Steelbull City's medical standards are higher than Earth's.
Like I said before, hands-on experience is the best teacher for doctors. Every single day, countless people get hurt in Steelbull City—and we're talking serious injuries. Buckets of cash flood into the hospitals, waves of patients pour in, and honestly, it'd be weird if the medical standards didn't go up. Breaking an arm or limping around? Not a big deal here. Just toss yourself into the treatment pod and take a lap. Only those with major injuries, big status, or even bigger wallets get the luxury of a hospital stay.
In a private medical facility, inside a VIP ward, Cake Dog was lying quietly on the bed. Back on the plane, Jill Young had landed a flying kick at insane speed—Cake Dog nearly lost his life right then and there. If his beefy body hadn't been so sturdy, and if he hadn't turned slightly away from the door, it wouldn't have just been his throat that got crushed; his whole head might've been kicked clean off.
But no matter what, Cake Dog survived. After seven days of intensive repair, he could finally open his eyes.
Right in front of him, the Syndicate was puffing on a cigar. Two fox girls pulled out their phones and started playing the news. On screen, Jill Young was rocking her 'Male Enchanter' outfit, giving a speech and announcing she'd join the Reliable Adventure. At the end, she flashed a peace sign at the camera, her smile bright as sunshine.
Cake Dog glared, veins bulging, panting hard. He didn't scream—his mouth was still plugged with a tube. But he managed to squeeze out one word from deep in his throat: "Kill!"
"You don't have to say it—I want to catch her and humiliate her too. Get a hundred muscleheads to gang up on her, then toss her into Turbulence Den and sell her off citywide for cheap. But," Syndicate took a drag and blew smoke in Cake Dog's face, "first, we need to find that rat. Send your paparazzi gang to dig up everything about this Reliable Adventure. Track down that woman."
Cake Dog nodded and picked up his phone to start texting.
Syndicate turned and left—he knew he wouldn’t have to wait long. The Syndicate Group wasn’t originally a gang, but it still had three major gangs backing it up. He couldn’t do without their muscle, and they couldn’t do without his money. After years of working together, he became the boss, running the whole show, even rising to lead the Morningstar. Cake Dog’s Paparazzi Gang might not be as tough as Morningstar in a fight, but they’re Syndicate’s main source of intel.
"Boss, what do we do once we find the Reliable Adventure’s location?" One of the fox girls snuggled up to him, her voice soft. "Want us from Turbulence Den to handle it?"
"No need." Syndicate was a businessman, always thinking in terms of cost: "Let’s get someone else to do the dirty work."
"Get someone else to do it?" One of the fox girls caught on. "You mean Black Pearl, right? For a nobody like her, Black Pearl’s got enough muscle. But will Inkster actually go for it?"
"Inkster’s not like us. I’m a businessman at heart, you two are madams—we don’t care about reputation. But Inkster does. She runs the most old-school gang around, and she’s got to keep up that ruthless, vengeful image. Just poke her a little, and she’ll jump in. If she doesn’t, she’s finished." Syndicate pulled out his phone and started dialing. "Hey, it’s me, Syndicate. I’ve got a job for you..."
………………………………………………………………
Mr. Reckless is famous across Steelbull City as a total madman—the cat guy with the Reliable charm. He’s the idol of every psycho, pervert, and killer in town. Mr. Reckless regularly hosts all sorts of freaky events that the city’s weirdos just eat up. And with Steelbull City’s sky-high weirdo count, his shows have become the hottest thing around.
How popular, you ask? Imagine every viral hit on Earth mashed together and played for a plaza full of dancing grannies—that’s how big his audience is. During one of these mega-popular events, Inkster, the rising star who runs two blocks in the Queen’s District, got totally wrecked—live on citywide TV! She was kicked right out of her car and passed out cold, super embarrassingly.
Afterward, she was scared—she’s not exactly a close-combat expert. By Jill Young’s standards, she’s like Dragon-Elephant Level Two. The one who brutalized Mr. Reckless could break her like a toy. Luckily for Inkster, Jill Young’s main target that day was Mr. Reckless.
But fear quickly turned to rage—the classic case of embarrassment flipping into fury. She wasn’t even that mad at first, but lately, Blood Throat Channel 3’s reporters kept coming around for interviews.
"How does it feel to embarrass yourself in front of the whole city?"
"Word is, you’re the city’s latest laughingstock. Any thoughts?"
"As a gang boss, you only made it into the regular 'Rally,' but some nobody landed a spot in the top-tier 'Adventure.' Does that mean you’re just not up to snuff?"
"You once bragged you’d tear that mystery woman to pieces, but now you’re just eating your words?"
"It’s been days and that mystery woman’s still safe and sound. Planning to swallow your own words like they’re nothing?"
Basically, the moment she stepped outside, a swarm of reporters rushed her—mics, cameras, recorders, the whole arsenal nearly poked her in the face. Usually, you’d never catch what anyone’s saying in the chaos, but now, every word landed perfectly in Inkster’s ears. She felt her brain about to explode, itching to whip out a machine gun and spray the crowd. Of course, gunning down Blood Throat Channel 3’s reporters would be a bad move—those folks control Steelbull City’s voice.
So she gave an order: "Find her! Track that damn woman’s movements—and while you’re at it, figure out where she bought that outfit. Looks pretty sharp..."
Black Pearl didn’t have much of an intel network, but after tons of effort—or, more accurately, after shelling out a ton of cash—she finally got a tip from Cake Dog’s Paparazzi Gang: the location of the Reliable Adventure...
This chapter isn’t over yet~.~ Click next page for more action!
"You’d better not die in the Reliable Adventure," Inkster growled, "because I’m going to sacrifice you on live TV!"
Finally, the day arrived. The sun set, night fell, and the crazy Night City revealed itself to the world. Ten o’clock—prime time for Night City’s crowd. Countless people turned on their TVs, tuning in to Blood Throat Channel 3.
"Welcome to our channel, folks! I’m your host, Ear Double." On screen, the chubby host sat with his dazzling hairline gleaming. "Tonight, the long-awaited Reliable Adventure is back! It’s the top-tier event in Mr. Reckless’s lineup, and trust me, it’s tough as nails. Now, partner, tell the viewers what’s in store for today’s Adventure."
The camera cut to the other side of the stage—a musclebound tough guy, the standard look in Steelbull City. "Every Reliable Adventure is different, but you can bet on wild murders and violence every time. The Reliable crowd is always in the mix—rumor has it, they’re stitched into plush dolls after being skinned at the training camp. Their insane strength makes them dangerous, and guests have to go in bare-handed to face fully armed killers and rack up enough kill points."
Chubby Ear Double took over: "There hasn’t been a winner in over a year—the last champ was Lucas from Rock District, now the top dog there. What about this time’s guest?" The camera switched to Jill Young, decked out in her Forged in Hatred suit, butterfly-stepping and shadowboxing in the lounge. "Looks like she’s really raring to go. If she pulls it off, I bet a new star will rise. Now, shout it out with me—"
The host and his partner raised their hands together: "Reliable Adventure: Murder_Time, Fun_Time!" (Real-life note: Got locked out today... After tons of fiddling, finally got the door open—without calling a locksmith!)