"How much?"
"Hmm?" Borei was slightly taken aback. Bai Mu's overly direct opening left him momentarily stunned. Then he smiled. He preferred this straightforward approach when dealing with dangerous items like bio-viruses.
"That depends on what it is. The Disposal Bureau won't let anyone waste their time. Only a small number of the 'controlled items' obtained by the Dreamwalkers will be forcibly recalled, and the Disposal Bureau will provide corresponding compensation when they are recalled."
Borei felt a pang of melancholy. He was a mid-level agent, but his experience in the Disposal Bureau was considerable. He knew about some of the things that had happened there, not just in Rota City, but in other places as well.
Therefore, Borei wasn't surprised when Bai Mu asked about the bureau's reputation.
Different places, different people, and different Disposal Bureaus couldn't be generalized.
Some things did indeed require forced recall, but some people had tried to exploit this to forcibly seize things from the Dreamwalkers, causing quite a stir.
Then they encountered something that truly needed to be forcibly retrieved, but due to a lack of trust, the Dreamwalker detonated it.
This detonation wasn't immediate; rather, the local processing station encountered strong resistance during the forced retrieval process. The Dreamwalker, possessing the dangerous item, was hunted down, and finally, driven to desperation, he took the item to the vicinity of the processing station and detonated it…
The explosion was extremely powerful, causing massive casualties. Some of those who profited under the guise of forced retrieval died, and the rest were severely frightened.
After that, such incidents became rare. Forced retrieval still occurred, but the system was always designed to ensure that those involved suffered significant losses, otherwise, people pushed to the limit might do anything.
It's like how some crimes can result in life imprisonment without the possibility of commutation, but there's no death penalty, precisely to prevent those held hostage from encountering further unforeseen circumstances.
Of course, if these criminals encounter someone even more powerful, no one would feel sorry for them if they were all wiped out.
Since Bai Mu was after profit, things became much simpler. When facing someone with a bio-virus, Bo Lei's biggest worry was that they'd spout nonsense, talking about unrealistic ideals, grudges, and such.
Just tell me how much they want!
If Bai Mu had a Gatling gun, Bo Lei wouldn't be here… how could that compare to a bio-virus?
"Bio-virus, and research data on the bio-virus, these things, and some firearms."
"The Dreamwalkers can keep the firearms, but the bio-virus and research data are different. While those items don't necessarily need mandatory retrieval, their whereabouts must be clearly identified."
"Are you guys that careless?" Bai Mu was somewhat surprised. The bio-virus was quite powerful, yet mandatory retrieval wasn't required?
Bo Lei smiled helplessly: "Mandatory retrieval applies to items, but it also depends on the person. If a Dreamwalker has a criminal record, even items that don't need mandatory retrieval will be forcibly retrieved, and the person will be taken in as well."
With a criminal record, why not stay in jail instead of dealing with dangerous goods like a pest? Instead of direct humane annihilation, those people can sometimes still be useful, such as filling in the gaps in certain alternate dreams.
In other words, do reputable dream walkers avoid this problem?
Does he count as reputable?
"Mr. Bai Mu, you handled the out-of-control alternate dreams very well, minimizing the leakage of the virus. So even if you found other 'buyers' while dealing with the virus, as long as the Alternate Dream Processing Bureau has a record, it's fine."
Bai Mu felt that the local Alternate Dream Processing Bureau's management seemed a bit lenient? Since it's a special department, show some of your unreasonableness! Being so easy to talk to has made his preparedness go weak.
"Wait for me here, I'll go get something." "No problem, we'll wait here for an hour." Borre didn't stop Bai Mu, letting him leave.
He then ordered a low-alcohol drink and clinked glasses with Ailer: "Well done, this matter can finally be considered closed."
"I was just lucky to find him at the Disposal Bureau's entrance."
"Is that so?" A hint of surprise flashed in Borre's eyes, then he took another sip of his drink; even the taste of the drink seemed better in his good mood. "It seems this Dreamwalker doesn't have much trust in the Disposal Bureau."
The other party clearly wanted to contact the Disposal Bureau, but gave up for some reason, and what was that reason… it was simply a matter of trust. It's
like some people who have suffered losses in certain matters; when they encounter similar situations again, even if it's true, they will still have a preconceived suspicion.
Again, although the Disposal Bureaus in different places do the same work, their styles differ depending on the location.
"What I'm curious about is why the bio-virus isn't subject to mandatory recycling?" Ailer changed the subject. Opportunities to chat with Borre like this were rare, so he wanted to take the opportunity to learn more about the Disposal Bureau.
"Initially, mandatory recall was required, but that was changed later. Those viruses are indeed very dangerous, but if used properly, they can also have benefits. So far, the processing bureau in Rota City has collected five types of bio-viruses."
Eller was shocked: "So many!?"
"And that's only those that have been discovered; there are many more that haven't been discovered."
Eller suddenly felt that the world he lived in was very dangerous!
Borei continued, "You and Matt are the beneficiaries of this bio-virus outbreak. It's very difficult for ordinary people to deal with the Dream Incident.
Especially when some Dream Incidents bring about large-scale Dream Erosion, ordinary people don't even qualify to be cannon fodder. Humanity needs more power, and the power you have gained through virus enhancement is just the beginning."
While chatting, Bai Mu returned to the bar with the items.
Looking at the box he was holding, Eller was stunned: "Wasn't this blown up by Thorn?"
"I got this after I drove away from the Otherworld."
Eller found it amazing, but Borre didn't seem too surprised. He told Eller, "Dream Eclipse will bring things out of the Otherworld. Those things aren't limited to what you carried when you left; other things might appear... including some monsters!"
Borre's expression turned serious at this point. He didn't continue, but instead opened the combination lock box and looked inside. The box was full of viruses and vaccines.
Borre closed the box and then looked at the storage disk that White Curtain had brought.
While examining it, he had already analyzed some information.
The Dream Walker in front of him could be trusted for now; there was nothing wrong with what White Curtain brought, especially the vaccines.
Including the vaccines in the box, White Curtain should have six vials of vaccine, one of which was used on the zombie Thorn, and the rest White Curtain brought.
(End of Chapter)