Cultivation: I Have A Cyberpunk World, Chapter 2: I Accidentally Saved a Crew of Cyberpunks?! (Patreon)

Night City.

District 6, Watson.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

“MOVE YOUR ASSES! MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!”

“SHUT THE HELL UP, REB—REBBY! I'M MOVING AS FAST AS I CAN!”

“THEN INSTALL SOME DAMN LEGS THAT ACTUALLY WORK, YOU USELESS GONK!”

A series of deafening gunshots echoed through the narrow alleyways as four figures sprinted through the neon-lit streets, pursued by a dozen armed security officers and two hovering combat drones.

The streets of Night City had never been particularly peaceful, but tonight was especially lively.

A commercial transport vehicle lay overturned at the intersection behind them. Its armored doors had been blown open, several automated turrets were still firing indiscriminately, and the remains of a security drone smoldered beside a street vendor's abandoned food cart.

Somewhere in the distance, sirens wailed.

On the side of a nearby building, an enormous holographic advertisement cheerfully promoted the newest generation of neural implants.

Welcome to Night City.

Where dreams were sold by corporations, lives were spent like disposable currency, and even a relatively successful robbery could turn into a small war within seconds.

“LUCY! TELL ME YOU GOT THE DATA!”

A petite young woman with bright reddish-pink hair sprinted backward while firing a compact submachine gun at their pursuers.

Her name was Rebbie.

She was barely tall enough to reach the shoulder of the broad-shouldered man running beside her, but the collection of cybernetic enhancements embedded throughout her body made her considerably more dangerous than her appearance suggested.

Her right arm was entirely mechanical from the elbow down. Metallic reinforcements covered her thighs, and a pair of compact recoil dampeners had been installed along her spine.

She looked like someone who had been designed specifically to turn small spaces into extremely violent places.

“GOT IT!” shouted the woman at the front of the group.

Lucy, a slender young netrunner with silver-white hair and cold blue eyes, held a small encrypted data shard between two fingers.

“Now stop screaming and run!”

“OH, I'M SORRY! WOULD YOU PREFER THAT I ASK THEM POLITELY TO STOP SHOOTING AT US?!”

“Rebbie, shut up!”

“YOU SHUT UP!”

“Both of you, shut the fuck up!” the largest member of the crew roared.

Dorio, a heavily augmented woman with a muscular build and a buzz cut, carried an unconscious-looking man over one shoulder while running with surprising speed.

The man was their client.

Or, more accurately, the man who had promised them a fortune for stealing the data shard.

He had conveniently neglected to mention that the data belonged to a subsidiary of one of Night City's most powerful corporations.

He had also neglected to mention the twenty armed security officers stationed inside the building.

And, judging by the approaching combat drones, he had probably neglected to mention several other things as well.

“Lucy!” Dorio barked. “How many more of those chrome bastards are on our tail?”

“Fourteen hostiles confirmed. Two drones, twelve security personnel. More reinforcements incoming.”

“Great!” Rebbie yelled. “FUCKING GREAT! I LOVE IT WHEN A JOB COMES WITH FREE EXTRA ENEMIES!”

Lucy glanced at the data shard.

Her expression darkened.

“There's another problem.”

Dorio looked at her.

“What?”

“The shard contains a location tracker. They know exactly where we are.”

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then Rebbie let out a long, heartfelt scream.

“LUCY, YOU HAD ONE JOB!”

“I DID MY JOB!”

“YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO HACK THE SECURITY SYSTEM!”

“I DID!”

“THEN WHY ARE WE BEING CHASED BY HALF THE FUCKING CITY?!”

“BECAUSE YOUR IDEA OF A DISTRACTION WAS BLOWING UP A PARKING GARAGE!”

“It worked, didn't it?!”

“WE'RE STILL RUNNING!”

“THAT MEANS IT WORKED FOR LONGER THAN FIVE SECONDS!”

Dorio closed her eyes.

She desperately wanted a drink.

Unfortunately, she suspected that they would all be dead before she could get one.

Then she spotted something ahead.

“Alley! We're taking the alley!”

The crew turned sharply into a narrow passage between two buildings.

And immediately discovered that the alley was not empty.

A young man wearing plain gray robes stood in the middle of the passage, holding a strange black device and staring at a glowing advertisement above the street.

He looked completely out of place.

His clothes resembled something worn by a historical reenactor, his hair was slightly disheveled, and his expression suggested that he had absolutely no idea what was happening around him.

Shen Yuan had been standing there for approximately four minutes.

