The next day, Ubel made his way through the bustling corridors of the Red Delight District. This time he was being escorted by a group of heavily armored combat droids and drones that he had personally selected. Although they were older models that he had plundered from Demonic Monkey, they were still heavily armored and modified to be capable of delaying or at most, stopping a combat golem if necessary.

But it didn’t matter to the normal outlaws and civilians on the streets as these combat droids that he brought were behemoths in their own right. All of his droids had heights towering over a normal man, which made people steer clear away from him as he passed, giving him only piercing glares.

The place he was entering was a labyrinth of blinking lights and shadows with a chaotic mosaic of activity, making it a true haven for vice and sin to thrive in equal measure. As Ubel went through the district's bustling corridors, the air was thick with drugs, rotting stench, and pollution. Buildings on both sides of the street were so connected that it felt like he was entering a narrow cave of metal, chrome, and glass. Each building was adorned with flashing holograms advertising everything from illicit substances, to deviant cybernetics and implants to cater to those who wanted to maximize their carnal pleasures.

“Now this is cyberpunk.” He grinned as he looked around the sights and smells, fully immersing himself in an environment where he previously could only interact or walk around using a keyboard and mouse.

The thumping bass of synth-wave music pulsed from various nightclubs and brothels, creating a dissonant symphony reverberating throughout the district. Vendors lined the sidewalks, hawking everything from counterfeit electronics to dubious street food that filled the air with tantalizing, greasy aromas. Risque themes dominated every corner. In scant, provocative attire, men and women solicited passersby with sultry whispers and inviting glances. Their dim-lit booths and augmented reality displays promised pleasures beyond imagination, their advertisements flashing in garish, enticing colors. The faces of the prostitutes were a mix of allure and fatigue. Ubel was the only strange sight here as he had no physical feature that showed that he had cybernetic enhancements or implants, making him stick out like a sore thumb.

And in the shadows of alleyways, gangsters, and mobsters conducted their illicit deals with an air of casual menace. Drug cartels operated openly, their members identifiable by distinctive tattoos and high-tech implants. They peddled their wares with a mix of charisma and intimidation, offering everything from mind-altering narcotics to performance-enhancing stimulants. The clientele ranged from desperate addicts seeking their next fix to thrill-seekers looking to escape reality. Cybernetically enhanced bodyguards stood guard, their eyes scanning the crowd for any sign of trouble that would affect the profit of their establishments. Ubel could overhear snippets of conversations about drug shipments, weapon trades, and territorial disputes, the undercurrents of power and greed bloomed in the district’s cacophony.

Small-time thugs also lurked in the darker corners; eyes gleaming with predatory intent as they waited for unsuspecting victims to stumble into their grasp. The dimly lit alleys were a maze of potential danger, filled with the discarded remnants of past confrontations—broken bottles, bloodstains, and the occasional glint of a hidden blade. People moved cautiously, aware that one wrong turn could lead to a violent encounter.

Following the tracking system that he used as a guide, he entered a cave-like opening that had hanging beads as curtains. As he headed deeper, he was greeted by a sleek and modern interior, a stark contrast to the grimy chaos outside. Then he was met with five large bodyguards full of cybernetics and visual implants that made them look more like droids than the actual heavy combat droids he had brought with him. Each of them had six glowing eyes that all simultaneously turned towards their visitor who looked like a child escorted by his inorganic bodyguards.

“I am here for-”

“You can enter.” The large man in full cybernetic skin armor interrupted him and gestured for him to step inside the door as it opened. At the entrance was a woman in lingerie. “Hey, get this one to Room C3.”

The woman nodded silently and gestured for Ubel to follow her. He was a bit surprised that the guards outside allowed him to bring his combat droids. He was then ushered to a private booth that was hidden behind a room intended for more risqué services. She tapped the wall with her open palm and the door slid open. Showing several men in suits, smoking, and drinking as they leisurely talked on their seats until they were interrupted by Ubel’s arrival. The room had a luxurious feel to it, with sleek furniture and six naked dancing women at each corner of the room, making him realize this room was much larger. Then he also noticed that the women were dancing inside a capsule full of transparent liquid that seemed to glow in different colors with each change of music, making them look like they were swimming naked. He also noticed the breathing apparatus that was connected to their backs, probably to allow them to breathe inside such a capsule. He could only shake his head as he smirked.

