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Chapter 337: Monopoly

"Can we have a chat now?"

The blood mist in the sky faded, and the vampire was looking nowhere near as elegant and composed as before. It had sustained many wounds to various parts of its body, and it was also looking quite weary and ragged from excessive psychic power expenditure.

However, it was still able to maintain a stranglehold over Rabbit, digging its long nails firmly into her neck. Those nails had pierced through her skin, and blood was seeping out onto her white fur.

"I admit my defeat. I've never even heard of a band of psychic hitmen as formidable as yourselves. Even the most powerful hitmen organizations on the dark web would struggle to produce such a fearsome lineup. In the Oni Organization, only the eight Onis come close to your level, so admitting defeat here is certainly nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, I would say that all of you are powerful enough to be granted entry into the Guild of Immortality."

"You know of the Guild of Immortality as well?"

This was an intriguing subject for Adam, so he didn't mind having a conversation with the vampire. Of course, he also had no choice, given that Rabbit had been taken hostage.

This battle had presented a vastly contrasting experience compared with the previous battle they had just fought in, and it showed Adam the difference between battling a normal anomaly and an intelligent anomaly.

Normal anomalies were extremely vicious, so if one didn't possess superior power to such an anomaly, then they were going to be in for a very difficult battle. Even in defeat, these anomalies would choose to self-detonate without any hesitation in order to take down their opponents with them.

In contrast, intelligent anomalies that were controlled by the host were far less extreme, but also far more cunning.

They were capable of implementing coherent strategies and tactics, and even if they were to fall to a disadvantage, they would try to use their intelligence to put an end to the battle. Unlike normal anomalies, their main objective wasn't to win. Instead, it was to survive.

However, in Adam's mind, there was still a fundamental difference between the average person and an anomaly being controlled by its host.

Those who were able to overcome the vicious and brutal nature of anomalies and tame them had to be calmer and more steadfast than the average person, but also more snide and cunning. This vampire was a prime example of this. The calmness and decisiveness that it had displayed in battle was something that even Adam was willing to admit that he was unable to match, despite enduring more than his fair share of perilous battles himself.

Some things were far easier said than done, and making the correct split-second decision while in a state of peril was one of the most difficult things that one could do.

"Of course I'm aware of the Guild of Immortality."

The vampire could tell that Adam was interested in this subject, and it was eager to continue the conversation.

Deep down, it wasn't certain whether Adam would be willing to accept negotiation as a course of action. In its eyes, the majority of hitmen in hitmen organizations didn't care all that much for the lives of their subordinates, so it was naturally a good thing if he could defuse the situation.

"I once tried to join the Guild of Immortality, but I was rejected," the vampire continued, and in order to earn Adam's trust, it didn't hesitate to reveal some secrets about itself. "I am a freight merchant, and I'm already quite an old man. Back in my heyday, I was quite a renowned and wealthy figure in North America, but unfortunately, immortality technology didn't yet exist back then."

Adam knew that by immortality technology, the vampire was actually referring to blank slate technology. He was certain that the vampire's host was aware of the massive scam that the Metaverse was peddling.

Blank slate technology had only come around in the past two decades or so, and back then, it had still been at a very rudimentary stage in its development. In fact, that was the reason why Shae's "grandfather" had perished.

Even now, Shae still hadn't yet reached 20 years of age.

The fact that he was more than 20 years past the peak of his wealth and influence indicated that he had to be in his sixties or seventies, or even older than that.

After all, in the freight and shipping industry, even if he had inherited an empire, he would've had to have been at least 40 years of age before reached his peak.

"Ever since World War III 30 years ago, vacuum tract transportation technology has been constantly developing. In the past, the transport industry was primarily driven by oil and gas, but now, there are more and more things that can be transported through vacuum tracts, and even interstate freight is possible now.

“Hence, the shipping industry has been on a constant decline. I considered venturing into other industries, but given the monopolistic culture at the moment, it's easy to earn some money, but extremely difficult to become the leading figure of any industry."

"Why did the Guild of Immortality reject you, and how did you get into contact with them?"

"When you're in the business world for a long time, you'll always end up meeting all types of different people. As a result, you'll gain access to more information and come to learn about certain things. Some of my past business partners are members of the Guild of Immortality, so it was only a matter of time before I learned about the organization."

"They rejected you just because your industry is on the decline?"

"That's right. They need members with true power and influence. A dying industry like this can perhaps still earn me some money, but it's nothing more than the futile struggles of an old man in their eyes."

"Why did you want to join the Guild of Immortality?"

"Because I want to live forever, and they control the safest route to immortality," the vampire replied in a very straightforward manner.

"Are you referring to blank slates? You're saying they have a monopoly on blank slates? Surely that's not possible."

"They don't have a monopoly, but the vast majority of blank slates are connected to them in one way or another. On top of that, blank slates are actually just like organs in that only the most compatible blank slates with someone can ensure that no rejection occurs. They are the only ones with a comprehensive catalog of blank slates to choose from, and they also have the most cutting-edge technology, thereby maximizing one's chances of survival."

This was the first time that Adam had been made aware of this information.

As it turned out, one couldn't just use any blank slate that they pleased, and even with a compatible blank slate, cutting-edge medical technology had to be used to ensure the best survival rate.

With these two barriers to entry, the Guild of Immortality did indeed virtually have a monopoly over the immortality market.

"I see."

Adam really wanted to explore this man's psychic world, but this clearly wasn't the right time to do so.

There was a limit to how long one would generally take to enjoy a meal, so the servers of the restaurant could pass by at any moment, and in addition to that, Adam was also running on a tight schedule.

"Let's go back to negotiation. I agree with your earlier proposal. Let my friend go, and we won't kill you. However, I have to also be sure that you won't sell us out on the spot once we leave the psychic world."

"That's simple, I'll reveal some of my identification information to you so that you know who I am in real life. With that information at your disposal, given the power of the organization behind you, you'll be able easily exact revenge on me if I go back on my word.

“As soon as you leave the psychic world, you'll be able to contact whoever it is you need to contact using your communicator. However, you have to leave right after you learn my identity. Otherwise, if you decide not to hold up your end of the deal after I return my hostage to you, I'll be completely screwed. "

"Alright."

Adam agreed to this proposal with a nod.

After that, he immediately departed, hurriedly exploring a nearby psychic module to learn the man's identity before departing from the psychic world with Shae and Armadillo.

After returning to the real world, the first thing that Adam did was make his way to the booth that the man and Rabbit were in from the neighboring room.

By the time he arrived, Rabbit and the man had also already opened their eyes.

Upon seeing Adam's arrival, the man said in a quiet voice, "Rest assured, I'll keep my promise, but if you're thinking about going back on our agreement, I've already pressed down my pager."

The man raised his hand as he spoke, and sure enough, he was holding a pager with a button already pressed down, so it would release a piercing alarm tone as soon as his finger was removed from the button.