Four minutes.

That was how long he had spent trying to understand the interface of the mysterious relic.

He had discovered several useful functions, including a map, a basic currency conversion utility, and a database containing information about the local environment.

Unfortunately, he had also discovered that he possessed exactly zero eurodollars.

Which meant he couldn't buy food.

Or a place to sleep.

Or even a bottle of water.

“This world is truly unreasonable,” he muttered.

In the cultivation world, at least he could find a stream to drink from.

Here, he wasn't entirely sure whether the water flowing through the gutters was safe to touch.

He sighed and tapped the screen again.

[Local Network Access: Restricted.]

[Identity Verification Required.]

[Available Funds: 0 eddies.]

“Wonderful.”

He was about to investigate another function when the sound of running footsteps reached his ears.

Shen Yuan turned.

Four people came rushing around the corner.

The first was a muscular woman carrying a man over her shoulder.

The second was a silver-haired woman holding a glowing data shard.

The third was a heavily augmented man with a rifle.

And the fourth—

A petite pink-haired girl with a mechanical arm.

All four stared at him.

Shen Yuan stared back.

For a brief moment, the alley fell silent.

Then the pink-haired girl shouted.

“MOVE, YOU IDIOT!”

Shen Yuan blinked.

“Pardon?”

“GET OUT OF THE WAY!”

Behind them, gunfire erupted.

Several bullets ricocheted off the walls, showering the alley with sparks.

Shen Yuan's expression changed.

He instinctively circulated his spiritual energy.

The four strangers were moving at a speed that ordinary mortals could not easily achieve, but their movements were clumsy and noisy compared to those of cultivators.

The mechanical implants embedded throughout their bodies were clearly responsible for much of their enhanced physical performance.

Even so, Shen Yuan could sense that their bodies were fundamentally different from those of cultivators.

Their strength came from machinery.

His came from spiritual energy.

And right now, his spiritual energy was considerably more useful than he had expected.

“WATCH OUT!”

The pink-haired girl suddenly lunged forward.

She grabbed Shen Yuan by the front of his robes and attempted to yank him out of the way.

Unfortunately for her, Shen Yuan weighed considerably more than she expected.

Or, more accurately, her enhanced strength was nowhere near sufficient to move him when he was circulating spiritual energy.

Her expression changed.

“What the—”

At that exact moment, one of the security drones rounded the corner.

Its targeting system immediately locked onto the nearest unidentified person.

Shen Yuan.

A red targeting laser swept across his chest.

[HOSTILE TARGET ACQUIRED.]

[WEAPON SYSTEM: ACTIVE.]

A small missile launcher unfolded beneath the drone's chassis.

Shen Yuan's pupils contracted.

He had never seen such a weapon before.

But he understood what it was designed to do.

Kill.

The drone fired.

The missile shot toward him with a deafening roar.

Shen Yuan moved instinctively.

His right hand rose, spiritual energy gathering around his palm.

He struck the incoming projectile.

BOOM!

A burst of fire erupted in the alley.

The missile exploded several meters away, its fragments scattering against the walls.

Shen Yuan stumbled backward, his ears ringing.

His hand hurt.

A lot.

But he was alive.

He stared at the smoke rising from his palm.

Then he looked at the destroyed missile launcher.

“…What kind of weapon is this?”

Nobody answered him.

The four cyberpunks stood frozen.

Rebbie's mouth was hanging open.

Dorio had stopped running.

Lucy stared at the smoking remains of the missile as though she were attempting to calculate how many laws of physics had just been violated.

The pink-haired girl was still clutching Shen Yuan's robes.

She slowly released him.

“…You just punched a missile.”

Shen Yuan looked at her.

“I did?”

“YOU DID!”

“I suppose I did.”

“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN, YOU SUPPOSE YOU DID?!”

Before Shen Yuan could respond, the second drone appeared.

Then the third.

Their targeting systems swept across the alley.

A synthetic voice echoed through the passage.

“UNIDENTIFIED INDIVIDUALS. DROP ALL WEAPONS AND SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY.”

Shen Yuan frowned.

The voice was unpleasant.

More importantly, the machines were pointing weapons at him.

He had no intention of surrendering to a talking metal box.

“Are these things your enemies?” he asked the pink-haired girl.

She stared at him.

Then she looked at the drones.

Then back at him.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“I am asking a question.”

“YES! THEY'RE TRYING TO KILL US!”

“Then why are you standing here?”

Shen Yuan stepped forward.

“Move behind me.”

