Li Pan felt a twinge of fear. The little boy in front of him was obviously a freshly animated corpse—no lividity, a neat bullet hole in his forehead that let you see straight into the pulp. The Whirlpool Gang weren't crazy enough to kill kids; he'd likely been taken by a stray round. This was clearly just a shell.
Which meant the thing inside was the same giant infant who'd glare-killed 01044.
Seriously—how do you just run into a final boss like this? And you come up to me to swear fealty? Trying to get me killed?
If he had a Key in hand, Li Pan might try to struggle. But his plug-ins had expired, and he couldn't even sense the other's power level. He could only try polite conversation.
"Wow—so your ambition is to conquer the world. Grand! I wish you success. But, uh… Brother Duan, can you pull that off alone?"
Duan Kecheng said, "Of course not alone. This disciple came ahead to scout. Once our Altar Master arrives with the army, we'll dominate this realm and establish our sect's sub-altar."
Li Pan nodded quickly. "Ah, so a whole army will follow—got it. And after you dominate this realm, then what?"
"Conquer the next," Duan answered without hesitation.
Li Pan choked. "No, I mean—after you conquer Earth, what exactly do you do here?"
Duan scratched his head, fingers finding a skull fragment at his nape; he plucked it free and flicked it away. "What else? Preach the faith. Build sub-altars. Select converts and disciples. Teach our sect arts. Cultivate our town-guarding divine skill… and then—go conquer more realms!"
Li Pan sighed. "So, bottom line, you'll conquer the world. If you don't start any purges, we can live with that… What's the package like on your side?"
Duan brightened. "Our Sacred Sect is famed for teaching all without discrimination, promoting by merit, rewarding achievements, and punishing strictly. Our influence spans the heavens—first among the Three Great Factions, our momentum unmatched. Divine arts, secret methods, treasures, spirit beasts—we have them all. Across the myriad worlds—we alone are supreme—"
Li Pan cut him off. "Okay, okay, your sect's awesome, I get it. I mean: how do you treat ordinary humans who aren't your disciples? Blood sacrifices? Lifetime slavery?"
Duan shook his head. "Mortals here are too weak. Their spirit-sense is worse than a mountain sparrow's. They can't even mint inferior coins. I drifted three lifetimes before finding a vessel barely usable.
"And at a glance, this world's qi is barren and filthy. Plants and spiritual birds are on the brink of extinction. Even if we set up an altar, I wouldn't take the post. We'd still need to hurry off and conquer other realms."
Li Pan narrowed his eyes. "Really? You're not planning to destroy Earth and wipe out humanity?"
"Why would I exterminate the human race?" Duan looked puzzled. "I just want to earn formal status in the sect by conquering this realm, take high-grade assignments, and—by merit—redeem a Blood Register Heavenly Tome so I can cultivate our supreme art. If humans are gone, what do I reincarnate into? What do I use for cultivation?"
"…That actually makes a weird kind of sense," Li Pan muttered. "So you conquer the world mostly to cultivate? Nothing else?"
"Not only that. Depends on the resources here. The locals seem adept at mechanical contraptions—novelties of little intrinsic use, perhaps, but curiosities nonetheless. We can sell them to the Demon Factions and Devil Mountains in exchange for cultivation resources—pills, talismans, materials—then go into seclusion."
"Oh? So you still plan to hire people to work? How many hours a day? What's the pay?"
"I'm new here," Duan said. "What is the local labor code? Elder, enlighten me."
Li Pan proposed, "How about six days on, one off, eight hours a day, five days of paid vacation a year? With those benefits, people will welcome your sect with open arms."
Duan did some finger math and gasped.
"Elder, squeezing mortals like that offends Heaven. Even beasts couldn't endure it.
"My family's ox refuses to pull a plow for a full watch. You want four watches a day? Only five days' rest a year? You're forcing them to revolt.
"Too heartless. Too cruel. We must reconsider… reconsider!"
