[

Titan Guts XIII (B) has been installed.

Durability: 186 (-65) —> 205 (-65)

Agility: 163 (-63) —> 158 (-63)

]

Dismissing the notification, Dante glanced at the man clad in light blue scrubs. He held back his words for a while, but it didn't look like his friend was going to say anything on his own.

"Why do I get the feeling that you have something to tell me, doc?"

The tension in the room went through the roof all of a sudden. Larry froze in place, and so did the robotic arms hanging from above. Seconds passed, and a sigh finally escaped him. As if nothing had happened, he went back to work, his movements slow and steady.

"An old acquaintance came in to cash a favor. Asked me to introduce them to you."

"An old acquaintance, huh? And you didn't think you should bring it up before slicing me open?"

"Relax, they asked for the Cyberpunk. I'm guessing they plan on having you do the next step of the introduction."

"You think?"

A tired sigh escaped the doctor.

"Listen, I'm just passing on the message. I didn't promise them anything, and I can always tell them you aren't interested."

"And that would be enough to stop them."

Just because they did the polite thing and went through a mutual acquaintance didn't mean they would back down if their request was rejected.

Dante said nothing after that, and so the doctor continued his work, removing the next implant.

[

NephroCore Series XI (C) (x2) has been removed.

Durability: 205 (-65) —> 200 (-65)

Agility: 158 (-63) —> 160 (-63)

]

"I was never a member of the cult, but I did some work for them in the past." Said Larry. "Back then, I got myself into some legal trouble and…"

"And you still owe them for that?"

"And other things. It was the only way I could get their help without becoming a member."

"Sucks to be you."

"It sure does. That's why I wanted to retire a lot sooner."

Picking up the last two implants, the doctor went about sliding them in place and connecting everything.

Though a little pissed, Dante still decided to give the matter some thought. Nothing was wrong with what the doctor did, so long as he was telling the truth, of course. The idea of getting close to the Gear Cult had crossed his mind on multiple occasions, mainly whenever he remembered the androids he lost. Their animosity toward Eidolon and its Genomes made them an appealing choice for an alliance, but there was one thing that made it difficult to consider.

Even if they were a bunch of tech-obsessed nerds, a cult is still a cult. Its members were likely as nutty as they could get. Dealing with them was bound to become a mess, and Dante didn't want any of it when he already had more than enough on his plate.

[

Titan Pure Blood VI (B) has been installed.

Durability: 200 (-65) —> 220 (-65)

Agility: 160 (-63) —> 158 (-63)

]

[

Would you like to upgrade Titan Lung XIII (B) (x2), Titan Guts XIII (B) and Titan Pure Blood VI (B)?

>YES. NO.

]

Dante didn't waste time and tapped the YES option. Threads of pure white light appeared from his chest and slowly reached out for his new bionic organs. Watching as the upgrade started, Dante remembered something the doctor had told him a while back. That led him to reconsider a lot of things, and by the time the upgrade was over, he was ready to make up his mind.

[

Titan Lung XIII (B) (x2) has been upgraded to Titan Lungs XIV (A) (x2)

Titan Guts XIII (B) had been upgraded to Titan Guts XIV (A)

Titan Pure Blood VI (B) had been upgraded to Titan Pure Blood VII (A)

Strength: 162 (-50) —> 180 (-50)

Durability: 220 (-65) —> 270 (-65)

Agility: 158 (-63) —> 195 (-63)

]

Larry quickly patched him up, then injected some Nanomeds around the wounds, helping them close faster. Once it was over, the debuff was erased from Dante's stats, and he got up, feeling like a new man. It would be a couple of days before his soul adjusted to the change, but for now, the discomfort he felt might as well not be there.

Once the old implants were put away for cleaning, the two sat in the doctor's office and waited for that to be done. The silence between them felt a bit odd. Dante could tell the doctor was troubled, even with the neutral expression he tried to keep on.

"This acquaintance of yours," Dante said. "How hight in he in the cult?"

Larry's eyes widened a little, then his expression relaxed, his shoulders loosening a little.

"I'm not privy to the details, but I would say he's in the middle levels."

"So not one of the higher-ups."

"The cult's inner circle hasn't stepped into the light since the purge a decade ago. The barriers separating it from the rest of the organization are thick enough for the two sides to appear like different organizations."

"So that's how they run things, huh?" Dante paused for a moment, then looked up, meeting the doctor's eyes. "You can tell this acquaintance of yours that I'm willing to talk. Whether things go well will depend on whether I like what they have to say."

Larry was frozen for a moment, then a sigh of relief escaped him. Reaching into the breast pocket of his white lab coat, he took out a pack of cigarettes, pulled one with his teeth, then lit the tip. Puffing a white cloud, he leaned back into his chair.

"You have me scared there." He said. "I thought you were going to silence me.'

"And why would I do that?" Dante smirked. "You didn't sell me out or anything."

"You threw hands with someone from the twelve families. Do you blame me for thinking you aren't right in the head?"

"I blame you for thinking I was at any point."

The two laughed it off then went about discussing the details, but a message arrived just then, splashing confusion over Dante's face.

[Lev: Help!]