The pink-haired girl blinked.

For a moment, she seemed unable to comprehend what she had just heard.

Then she grabbed the back of his robes and pulled him down.

“LISTEN HERE, YOU ABSOLUTE PSYCHOPATH! THOSE ARE CORPORATE COMBAT DRONES! THEY'LL TURN YOU INTO MINCED MEAT!”

Shen Yuan looked at her hand.

Then at her face.

She was beautiful.

That was his first thought.

Her pink hair was cut into a slightly messy style, with several strands falling across her forehead. Her skin was pale, her eyes a striking shade of reddish violet, and her facial features were delicate enough to make her look considerably younger than her aggressive behavior suggested.

But her appearance was only part of the story.

Mechanical implants were visible along her neck, disappearing beneath the collar of her black jacket. Metallic reinforcements covered her shoulders, and the fingers of her right hand were constructed from an intricate arrangement of mechanical joints.

A faint blue light pulsed beneath the synthetic skin along her forearm.

She was almost half machine.

And yet, somehow, she still looked remarkably human.

Shen Yuan's gaze lingered for a moment too long.

The girl's eyes narrowed.

“Oi. Where are you looking?”

Shen Yuan immediately looked away.

“Nowhere.”

“Liar.”

“I was merely observing your mechanical arm.”

“MY ARM?”

She raised it threateningly.

“WHAT ABOUT IT?”

“It appears well constructed.”

The girl froze.

For some inexplicable reason, that answer seemed to irritate her even more.

“Are you flirting with me, you weird-ass gonk?!”

Shen Yuan stared at her.

“Flirting?”

“Forget it!”

A burst of gunfire interrupted their conversation.

One of the drones had begun firing.

Shen Yuan's expression turned cold.

He thrust his palm forward.

“Fireball Technique!”

A fist-sized flame burst from his hand.

It wasn't particularly impressive by the standards of the cultivation world. In fact, Shen Yuan had always considered it one of the most embarrassing techniques in his repertoire.

Talented disciples could produce fireballs the size of water barrels.

His was barely larger than a human head.

But in this alley, it was more than enough.

The fireball struck the nearest drone directly in its central chassis.

BOOM!

Flames engulfed the machine.

Its propellers shattered, and the drone crashed into the wall before exploding in a shower of sparks.

The second drone attempted to retreat.

Shen Yuan flicked his wrist.

A thin stream of spiritual energy shot through the air, striking the machine's exposed rotor assembly.

The drone spun uncontrollably and smashed into the ground.

The third drone hesitated.

Its targeting system recalibrated.

Shen Yuan raised his hand.

The drone immediately accelerated backward.

Unfortunately for it, the alley was narrow.

It collided with a metal fire escape, lost control, and fell directly into a pile of garbage.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then Rebbie slowly lowered her gun.

“…Okay.”

She stared at Shen Yuan.

“WHO THE HELL IS THIS GUY?”

The muscular woman carrying the client looked at the burning drone.

Then at Shen Yuan.

Then at the pink-haired girl.

“Vee?”

The pink-haired girl—Vee—didn't answer.

She was staring at Shen Yuan with an expression that combined suspicion, shock, and something dangerously close to fascination.

He had destroyed three combat drones.

Without a firearm.

Without visible cyberware.

Without even looking particularly tired.

And his clothes looked like they had been stolen from a museum.

Vee slowly raised her mechanical hand.

“Okay, robe boy.”

Shen Yuan turned toward her.

“Shen Yuan.”

“What?”

“My name is Shen Yuan.”

She stared at him for another moment.

Then she grinned.

“Fine, Shen Yuan. What the hell are you?”

Shen Yuan considered the question.

“I am a cultivator.”

Silence.

Rebbie burst out laughing.

“HAHAHAHAHA! A CULTIVATOR?! WHAT IS THIS, SOME KIND OF ANCIENT RELIGION?!”

Dorio rubbed her forehead.

“Rebbie, not now.”

“No, no, let him continue! Maybe he's a wandering monk! Maybe he meditates on mountaintops and eats tree bark!”

Lucy, however, didn't laugh.

She had been studying Shen Yuan's movements since the moment he destroyed the first drone.

She had seen his hand move.

There had been no visible mechanical acceleration, no muzzle flash, and no trace of the electromagnetic discharge associated with conventional weaponry.

The flame itself was particularly troubling.

It had appeared from nowhere.

And when he struck the second drone, she had detected a brief anomaly in the surrounding electromagnetic spectrum.

Not enough to identify its source.

