Rudy told Rusher to inform Maria that he would be back in a while after meeting Lu Bela. But he didn't know where to go as Lu Bela could be at UBC's official headquarters or the Lu Bela syndicate estate.
He was about to call Lu Bela and ask, but before he could do that, a car parked near him, and the backseat window rolled down.
Of course, it was Lu Bela, and dealer Kim was driving the car.
Without speaking anything, Rudy opened the door and sat in the backseat as if he owned the car.
"How nice of you to 'coincidently' happen to be passing by the Ross Syndicate street," Rudy remarked.
"Oh, no. I was here to pick you up."
SIGH!
"So there is no sarcasm in artificial humans?" Rudy sighed.
"May I ask why do you look so annoyed?"
"How did you know I am in the Underworld? I arrived at night and teleported directly into the Ross estate. There is no way for you to know that I was here unless you are stalking me."
Lu Bela pointed her gaze at Rudy's phone — which was in his hand as he had taken it out to call Lu Bela earlier— and said, "You have the underworld app installed on your phone, and that app tracks your location and sends them to the UBS headquarters."
"Talk about privacy."
"It only tracks the gamblers in the underworld."
"Well, whatever. It's not like other apps don't do the same. Why did you want to meet me? And actually, I was going to visit you today for a… question."
"Please go ahead."
"No, you speak first. My question is going to be long."
"It's about the Ross Syndicate. The war is avoided, but they are still at risk," Lu Bela stated. "I will send Under Blades for their protection, but that's not a permanent solution. You should do something about it."
Rudy shook his head and responded, "That's not for me to decide. Ruby is the leader of the Ross Syndicate, and she makes all the decisions. If you want something, you will have to ask her yourself."
"Very well. Now, please, tell me what you want. I would be more than happy to help you out loud," Lu Bela asked with her utmost sincerity.
"There was a robbery a few weeks ago, and two of the robbers are still on the run. I want you to find me their details."
"Umm… I don't understand why that is something you should get involved with?" Lu Bela wondered with a confused look on her face.
"They had advanced-slash-futuristic gadgets. And I believe the Underworld is the only place where they are sold," he remarked with a judging look on his face.
"That might be true, but you do realize that there are hundreds of underworlds in the world, right? This one is just a small fraction."
"Yes, I know. But you are the secret ruler of all the underworlds. Hence— surprise surprise— I came to you."
"I understood. I will look into the robbers you have asked me to. Is there anything specific you would like to mention so we can run them through the database to—"
"Oh, no. You won't find them on the database. I already tried that. I didn't see them personally, and they were wearing masks, so you can't find them in the database. But I tracked down a number that was from the Underworld.
But I am damn sure it wasn't an actual number, as it doesn't exist. So you will have to find them somehow… which is very hard."
Lu Bela rolled down the window and looked outside before turning to Rudy after a few seconds.
"My Lord, you do realize that you are asking for something impossible, right?"
"I very much do."
"The only way to track them down is to hunt down the merchant, who won't be here for another two weeks. Can you wait until then?" Lu Bela asked in a neutral tone.
"It's not like I have any other choice," Rudy shrugged.
"Alright. Consider it done in two weeks, my Lord. I am happy to have to help you."
"Actually… there is one more thing… request… favor.. whatever you might want to call it. I want to know how this artificial human thing works. The clones… are nothing but a lump of meat until data is installed in them through the core, am I right?"
"Indeed."
"So… can I… umm... suppose, a soul goes inside the body, will it be possessed? Will it come to life?"
"I am afraid that's not possible. The body can only work through the core that stores all the information. If you can turn the soul into data, then the body can become alive."
"But… what about the soul then? I am looking for a body for a soul. Can you make a body that can be possessed and used by a soul without any consequences?"
"I am afraid that's not possible, my Lord," Lu Bela shook her head. "A soul can't keep a body alive."
"But can you at least try? It's very important for me. And if you manage to pull that off, I will forgive you and do anything you want. If your wish is to die, then I will kill you. Please, Lu Bela, make this possible."
Rudy wanted Angelica to have an actual physical body so she wouldn't feel alone or left out by anyone. She was always with Rudy and inside his body. It was no different than a cage for her where no one could even talk to her.
Sure, she could make herself visible and manifest a physical form, but that was temporary. She had to be with Rudy to collect energy from him to keep her form. Rudy wanted a permanent solution; he wanted Maria to be alive.
Lu Bela nodded and said, "Understood. I will assign a team to research on that and create bodies without cores. I will try my best to make you happy, my Lord."
"Thank you. I am truly glad I didn't kill you back then."
After that, Rudy teleported straight to Ross Estate.
