What a sunny day. As Ryan drove to the ship's graveyard and shroud's warehouse, he was very pleased with himself. The messenger has a gut feeling that this time everything will be fine.

"I think you're my lucky charm, my friend," Ryan told the ghoul. "It's like a rabbit's foot, or a four-leaf clover. I should have left you a long time ago. ”

The bodyless skull of the psychopath hung from the rearview mirror with a rope and stared at him.

Surprisingly, Ryan convinces the private security guard to keep the psychopath to himself for less than it would cost him to lock him up. He guessed that feeding a prisoner would be much more expensive than ignoring a vigilante.

Like all loops, Wyve

Visited him, although this time she sounded a little less enthusiastic, for some terrible reason. She also insisted that he send the ghoul to safety as a sign of trust — and for his own safety. Vulcan then used her own recruits to place him firmly on the Road to Augustus.

So far so good.

Ryan stopped in front of the warehouse, grabbed the ghoul with his fist, and got out of the car. "I'm going to kill you." The ghoul roared. "I'm going to kill you, I swear—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Ryan whistled and fiddled with his skull. He looked through the window of the warehouse, and saw neither the server nor the friendly neighbor assassin. If he does not have absolute confidence in his abilities, the Courier may mistake the events of the previous cycle for feverish dreams.

This time Ryan didn't break down the door, but knocked on the door, with the ghoul's disgusting skull under his armpit.

"Hey, can you let me in? I've got a problem with my windows!" Ryan shouted. "Repair the Shroud, or replace it?"

He waited for a full minute, and the door finally opened, with a glass man and waiter standing on the other side. "How do you know?" The carnival member asked, looking around as if expecting a hidden camera.

"Oh, I'm alone, my Mardi Gras friend!" Ryan said, then showed him the skull. "Except for the ghoul miracle here, but it's a package deal. Like Dresden and Bob, or Laurel and Hardy. ”

"Get in." Ryan walked in, the Shroud closing the door behind them.

This time, the genome is still fully visible, perhaps believing that the courier does not know the trick. He sat in a chair, and on the screens of several computers displayed a map of New Rome with multiple locations marked. Most seem to be the fronts of Augustus, like the places of Bacuto and Renasco. Next to the keyboard is a cup of chamomile tea.

"Hurry up, how do you know?" The Shroud asked again, skipping polite remarks and concentrating on business.

"You can't ask the magician to show his tricks," Ryan replied, glancing at the cup. "Like this: tea."

He shakes the ghoul's head in front of the teacup until the skull spews out a puff of white mist. The liquid cools and ice cubes appear on the surface.

"Iced tea".

"A true genius." Sh

Oud replied with heavy sarcasm, even though he didn't touch the drink.

"He also works with refrigerators, which is environmentally friendly."

"I'm going to rape you, you lunatic!" Ghouls are entangled. "I'm going to kill you and rape you while your body is still hot!"

"You deserve this, bastard," replied the glass manipulator, completely unsympathetic to the psychopath's situation. "According to my files, you killed at least 17 people."

"Only 17 years old?" The madman laughed and began to brag. "I killed hundreds of people!" Hundreds!"

He also sounded proud. You might think that the ghoul wouldn't brag about his death toll in his current position, but that's not the case. The Shroud looked at the psychopath with indifferent contempt, then turned to Ryan. "What do you want me to do with him?"

"Ah, of course I interrogated him!" Ryan said, stroking the back of the ghoul's head. "Is that right, Sclinton?" Will you tell us everything about that big bunker that your Big Bad boss wants?"

"A bunker?" The Shroud immediately asked with interest.

"Shh Beep you!"

"Shut up, minion." Ryan replied, then slapped the ghoul.

"You slapped me!" The talking skeleton grumbled. "-" slapped you

Ryan slapped him again, and the madman glared at him angrily and humiliatingly. "Adam can do worse than anything you can do to me"

"Oh, really?" Sh

Oud accepted the challenge, removing a piece of glass from his armor and shaping it into a thin needle. The object floats right in front of the psychopath's skull, wrapping itself around his left eye. "If you don't tell me everything, that needle will get into your eye and then into your brain. Slowly, painfully. Then I'll do another one. ”

"I survived the decapitation, slut." The ghoul replied, unmoved. He watched intently as the weapon got closer and closer, without hesitation.