He spotted Curo at one of the sofas inside the room, drinking a bottle of wine.

“Ubel! Good, you’re here.” Curo turned and welcomed Ubel inside. Then he looked at the heavily armed security detail on Ubel’s back. “Damn, you aren’t taking chances, huh.”

“Curo.” Ubel greets the people inside with a nod. “Please pardon me for bringing bodyguards with me. You see, I am just a small kid. A single bullet would end my life and I already almost lost my life a few times due to being too complacent in this station.”

“It’s fine.” The man at the center who was puffing up smoke replied, waving him to enter the room. He was much larger and taller than any of the people inside.

“Boss, this is Ubel. Commander of the Demonic Monkeys.” Curo introduced him to what he referred to as his elder brother… or rather his boss. “Ubel, let me introduce you to Dante Noxis Ver Francesca.”

The person had an air of authority about him. He had the same piercing eyes as Curo but with a sharper intellect behind them. What made him even more intimidating was his mask that covered most of his face that only exposed his green implanted eyes. As Ubel approached, Dante rose to greet him, extending a hand but leaning his back lower towards Ubel to accommodate for their guest’s short stature.

"Ubel," Dante greeted, extending a hand. "It's an honor to finally meet the infamous wildcard of the Banedog's Backyard."

"Wildcard?" Ubel replied, shaking his hand firmly but confused at being called by such a word.

“I’m sure you already know how big players in this station treat you.”

Ubel realized what he was talking about and it was the unanimous agreement between gangs, cartels, and Famiglias not to provoke or even interact with him.

“I do but that is a strange word.” he tilted his head. Then when the rest took their seats, Ubel remained standing, confusing all of them. "Before we start talking, I must clear something first. I am not the commander of Demonic Monkeys anymore."

"Hoooh..." Dante let out a thick cloud of smoke, obviously indifferent to his revelation.

"You don't mind?" Ubel asked as he sensed no reaction from the mafiosos in the room.

"Well, you still retained the control over your large ship, right?" Dante asked and Ubel nodded. "I heard rumors of how you stepped down as their commander, recently. Words travel fast when you're one of the main nails that are sticking out in this station. So it doesn't matter. Now let's talk if you don't have another confession to make."

Ubel smirked and sat down while his droids stood around their sofas while the drones maintained their vigilance above their robotic heads. He finally confirmed that what they were aiming for was his ship. He had to know that he took such a risk by exposing that he had lost one of his cards as a commander of a pirate group. Ubel thought this would reduce his position in this talk but it seemed that he was overthinking things as this mafia wanted something else. And Dante wasted no time by initiating the start of their meeting.

"Let me get to the point as I know you value time and we are the ones who requested to meet you. So did you already understand the importance of this shipment?"

Ubel shook his head and grinned.

"No. I don’t even know what the fuck you wanted me to transport. That’s why I am here, to know what it was. Did Curo tell you why I am here?"

“Hmm… he did.” Dante exhaled another puff of smoke which had a scent of lavender and sugar. Ubel noticed that Dante had some sort of external tubes inserted on his mask which he used to probably inhale and exhale this perfumed smoke. “You are transporting a dead person. A corpse to be exact.”

“Huh… a corpse… that is peculiar and interesting. Can I have more details than just that? At least, the identity of the corpse?” Ubel asked as he accepted the glass of wine that was poured for him by one of Dante’s men.

“That is the very reason why you are going to transport this corpse,” Dante replied, pointing his finger at him.

“What?” Ubel was confused. “Didn’t you kill this one?”

He thought he would be disposing of a corpse or framing someone else for the death of a person who was on Umbriel. It seemed that wouldn’t be a normal courier contract.

