I placed the small rectangular device into the specialized scanner I had installed in my workshop. I would take a scan of it before and after I disassembled it to study its inner workings.
I had already copied the software on it, so even if I messed up, it wouldn’t be a complete waste with some material to analyze.
The device was what we got with the connections provided by Rob Paulsen, the SocialCorp branch manager we friendmailed. It was the cassette that worked in tandem with compatible SAIDs to help people learn in their sleep.
SocialCorp had a monopoly on them, turning it into a seller’s market. From what I’ve researched so far, it wasn’t particularly difficult to replicate the technology. The key was how the knowledge was organized when it was fed into the brain. Different knowledge required a whole new set of trial and error to determine the optimal way to help the brain learn the information in a comprehensible way without any side effects.
There was an enormous amount of testing and optimization required, so it was no wonder that the largest corp specialized in it.
What I wanted to try out was to create my own cassette based on the knowledge I learned from the system. The way the cassettes worked was shockingly similar to the system, except it was able to dump all that knowledge into my brain in an instant.
Though even if I succeeded, there was no way I would sell them, as that would antagonize a corp I couldn’t afford to. This would just be for internal use, for people like Claire and Thorne.
Before I knew it, my alarm rang, reminding me it was time for dinner.
I quickly got dressed and exited my workshop. Just as the door to the elevator opened, I almost bumped into the person who tried to rush out.
“Rollo, you actually kept track of time this once…”
“Come on Claire, I’m always on time if you let me know about it at least a day before. Let’s go. We have a reservation, right?”
She pouted and retreated back into the elevator. I stepped in and pressed the button for the garage.
“So, how’s it going with the cassette? Is it working?” I asked.
We had bought a few, one with cybernetic knowledge for Claire to use, and a few cheaper ones for me to experiment with.
“I think so. It’s still a bit too early to tell, as it’s still going over the things I’ve already learned. There’s still a whole month until I get through all of it.”
Unlike the system, the cassette paired with a SAID that had a hypnopaedia function required over a month to get through one cassette. You had to go from start to finish, as that was the only safe way.
“I see… Well, keep me updated. It may help with my research.”
“Yeah, yeah, sure.”
The elevator soon arrived, and we met up with Thorne, Leo, and Lana, who were all already waiting in the parking garage.
After hearing about the scrumptious meal Leo and I had, the others, mostly Claire, pestered me about the unfair treatment. This was why we made an appointment today at a high-class restaurant that served authentic poultry to make up for it.
We moved out together in one Vanguard while another two accompanied us as security. My gaze couldn’t help but be drawn to our company’s logo that decorated our guard’s uniform and cars. The snow blue owl was fine, but seeing my own last name flaunted around made me grimace.
It was obvious at a glance the restaurant we arrived at was an expensive place to dine in with the decor alone. However, there was one excellent perk I found in these fine dining establishments, which were the waiting rooms they had for guards.
The server soon led the four of us to our table. Once we ordered, Claire eased into her seat and grinned in my direction.
“So Rollo, what’s this about going to NLA to do some job for your new girlfriend?”
“She’s not my girlfriend, and you saw the details on the contract. We’ll be netting five million credits, and catering to their request is the least we could do.”
“Oh, I wasn’t talking about financially,” She smirked.
“I’m still against it. We should negotiate with them. There’s no need to put yourself in danger’s way. They’ll be capturing mutants, not killing them, and there are so many things that could go wrong working with an unknown corp,” Thorne interjected.
While what he said was true, it didn’t apply to my situation. I still often went out to fight harvesters and other miscreants of society, so the risk of going out into the wastelands would be no different. They all fueled my system with experience points so I could continue to improve.
“I’ve dug around into them. There aren’t any nasty rumors about them, so that should be okay in that regard. The risks of going out into the wasteland still remain, though,” Leo added.
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“It’s fine. It’s not much riskier than what I normally do. Besides, I recently got an upgrade, so I’ll be able to handle myself better than ever.”
“...Then at least let me come along,” Thorne replied.
“Then who’ll take care of our security team here?”
“That’s what you say every time. I’ve trained up a few replacements who can take care of things while I’m gone. Leo will also be here if anything happens,” Thorne turned his gaze to Leo, who nodded in response.
“Okay… Then why not? I don’t think you’ve left this city before, have you? The wasteland will be a good experience for you.”
I may also be feeling slightly guilty, having left Thorne behind every time. Our company needs to be able to stand tall even if a person or two is missing, anyway.
“Enough business talk guys, let’s enjoy tonight,” Lana said, to change the topic.
We went on to discuss more mundane matters, such as the VR game they had recently started playing. My capsule arrived as well, but I didn’t have the time to try it out yet.