"…"
Seeing Li Pan's face fall, Duan quickly changed the subject. "Our sect cares little for mortal trappings. So long as offerings suffice. Chasing pleasures distracts from the Dao.
"We do require regular boys and maidens as vessels for disciples' reincarnation."
At last, the word Li Pan expected. He actually felt relieved.
"So, yeah, outer-realm cultivators still want sacrifices. Figures. How many?"
Duan shook his head. "Qi is so thin here and roots so poor that across a sixty-year cycle, if we can select a hundred Dao seedlings, we're fortunate."
"What? A sixty-year cycle? A hundred? Less than two per year?"
…Honestly, that sounded tolerable. The NCPA "accidentally" shot more than that daily.
Li Pan was speechless. "Well… Brother Duan, then I wish you swift victory and unification of… the Three Realms and beyond?"
Duan thumped his chest. "Thank you, Elder! Rest easy—even if our sect founds a branch here, you may cultivate freely. This disciple will guard you until you awaken your past-life soul. When that day comes, please guide me."
Li Pan glanced at his belly—no reaction from the Blood Hand—then smiled. "A trifling matter. Brother Duan, you're easygoing, upright, and pleasant to talk to. Feels like we've known each other forever. Why not become sworn brothers?"
Duan was moved. "Aiya! How could I presume—"
"Presume away!" Li Pan beamed. "Fate brought us together. You're new to Night City; I know the place well. I'll show you around—hell, I'd love to help you conquer the world right now!"
"Many thanks, Big Brother!" Duan exclaimed.
"You're welcome, Little Brother!"
There in the morgue, they bowed eight times and became sworn brothers.
"Such a joyous day," Duan said. "Brother, wait here while I fetch wine and meat!"
His jaw yawned open; his human skin shed like clothing. A dripping scarlet silhouette leapt from his mouth and whooshed out through the door crack.
Li Pan blanched. Holy— He spun for the bike to bolt.
Before the engine even caught, the blood-shadow snapped back, planted itself before him, and shoved a fist-sized heart into his hands.
"Brother! Please partake!"
Li Pan sucked a breath. The thing was still hot. And huge.
"What is this? Was this even human?"
Duan spread his hands. "A local monster, unknown to me. But its blood-qi was the richest. Perfect for our blood-oath. I brought it. Brother, please!"
…Please, my ass.
Li Pan stared at the heart, swallowed.
A foul wind stirred; the shed skin floated back onto Duan like a coat. He smiled in human shape. "Don't be shy, Brother. You first."
"I—alright. I'll… eat."
He bit and swallowed.
Duan winced. "Raw? Blood-and-fur—that's uncouth."
Li Pan just looked at him and handed the heart back.
Your turn, chatterbox.
Duan inhaled—the heart shrivelled to ash in his hand. A surge of blood-mist condensed into a crimson thread and poured into his mouth.
Red light flashed in his eyes; color flushed his face. The bullet hole visibly closed.
"Wow," Li Pan breathed. "What technique is that?"
"You don't even know the Blood-Sip Soul-Feast Art?" Duan blinked. "No wonder your cultivation is so poor—you haven't awakened your past-life soul."
He flicked his fingers. All the corpses in the morgue desiccated at once, collapsing into empty skins, while their blood-essence gathered into a crimson haze and streamed into Duan's nose and mouth.
In an instant, Li Pan felt the sky fill with blood-qi transmuted into terrifying Dao power—a volcanic eruption. From a mere shell, Duan became Apostle-class on the spot.
"Sss—h-how is that even allowed? Didn't you feel the world's restriction?"
Li Pan was genuinely stunned. He'd seen power like this—Li Qingyun could shake the heavens when he cut loose—but in this world, cultivation was capped.
Duan laughed. "Heaven's shackles are troublesome, not unbreakable. I have achieved Blood-Shadow Divine Movement—I step outside the Three Realms and beyond the Five Elements. Petty Heavenly Dao can't bind me.
"Once I restore my base and complete the Blood God Son Method, I'll split the sky by force—shatter this realm's Dao and open the gate for our army! I'll need your help then as well—hmm?"