“We don’t know the real identity of this corpse.” Dante shrugged, then nodded at Curo.

“And no. We found her already dead.” Curo said, clearing themselves from responsibility.

“Her… so a dead woman?” Ubel was trying to confirm some details. Then Curo walked towards him and gave him a data frag that had photos of a naked person that was lying on a patient’s table, probably taken on a morgue somewhere.

“A dead girl. Probably the same age as you… or at least, the same age as your appearance.” Dante answered as he puffed another smoke.

The dead girl in the photos truly seemed like she had an appearance of the same age as Ubel with long black and white hair that were evenly divided. She could have grown into a beautiful woman that would break many hearts.

“Where did you find her?” Ubel asked again.

Dante then flicked his fingers at the table in front of them and it showed a 3D scan of the place and scene where they found her body. It looked like a cargo bay of a ship.

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“We found her in one of our crates that had smuggled stimulants and medicines. She probably used our cargo ships to smuggle herself inside, then found herself trapped inside the bay for two months without being known. You see the ship she was in had a skeleton crew to avoid suspicion and maintain discretion of their deliveries. It only had three crew and already went into their cold sleep for their journey here.” Curo said.

“So, she died due to hunger or suffocation?” Ubel assumed the cause of her death after hearing the variables of her situation but Dante shook his head.

“No, she died due to an overdose on using our stimulants.” He replied.

“What?” Ubel was surprised at the reason for her demise. “She’s a junkie… a doser?”

“In the duration of the two-month trip, she enjoyed herself inside the cargo bay injecting herself with stimulants and consuming the food from the supply crates. Her body was found two days before the ship arrived here in Banedog’s Backyard.” Curo sighed as he covered his face with a palm.

“Then why is she important? She could have been just another doser or orphan who snuck on your ship undetected by your incompetent goons. A nobody.” Ubel glanced at Curo and then at Dante, he felt like there was something more to this girl. He could tell that Dante and his men were hesitating to reveal a piece of crucial information and he was being delayed by these dialogues to know if Ubel could be trusted or not.

The room went silent for a moment before Dante finally answered.

“She is not.” He replied.

“What do you mean?” Ubel asked.

Dante once again, flicked his fingers at the table and showed the data scans that they had procured from the autopsy that they had done on the girl. It had so many details but there’s a highlighted part that stuck out from the rest.

“She has no cybernetics—clean as a marble. I mean clean of any cybernetics.” Dante breathed heavily and gazed at the ceiling of the room. Curo and the other men who were probably bodyguards, also disturbed faces or deep frowns. They all have complicated reactions to Dante’s statement which confuses Ubel who noticed their facial responses.

“How is that strange?” Ubel asked with genuine confusion.

Then Dante and his men, turned towards him with faces of wide-open eyes, showing shock to his question as if he just asked something retarded.

“Wait, are you fucking kidding me?” Dante let out his honest feelings to Ubel’s query. Ubel became even more confused at Dante’s question. Then he remembered the first sentence from Dante earlier.

“Oooohhhhh…” Ubel quickly remembered that in this universe, where humanity had reached the stars, it had become impossible for infants to be born without any cybernetics or implants. A developing fetus would already be given a few or several implants to help it survive space to help it grow into an infant in the womb and safely be born. Even those born on the planet’s surface, moons, or even slums were born with implants thanks to the cheap and underground sales of this hardware. And so, it was very, very strange to see a child with no cybernetics that was already walking outside the womb of its mother.

“Sorry, I was a bit dumb there. I get it now.” Ubel scratched his head. He punched himself internally as he almost self-reported himself.

Dante puffed another blast of scented smoke. Then he pointed at the dead body of the girl that was now shown in the holo floating on top of the table.

“This girl… is probably a member of a High Family in Terra. A noble.”

“In other words, her corpse is going to become a problem if it stays here in Banedog’s Backyard.” Curo chimed in which his elder brother, nodded, agreeing with his statement.