Ryan sighed and placed his hand on the Shroud's shoulder. "What? The glass operator asked, the needle stopping as soon as it reached the cornea, "Do you think he's unworthy?"

"I know you want to play Jack Ball, but that's not how you torture psychopaths," Ryan replied, scourcing through his trench coat as he placed the undead's skull in the corner of the table.

When the messenger pulls out a bottle of green potion in a perfume-like container, the ghoul's eyes change from confidence to fascination. Dy

AMIS's logo is affixed to it, next to the name of the mixture.

"Hercules' imitation of the elixir, made by Dinamis," Ryan said in the ad, hanging it in front of the ghoul. The skull tried to bite it with its teeth, but, apparently, he could not do it without legs. "Do you like it?" I bought it this morning. It gives you superhuman strength and stamina, and I've heard it feels like drinking a liquid orgasm. ”

"Give it to me!" The ghoul roared, and his addiction worked. "Give it to me!"

"Uh, that's a taboo for quadriplegics," Ryan taunted him. "I think I'm going to have to flush it down the toilet."

"Your monster!" Psychopaths sound really freaked. "Don't you dare, do you know how much they're worth?"

"How much are they worth?" The Courier laughed wildly, scaring the ghouls. This made him laugh even harder, and the glass man watched the scene and fell silent uneasily. "Life is not about money!" It's about having fun!"

"You have to stop him!" The ghoul roars at the Shroud. "You, glass man!" You have to stop him! He's crazy! Crazy enough to do this!"

"I don't think I can restrain him unless you give me information," Sh

Oud replied, removing his needle and switching to Good Cop mode. "I barely had any control."

Ryan opens the bottle and lets the ghoul smell its scent, then tilts it to the side. Some of the products fell to the ground, and the undead let out a terrifying roar.

"Stop, stop!" The ghouls quickly succumbed. "There's a place down there in the dump!" One place!"

"A place?" Sh

oud asked disapprovingly, while Rya

It's been slowly spilling the product. "That's not enough!"

"A bunker, under the garbage tower!" The ghoul said, staring desperately at the elixir. "It's full of robots and laser turrets, and they shoot as soon as they see the genome!" That's what we came to New Rome for!"

This time, Ryan stopped spilling the fake on the ground, and he only kept half a bottle. The ghoul breathed a deep sigh of relief, which was strange because he had no lungs.

"What's in the bunker?" The Shroud asked, in a dangerous tone.

"Adam won't tell us." The ghoul replied, sounding very real. He only said a few. He didn't want the word to get out. ”

"So, you didn't know what was in there and rushed into a fortified place?" The Shroud was expressionless, but sounded increasingly interested. "Please forgive me if I find this sketchy."

"Adam knows best." The ghoul replied. "He's always been like that. He was fascinated by it. He said, what did he say, the future, right! Future! The automatic defense system sensed the genome and we lost some people, so Adam decided to send normal people in! Even if it's a dog!"

"Then another question," Ryan said. "How about you madmen who have a lot of elixir?"

"I don't know, okay!" The ghoul roared, and the shroud listened like an eagle stalking a dove. "Psyshock solved this problem for Adam. As long as we follow the rules, they regularly distribute counterfeit elixirs of life. If we don't obey or investigate, we will be cut off from supply. ”

"True elixirs are impossible to supply because they are rare." "They're from Dy

Amis?" If they were knockoffs, I would think so. ”

"Are you deaf?" I've already told you, I don't know! I don't care where the nectar comes from, as long as it's flowing!"

Ryan turned to the glass man, very proud of himself. "See?"

"I'll admit, it's worrying." "I'll look into it. Can I leave the ghoul interrogated?"

"Of course, I kept the rest of the body refrigerated in my trunk." Ryan laughed at his jokes, even more so when the ghoul cast a deathly look at him. "But I want you to give me an update on your progress. I promised someone that I would take Meta out of Rust Tow

I'm going to do it. ”

Sh

Oud tilted his head to the side, but didn't ask for details. At the same time, the ghouls became more agitated. "Give it to me now!" I told you everything!"

