chapter 69

..Serious Task..

"Prosthetic King Kong? What is that?"

At 8:10 p.m., Jack, sitting in Oliver's apartment, showed a puzzled expression after hearing Karl's explanation of the mission. He turned to look at Victor, who was present at the gathering.

"Victor, as a prosthetic doctor, have you ever heard of this?"

"I'm familiar with most prosthetics on the market, but I've never heard of this… Is it some kind of code name?" Victor replied, sipping his whiskey. It was the first time he'd heard of the "Prosthetic King Kong" that Karl mentioned.

"The mission is to obtain information about the Prosthetic King Kong from a company dog named Tanaka. Tanaka works for Arasaka. In other words, this mission is about military tech exploring a secret Arasaka project," Oliver observed.

Blanca's commission was issued on behalf of Militech. Considering the companies behind Blanca and Tanaka, even though they didn't know exactly what the Prosthetic King Kong was, they could infer it was significant.

"Another skirmish between Militech and Arasaka. We just got involved in a mission like this," Jack noted, referencing their previous escort mission.

"To be precise, it was the last mission," Karl added, prompting Victor to sigh. "It seems that next time I perform surgery on you, I really can't use anesthesia."

Earlier, when Victor worked on Karl's prosthetics, he advised them to take it easy. Now, knowing they had taken on another mission, he was at a loss for words.

"We can't help it, victor," Oliver said, spreading his hands helplessly. "The rewards for this mission are too tempting to pass up. Don't blame Karl for taking it. Next time we modify our prosthetics, just skip the anesthesia for him and let him scream a few times to calm you down."

"Hey, we're a team! Why am I being singled out?" Jack protested against Oliver's quick betrayal.

"Fine, I won't really do it," victor relented with a sigh. "But before you go, come to my clinic for medication and a full body checkup. If there's anything wrong, this mission could kill you."

"Of course, we'll visit you the day after tomorrow," Karl assured.

"Is the mission starting then?" Victor asked, taken aback by the urgency in Karl's voice.

When he was younger, victor, like Karl, Oliver, and Jack, loved to take risks. He knew he couldn't deter them, just as no one had deterred him back in the day. All he could do was support them from behind the scenes.

At his age, victor had seen many friends die. He hoped to see fewer follow their path.

"The mercenary business is truly fascinating," Oliver mused, drinking his beer. "We escorted an Arasaka heiress a few days ago, and now we're helping Militech. The companies extend their influence, and we're the daggers and guns in their hands, ready to be grabbed at any moment."

"That's a good analogy, but it sounds like you're talking about street dolls," Jack noted, finding the description slightly off-putting.

Street dolls were specialized workers who sold their bodies through microchip implants.

"It's not that far off," Karl said, stuffing fries into his mouth. "They sell their bodies for money, and so do we. Let's not be judgmental—it's tough for everyone. At least we have a choice. How many choices do they have?"

"Damn, Karl, that actually makes sense," Jack admitted, scratching his head before noticing Karl had almost finished the fries. "You ate a whole bucket in less than half an hour. That's ridiculous."

"It's delicious. I love it. Do you mind? Mrs. Wells asked you to bring it for me. You didn't fry it," Karl responded.

"Can I mind this, though?" Oliver pointed to the crumbs on the floor. "This is my room! If you drop another fry, I'll shove them all into your mouth to keep it shut."

Karl mimed zipping his lips and continued eating without speaking, respecting Oliver's space.

After finishing the fries in his mouth, Karl nodded to victor. "Sorry, victor. We invited you for dinner and drinks, but we had to discuss the mission first."

"That's fine. I have patience. Go on," victor encouraged, raising his glass.

"We might need a different approach this time," Karl suggested.

"A different approach? We've never needed anything more than guns before," Oliver said, puzzled.

"Are you suggesting some kind of infiltration, coercion, and restraint? Like in those Japanese themes? The target is Japanese, after all," Oliver joked.

"Stop watching those shows, Oliver," Karl chided. "I mean, I'm known in Arasaka now. We can't just walk into Tanaka's place and kidnap him. We need a plan."

"So you're thinking of hiding your face?" Jack asked, catching on.

"There might be follow-up missions involving the Prosthetic King Kong. If we get exposed now, future tasks could go to another team. We need to ensure we stay in the loop," Karl explained.

"You're such a mission-driven mind," Oliver chuckled. "Isn't this just like what I said? Sneaking in, restraining, coercing—what's wrong with watching those shows?"

"Damn, who knew you'd actually take that seriously?" Karl sighed.

"Huh? What's inappropriate about it?" Oliver asked, leaving Karl to realize his own mind had taken a dirty turn.

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