Enough to make her uneasy.

“Vee,” Lucy said quietly.

“Yeah?”

“Get away from him.”

Vee turned.

“Why?”

“Because we don't know what he is.”

Shen Yuan looked between them.

“Is it customary to insult strangers in this world?”

“No,” Lucy replied.

Rebbie immediately raised her hand.

“Yes!”

Dorio grabbed the back of Rebbie's jacket.

“Don't encourage him.”

A siren sounded from the street beyond the alley.

Then another.

Lucy glanced at the data shard in her hand.

Her expression darkened.

“We need to leave. Now.”

Dorio nodded.

“Agreed.”

Vee looked at Shen Yuan.

“You coming?”

Shen Yuan blinked.

“Where?”

“Somewhere that isn't here!”

She pointed toward the smoking remains of the drones.

“Unless you want to explain to a bunch of corporate security goons why you just turned their expensive toys into scrap metal!”

Shen Yuan considered the suggestion.

He had no idea where he was going.

He had no money.

He didn't know how to acquire food, where to find shelter, or how to avoid attracting unwanted attention.

And judging by the approaching sirens, this world was considerably more dangerous than he had initially expected.

“…Very well.”

Vee grinned.

“Good choice, robe boy.”

She grabbed his sleeve and dragged him down the alley.

Shen Yuan allowed himself to be pulled along.

After all, he had just arrived in this world.

It would be foolish to refuse assistance from the first people he had encountered.

Even if one of them seemed determined to shout at him every thirty seconds.

Especially if that person happened to be rather beautiful.

He quickly dismissed the last thought.

Focus, Shen Yuan.

You have a breakthrough to achieve.

Romance can wait.

Unfortunately, his new companion seemed to have other ideas.

“So, Shen Yuan,” Vee said as they ran, “you really don't have any chrome?”

“No.”

“Not even a basic neural port?”

“I don't know what that is.”

“Subdermal armor?”

“No.”

“Reflex boosters?”

“No.”

“Any fucking clue what you're talking about?”

“Very little.”

Vee stopped running for half a second.

She turned to stare at him.

“You're telling me you punched a missile out of the air, blew up three combat drones, and you don't even know what a neural port is?”

Shen Yuan nodded.

“That is correct.”

Vee looked at Lucy.

Lucy looked at Dorio.

Dorio looked at Rebbie.

Rebbie began laughing again.

“I FUCKING LOVE THIS GUY!”

“Keep moving!” Lucy snapped.

They hurried through a maze of narrow streets until they reached a secluded garage beneath an abandoned apartment block.

Dorio entered a security code, and the metal door slid open.

Inside was a cluttered workshop filled with spare cybernetic limbs, discarded weapons, tool cabinets, and several partially disassembled vehicles.

A battered motorcycle stood near the back wall.

Several colorful lights illuminated a small lounge area, where an assortment of empty bottles and food containers had accumulated.

It wasn't exactly luxurious.

But it was dry, relatively quiet, and considerably safer than the street.

At least, Shen Yuan hoped so.

Dorio deposited the unconscious client onto a sofa.

Rebbie immediately rushed toward a refrigerator.

“I'm starving! Does anyone want anything?”

“No,” Lucy replied.

“Yes!” Vee shouted.

“Something with meat!”

“There's instant noodles.”

“THAT'S NOT MEAT!”

“Then starve.”

“YOU'RE A TERRIBLE FRIEND!”

Shen Yuan stood near the entrance, observing his surroundings.

Everything was strange.

The lights were powered by mechanisms he didn't understand. A small device on the workbench projected a three-dimensional model of a human skeleton, complete with glowing nerves and artificial implants.

On another table lay several metallic components that resembled fragments of enchanted artifacts.

Except they contained no spiritual energy.

Instead, they were filled with delicate circuits, microscopic mechanical structures, and materials Shen Yuan couldn't identify.

His eyes began to shine.

Amazing.

This world might not possess cultivation, but its technology was astonishing.

If he could learn to understand even a fraction of it, he might discover ways to improve his own body and cultivation.

Perhaps even develop entirely new techniques.

“Oi.”

Shen Yuan turned.

Vee was standing in front of him, her arms crossed.

“Let's get something straight.”

He nodded politely.

“Please speak.”

She narrowed her eyes.

“First, don't touch anything without permission. Second, don't tell anyone where this place is. Third, if you're working for the corps, I'll personally tear out whatever's hiding inside that weird head of yours.”

Shen Yuan stared at her.

“I am not working for anyone.”