He cocked his head west, as if hearing something, and smiled. He gathered his boiling blood-qi in one hand; it condensed into a vermilion coin—round sky, square earth.
"I sense a fated chance—perhaps my tribulation has arrived! No more pleasantries. Take this Blood Zhu Coin; in mortal peril, use it, and I will come."
Li Pan had barely taken the coin when—whoosh—Duan launched skyward and vanished into the smog.
"…Am I dreaming?"
Outside, Whirlpool guards averted their eyes, stealing reverent peeks at the man who'd just walked out of the morgue gnawing a heart.
So yes—in a random side quest, Li Pan had stumbled into the giant-baby boss Duan Kecheng and sworn brotherhood with him.
What a mess… ptoo, ptoo.
Unfortunately, with the corpses drained, Li Pan couldn't find Akiyama Masako. He went to wait for Ayako at the gate.
Ayako returned on time, dejected—clearly empty-handed.
"Look on the bright side," Li Pan said. "Maybe your mother's still alive."
"Alive and totally silent? You believe that?" she shot back.
He spread his hands. "Maybe dead. Or maybe her comms are blocked. People need hope. I have an employee whose son went missing—she's still searching."
Ayako sighed, swung onto the bike, and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Let's go. Swing by the NCPA. I filed a report yesterday—maybe there's news."
"Heh. Don't waste your time. You're not middle class anymore—you're bankrupt class. They'd be more motivated to find a Skyman's lost dog than your mom."
She pinched him hard.
He glanced back at the fortress. "No trouble inside? Notice anything odd—manpower, weapons?"
"Whirlpool everywhere," she said. "They seem to be prepping something big. No one paid me any mind. Lots of weapons. Looks like a team raid coming."
Of course. On the way in, Li Pan had noticed—thanks to the Company's recent mess, Security Bureau staff had fled to space, NCPA was shorthanded, and the cordon around the Zone had slackened. If the Whirlpool didn't seize the chance to raid the city, pigs would fly.
"Come on. Don't go back to that dump of an apartment. Do security at my factory tonight—I've got a lot of goods, and I'd rather the bastards don't rob me."
They returned to Panlong Construction. Orange was unloading a second crate. She raised an eyebrow at Li Pan's getup and the delinquent girl in tow.
"Li, if you're bored, I could use an extra pair of hands."
"Already hired one," Li Pan grinned. "Ayako, take Orange's orders."
Ayako shrugged, rolled up her sleeves, and strapped on an exo-frame. "I want three months' salary in advance."
"Done." He transferred the money on the spot.
Orange just shook her head at the boss's taste.
Li Pan was about to join the two in some "heavy lifting" when a call came in.
Akiyama Masako.
He narrowed his eyes, glanced at Ayako—still hauling boxes—and gave Orange a look. Then he stepped into a back room and opened the encrypted line.
"Yeah?"
No video—only Masako's voice.
"You're looking for me, Manager Li?"
Li Pan squinted. "…Amakusa Shirō?"
"Got your money ready?" 'Masako' chuckled.
"Short a bit," he said.
"A little short, or a lot?" she teased.
"Close enough. You ready on your end?"
"Heh. Faster than I expected. Then let's trade—today."
"Today?" He frowned.
A light laugh. "Thanks to your Company's mess, the fleet's auditing battle losses. I can slip our cargo into the numbers and move it out for you.
"Wind's tight. Security's calling for reinforcements. Later will be harder. Miss this window, there won't be another. You in or out?"
The video feed popped on: a HAYABUSA-class reconnaissance cruiser bridge. Holographic ship I/O. Cutting-edge for Takamagahara—WARP only 12c, but stealth and decoy fields intact. Parked in near-Earth orbit, auto-nav set to the orbital spaceport.
In war, cruisers detached for solo long-range ops; recon cruisers jumped into enemy space, dodging scans for intel—more submarine than cruiser.
In peace, perfect for smuggling.