Ryan looked at the skull, at his cute little eyes. "Without weapons, there is no elixir."

The undead let out a roar of pain and rage, warming the Courier's heart and gloating. "Hope is like an egg for breakfast." He said to the Shroud, placing the fake on the other side of the table so that the ghouls couldn't reach it. "You can't start your day without crushing them."

Instead of responding, the Glass Man removes part of his glass armor and reshapes it into a jar in which the ghoul's skull is imprisoned. "Why are you telling me this?" What do you want in return?"

Ryan put his hands behind his back and leaned towards the shroud until their heads were only inches away. “Le

Where?"

The Glass Man did not immediately answer this question. His brain seemed frozen in place, unable to calculate Ryan's words. "It doesn't make sense." The Shroud finally spoke, shaking his head. "The question, the whole situation, doesn't make sense."

"What do you mean, Mr. Saint-Gobain?" I think that should be clear enough. ”

"It's clear, but you shouldn't ......" He seemed to have an epiphany moment. Can you really stop time with your abilities?"

Ryan didn't say anything.

"I've always wondered why you called yourself to help." "You seem to be particularly lucky that you always seem to know how things are going to turn out. It's as if the world will succumb to your whims. You're obviously crazy, but somehow, you always get out of the mess you've left behind. You know where I am, I didn't give you any hints, I'm interested in that madman's intelligence, I have the information you need. It can't be a coincidence, so it's not a coincidence. ”

"Oh?" Ryan looked at the Shroud curiously. "Please go on."

"You don't actually stop time," Sh

Oud argued. Instead, I think you'll peek into a variety of different realities and then pick one that works in your favor and overlays the current reality. Advanced reality manipulation. To outsiders, this transition is like a pause in time. ”

Ryan listened patiently to his gibberish. He had to admit that this was a reasonable theory, especially as far as the violet genome was concerned. Despite Sh

oud mistakenly thinks Rya

There is only one visible force, and not one power has multiple uses. The Courier decides to be careful in his next cycle to ensure that the glass manipulator never guesses the true nature of his abilities.

"So, am I right?" The vigilante asked.

"Who knows," the courier replied with a shrug. "But if you're right, of course you should take my advice. Also, bet on the T-Rex to win tonight, 'oranges in the coop'. ”

"Oranges in the chicken coop?" The Shroud asked, confused.

"If you remember these words, you're safe."

This confuses the genome and makes Ryan amused. Just as he pondered the question, Glass Genome turned to the keyboard and began typing. A map of the western and Tyrrhenian seas appeared on the screen, Sh

Oud put his finger on a spot that was about the same distance from New Rome, Sardinia and Sicily. "She's there."

"Vavilov Basin?" Ryan pondered, his heart beating faster.

"The deepest part of the Tyrrhenian Basin," glass genome confirmed. "She now calls herself a 'diver' and has an undersea base somewhere in the area, three kilometers below the surface."

Ryan gasped and connected the dots. "An undersea communist utopia."

"Do you think this is a new Kremlin?" The Shroud turned his head, surprised.

"She's a Marxist-Leninist," Ryan replied, completely dazed. In the end, he reached his goal. "How do I get in?"

"I don't know," replied the glass man, much to the disappointment of the courier. "Even with scuba equipment, the place is full of mutant fish and other dangers. I did not study it carefully, because she did not participate in the organization of Augustus, except for the supply and repair of their submarines. ”

"Wow, you told me everything."

The Shroud was stunned. "Yes,?"

If Ryan had known it would be easy, instead of attacking the movie studios or attending a seminar, he would have done it a long time ago!" I hope you don't intend to do anything bad with this information," the messenger said, changing the subject, "because if you're going to do anything to her, we're in trouble." ”

"My only targets are Augustus and Meta." "Although I suspect you already know that part. If I had targeted all the private contractors in the city, half of New Rome would have been destroyed, and she would have funded the orphanage in Rusty Town. She sent them food and money every week. I'm not going to attack people who are trying to change their lives. ”

Ryan froze, figuring out a few things. "The Powers are going to attack that place soon."

The shroud immediately taut. "Why?"