“Prove it.”

“How?”

“That's what I'm trying to figure out.”

She stepped closer.

Up close, Shen Yuan could see that the mechanical components around her neck extended beneath her skin. Tiny metallic plates were embedded along her collarbone, and a faint glow pulsed beneath a transparent section near her left temple.

Her implants were considerably more advanced than those of the average person he had seen on the street.

But something else caught his attention.

Her breathing was slightly irregular.

A faint tremor occasionally passed through her mechanical fingers, and her pupils seemed to react to movement a fraction of a second later than he expected.

She was strong.

But her body was under strain.

“Your implants are damaging you,” he said suddenly.

Vee's expression changed.

The room went quiet.

Even Rebbie stopped rummaging through the refrigerator.

“…What did you say?”

Shen Yuan pointed toward her neck.

“The energy within your body is flowing irregularly. There is also some sort of interference around your nerves.”

Vee stared at him.

Then she laughed.

Not a particularly pleasant laugh.

“Wow. That's a new one.”

She tapped the metallic plate embedded in her temple.

“These implants were installed by one of the best ripperdocs in Watson. You telling me you can diagnose my chrome by looking at me?”

Shen Yuan frowned.

“Chrome?”

“Cyberware. Implants. The stuff inside my body.”

“I see.”

He considered his answer carefully.

“I cannot explain the exact cause. But your body appears to be struggling to adapt to the modifications.”

Vee's smile faded slightly.

For the first time, she looked genuinely uncomfortable.

It wasn't that she believed him.

She simply didn't like the possibility that he might be right.

Her implants had been giving her trouble for months. Occasional headaches, brief episodes of numbness, and unexplained muscle spasms.

Her ripperdoc had assured her that everything was normal.

But Shen Yuan had identified the problem within seconds.

“Who the hell are you, really?” she asked quietly.

Shen Yuan met her gaze.

“Someone who knows a little about the human body.”

It was technically true.

After nearly twenty years of cultivation, he had developed a reasonable understanding of anatomy, meridians, and the circulation of spiritual energy.

He simply had no intention of explaining the details.

Vee studied him for a long moment.

Then she stepped back.

“Fine. Keep your secrets.”

She turned toward the others.

“Lucy, check the data shard. Dorio, contact our fixer. Rebbie, stop eating everything in the fridge.”

“IT'S CALLED RECOVERING FROM TRAUMA!”

“You were screaming about food while we were being shot at!”

“EXACTLY! TRAUMATIC!”

Shen Yuan watched their exchange with growing curiosity.

They were strange people.

Loud, suspicious, reckless, and seemingly incapable of holding a conversation without shouting.

Yet there was an obvious sense of familiarity between them.

They trusted one another.

Even when they argued, they remained close enough to intervene if something went wrong.

Shen Yuan found himself envying them a little.

In the Azure Cloud Sect, relationships were often transactional. Disciples competed for resources, betrayed one another for opportunities, and treated friendship as a luxury they couldn't afford.

These people were different.

Perhaps not entirely virtuous.

But at least they seemed genuine.

“Hey, Shen Yuan.”

Vee's voice interrupted his thoughts.

He turned.

She tossed him a small packet.

He caught it reflexively.

“What is this?”

“Food.”

He examined the packet.

Inside was a rectangular object wrapped in colorful packaging.

A picture displayed a steaming bowl of noodles.

He looked at Vee.

“Is this edible?”

She stared at him.

Then she slowly turned toward Lucy.

“I'm keeping him.”

“No,” Lucy replied immediately.

“I'm serious! He's hilarious!”

“Vee.”

“What? We need someone who can punch missiles!”

Shen Yuan looked down at the packet.

Then back at her.

“Thank you.”

Vee paused.

For a brief moment, her expression softened.

Then she immediately scowled.

“Yeah, yeah. Don't get sentimental.”

She walked away.

Shen Yuan watched her retreating figure for a moment before examining the food.

He had no idea how to open the package.

After several unsuccessful attempts, he finally tore one corner with his fingers.

The packet split open.

A pungent aroma emerged.

Shen Yuan froze.

“…What is that smell?”

Rebbie burst into laughter.

“HAHAHAHA! OH, THIS IS GOING TO BE GREAT!”

And so, Shen Yuan's first night in Night City continued.

He had accidentally destroyed several expensive combat drones, become involved with a group of wanted mercenaries, and acquired his first meal in another world.

He had also discovered something potentially more valuable than the mysterious relic itself.

People.

