It's a new day in the new Rome.

The sun has risen. Bullets flew everywhere. The rats are singing.

Standing on the balcony of Jamie's apartment in civilian clothes, Ryan holding a coffee cup in his right hand glanced at the rodents that occupied the area. Ki-jeong's rat seems to be doing some stretching motion, while Dawn rises over the horizon, showing incredible flexibility. They are adorable for giant mutant rodents.

But Ryan is a cat lover at heart, and he's in a bad mood.

He picked up his phone with his left hand and played the pre-recorded music he had prepared especially for the occasion. The terrifying sound of the cat's meow echoed through the apartment, scaring the rats and sending them into a frenzied panic. They immediately dispersed and hid under the couch.

"Ryan!" Ki, who was busy making breakfast, shouted from the kitchen. "Stop!"

"What? He asked innocently, and the rats glanced at Ryan after realizing his trick. "Listening to cat music is not forbidden!"

"I'm not forbidden to throw you off the balcony either!"

"What's going on?" Jamie came out of the bedroom wearing only a shirt and boxers. Without the armor, he reminded Ryan of a grizzly bear that had emerged from a cave. The first thing the thug did was kiss his girlfriend and then walked over to the courier on the balcony with his own coffee mug.

"Nothing," Ryan replied, hiding his phone. Ki-jeong's rats came out of their hiding place and gathered behind him, glaring at him. Seeing a dozen rats in that location might scare a normal person, but the courier just meows at them.

"You're incredible," Jamie replied, his eyes blinking, slowly waking up. A mouse jumps up and down the slope of a balcony, genome scratching its ears. "How are you feeling?"

"It's good to be whimsical."

"Ryan," Jamie looked him straight in the eye, "what do you really feel?"

Is he so bad at hiding? Ryan looked at the warm sun in the distance. "I don't feel anything."

"Anything, like ......"

"Nothing," Ryan replied with a sigh. "I feel empty."

To be precise, he felt like a man whose years of pursuit ended in a disastrous end. Ryan is looking forward to a happy reunion where everything will be well, while he finds more tears and sadness. Emptiness had been his natural state for years, and it wasn't until he learned that Ryan had survived that he found a new direction. His endless existence finally had a purpose.

But Ryan doesn't want Ryan to be in her life. Hell, she's worse than him.

"But I'm used to it," the courier replied optimistically. "It just means I have to find something to fill the void!"

Even the use of rats as a gimmick is to make him forget about Lun. He found that confusion and whimsical jokes were a welcome pastime when he was in a bad mood. Confusion energizes him, while introspection makes him feel stale and uneasy.

Jamie shook his head, then looked at the sun as well. "I'm sorry."

"What?"

"About your girlfriend. I'm sorry she broke your heart. ”

"I wasn't dumped," Ryan protested, as he clearly misunderstood the situation.

"I know rejection is painful," Zambato's reassuring him, allowing himself to sink deeper. "It doesn't matter. This happens to everyone. She's not for you, or it's not the right time. You're still young, and you'll find your other half. ”

For empty clichés, Jamie manages to make them sound inspiring. Maybe it's because he seriously wants to cheer him up.

"The worst part," Ryan said, didn't suppress himself and let out some frustration, "she's in pain, and I don't know how to help her." ”

His words seem to resonate with Jamie, who opens his mouth and says nothing, as if rehearsing his words in his head. He glanced at the rats and told them to go away. The rodents let out a vengeful scream at Ryan and ran off to the kitchen.

"You know, one day, a former friend and I found out that someone had overdosed. A homeless woman. "The rats couldn't hear Jamie, his voice was choppy." If we hadn't been there, she would have died. ”

Ryan could feel pure emotion in Jamie's voice, and he didn't say anything. It clearly comes from the heart.

"Even though she was discharged, I thought she was my responsibility. I tried to wash her up. It's hard. It's really hard. It took me months to deal with old illnesses, bad habits, and help her find a job...... A lot of my friends, they don't understand. They thought I was just wasting my time. There was no hope for her. But... But she didn't. It worked. It was tough, but she recovered. ”

Ryan glanced at the kitchen and Ki-jeong's shadow.

"People need time to heal," Jamie said. "As far as I know, the girl seems to have a deep scar. Don't give up, do your best, but don't beat yourself out either. ”

Ryan nodded, but didn't respond.

"I've talked to the others," Jamie said, swallowing his coffee without savoring it as Ryan does, "and we're going to organize a party at home next Thursday." Welcome to New Rome. ”

"Hugh Hefner party, or friendly housewarming party?"