"You hear their bones, they need normal people to get into the bunker. Obviously, there are places that are too big for adults to climb into. ”

"So you can see another timeline." Sh

OUD saw this as confirmation of his theory, although he clenched his fists. "You're a false prophet, and you're helping me because it's the ideal situation."

"Don't be too arrogant, windshield."

"I'll take care of the orphanage," he said firmly. "As for finding your friends, I can't help much. The only people who kept in touch with her were Vulcans, as they were trading technology. I can look into it if you want. ”

"I don't think it's necessary, but thank you anyway" finally came the time for truth or dare. "You see, I've received invitations from Wyvern and Vulcan to join their respective organizations."

"Go on."

"I want you to stop the insane assassination of Augustus"

"Why would I do that?" Sh

Oud asked, his tone changing from cautious friendliness to nonchalant.

"Because if I infiltrate Augustus in your name, I don't want to be accidentally killed."

The vigilante was silent for a few seconds, digesting Ryan's words, and then laughed. "Did you know they have a truth-teller?"

"Luigi is my problem," Ryan replied, the vigilante a little surprised that he knew the name. "What you want is to weaken the Augustan Order, right?"

"Not a cripple." "Destroy it completely."

"This can be done without killing anyone," Ryan argued. "Most of their income comes from Bliss."

"Not all." "They interfere in everything. Prostitution, gambling, arms dealing, alcoholism, but Bliss was the cornerstone of their business and making money, yes. That's half of their income. ”

"Correct me if I'm wrong, all Bliss is from the super lab on their island."

"Yes." The Shroud confirmed. "I don't know why, but they can only produce this drug there. Perhaps they require specific genomic or environmental conditions. I haven't been able to get in, or even get close. The security measures are too tight. ”

"Okay, so be it," Ryan said, clasping his hands on his hips in Superman pose. "I'm going to destroy this lab for you and cripple their business!"

Still, the glass man is skeptical. "Assuming you succeed, this ...... Maybe reasonable...... What do you want me to do, ignore the criminal syndicates and kill people every day in the meantime?"

"You can't attack Augustus, especially Zambato, Chirp, or Orb." He could have had Luigi join the group, but Ryan didn't like him, and someone who told the truth could cause problems. "Obviously you're not going to chase me."

"The supply of Bliss that destroyed them was not enough to destroy this organization." "This, of course, weakens them, but we want to destroy Augustus' empire permanently."

"Yes, but if the Assassins target them, Augustus will be nervous and tighten the security around the lab." Ryan noted. "If they don't get early warning and focus entirely on Meta......"

The Messenger set the verdict aside, and the Shroud held hands to consider the offer. Frankly, this arrangement is good for him. Augustus and the Yuan Gang would kill each other without him having to risk being discovered, and there would be an agent within the Augustus Syndicate to provide him with information. By visiting Dy

AMIS servers, vigilantes can secretly infiltrate every organization in the city and repair entire boards.

"Three weeks," the vigilante said. "You've got three weeks to destroy that lab. After that, it's not my business, and I can't guarantee anything. ”

"And in whose hands will it be?"

The Shroud is as silent as a tombstone. Maybe he wants to know the limits of Ryan's abilities, or maybe he doesn't believe him yet.

Hopefully Ryan will be able to meet Ryan then, and that won't be his problem anymore. He doesn't care if there is a conflict between Augustus and Carnival, as long as he completes his perfect run. He might even do one more cycle, just to avoid saying any compromising words to the glass manipulators.

"No need to come back, I'll contact you," Sh

Oud said. "I'll keep you informed of Meta's investigations, and as for Augustus, you'll want to repay me as well. If you tell anyone about my existence, I'll know and the deal is canceled. ”

Transactions. Ryan held out his hand, and the Shroud shook. "When I say I wish we didn't see each other again, don't think I'm targeting you."

"We all know it's impossible." Without saying a word, the glass operator sent him away and returned to his screen and papers.

Ryan turned, walked to the door, and opened it.

“Quicksave ?” The Shroud called him from behind.

Ryan stopped at the door.

"I wish you all the best. You're doing good. Don't forget that. ”

Ryan didn't look back, waved at him, and closed the door casually. He glanced at the sea beyond the ship's graveyard, where Len was waiting for him.

Finally, the path to perfection is clear.