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Chapter 3: Fairness Pawn Shop

These two people engaging in "legitimate" dealings seemed to be even more ruthless than the law-breakers, and Adam felt as if he had been rescued from the frying pan, only to be thrown into the fire.

"Don't be scared, lad! We won't do anything to you. As you saw just now, we're good, law-abiding citizens!"

The seductive voice rang out once again as Red Spider made her way over to Adam with her slender waist swaying from side to side.

"Just because you abide by the law doesn't mean you're good people. You were also present when those homeless people were being killed, right?"

"We were, but there's no law that dictates that bystanders must risk endangering themselves to save others. We're already model citizens for sending evidence to the robot police force and helping them capture the culprits, isn't that right, lad?"

"Why did you save me? What do you want? Are you after my body as well?"

"Hahaha, what a smart boy you are. Indeed, our pawn shop also requires top-tier adapters, but we'll secure you through legal avenues. Take a look, I've even prepared a contract already."

Red Spider pulled a hand out of her pocket as she spoke, and an electronic contract was projected.

The contract had many binding provisions, but its contents were very simple: it was essentially asking Adam to pawn himself.

Of course, due to the fact that this was a legal agreement, the pawn shop wouldn't let Adam die, nor would it allow other wealthy individuals to claim his body. All the pawn shop required was an adapter employee.

"You want me to pawn my own body for a sum of money, then use that money to hire you to protect me? What kind of contract is this? I may be a blank slate, but I'm not stupid! You're not giving up anything for this contract!"

"That's where you're mistaken, lad. Our protection is very expensive. If others on the outside were to hire us, it would be about the same price. This is a fair exchange, and our operating costs are quite high as well. Take these power modules on my body for example, all of them are very expensive. Of course, contracts are only signed between willing parties under fair, open, and just conditions. Let me reiterate that we are a legitimate company." Red Spider suddenly paused here as she heaved a faint sigh, then cast a concerned glance with her electronic eyes toward the depths of the dark country road. "Just because we abide by the law doesn't mean everyone else will as well. There are always far too many bad people in this world. How about we make a bet?"

"What's the bet?"

"The bet is that if you don't sign the contract and we don't step in to protect you, your consciousness will be erased once again within 24 hours, and your body will fall into the black market to be sold to the highest bidder. If we have to save you again, the collateral that you receive next time will be halved! By the way, once your consciousness is wiped again, you won't remember any of this when we meet you next time as you'll no longer be you. Instead, you'll once again become a clean, blank slate."

All of this was said with a teasing tone, but there was clearly a threatening element behind her words, and Adam fell silent upon hearing this. He knew that in his current situation, he was like a vulnerable child carrying a treasure, which meant that he was in constant danger.

Thus, after contemplating the situation for a while, he nodded in agreement, even though he was still extremely reluctant to accept this arrangement.

"The contract says that I'll work for you for 10 years, during which time you'll guarantee my safety while also teaching me skills to protect myself with, right?"

"That's right. It's a very fair arrangement! All you need to do is press your finger here and allow the machine to gather your DNA information. After you sign the contract, we'll be a family."

As she was speaking, a smile that very much resembled her namesake appeared on Red Spider's face.

After settling the contract and handing the criminals over to the robot police force, the trio departed in Red Spider's car. Adam was seated in the car, but Tank was too large in stature and could only sit on the car's roof.

"Here, this is for you. It's our pawn shop's emblem, and generally speaking, no one would dare to try any funny business with you when they see the emblem. Even if they do, the emblem contains the most advanced positioning and alert mechanisms that can activate an SOS call at any time, so even if you die, someone will avenge you for sure."

Red Spider was sitting in the driver's seat, using the spider legs on her back to drive, while she reached into her breast pocket before pulling out a badge that she handed to Adam.

Adam accepted the badge to find that there was a scale that symbolized fairness engraved upon it.

"Our pawn shop is called the Fairness Pawn Shop. However, we do things a little too fairly, so no one likes to mention that name. Thus, we're commonly referred to as just the pawn shop. We're too well-known around these parts anyway, so it doesn't matter if you mention that prefix or not. If anyone mentions a pawn shop, others will immediately assume that they're referring to our pawn shop. Our pawn shop offers many services, including money and product transactions, rescuing hostages, assisting in solving cases, resolving troubles, securing business intelligence through legal means, psychotherapy... Basically, we'll do anything as long as you give us enough money."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You want to ask me about adapters, right? Yes, we need adapter employees, and we can never have enough. In contrast with hired fighters like us, adapters are far more versatile and useful. You know where the identity of adapter comes from, right?"

"I do. They are humans with innately exceptionally developed neurons. The synapses in these people are particularly developed, allowing them to connect with their brain's consciousness and freely enter the psychic worlds of themselves and others. It's exactly because of their excessive connective potential that other personalities can also invade their minds more easily. That's most likely the trait desired by the wealthy individuals seeking to purchase my body."

"What you said is all correct, but adapters have even more uses than that. As a psychiatrist, you'll be able to glean the subconscious trauma forgotten by your patients. As a business spy, you'll be able to easily steal business secrets. As an interrogator, you'll be able to interrogate suspects with astounding efficiency as you won't have to worry about them lying to you. Even as a killer, you'll be completely untraceable when you carry out hit jobs. Of course, we are a legitimate company that doesn't do hit jobs." Red Spider's signature "we're a legitimate business" smile appeared on her face as she spoke, and at the same time, she stomped the pedal down as far as it would go, clearly breaking the law by exceeding the speed limit.

"Why did you only watch as Spider killed all of those homeless people? With your abilities, you should've been able to stop them from the very beginning, right?"

"It's because when they only killed a couple of people, that wasn't enough to warrant the death sentence. In the business world, we like to make as many friends as possible while keeping our enemies to a minimum. If we make enemies, then the best way to take care of them would be to have them killed. In the words of our mistress, a business must maximize profits. Profit is number one, while fairness is paramount!"

Listening to the pride with which Red Spider declared that mantra, Adam knew that he really had gotten himself involved with a bunch of bandits. The only thing that he could feel thankful about was that he was one of those bandits for now.

The expensive magnetic suspension car was speeding along, and shortly thereafter, they arrived in that massive city.

They had plunged straight from a bleak and barren world into one that was lit with bright neon lights, and the contrast between the city and the wilderness was extremely clear.

The car traversed between the tall skyscrapers like an agile fish before finally arriving at a lavish business street.

The sky here was filled with all types of sights and sounds, including advertisement billboards, pub signs, hanging prosthetic limbs constructed from gems, banners of luxury stores, electronic fireworks from casinos... On the ground below, there were all types of people, including hustlers, alcohol companions, and wealthy wives dressed in expensive clothing and jewelry. These things were all mixed together to form a surreal scene that resembled a drunken haze.

On the largest shop at the center of the street was a sign that read "Fairness Pawn Shop", and as soon as Adam arrived, he caught sight of a familiar figure standing at the entrance. It was the first person he had seen after regaining his consciousness, the woman by the name of May.

"I brought back the person you wanted, Mistress."

Red Spider immediately greeted May with a wide smile as soon as she got out of the car.