People who might help him survive in this strange civilization.

And perhaps, one day, become his friends.

But first, he had to solve a more immediate problem.

He was starving.

Meanwhile, in the Azure Cloud Sect…

The small wooden house stood empty beneath the moonlight.

The black relic was no longer there.

Neither was Shen Yuan.

And yet, inside the chest where the device had been hidden, a faint blue light suddenly flickered.

A thin line of unfamiliar characters appeared across the inner wooden surface.

[Cross-World Gateway: Remote Connection Detected.]

[Energy Consumption: 17%.]

[Return Transmission: Available.]

A second message appeared.

[Cultivation Assessment: Qi Refining, Sixth Layer.]

[Physical Constitution: Substandard.]

[Spiritual Root Compatibility: Low.]

[Potential Enhancement Route Identified.]

For a moment, the light brightened.

Then a final notification emerged.

[Emergency Assistance Protocol Activated.]

[Recommended Action: Establish a Stable Spiritual Energy Foundation.]

Far away, in the cramped garage beneath Night City's neon skyline, Shen Yuan suddenly sneezed.

He rubbed his nose.

“Strange.”

Then he looked down at his hands.

He could feel it.

The spiritual energy within his body was circulating more smoothly than before.

Perhaps it was the result of the adrenaline from his recent encounter.

Perhaps the relic had activated another function.

Or perhaps…

His eyes narrowed.

Could it be that the system has already begun helping me?

He quickly sat down on an empty crate and closed his eyes.

The noise of the garage faded into the background.

He focused on the familiar sensation of spiritual energy flowing through his meridians.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

Then—

BOOM!

A surge of spiritual energy erupted within his body.

Shen Yuan's eyes snapped open.

His meridians trembled as spiritual energy rushed through them with unprecedented speed. The stagnant energy that had accumulated around his bottleneck suddenly began to move.

He felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen.

Then another.

And another.

His entire body seemed to be undergoing a transformation.

“W-What?!”

He tried to suppress the surge, but the spiritual energy continued circulating.

The sixth layer of Qi Refining had been his limit for years.

A wall he had battered himself against countless times without success.

Now, that wall was cracking.

CRACK!

A subtle sound echoed inside his mind.

The bottleneck shattered.

Spiritual energy surged through his meridians, washing away years of accumulated impurities and strengthening his body.

His breathing grew deeper.

His senses sharpened.

Even the sounds of the distant city seemed clearer than before.

Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the surge subsided.

Shen Yuan sat motionless.

He slowly raised his right hand and examined it.

A faint current of spiritual energy flowed across his fingertips.

He knew this sensation.

He had dreamed of it for years.

His lips parted.

“…Seventh layer.”

He had broken through.

After nearly twenty years of struggling against his poor talent, he had finally advanced to the seventh layer of Qi Refining.

And he had done it in a filthy garage in a futuristic city, surrounded by wanted mercenaries, while eating instant noodles.

Shen Yuan stared at his hands.

Then he began to laugh.

At first, it was a quiet chuckle.

Then it grew louder.

“Hahaha… Hahahaha!”

Rebbie nearly dropped her bowl.

“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH HIM NOW?!”

Dorio immediately reached for her weapon.

Lucy turned toward Shen Yuan, her eyes narrowing.

Vee stared at him for several seconds.

Then she cautiously approached.

“Hey, robe boy.”

Shen Yuan looked up.

His eyes were brighter than before, and an unmistakable confidence had appeared in his expression.

“What?”

Vee hesitated.

For some reason, she found his smile rather unsettling.

“…Did you just have a mental breakdown?”

Shen Yuan shook his head.

“No.”

He stood up.

Then, with a confidence he had never possessed before, he looked directly at her.

“I've simply realized something.”

Vee crossed her arms.

“And what's that?”

Shen Yuan glanced toward the distant neon lights visible through the garage entrance.

Then he smiled.

“This world might be the greatest opportunity of my life.”

A moment later, the relic inside his robes vibrated.

A new notification appeared.

[Cultivation Breakthrough Confirmed.]

[Current Realm: Qi Refining, Seventh Layer.]

[Cross-World Gateway Synchronization: Improved.]

[New Function Unlocked: Material Analysis.]

[Next Objective: Establish a Sustainable Resource Exchange.]

Shen Yuan's smile widened.

He had finally taken the first step.

And now that he knew what the gateway could do for him, there was no way he would let this opportunity slip through his fingers.

Night City had technology.

The cultivation world had spiritual resources.

And he intended to take full advantage of both.