The food soon arrived and the authentic chicken I ordered was delightful. It was experiences like these that really reminded me of the wonders of what money could bring.
I still couldn’t believe that crap I had forced into my stomach when I first came to this world, but it served as a powerful motivator for me. My next goal was to have every single one of my future meals be at least as good as what we had tonight.
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By now, traveling was a routine affair for me, but the same couldn’t be said for Thorne.
We flew to NLA with just the two of us as airfare was expensive, and we had a security team waiting for us at the airport as well. Our security team department there was even larger than the one at Elevate City as it was where our production facility, transportation warehouses, and wasteland scavenge team were. We also planned to open a clinic here, but we delayed it due to funding.
In Elevate City, we only had a clinic and our office, so it wasn’t unreasonable that we had less security there when we had fewer areas to protect.
We had contacted Vin about our trip and they had been scouting out the wastelands for suitable spots to bring our clients to hunt for mutants.
When we exited the airport, we found Vin waiting in his usual beat-up car, along with two vanguards parked beside it.
The Vanguards had our logo on it which meant my name as well. Vin had on the same company security outfit that I’ve grown familiar with as well.
“Welcome back. You sure brought along an interesting job this time,” Vin said, as he opened the trunk.
“Yeah, well, I figured it wouldn’t be too hard for us to scout around the routes we’re familiar with.”
I left the part where we wouldn’t have to be worried about wastelanders unsaid, as we were out in public.
“Well, you figured right. We have the latest updates on mutant sightings ready for you. You’ll need it in your meeting later, right?”
“Yep. Oh and before I forget, this is Thorne, the head of security for Elevate City.”
Vin nodded and looked Thorne over, “Nice to meetcha, I’m Vin. I guess we’re the same rank, or maybe you’re my superior as you work in headquarters?”
“Nice to meet you, too. We’ll go with equals. I don’t think we’re that strict with ranks when we can avoid it, anyway,” Thorne replied.
We got on our way and headed back to our office, which remained unchanged, where it doubled as our production facility as well.
We didn’t stop for long as we had to attend the meeting with Margarite and the people from Desire Corp, her corporation. We met in a conference room we booked, located in a business hotel in downtown NLA.
When we arrived, Margarite was already there, along with two guards and a skinny man with glasses. It was rare to wear glasses, so it was likely some kind of device instead.
“We meet again, just in time, too. Please, take a seat,” Margarite offered.
I had Thorne and Vin with me, but Thorne opted to remain standing behind us like Margarite’s guards.
“Yes, I’m glad to see you well,” I replied.
The scrawny man beside Margarite cleared his throat before he spoke up, “I am Dr. Lut. I will be tagging along as the one who will be deciding which mutants we will be capturing. Why don’t we jump straight into it? If you could provide us with the information as promised, we can quickly plan our trip and be on our way.”
“Yes, of course. If you would, Vin.”
Vin then began his presentation on his findings, giving us an overview of what mutants were available in the area, their characteristics, and their habitats. He even went over a colossal worm-like thing I had previously encountered on my way to Firebird, too.
As expected of corpos, they quickly gave up on that creature, as it was too massive and was nocturnal. I couldn’t even imagine the amount of men and resources they would need to capture that thing.
They took an interest in mutant spiders and snakes, which brought back some terrible memories of my own encounters.
I let Vin take charge of the conversation as they discussed how many men they should bring and the route to take. By the time they were done, the sun had already set. After saying our goodbyes, both parties departed quickly, as we decided to set out in two days.
They must have a lot to prepare, as they were visitors here. I’m impressed they could even deploy that many troops on short notice. As expected of a medium-sized corp, that had a D-class membership with the consortium, which meant they paid the annual membership fee of twenty-five million credits.
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Two days went by in a blink of an eye. Our convoy of four Vanguards met up with Margarite’s party just outside of the wastelands.
We only were guides this time around so we didn’t bring that many people. I had Vin stay behind to manage the operations, so it was me, Thorne, and the four teams of guards.
The vehicles at Margarite’s party had seemed much newer than our own, but at least we had them beat in cohesiveness, thanks to our standardized paint job.
They had rented out various vehicles, so they were all nondescript gray. There were a dozen cars in their group, along with one big truck they had prepared for keeping the mutants. Their men, standing guard around their vehicles, were decked out in high-tech gear and cybernetics that I could recognize at a glance.
They were the type I wouldn’t antagonize even if I had the drop on them unless they were alone. That was because they may have active scanners that could detect me if they were on the lookout.
We drove up slowly to them, and I got out of the car once we were close enough and approached.
I found Margarite wearing high-tech gear, similar to what the rest of them wore, while Dr. Lut was in a suit for some reason. They were both staring at the raging sandstorm of the wasteland with a determined demeanor.
“You guys ready?” I called out to them.