chapter 132

... Wakako...

"Why did they retreat?"

Oliver turned off the flashing light of his prosthetic eye, staring into the distance at the figures disappearing into the night. Though confused, he had no intention of firing and wasting bullets.

"Maybe they figured it wasn't worth the trouble," Jack called from the first floor. "Since they're not causing any more problems, we should leave quickly. V and the others are gone, and the jammer is down. The trauma team will probably show up soon because of Jimmy's hacked bio-signal. We need to get out of here before they check the scene."

"If the trauma team's client is dead, would they still come?" Oliver asked, puzzled. "Can they really save the dead?"

"That depends on the membership level. Some packages offer additional services, like corpse retrieval and funeral arrangements. Didn't Delamain start offering something similar recently?"

"Retrieving corpses shouldn't involve us, right?" Oliver asked.

"The trauma team treats anyone who interferes with their mission as enemies. It's best we avoid crossing paths with those people—they only care about money and their clients. It'd be better to steer clear of them," Jack replied, glancing at Karl, who had just jumped down from the second floor. It was clear that Jack was referring to Karl as the potential source of conflict.

Given Karl's temperament, he wouldn't mind letting the trauma team collect corpses. He respected the dead. But if they got in his way or tried to use a stun device on him mid-mission, well... Jack suspected Karl might treat the trauma team the same way he treated Jimmy's bodyguards—by taking them down.

Karl, unaware of Jack's thoughts, holstered his weapon, feeling oddly dissatisfied. Why had Arasaka's team backed down so easily? They hadn't even fought. He was hoping for some practice.

"So, where are the others?" Karl asked, turning to Mann, who was reconnecting with the team and sending some messages.

"They've arrived at the base. We've connected to Tanaka and are extracting data, but it might take a while."

"I see," Karl said, pulling up his contact list. He made a call.

"We've captured Tanaka," he said.

"Efficient as always. Have you obtained the information yet?" Blanca's voice came through the line. As a corporate professional, she was working overtime, which was why she was able to answer immediately.

"We're still in the process of extracting it. It'll take a while. If you want to collect the data yourself, you can do it now. It would save us some time."

"I trust you to get the job done. I'm confident you'll provide me with satisfactory information, right?"

"Of course," Karl replied, understanding the deeper meaning behind Blanca's words.

Military tech was after the prosthetic technology, and Blanca's satisfaction wouldn't come from simply completing the mission but from acquiring something more valuable—useful information that wasn't part of the official mission.

"There's another critical piece of intel in Tanaka's mind, but it isn't directly related to military tech," Karl thought to himself.

"We'll be in touch once it's complete," he said. "Maine, how long will this take?"

"We need to use the hidden access credentials Tanaka left behind to break through Arasaka's firewall on the prosthetic tech. Arasaka fired Tanaka, but they haven't revoked his secret access yet. If all goes well, we should finish by tomorrow morning."

Maine relayed the update, repeating V's words.

"Need help? I know a little about hacking," Karl offered.

"Lucy and I have it covered. Too many people might draw attention," Maine replied.

Hearing this, Karl stopped pressing.

"So, what's next?"

"Everyone goes back home," Oliver chimed in, walking down the stairs with his cat in tow. "Mann can handle the rest. We're not much help here."

"Don't worry, we've got it from here," Maine assured them.

"Need a ride?" Karl asked.

"No, I can get back on my own," Mann said.

After confirming that no one was tailing V and the others, Karl and Jack boarded the Sky Hera, with Oliver at the wheel.

Overall, the mission had lasted less than two weeks, making it the first long-term job Karl's team had taken on and successfully completed.

"Fifty grand, plus the deposit and the money for Maine and his team. We'll walk away with 200K total, and each of us will get around 60,000. Got any plans for your cut?" Oliver asked from the driver's seat.

"I've already decided," he continued without waiting for an answer. "I'm giving the money to Victor and asking him to order a Sandevistan for me."

"The combat model, huh?" Jack said, curious. "Didn't Victor mention he has some insider connections with a company? Did you figure out which company the gear's from?"

"Not exactly," Oliver admitted. "But it's only 60,000—plenty to start with a Sandevistan. I'm not going to pretend I can afford the high-end stuff. I'll start low and see how it goes. No point in wasting money or turning into a cyberpsycho."

As Oliver talked, he suddenly had another idea. "How about I install a Krenchikov first? That tech enhances human reflexes and is usually paired with Sandevistan. I could get a feel for the setup with that."

"Do whatever you think works best," Karl said. "Victor's got your back. If anything goes wrong, he'll pull it out for you in no time."

Just as Karl finished speaking, his phone rang.

An unfamiliar number.

He answered.

"Is this K?"

The voice on the other end was that of an older woman. Surprised, Karl replied, "Who are you, and how did you get my number?"

"For a fixer, this isn't hard. You're one of the hottest mercenaries in the city now. People are bound to need your number."

"Fixer?" Karl said aloud, catching the attention of Oliver and Jack. They fell silent, listening in. Karl nodded to them and returned to the call. "I don't know many fixers in the city. Who are you?"

"Call me Wakako."

Wakako? Karl recognized the name. She was a well-known fixer in the Japantown area. She had reached out to him?

"Got a job for me?" Karl asked.

"There's a small task I'd like you to handle—a simple rescue mission. Are you interested?"

"Of course. What's the pay?"

"Thirty thousand eurodollars. If you're interested, I'll send the details in the attachment. By the way, the employer hired a hacker to assist you. If you take the job, you might want to contact her for more details."

"I'll take a look."

Karl ended the call and opened the attachment.

Before accepting, he needed to check the details. The first thing that caught his attention was the hacker's contact info.

The hacker's codename was...

T-BUG?

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