[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer":3,"chapter-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-603":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Cyberpunk: Cross-dimensional Science and Engineering",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1152444,1495,"Chapter 597 - 568: Burger King’s New Financial Rules","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-603",603,"\u003Cp>Lille really owed the Vortex Gang an unclear amount of money now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, even the Vortex Gang knew that many of the resources Lille provided couldn’t quite be quantified with money—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>like the nuclear bomb they had used to escape before. Those things weren’t sold on the market, so who knew how much they were worth?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then there was Da Mai. The Vortex Gang were street kids, uneducated, but not stupid—they might act like they lacked common sense, but the legends of roaming AIs were known in every city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And various unique prosthetics and weapons, without much thinking, it was clear their gear was valuable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A debt is a debt!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, sis, if this doesn’t count and that doesn’t count, how am I supposed to pay off these over two million?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes Lille wondered if the Vortex Gang was too obsessed with debt—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If neither Da Mai nor the nuclear bomb counted as money, and only splitting the cash after a mission counted, what could he possibly pay with?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the abilities he had obtained from Martin had let him understand very clearly: it seemed the Vortex Gang didn’t purely love money but rather...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed they just wanted him to be in debt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Little Li Zi.\" The Vortex Gang shook their heads, \"It’s not that I don’t want to consider it, but think about it, strictly speaking, aren’t Da Mai and the nuclear bomb mission necessities?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When we split the cash, isn’t that considered a bonus? Isn’t that actually what you earned for your labor?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You can’t really say the money for supporting the team is a gift from me, can you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then how come you counted the West Tuan explosion last time as my debt to you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wasn’t that given to me by the Old Captain?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come on, if you’re going to calculate it like that, I have to have a word with you. And how did you include the cost of buying equipment in these two million... Jack!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What’s up?\" Jack listened with great interest, suddenly called out and looked a bit puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I haven’t discussed the West Tuan incident with you...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"True, you gave it to the Vortex Gang, I heard it.\" Jack shook his head, \"Man, I think you guys need to draw a line here. Let’s forget the past and start fresh. You owe the Vortex Gang one million now, let’s both take a step back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, Lille thought about it, and this step back seemed a bit too much for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, according to his calculations, he only owed the Vortex Gang about eight hundred thousand now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if pushed, it was still much better than that inexplicable two million.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Jack had a point. The debt relationship between him and the Vortex Gang was really messy, no helping it, mainly because Lille really had not a penny left, and had to get money from the Vortex Gang for anything he wanted to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes this money was hard to say it was purely for missions, especially if it were just a mercenary, many expenses were unnecessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Vortex Gang and Lille stared at each other for a while, and finally, they reached a consensus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille shook his head and sighed, \"Ah, I’m so disappointed, V, you’re no longer the simple mercenary you used to be.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Heh, some people say all day I’m a moron who would hack someone over two hundred bucks, it’s about time I dulled your sharpness,\" Vortex Gang scoffed coldly. After a pause, looking at Lille’s again sickly countenance, they said, \"I think you’re just too careless with money. If I weren’t managing you, when you find something lifesaving, you’d have no money to buy it! Wise up!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ahem.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A third party coughed, sounding like gears grinding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the stall owner in front of them making a noise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stall owner was a prosthetics-enhanced transhuman with no jaw, and you could see the pipes inside the neck through where the jaw was missing. Both eyes didn’t use traditional prosthetic eyes; one was completely lightless while the other flashed red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wherever one could see, there were either synthetic parts or mechanical pieces; no one would do these modifications except for the Vortex Gang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he couldn’t make expressions anymore, you could still sense some emotion from what he said next:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No offense, guys, but are you talking millions and millions, in US Dollars?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t ask what you shouldn’t,\" Lille said coldly, patting the pile of ammunition by the counter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, the stall owner immediately changed his tone, \"You want to buy this? This isn’t cheap. It’s...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Lille touched the ammunition, he said, \"HEAT—93 high-explosive anti-tank munitions, made by military technology, caliber 85mm, length 500mm, 10 kilograms, explosive power of 4 kilograms of TNT, tungsten alloy core, plastic explosives, can penetrate 700mm of homogeneous steel armor, market price 3000—5000 Euros.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this my line?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stall owner paused for a moment, \"You know your stuff! How many rounds will you take?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fifty rounds for ten thousand Euros.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re joking, right? This is the ammo I secretly stockpiled, there’s none of this stuff unless there’s a war...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Quit your bullshit, buddy, these are all defective products.