Chapter 56: A Strange Villa Manor

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It was expected that a high-end villa manor like this would have at least four or five intelligent robots stationed within the premises. Add to that seven or eight drones patrolling overhead, and you'd have the kind of advanced security befitting a wealthy estate.

But Arthur didn't like robots.

He would have preferred hiring a competent security team to patrol the area. After all, the wealthier a person is, the more paranoid they tend to be about their safety.

However, what Arthur saw here was completely unexpected.

There weren't any intelligent robots or drones. The landscaping looked unkempt, as if it hadn't been maintained for months. A car sat smashed into a nearby wall, crushing a row of green plants into the dirt.

None of this was normal. Something was very, very wrong.

Arthur had a hunch: the vampires from the bank must have gotten here before him.

After surveying the area and confirming no immediate threats, Arthur frowned. Holding a pistol in each hand, he cautiously approached the villa, his senses on high alert.

The closer he got to the center of the property, the more peculiar the environment became. Strange liquids coated the ground, emitting a sharp, unpleasant odor that stung his nostrils. It wasn't just bad—it was overwhelming, like the stench of a chemical factory. No, worse than that. The smell reminded him of the polluted rivers in Night City.

"Stay sharp. Don't let your guard down until the mission's done," Arthur muttered, his voice low but firm.

Behind him, Jack nodded. As a novice, Jack still had moments of inexperience, and Arthur wasn't taking any chances. A careless mistake could trigger a trap or leave them vulnerable to an ambush. Jack held his guns tightly, scanning the areas Arthur couldn't.

"What kind of guy would let his place fall apart like this?" Jack grumbled, his voice tinged with disbelief. "It's a damn waste. I wouldn't mind living in a place like this."

He glanced toward the pond, where two koi swam lazily in the murky water.

"Hey, Arthur, are those fish even safe to eat? We could catch one on the way out. I haven't had real fish in ages."

Arthur cast a skeptical glance at the pond. The koi swam sluggishly, oblivious to the chaos around them. After a moment, he shook his head. "Probably not worth it. Who knows what kind of chemicals are in that water?"

When they reached the villa's front door, Arthur noticed it was slightly ajar, as if inviting them in. He pushed it open cautiously with his pistol, while Jack covered him from behind.

Inside, the scene was no better. Clothes were strewn across the coffee table and sofa in messy heaps. The foul smell in the air grew stronger, a combination of chemical stench and poor hygiene. The luxurious villa resembled a homeless shelter under an overpass rather than a high-end residence.

Arthur touched his chin thoughtfully and approached the gateway terminal in the corner of the room. Dialing Lucy's number, he leaned against the wall and waited for her to pick up.

"I'm not a miracle worker, Arthur," Lucy said dryly when she answered. "What do you want now? Let me guess—something to do with Kangtao or Huangcheng?"

"Neither. I'm on a different mission," Arthur replied. "There's a boss who's been dodging his workers' wages. I'm at his villa now, but the guy's nowhere to be found. Think you can connect to the network and help me locate him?"

Lucy snorted. "Upholding justice in Night City? That's a first. Sure, connect your personal link to the gateway. I'll see what I can do."

Arthur did as instructed, allowing Lucy to access the network through his link. Her voice was steady but tinged with mild annoyance as she worked.

"Well, this is interesting," Lucy said after a pause. "Your guy's in the basement, and it looks like he's up to something… strange. He recently bought a large batch of chemical raw materials, and there's been some suspicious activity in his bank account. Looks like he transferred a hefty sum to the Uzumaki Gang."

Arthur frowned. None of the intel he'd gathered on Michael suggested he was involved in chemistry—or gangs.

"What about security?" Arthur asked. "I don't see any drones or robots around. Are they buried somewhere, or did he reallocate them?"

"Here's the weird part," Lucy said. "There's nothing. No robots, no drones. It's just the three of you in that entire manor. If he had them, they're either gone or completely unaccounted for in his system. You'll probably need to have a little… conversation with him to find out what's going on."

With that, Lucy disconnected, leaving Arthur to process the information.

Arthur sighed and turned to Jack. "Which do you want first—good news or bad news?"

Jack twirled one of his pistols absentmindedly, then shrugged. "Bad news. I like to save the good news for dessert."

Arthur sank into a sofa, kicking aside a pile of dirty laundry. He grabbed an unopened bottle of sparkling water from the table, twisted off the cap, and took a sip.

"Bad news is, Michael's finances are in the gutter. And judging by the state of this place, his mental health isn't faring much better."

Jack groaned. "Great. What's the good news?"

"The good news is, he's in the basement. No guards, no security bots. Just him."

Jack perked up. "Well, that makes our job easier. What's the plan?"

Arthur stood, dusting off his coat. "Same as always. We go in, see what he's up to, and deal with him accordingly. Stay on your toes. This doesn't add up, and I don't like it."

Jack nodded, checking the ammo in his guns before following Arthur toward the basement door.

As they descended, the smell grew worse, and the atmosphere became oppressive. Whatever Michael was doing down here, it wasn't good.

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