"There are only genomes, and most of them are single."

"Then Hugh Hefner. Wait, are you going to betray me? Shall I pay the rent with my flesh and blood?"

"Don't worry about rent. However, everything that happens during the party will remain at the party. You can see ...... Strange stuff. "The more Jamie talked, the more awkward it sounded." These things will shock most people. I think you're very open-minded, but ...... I'm not sure how many. ”

With the genome having natural immunity to most diseases, including STDs, and the high threshold for drugs, Ryan has a pretty good idea of how this party is going to degenerate. "Oh, you know, there's no arrogance," the courier said with a smile, "I've seen everything." ”

"Good, good. Don't bring Bliss and the cat, you'll have to help clean up tomorrow morning. Jamie added firmly. Also, no matter what happens, don't get on the vampire. You can hook up with anyone, except her. ”

"A forbidden romantic road?" How can I resist?"

"Remind yourself that if you throw yourself into her arms, she's a damn succubus who will suck your blood dry," Jamie said, with a hint of disgust. "She's a nasty green."

"If you don't like her, why invite her?"

"She's part of an assassination team, and when she's not invited to a group event, she feels like it's against her personally. Trust me, it won't be so dramatic. ”

"Livia!" Ki shouted from the apartment. "Don't forget to tell him about Livia!"

"And Livia, thank you, dear!" Jamie shouted, then focused his attention on Ryan. "She's off-limits, I can't reveal the reason yet, but trust me. If you dare to touch her, you are dead. ”

Jamie doesn't know anything about reverse psychology, right?

．．．

No, the courier is not in the mood.

"I think I'll give up trying to go on a blind date," said Ryan, who was tired of romance. "I've had quite a few hookups."

"Really?" Jamie made no secret of his surprise. "I didn't expect you to be a partyiac. Or at least not that kind of thing. ”

"At some point in my life, my motto was 'try everything until you find the perfect one,'" Ryan explained. "But then, it became stale and superficial. It just does the same thing over and over again. ”

"I ...... I think I see what you mean. ”

"Also, why do you advocate that I fight for true love, and then you want to introduce me to someone else?"

"No," I said, "you can't give up helping your friend solve her problems, but if she's not interested, take the hint and look elsewhere for a partner." Jamie put his hand on Ryan's shoulder, filled with the radiant of a warm father. I know it's a bold attempt, but I'm sure you'll find someone at that party who will make you happy. That's all I hope for you. ”

Ryan turned and walked towards the apartment. “Ki-ju

g !”

She replied as she busied herself with lunch.

"If you don't marry this man, I'll marry him myself!"

"I don't share!" She replied with a blank face.

"I told you you have the same sense of humor as I do," Jamie said, placing a hand on Ryan's shoulder. Both genomes went back to the kitchen and put the empty cups in the sink.

By that time, Ki-jeong had already made a hearty brunch for her man and herself. However, she also handed Ryan a lunch box. "Here you go," she said. "Noon. It's bibimbap, I hope you like rice and vegetables. ”

"It's okay, I'm about to get a grain of sand—"

"Take it," she insisted, almost shoving the lunchbox into Ryan's arms. "Get to know the Vulcans, she won't let you leave her studio until she gets you to work to the bone."

Damn, these people are so good that they can't stand it. They were too good to him.

He grabbed his lunch box and prepared to go to work, but stopped in front of Lanka's bedroom. "Sleeping Beauty?" The courier knocked on the door. "It's the police, wake up!" Put your hands on your head!"

He heard a shout from behind the door and the sound of empty bottles falling on the floor. "Is it already three o'clock in the afternoon?"

“No.”

"Then get out of here."

Come to think of it, she didn't sleep until late. She may work the night shift.

After putting on the Quicksave costume, Ryan walked out of the house, put the lunchbox in the back seat, and drove out of Plymouth Fu

y。 Even at such an early age, traffic in New Rome was already frenzied, which reminded the couriers of the worst of the pre-war moments; Just after leaving the suburbs, he found himself in a difficult situation. The courier opened the window, turned on the radio, and when he found the song of the pink panther, he sang it himself.

"Uh-huh, h-h

He needs a cheerful song, especially after last night.

The disastrous ending of this party torments him all night, and he tries to find a way to help Ryan overcome her problems. Unfortunately, he hasn't seen yet, or at least not seen, something that won't make things worse. Ryan has gained some understanding of human nature through his cycles; His best friend seems to be too closed-off, and forcing himself into her life will only make things worse. She needs to reach out to someone else first.

