"I’m sending you a list right now," Larry said. "And I would need at least a one-week notice, unless you plan on letting someone else handle the surgery."
A link dropped through the messenger app not a second later.
"What are you talking about, doc?" As he moved to open it, Dante spoke with a wide grin on his face. "You are the best surgeon I know of, and the only one I trust. Besides, there is no way I’m not getting any discount anywhere else."
The document contained a list split into two categories. The first one was the brand new stuff that had yet to be taken out of the box, while the second listed used implants. The former was straightforward and far more expensive. The latter was cheaper but came with some complications, mainly because of their dubious origin.
Dante looked through the fresh items and felt his smile fade away. The prices were almost on par with the official ones, meaning they were way beyond his current budget.
"A discount, you say?" Taking a puff from his cigarette, Larry thought for a while then said. "Well, I guess that’s only fare."
"You brought in some good business. Keep doing so and I might feel generous from time to time."
Harvesting bionics was looking to be quite the profitable endeavor so Dante has been considering going with it as a means to earn some quick cash. Thanks to Volcan’s Storage function, all he has to do is go around collecting corpses. He doesn’t even have to kill them himself.
Of course, that was easier said than done. To harvest something worth selling, he would have to hunt targets with a high threat level, and such targets weren’t just wandering around in the open on their own.
’I hope Vic’s job has some juicy game this time.’
As the thought crossed his mind, Dante went back to examining Larry’s list. At the top of the used list were a pair of Titan Forge Grim Reapers, a type of bionic arms known for their monstrous strength and the retractable blades that could cut through alloy steel with ease.
Dante felt his heart flutter just from looking at their intricately designed frame, the glistening obsidian plating of its shell, and the glowing scythe-like orange blades jutting out of their elbows. That was an implant designed to ensure there is no difference between cutting humans, machines, and butter. Dante had no doubt that they were at least an S grade. If he were to get his hands on them, a single upgrade would grant him an unstoppable weapon.
’Twenty-five million...’
Closing the screen on his OAM, Dante looked at the underground doctor and smiled.
"I should get going."
As if understanding what was going through his mind, Larry gave him a wry smile.
"Well, don’t take too long deciding. The good stuff might be gone by the time you make up your mind."
"... twenty-five million..."
Counting the number of digits sapped all the strength Dante had, taking away any vigor granted by the good news he had heard barely an hour ago.
[To think even second-hand implants have such prices.] Volcan sounded as disheartened. [At our current rate of progress, it will be a while before we can afford bionics in that range.]
’And those were just arms.’ Dante scuffed. ’Wait till you see the prices on high-grade organs.’
A heart of the same quality would jump to fifty, likely double that if it came in straight out of the factory. It was yet another reality check Dante desperately needed. As he made his way to the building’s parking lot, he began considering his other options.
’We need to stock up on upgrade materials...’
[As you might have already guessed, the more complex an implant is, the rarer and likely more expensive the required materials will be.]
Obviously, upgrading E grade alloy bones would require much simpler materials than something like an SRE. A while ago, Volcan said something about processing things into their base material, which can then be used to upgrade bionic implants.
That gave them a more reliable option for gathering materials, since acquiring them in their raw form was bound to be a lot more difficult than stealing machines. Volcan had the ability to discern the materials available in each machine as well, basically eliminating the main problem with this approach.
Arriving at the dark corner where he had previously parked, Dante checked his surroundings and waited for Volcan to do a final sweep. Just as he was about to summon the Raven, a message notification appeared on his OAM.
It was a reminder from Boris telling him to come back. Since the job this time will have him working with a new crew, it is best to avoid creating a bad impression by arriving late. He wouldn’t hear the end of it if he were to leave Victor waiting as well, which is why Dante decided to get going, even if he still had an entire hour till the agreed time.
Riding out of the parking lot, Dante spotted the same street rats he saw before arriving. The look on their faces was priceless, telling the story of them not finding the bike only for him to ride it out of the building not long after. As he smirked behind the visor of his helmet, Dante caught sight of someone else hiding nearby. He thought it was just another street rat from the area, but Volcan proved him wrong right away.
[Dante, it seems an old enemy is stalking you once again.]
A screen popped up on his OAM, showing footage captured from a nearby security camera. In it, a kid was hiding behind a parked truck, acting suspiciously while trying to peek very couple of seconds. Seeing the oversized puffer jacket, the hood covering his head, and the large sports bag slung on his shoulder, Dante recognized who he was almost immediately.
’You got to be fucking kidding me...’