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I sell munitions and you think I’d sell you defective products?! Are you here to pick a fight... you son of a...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille wasted no words, pulling out a cutter and slicing open the casing right in front of the horrified stall owner—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This damn thing is military technology ammunition. Not to mention violently cracking it open, countless people have been blown to bits just trying to reverse engineer this thing!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Jack wasn’t grabbing Lille’s hand because of that; he seized his arm instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The case was cut open, but the ammunition didn’t explode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cut on the case was quite precise, and Lille accurately picked out the defective fuse system inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the self-destruct system was also broken, after all, the ammunition didn’t explode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere got a bit awkward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Stop pretending,\" Lille put the fuse down, \"Disarming this thing’s self-destruct isn’t easy. You must’ve broken it during practice, right? It’s just worth the cost of the explosives.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vendor looked at the ammunition, then at Lille, and took his hand back from Jack, scratching his head, \"Okay, you know your stuff, buddy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you keep pretending, someone is going to get killed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Doing business here, what’s there not to know? How much more heavy ammunition do you have? What models?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"APX-15, APFSDS-12, SABOT-19, RP-7, FMJ-25... Do you want the broken ones or the working ones?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Like this one is fine, same price for each type, give me 50 rounds of each. What about launch devices? Do you have the Hammer-30?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sold out,\" the vendor shrugged. \"There was a product fair recently in the city, some racing event. Someone used these things to dominate in a pickup truck. Production’s backlogged till next year. I should be thanking them, really.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jack and V looked at each other and simultaneously put on a show of shaking their heads—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like the whole city was filled with their legends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps this was what being a legend was, recognized wherever they went.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the vendor continued, \"But recently, there’s always some idiot asking if I sell nuclear bombs. Seriously, who would give him a nuclear bomb?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even that arms dealer next door, that damn woman, can’t get them, right? I’m here to do business, not to be a terrorist overthrowing capitalism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh right, by the way, my name is Herod. Where should I deliver your ammunition?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll let you know when it’s time. If you’re out of Hammer-30, just bring the old Hammer models, but I still want them broken.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wow, buddy, hearing you talk about millions, I didn’t expect you to be a junk dealer. Alright, I’ll handle it for you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’ll be all, then. I’ll pay you a deposit of two thousand now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, alright, the total... since you seem to know your stuff, I’ll make it fifty thousand. No haggling, buddy, it’s really a friendly price. Fifty thousand Euros for three hundred rounds and six Hammers...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They’re all defective, but I’ll take it as making a friend?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fair enough, I’ll make this friendship. But don’t keep focusing on the junk here; we supply quality stuff...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Enough said, I’ll have uses for you when needed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herod’s main products were weapons and ammunition for vehicles, which meant he actually had access to a lot of vehicles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille was here on many missions—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s it? Buying arms again? And all junk?\" V’s expression was sour, clearly not too pleased with Lille’s choices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille, with his newly acquired sensitivity from Martin, was more finely attuned to this detail than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>V was actually quite unhappy about him buying these things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille took a moment to think, then explained:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...These are all for the new Da Mai model. I need some samples to study.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And then?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then the new Da Mai models can be sold—of course, it’s the neutered version without AI, but that’s a lot of money...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To be shared.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now V felt a sense of crisis: the money Lille previously invested in Adkaduo and other organizations was largely borrowed from her, significantly contributing to Lille’s enormous debt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But conversely... these early investments were about to pay off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille thought about it for a while then decided to reassure V, and indeed, this money should be split among the three of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you say so, about this interest rate...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll reduce it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next was purchasing Prosthetics components—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille intended to buy the equipment here to cultivate the second-generation Prosthetics for Atlas Group, replacing those used by V and Jack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also planned to take Munemasa’s advice to see how to develop the third-generation Prosthetics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, he was embarking on the full-body Prosthetics project—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After extending their lives, they could formally start dealing with a series of matters at hand.\u003C\u002Fp>",1660,"2026-06-03T12:33:33.139Z","2026-06-03T12:33:39.373Z",1,"novelbin.me","49da6fa1cfec35c7ec6cae7042a8a7432e9ccc54b0145765c880e5c3ab2ba9be","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-604","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-602",1068,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cover.jpg"]