But if not him, then who? Orphan? Does it fit?

His main mission ends in a disaster, and Ryan doesn't know what to do next.

Well, now that he's accomplished his main objective, the Courier can spend his time on side quests instead of starting a new cycle. He had promised different people that he would drive the superpowers out of Rust and blow up Augusti's super lab, and the Courier would keep his word.

Later, although ......

He didn't know. Lately, the search for Ryan has been the driving force of his life, a welcome break in his pointless wanderings. If he can't help her, then ......

No, he couldn't allow himself to think like that. There was a way around this, he just needed time to figure it out.

"Don't look back."

Ryan turned around in the back seat, but didn't see anything. "The Hulk is in the garden," he said. "The Hulk is in the garden."

Don't answer.

"You should have said a code," Ryan replied, looking back at the road. "What if I'm a shapeshifter?" You're going to reveal your identity. Frankly, you should leave the real work to the professionals. ”

"Oranges in the chicken coop?"

"Look, you're studying."

"How's your reunion with Ryan Sabino?" The Shroud asked, apparently sitting behind and unable to see anyone. The courier didn't know if he had waited all morning, just to surprise Ryan when he went to work.

"Are you peeking?" Ryan sighed. "It's not great, but I handle it like a champion!"

"I'm grateful that you didn't betray me after your goal was achieved," Sh

Oud replied, blatantly ignoring the question. "It makes me trust you more."

"Is there any real reason why you're coming to see me, or are you just scaring people out of principle?"

"You want me to keep you updated on the situation of the Superpower Gang, and you should report on the progress on your side."

"Don't you already know?" Ryan asked, being sure that the unseen bastard had been keeping a close watch on him. "I'm here."

"You've infiltrated Augustus, but not the right part of the organization," said the glass man. "The boss of the drug department is Bacchus, not Vulcan"

"The road to getting things done is often tortuous," Rya

In reply, he held up his finger and expressed his wisdom. "Sometimes, you have to wait for the right opportunity."

"Like your party?" The Shroud mused. "I'll wait a little longer, but the agreement ends without meaningful progress."

God, as an infiltrator, he's not sensitive to those naked threats. "And what about our psychopathic friends?" Ryan changed the subject. "Did you clean up the garbage?"

"They have sensors, early warning systems, or maybe prophets." The Shroud sighed. "Whenever I got too close to the dump, they would send a heavy soldier to chase me. Neither stealth nor camouflage will help. ”

"Well, there are no secret missions. What else?"

“Psyshock.”

"Didn't you deal with him?" Ryan asked, remembering his earlier message.

"Yes. More than once. ”

Ryan looked at the streetlights. "Regenerators are annoying, aren't they?"

"Yes." Then that invisible bastard dropped the bomb. "But there aren't as many photocopiers."

Ryan didn't move.

"I tried to catch him in the orphanage," Sh

"But instead of becoming a prisoner, he committed suicide." ”

Impossible. The only thing that can be as strong as the addiction of the mentally ill is their survival instinct. Especially old games like Psyshock, which have been around for over a decade. Unless...

"You said they sent a punch to catch you," Ryan guessed. "Including him?"

"Including mental shock, its original wreckage is still in my hands." The visor of the shroud is temporarily visible, reflecting the light of dawn. "This situation reminds you of another person."

in the blood.

Lunn's father has an incredibly terrifying cloning ability that is both terrifying and effective. This made him almost invincible over the years, until Fiesta tracked down all his doubles and managed to stop him from replicating. Psyshock has seen what it does. Does this motivate him?

"If his copy is the same as blood...... Ryan followed, his hands gripping the steering wheel. This is my personal opinion. ”

"I can't confirm," Sh

OUD replied. "But I think you should know. If you learn anything new, please let me know. ”

"Otherwise, I'll send the pieces over," Ryan replied. "Anything else?"

"Bacchus, alias Andreas Tokker, is blue," Sh

Oud explained. "He can drive others crazy with visions and hallucinations, although I don't know what triggers his powers. Be careful with him. I don't know much about him personally, except that he was an excommunicated pastor. He rarely leaves the Super Lab, only visiting Augustus. If you want to join this department, you need to find him through an intermediary. ”

"Great, a new chain of tasks. I don't think I'm going to be rewarded for that, am I?"

Don't answer. The courier turned his head and touched the back seat with his hand, feeling nothing. I don't even have a business card.

Await.

That bastard stole the lunch box!