Chapter 299 – Trauma Team

"You're telling me it's done already?!"

Just as Karl stepped out of the underground drug lab, having taken care of the scumbag, his holo buzzed with a call from Dino. Clearly, Dino hadn't expected the job—issued just that morning and estimated to take two weeks—to be wrapped up before nightfall.

"It's done. I've sent you the location. Make sure someone handles the cleanup. Our netrunner will follow up too, so don't make me catch you trying to skim off anything."

"Relax, I wouldn't risk our partnership over scraps—especially not after seeing how fast and ruthless your crew works."

And Dino meant it.

A gig accepted in the morning, wrapped up by night? That kind of firepower? No one wanted to mess with people like that.

"Payment sent. Make sure you receive it."

"No verification?"

"I thought about asking for a few pics, but no need. My people already saw Trauma Team arrive at the spot you sent. They're right above you."

"Trauma Team?"

Karl glanced around at the pile of bodies. Must've been a Tyger Claw with a premium contract that included post-mortem services.

He remembered wondering the same thing when they dealt with JK, the black-market BD director. Why would Trauma Team still show up if the client was already dead? Later, he looked it up and found out that premium-tier clients could buy funeral packages—Trauma Team would still recover the corpse, cremate it, and bury it at a reserved site.

Originally, they only acted if the client was alive. Now, at least they'd take care of the body.

Boom!

A loud thud overhead made Karl sidestep just in time. Seconds later, an explosion tore through the ceiling.

BOOM!

Chunks of concrete rained down as the reinforced ceiling gave way, and two Trauma Team operatives in white-and-green uniforms dropped through the smoke.

The ceiling had only been a thin slab—nothing fancy. They must've used a compact breaching charge to blow it open and fast-rope in.

"Pretty sure they'll be billing City Hall for that street damage..." Karl thought.

The two medics quickly leveled smart rifles at Karl.

Trauma Team almost always used gear from Kang Tao. Karl recognized the model at a glance.

Kang Tao G-58 Dian. He had one himself.

Staring down the barrels of smartguns, Karl stayed still, calmly meeting the gaze of the helmeted operatives.

"Seven minutes to save a life or your money back," he quoted their slogan. "It's been five minutes. Gotta admit, even for post-mortem service, your speed is impressive. I'm honestly considering getting a membership now."

The operatives said nothing—just slowly lowered their weapons.

They'd assessed the situation. Karl was likely the one who killed their client. If the client had survived, protocol would've demanded they eliminate any threat. But the guy was already dead. No need to escalate.

Besides… that face was unmistakable.

KK, one of Night City's most feared mercs.

Even a full Trauma Team squad—pilot, copilot, two armed specialists, medic, and assistant—would think twice. And if they summoned nearby backup squads, that still probably wouldn't cut it.

In silence, Karl watched two more Trauma Team members drop in. The first pair—armed specialists—secured the perimeter. The other two—clearly medtechs—scanned the bodies with portable ID readers, trying to figure out which pile of gore belonged to their client.

"What the hell was that? Karl, you coming or what?"

Voices echoed from the sewer exit. Oliver, Jack, and V had turned back after noticing Karl hadn't followed.

As they stepped into the room, they saw the Trauma Team crew and the gaping hole in the ceiling.

"Trauma Team?"

Oliver stared at the green-and-white suits identifying corpses.

"When I was a kid, my sister and I used to watch their ads—swooping in to save lives like white knights. I even wanted to be one of them... Funny how the only time we see them now is when they're hauling away corpses. And only if you've got a membership. That's not saving lives. That's corporate triage."

"At least it's a job," Jack said, leaning on the broken doorway. "Beats gang work. And hey, thanks to them, we can climb out through this hole instead of going back through the sewer."

"Not going back through that reeking tunnel does sound good," Karl nodded. Then added: "We could afford Trauma Team coverage now. Silver, Gold, Platinum. Platinum might be pricey, but Gold's not bad. Fast response, decent service. You really do get what you pay for."

"Yeah, along with biometric tracking and GPS logging," Oliver muttered. Then paused. "Still... they offer short-term contracts, right? Like 24-hour coverage? That might be worth it."

"I'll wait until we're a little more flush," V said, ever the budget-conscious one.

Karl waved him off. "You can decide after we finish our next job."

"Next job?"

The others looked puzzled.

Karl sent them Chidame's message.

"150,000 eddies per head. The more bodies we bring, the better. Destination: Arasaka Tower."

Jack's eyes widened. Just a few days ago, they were worried Karl might not make it out of Arasaka Tower alone.

Now? They were going too.

"Arasaka Tower, huh..."

Oliver stared as Trauma Team loaded a mangled corpse onto a gurney. There was a lot he wanted to say about the job, but didn't even know where to begin.

V stared at the payout—150k. He was tempted. But this was the kind of thing they needed to sit down and plan together.

"Let's talk it over back at base," he finally said.

Karl nodded. "Exactly what I was thinking."

Heading into Arasaka Tower wasn't something you did without a solid plan—and a full squad onboard.

One day after Dino's job.

A high-end AV with Kenichiro's ID code hovered silently in the skies above Arasaka Tower.

.

..

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