"I'm in," Li Pan said.
"Then buy—or rent—a cruiser hangar slot yourself," 'Masako' said. "About 1.5 million a month. Send me the coordinates. We'll deliver by auto-nav.
"Wire the payment to the Akiyama Dojo account. Don't worry—we'll close it after. It'll look like bankruptcy liquidation. Tax office won't bother you."
No wonder the Akiyamas had "gone bankrupt" out of the blue.
"I've got eighty million cash. The rest—installments."
Her tone chilled. "Are you ****ing with me?"
He snorted. "Who knew you'd drop this on me today? Take it or leave it."
A pause—then a low laugh. "Heh… fine.
"Manager Li, we'll be doing business for a long time. To build trust, I'm sure you won't default."
He narrowed his eyes. The first transfer of eighty million—that was the riskiest part. She could just ghost him.
But… trust.
He stared out at Ayako working. "You never intended to let Masako live, did you?"
A cold snort. "Joking? You want me to let you breadcrumb your way to us?"
"Fair. Bargaining with tigers never ends well."
"Not your concern," she said, amused. "Do you know how much the Divine Palanquin cost us? Those Akiyama wastes couldn't guard a tomb. Failure has consequences.
"Even if I didn't act, Takamagahara would come for them over the Demon King Project. They were dead either way."
Li Pan thought, then said, "Leave the daughter to me. Wiping out a family is bad karma. Leave a survivor—always good to keep a line open."
'Masako' laughed. "You're amusing, Li Pan. Deal."
"Deal."
Li Pan rented a hangar slot for 1.5 million from his personal account and wired 80 million from Panlong Construction to the dojo.
'Masako' keyed his bay into the nav, killed the feed, and hung up.
In the suffocating quiet that followed, about ten minutes later, a ping came from the spaceport. His gut unclenched.
His first starship—a HAYABUSA recon cruiser—had entered his bay.
He checked balances. Panlong had under 4 million left; his personal account just over 500k. Debts north of 50 million.
Money was hard.
Before he could process the emptiness of dropping 81.5 million, K called.
"Yo—"
"What did you just do!?" K snapped.
"W-what? You knew already?"
"You did do it!? Is your Company looking to start a war!?"
"Company?" He blinked, then hurriedly snapped a pic of a genuine Fabius leather sofa—fresh from a blind-box haul—to prove his innocence.
"No, I just skimmed a little. Everyone's skimming. I didn't start anything."
"Not you… then who…" K muttered.
"K! What happened?"
"Don't go outside."
She cut the line.
Great—half a sentence. Infuriating. Eighteen!
Eighteen wailed, on the verge of tears. "Boss—! It's over—crash! Total crash! We're wiped!!"
"…"
Minutes ago, 0791's black money market had gone into freefall—ballistic, straight down.
Serious? Sure. He'd lost… a few million at least. But money could be re-earned. That's not what K meant…
Then, unexpectedly, another contact lit up.
That lover—ahem—Elder Yulia.
He hesitated. He'd meant to hang up, but he remembered the ghost-woman's scent and, against his better judgment, answered.
"Yo?"
"Manager Li, you have forgiven me, yes? I apologized."
On video, Yulia—low-cut sleepwear, trembling, panicked.
"What is this? Fine, forgiven. Buzz off."
Yulia brightened, sidled closer to the cam. "Then… will you support me as the new Prince? One word from you and the Council will fall silent."
Li Pan's face did a perfect confused-old-man meme. "You're canvassing me for a princely seat? Not my business. Ask your Grand Duchess."
"Oh." Yulia flicked her hair lightly. "She's dead."
…What!?
"I heard something ripped out her heart."
Yulia filed her nails, blew the dust.
"Probably a werewolf."
.
.
.
⚠️ 30 CHAPTERS AHEAD — I'm Not a Cyberpsycho ⚠️
The system says: Kill.Mercs obey. Corporates obey. Monsters obey.One man didn't.
🧠💀 "I'm not a cyberpsycho. I just think... differently."
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