“True… High Families in Terra are a bit petty and vengeful.” Ubel mused, then he felt a sense of déjà vu from all of this. He doesn’t remember where and when but he felt some familiarity in this situation. After racking his head and finding nothing, he shook his head and decided to ignore it.

“So, you just want me to dump her body.” Ubel continued with a mischievous grin. “And make her become the problem of another station?”

“No. If we wanted that, we could have just dropped her in the black.” Curo denied, waving his hand.

“Then what do you want?” Ubel frowned. He was now more curious about their purpose for transporting a dangerous corpse and Dante gave him an answer.

“What do you think? We sold her body.” Curo’s elder brother said in a puff of smoke.

This statement made Ubel look at them with disgust and disappointment then they quickly realized their mistake. Most especially Curo who started panicking and stood as Ubel started looking at them as if he was gazing at slugs.

“Huh.” The only kid in the room gave them one word of reply which sends his honest impression about their plans for the corpse of a young girl. Ubel himself knew that he was not a virtuous person and had no right to judge others but he was always down on people with these kinds of degenerate kinks.

“Wait, that’s not what my elder brother meant!” Curo quickly tried to clear the misunderstanding. “As much as we deal with stimulants, drugs, and smuggling, we don’t deal with those kinds of things. What we meant-”

“What we meant was that we found someone willing to buy her body.” Dante interrupted. “Not to some deviant pervert but to a scientist that wanted to know the biological secrets of Terran High Family.”

“Hmmm…” Ubel also mused at this. He remembered that in the game, High Families in Terra had some sort of secret technology that they monopolized. They only disclosed these to themselves where they would be able to survive in any environment without the help of cybernetics or implants. Because they see these technological attachments to be cheap impurities that stain their standard of beauty and concept of humanity. Not even the powerful politicians of UGTR were able to get a hold of this secret as they were only given to those members of the High Terran society.

And so, this secret was as valuable as Ambrosia, the liquid gold of immortality.

“How much did he pay you already?” Ubel asked, he already suspects the amount that they demanded or was offered to them must be astronomical, knowing the true value of the corpse.

“Good, now you’re getting on where we are.” Dante slapped his knee with a wide grin. “This scientist is Doctor Vezocrennix Elzaeimer. He is a member of Bazov Cyvern Academy on that moon. We don’t want to disclose the amount that he had paid us but all I can tell you is that, her body is THAT valuable.”

Ubel went silent again for a moment, thinking deeply then asked another question to confirm more things.

“Wait, did you or he, even confirm that this dead girl is worth that number of credits?”

“We never did, but he is confident enough that when our contact in that moon told him about this, he immediately sent us an advance payment that guarantees that he will be the only buyer and receiver of this body. Intact.” Dante answered.

In his thoughts, Ubel finally realized the importance of this body in this new life. Back in the game, most players including him, would ignore the progress of the Sol system as they considered this cluster as a backwater, or Beginner’s Playground to test their mods or the changes in their games. They never considered Sol or this cluster, to have such kind of valuable secret… rather they never considered the secrets of immortality as valuable, due to their easy access to nanotechnology.

Now in this new incarnation, Ubel could finally understand and appreciate how priceless this biological secret was.

“Damn, imagine if you could sell her other body parts to others. Many corporations would kill and die for just her fingernail or even just skin tissue. Her DNA sample leaking in the black market could start wars.” Ubel spoke out loud about the possibilities and potential for more profit. Then he realized how much of a hypocrite he was when he would look down on people that liked fucking underage partners, may it be alive or dead, but he had no qualms in cutting them apart for profit. He suppresses his laugh, mocking himself in his thoughts.

“We know and that scientist also probably knows that. And that’s why the amount that he paid us is more than enough for us to be persuaded not to cut her apart.” Dante agreed with him with a wide smile. “But… the problem is that… we don’t have any transport ships or crew that we trust enough to deliver this cargo to our client.”

“Yeah, this is beyond any normal smuggling cargo. This is too hot. They would be more likely to betray you, jack this cargo, and sell this dead girl to the highest bidder.” Ubel nodded, as genuinely spoke this from experience, much to his amusement.

