Chapter 92: Compromise

Scott’s eyes were full of caution, clearly distrustful of Lu Yan’s words, but his actions told a different story—he made no further attempts to flee.

Recalling the events of that day, and the words Lu Yan had just spoken, Scott’s expression darkened as he questioned coldly:

“Did you deliberately destroy the cerebrain?”

Lu Yan raised an eyebrow, making no attempt to deny it.

“You could say that.”

Scott’s anger flared at Lu Yan’s indifferent tone. He lowered his voice and threatened cautiously:

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll report you?

Destroying a cerebrain, luring an enforcer, and commanding strange soul entities—these facts alone prove you’re no ordinary person. You might even be some disgraced insider carrying forbidden soul technology, hiding deep underground.

Someone as dangerous as you… once exposed, you’ll bring down corporate scrutiny from the Universal Megacorporation. No matter where you hide in the catacombs, they’ll dig you out eventually!”

Lu Yan let out a soft, amused chuckle.

“Interesting theory. Why don’t you give it a try?”

If he truly were a disgraced insider, Scott’s threat might have worked. As Scott said, if the Megacorporation was serious, finding someone would be trivial.

But Lu Yan wasn’t one of them. And with the version update drawing closer, the restraints binding him were already loosening.

Once the next version arrived, he could escape this Megacorporation-controlled world entirely—and would no longer need to tread carefully.

So to Lu Yan, Scott’s threat held no real weight.

His casual tone only infuriated Scott further. With a clenched jaw, Scott raised his personal terminal, attempting to call the Tax Bureau director.

But just as his finger hovered over the send button, Lu Yan’s voice echoed once more through the ghost in the room.

“But you should think carefully. The moment you press that button, it confirms you lost your cerebrain. The crime of hiding that loss will also fall squarely on you.”

“So what?” Scott shot back through gritted teeth. “Worst case, I spend some time in Paradise Computing Center. My father will do everything in his power to reduce my sentence. I’ll be free again in a few years.”

Despite his defiant words, his hand stopped.

Lu Yan smiled. The invisible ghost in the room gradually took form, looming high as it spoke down at Scott:

“Do you really believe losing your cerebrain is that simple?”

“Your cerebrain’s soul core has already been removed—it’s now just a scrap of dead tech.

You do understand, don’t you? That core is made from the soul of a Soul Transformation-level energy user, forged using high-level soul modification tech. Its value is far beyond your imagination.

And if I were to leak certain… details—say, that your cerebrain captured sensitive data before it was stolen—your crimes would multiply.

Unless your father is one of the Megacorporation’s board members, there’s no way he can protect you.

Replacing a cerebrain means sacrificing another Soul Transformation-level soul. If your father has enough status, maybe he can pay some price and cover it up.

But if he’s strong yet not influential enough? Then he might have to offer up his own soul to make up the difference.

You understand how the Megacorporation works better than I do, don’t you?”

Scott stood frozen.

Cerebrain soul cores… Soul Transformation… Soul modification tech…

These were secrets far beyond his level as a mere enforcer.

He wanted to argue further—but the sheer instinct to survive forced him to shut his mouth.

He removed his personal terminal and tossed it into the trash.

Turning back with a gloomy gaze, he asked in a low voice:

“You said you could fix the cerebrain problem?”

“Of course.”

“I can put on a show for you. A massive assault staged by hundreds of energy users on the enforcer garrison in Catacomb No. 33. You, as the valiant officer, lead the defense—undaunted even against overwhelming odds.

During the chaos, your cerebrain gets disrupted by Lower City energy interference—but you grit your teeth, stand your ground, and repel the attackers single-handedly.

With that glorious record—one man fending off hundreds—even if your cerebrain is damaged, no one will dare punish you.

In fact, with the great purge coming soon, your feat might earn you even greater accolades.”

Scott couldn’t help but swallow hard.

Originally, he had hoped to incite chaos and let things spiral out of control—masking the cerebrain’s destruction in the confusion. But he never had full control of the situation, and couldn’t predict how it would turn out.

Even if everything went smoothly, it still carried great risk.

But with Lu Yan’s plan—with both sides coordinating—the danger would drop significantly.

And with the purge approaching, defeating hundreds of energy users alone would be headline-worthy. The cerebrain issue might genuinely be buried beneath the glory.

Scott shuddered. After a long silence, he gritted his teeth and asked:

“What do you want in return?”

Lu Yan chuckled softly.

“Simple. I want advanced compiler knowledge.”

“Impossible!” Scott blurted out instinctively.

But realizing he still needed Lu Yan’s help, he quickly explained:

“You don’t understand how strict the knowledge lockdown is. Every item sent to the Lower City undergoes deep data scans. Anything suspected of containing forbidden info gets confiscated. The carrier gets sent straight to Paradise.”

Lu Yan’s voice drifted in like mist:

“But what does that have to do with me?”

The ghost hovered silently, and Lu Yan’s tone grew increasingly ethereal.

“I believe someone as capable as Officer Scott… can find a way.”

Scott fell silent.

After a long pause, a flicker of resolve flashed in his eyes. He walked back to his desk and began tapping rapidly on the virtual terminal interface.

“Two days from now, a transport vehicle will pass through the Lower City. Its mission is to deliver a batch of criminals to the Paradise Computing Center to serve as soul resources.

Among these prisoners… one is charged with trafficking forbidden knowledge.

In the batch he tried to sell—there’s a copy of advanced compiler knowledge.”

(End of Chapter)