Chapter 52: Fragility

"Finally awake…"

Beside his ear, Dorio's sigh of relief echoed as Mann struggled, finally breaking free from the dream's grasp and opening his eyes.

"What happened to me?" he muttered, struggling to sit up from Dorio's arms, his vacant eyes wandering aimlessly.

The lingering agony in his mind reminded him that the endless torment of his dream—like a hellish torture—was not merely a psychological illusion, but real, physical pain.

Waves of searing pain surged through his brain like an unceasing tide, crashing again and again against Mann, this tiny, stubborn rock.

He instinctively raised both hands, gripping his skull tightly, hoping to ease even a fraction of the torment.

"Cyberpsycho… you nearly lost it just now," a deep, unfamiliar male voice spoke, answering Mann's confusion with a tone of quiet reflection.

Mann lifted his head in surprise, rubbed his eyes, and as his blurred vision gradually focused, clarity returned.

Only then did he see three people—a man and two women—sitting across from him on a spacious Sofa, watching every move he made.

"What happened?" Xida asked anxiously; she still owed Mann a favor, and now feared for his life.

It was hard to imagine that this once sunny, burly big brother could end up like this—struggling in agony at the edge of the abyss, his whole body trembling.

"I'm fine… I just need to rest a bit…" Mann said, automatically trying to appear strong.

As the team's big brother, silently shouldering all burdens and sorrows had become an instinct carved into his marrow.

"You look terrible…" Xida spoke softly, and through his hazy eyes, she saw the weakness within Mann.

The sunglasses he used to mask his emotions had been removed by Dorio during his nightmare.

Only now did Mann realize; he let out a bitter smile, squinted, and turned his head away.

He stubbornly refused to let anyone peer through this window into the vulnerability within his heart.

"Ah… our team has a Hacker girl who got injured during a mission… severe injuries… if she doesn't get timely treatment, she might be paralyzed for life… to afford the exorbitant medical costs, the rest of our team—especially Mann—has been working nonstop for the past week, twenty-four hours a day, taking on every job they could find." Dorio, understanding Mann's stubbornness and his hardship, spoke up to draw the three's attention and slowly revealed the reason.

It was precisely for this reason that, at a gathering meant to include both teams, only two from Mann's side had shown up.

Sasha needed to recover in the hospital, and Rebecca stayed by her side the entire time, carefully tending to the frail girl.

Rebecca's brother—Pilar—took on three months' worth of jobs in just one week, locking himself in his workshop and pushing his skills as a Technical Expert to the absolute limit, working day and night to produce various items.

Mann and Dorio roamed the streets, taking on every job—legal or illegal—as long as there was money to be made.

"Hacker girl? Is that Sasha?" Xida frowned, stroking her chin as she sifted through her memories. "That night? At the Biotechnology Building? I get it now…"

After a few seconds piecing together the cause and effect, Xida groaned and slapped her forehead. "It's my fault… I didn't get the Floating Car close enough to the window… otherwise…"

"Xida, don't blame yourself—no one wanted this to happen…" Lucy whispered beside her, gently patting the girl's back.

Yahweh, seated to Xida's right, simply gripped her right hand tightly, using his own warmth to thaw the ice in her palm.

Mann, who had been silently listening to their exchange with Dorio, suddenly grew agitated. He rose from the Sofa, trying to straighten his spine and bow in thanks.

But the moment he stood upright, a powerful wave of dizziness washed over him, blurring his consciousness.

"Mann!" Dorio, ever watchful of her beloved, rushed forward as he began to fall, catching him in her arms.

"Calm down… Mann, your brain is fragile right now. Any strong emotional surge will instantly shatter the fragile balance and drag you into the abyss of madness."

Yahweh shook his head, soothing Mann's agitation while handing Dorio a tiny, emerald-blue granule.

"That's the second one today… give it to Mann. If he shows signs of another emotional spike later, hit him hard—knock him out." After instructing Dorio, Yahweh turned to the dazed Mann and sighed softly.

"We asked you here today not only to get to know each other, exchange feelings, and consider future cooperation—but also to warn you, Mann: the cybernetic implant in your body has serious side effects…" Xida shook her head, sounding disappointed.

"It's fine, girl… I already owe you too much. Don't blame yourself—it's not your fault."

After taking the second pill, Mann had already improved considerably.

He closed his eyes and softly comforted the self-blaming girl, his voice gradually calming.

"Let's not talk about sad things anymore…" After a moment of silence, he opened his eyes, and Dorio, ever understanding, slipped his sunglasses back on.

"These pills… must be expensive, right?" Mann scratched his head and asked Yahweh. By now, the agonizing pain-tornado had faded into a faint breeze.

Such immediate effects couldn't come cheap.

"Don't worry about it," Yahweh shook his head. "It's experimental. I have some on hand—I'm trying to eliminate the side effects—and your situation happened to coincide."

Mann smiled knowingly, not at all offended by Yahweh's "experimental" excuse.

It was just a cover. They both knew exactly how effective the drug was—and how severe its side effects were.

The debt was already etched into his heart; he had no interest in saying empty, sentimental words.

"Almost forgot to introduce ourselves… weren't we supposed to have a little get-together?" Mann nodded to Yahweh, shifting the topic and guiding the gathering's tone.

He first introduced himself and Dorio, then detailed the rest of his team's composition.

Hacker, Technical Expert, Sniper, Assault Specialist—every role was covered.

"This is Yahweh, my boyfriend—he's a Hacker…"

"And this is Lucy—she's also a Hacker…"

Xida followed suit, introducing her teammates in the same manner.

"Your team's composition is pretty weird," Mann teased, his fading pain lifting his spirits. He was about to laugh as he usually would, but the back of his head got tapped by Dorio.

"Ah…"

He sighed and obediently lowered his head, taking the bottle Dorio handed him, gulping down alcohol to steady his turbulent emotions.