“Yes, the risk is too great.” Curo lit up his cigarette and increased the amount of smoke in the room.

“Then why do you think a nobody like me, a newbie pirate is worth that risk?” Ubel was more curious about the reason why he was chosen by Dante for this very important and valuable contract. Dante could get the same result from the top and trusted smugglers under his Famiglia or using connections.

Instead of answering, Dante stood and took something from his back pocket.

“When we were investigating the identity of the girl in our database, we found this in pure coincidence.” He handed Ubel a data frag. Ubel then pretended to have a data socket in his neck to hide how he used his nanomites to absorb the frag as he inserted it.

And he was surprised at the content, the data he received was a photo. An old one but it was something that he felt was taken yesterday.

There was a young boy, surrounded by many kinds of people, with a wide mischievous grin. Then on the corner who smacked his head was a man in a red ponytail. The young boy was Ubel and the red-haired man was someone he knew back in the game.

“I didn’t know you were friends with my great-grandfather, Vincent Francesca.” Dante went back to his seat and let out another puff of smoke.

Ubel went silent for a moment as he gazed at the photo, floating in front of him as a hologram. Then he closed his eyes, reminiscing their stupid shenanigans in Sol System.

“Yes… we were.” Ubel confirmed the validity of the photo. “I even didn’t expect he would start a mafia organization here in Sol after I left.”

Curo and Dante’s men though, were all shocked to hear the revelation. They only had wide-open eyes with gaping mouths as they processed the statement that their elder brother had muttered. It was obvious that Dante had not told them yet about this. They couldn’t believe that the boy that was with them was the same age as their founder, the First Patriarch of Francesca Famiglia. Dante gazed at his men and nodded at each of them, confirming that he was not lying.

They had a moment of silence until Ubel broke it with a question.

“How did he pass away?” he asked.

“Like an idiot that he always was,” Dante answered, smirking as he puffed another scented smoke. “He died during one of his smuggling runs when he was 84 years old. He looked exactly like in the photo when he died. Making me frustrated on how I appeared much older than my elders.”

Then Dante suddenly remembered the tales that his father would always mention.

“By the way, he would mention you from time to time, although your name had probably been altered due to long years of how our family tales traveled by word of mouth. I started remembering your correct name when I found that photo.”

“Heh. He never changed.” Ubel grinned, the memories had started returning. He never expected to feel this way about an NPC that he only encountered during one of his visits in Sol. A side character that he just met to complete a side contract and a sidequest. But it was a fun quest that he still remembers the characters that were with him on that questline. “Damn. This is a strange feeling. Well, enough reminiscing. We are here on business. Let’s talk about that retard later.”

“Hahahahaha! True.” Dante laughed loudly. “So, that is all that I have. If you have any more questions, I am more than willing to answer. As long as it’s not related to this station’s ruling circle.”

“No, I had enough information. I’ll accept the contract. I'll deliver your shipment." Ubel offered his right hand which Dante took and shook.

“Great!” Dante then turned to Curo. "Since the initial payment has already been transferred to your account, the shipment will arrive at your ship in three days."

"I understand. You can count on me." Ubel stood up, ready to leave with the discussion concluded. "I’ll see to it that your shipment reaches its destination, and if necessary or some fuck up occurs… I’ll at least ensure its safe return. And maybe we’ll exchange tales about your great-grandfather."

Dante stood as well, extending his hand once more which the boy accepted and shook.

"Thank you, Ubel. Safe travels." Ubel was led again by the same woman who seemed to have waited for him outside of the room.

As Ubel left the establishment with his combat droids, his mind was racing with thoughts about the upcoming mission. He had supplies, and weapons and was stocked with needed cargo space and contracts to maximize his every stop in other stations. His only problem was his lack of crew--human crew.

“I may need to recruit some people…” he thought for a second before he was answered by the very same answer he already got years ago. A place where he met Vincent and others. “Ah… casinos.”