Lin Mo silently browsed through the communication, each word on the screen feeling like the devil documenting its own sins for amusement. Th
Lin Mo silently browsed through the communication, each word on the screen feeling like the devil documenting its own sins for amusement.
This wasn't just a catalog of wrongs; it was an extreme form of evil done for the sake of fun. Treating people as toys, commodities, and writing crimes so numerous that they couldn't be fully listed. Yet, none of it mattered to them; they wrote it down like a diary for enjoyment. When they had nothing to do, they'd come back and look at it, see how much they earned today, and feel happy as they continued their work. Perhaps, when they got caught up in the moment, they would even sing a song, filled with the joy of their harvest.
Lin Mo took a deep breath, calming the raging fire of anger within.
The air was filled with the smell of sourness and rust, yet there was none of the usual medical scent that came with surgeries.
He could imagine that these people, using the cheapest tools and the most cost-effective methods, stripped the victims of their useful cybernetics without a care for their screams or cries.
They probably didn't even hesitate to knock them unconscious with blunt instruments if they got annoyed.
Being knocked out or even killed, the victims might have even felt some strange gratitude toward them, as they no longer had to endure such pain.
"Do you know why the scavengers prefer to extract the cybernetics while the victims are still alive?" Sasha approached Lin Mo, leaning slightly to look at his face, and whispered heavily.
"Because they hold onto a belief that it's better to harvest the goods while they're freshest, as they're more potent, rather than extracting them when they're lifeless," she explained.
"That's nonsense. My belief of going to the bathroom once a day is cleaner than theirs," Lin Mo spat, feeling a burning frustration in his heart, but there was no one to strike.
Seeing the displeasure on Lin Mo's face, Sasha sighed, "It seems the person you wanted to save isn't here."
Lin Mo wasn't disheartened upon hearing this. He lightly exhaled, saying, "If she was really here, then I'd be out of options. Luckily, she isn't here. Maybe she's still alive."
"When was she captured?" Sasha asked.
Lin Mo lowered his head, thinking for a moment, then replied, "The day before yesterday, it's been about 48 hours now."
"A little late," Sasha said.
"Although we don't know why there's no one here for now, let's search the area first. Since this is the place where 'products' are made, the place where the 'raw materials' are stored should be nearby," Lin Mo analyzed.
Sasha nodded, sharing the same thought.
Having found the "slaughterhouse," the "breeding ground" should be close as well.
Sure enough, in a nearby room next to the processing area, they finally found the room where the scavengers held their victims.
Sasha found the room first. She seemed experienced with infiltration and searching, leading Lin Mo to the room ahead of him.
Lin Mo's left hand rested on the scabbard of his sword at his waist, and his right hand was on the hilt. His expression turned serious as he looked at the unremarkable electronic door in front of him. He turned to Sasha and asked:
"Is this the one?"
"I think so. The temperature inside this room is lower according to the scanner," Sasha pointed to her brilliant blue cyber-eye.
Lin Mo nodded, understanding the meaning behind her words.
Lower temperatures usually meant a better place for storing bodies.
He pushed open the door and entered first.
The room was quite messy. Judging by some of the leftover traces, it had previously been a storage room but was now converted into a prison for holding innocent people.
However, when Lin Mo saw the arrangement inside the room, his eyes turned cold, silently adding another line to the list of crimes these scavengers had committed.
People sometimes say, "The smaller the bird, the more complete its organs," referring to how small houses might still have all the essentials. But this room could be described as "The sparrow is small, but its organs are incomplete."
Once a storage room, the room wasn't very large.
The internal arrangement was "in perfect order." At first glance, there were only two things:
Several bathtubs filled with ice and ice water were placed on the left side, containing numerous lifeless bodies.
A few messy beds were placed on the right side, with people lying on them, their gazes dull, unsure if they were still alive.
...
This was Lin Mo's first time seeing such a scene. Even with his calm demeanor, he was shocked. He didn't take another step forward after entering the room, feeling as though the ground in front of him was a hellish path filled with endless lost souls.
Sasha, however, entered the room nonchalantly, patting his shoulder as she passed, pulling him back to reality.
Lin Mo glanced at Sasha's face. Like him, her cat-like eyes were now cold.
She said nothing, walking slowly to the old bed on the right side. Her eyes glowed with a cold light as she observed the room in the dim light.
The beds were larger double beds, not the bunk beds. Though they looked old, they were still large enough to accommodate three people.
Based on the target photo Lin Mo had sent her earlier, Sasha quickly found the woman among those lying on the bed, unable to discern whether they were alive or dead.
Without hesitation, Sasha pulled out a personal data cable and plugged it into the woman's interface.
After a moment, Lin Mo approached Sasha, raising an eyebrow at her actions.
Checking the data from someone's brain processor was an effective way to inspect their condition, but it also carried the risk of infecting them with a virus.
However, judging by Sasha's expression, it seemed she wasn't worried about that risk.
"How is she?" Lin Mo asked after waiting for a while.
Sasha calmly replied, "She's alive."
Lin Mo sighed in relief. "As long as she's alive."
"But the situation isn't optimistic. You should see for yourself."
Sasha carefully turned the woman over, and when Lin Mo saw the ghastly wounds on her back, his eyes widened in shock.
The woman was wearing only a plain, dirty apron. The scavengers had even taken her clothes. As Sasha turned her over, Lin Mo saw her delicate back and pale skin.
On the woman's waist were two rough surgical incisions. Due to the sloppy stitching, they were still leaking fluid, staining the skin.
"She's had both of her kidneys removed, and with post-surgical infection, her body is in a critical state," Sasha said coldly.
Lin Mo observed the woman's wounds closely, and a doubt began to stir in his mind.
Since the scavengers had already performed surgery on her, why had they gone through the trouble of stitching her up?
This didn't seem like the scavengers' usual behavior.
Even though the stitching was dangerously sloppy, at least it kept her alive a little longer.
But just barely.
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