolf curled her lip. She didn't bother drawing it out. A flick of her wrist sealed his mouth shut, silencing his screams. Then, his body too began the slow process of data-decomposition.
Unlike the swift end she'd granted the others, this time her method was cruel. She allowed him to remain fully conscious, to feel himself slowly, inexorably, being erased from reality.
The cruelest thing you can do to a person isn't killing them. It's making them marinate in the shadow of death, fully aware of their impending doom, powerless to stop it, forced to watch as the cold hand of oblivion creeps closer and closer.
Watching his own body gradually fade away, the doctor's eyes bulged, filled with abject terror, seeming like they might pop right out of their sockets.
"What kind of power... is that?" David stared, his eyes wide. He'd seen plenty of black-market braindances, witnessed death before, but he'd never seen anything so bizarrely horrific.
At that moment, the line between reality and illusion seemed to blur.
But he quickly pushed the thought aside, his focus returning to his mother.
"We can't trust this hospital, but Mom's injuries are critical..."
Just as the doctor had said, she probably wouldn't survive another transfer.
Especially since their plan from the start had been to harvest her organs, they'd only done the bare minimum to keep her alive for a few more hours.
Which meant David's mother had, at most, only hours left to live.
Confronted with this sudden, horrifying truth, David's mind went blank, utterly lost.
"Isn't it simple?"
Silver Wolf scoffed. She glanced at David, then walked over to Gloria. With a wave of her hand, streams of data began to flow from her fingertips.
The power of Ether Editing could rewrite reality. A mere mortal injury? Just revert the body to its previous state.
The external manifestation was Gloria's wounds healing completely.
Above her head, a nearly depleted red health bar refilled at an incredible speed, turning a solid green.
Ether Editing. Pretty neat, huh?
Furthermore, because Silver Wolf had used Ether Editing to reconstruct her body, Gloria's physical condition was now exceptionally robust. This was a body remade by Ether Editing, perfected in every way.
For years, struggling to put David through school, Gloria had worked herself to the bone, constantly overworked and exhausted, her health in a terrible state. Silver Wolf's reconstruction had reshaped her body into its peak form.
She was even stronger than before.
Honestly, Gloria wasn't just fit for normal life now; if she suddenly got the urge to become a merc, she'd get strong incredibly fast.
Nano- I mean, Ether Editing, son!
Of course, Gloria was unaware of all this. All she knew was that she felt... remarkably light?
Her eyelashes fluttered, and Gloria opened her eyes. The first things she saw were Silver Wolf's exquisite face and David's tear-filled, overjoyed eyes.
"It's okay... it's okay now... Mom, you're alright." David's voice trembled as he looked at Gloria.
"As touching as this near-death reunion is, maybe save the waterworks for later. We're still in hostile territory, remember?"
Silver Wolf interjected, looking at David.
"What happened?" Gloria had just woken up, confused.
"We'll explain later. Right now, the priority is getting out of here."
Silver Wolf shrugged, a hint of excitement flashing across her face as she heard the chaotic footsteps approaching from outside.
"Current main mission: Escort the Martinez mother and son out of the black-market organ harvesting clinic!"
With that, she kicked the door open with a loud BANG and strode out!
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.