Chapter 96: New Acquaintance
Not long after the father and son left, another burly man stepped into the office.
He had a blue buzz cut.
In this city, normal hairstyles were a rare sight.
“Go!”
Seeing him, Meredith halted mid-stride, raised her hand to dismiss him—yet froze for a moment.
After a few seconds of silence, she resumed pacing, fingers rubbing her chin.
“Damn it, that old man...
Here’s what you’ll do: post the full details of that whistleblower report on the company network.
Hmph! Just like his useless son, the only tricks he knows come straight from the gutter.”
She didn’t know exactly what crime he’d committed, but she was sure the secret was tied to that thing.
Originally, she had planned to send someone to retrieve it directly, but after thinking it over, she forced herself to curb her impatience.
Your opponent is usually the one who knows you best. The more critical the moment, the more you must restrain your instincts.
And ultimately, the initiative was still in her hands.
Her gaze drifted to the window, where the blinding sunlight made her squint.
A faint smile tugged at her lips.
She sat slowly back behind her desk, pulled a square device from underneath, and elegantly detached the data cable from her wrist, plugging it in.
Once everything was ready, she initiated the call.
“Looks like... things have reached a critical point, huh?”
Daino’s voice came through, as down-to-earth as ever.
“Seems you trust those mercs of yours a lot. How about giving me their contact info?”
Meredith twisted her wrist, drew a cigarette from under the desk, and lit it calmly.
“Funny you say that—I was just about to give them your contact info.
Top up their pay. Those guys want compensation for everything.”
She exhaled a slow stream of smoke, saying nothing more, waiting for him to continue.
“Ha! Sounds like trouble on your end. Why don’t you spell it out for me?”
Only then did she finally release the last of her smoke.
“No idea how it happened, but that old bastard Paul turned on me. Stormed into my office and raised hell.
You know he’s with the Special Oversight Unit. Same rank as me, but his mandate gives him the edge.”
The tip of her cigarette glowed red for a few seconds before fading again.
“Now that the mask is off, the infiltrators he planted will probably be activated. That makes the Operations Department unreliable.
Which is why I’m asking you for people.”
She had thought this was just a minor issue, a mistake—everyone makes them. At worst, it would mean his idiot son getting demoted.
Hardly worth mobilizing sleeper agents.
But now it was clear this wasn’t what she’d expected. Whatever was hidden in that thing was important—important enough for the old man to burn bridges with her.
There were bound to be his pawns in the department, though probably not many.
But if she drew one of his sleepers, she’d be finished.
“Using outsiders? That doesn’t fit your rules...”
Meredith cut him off at once.
“Cut the crap! If it goes wrong, I’ll take the heat.
Just give me the line—it’s not like you’ll be getting your hands dirty.”
“Fine! It’s not like it breaks my rules, so what can I say?
Just don’t lie to them—or you can’t say I didn’t warn you.
Oh, and there are two of them.”
Daino didn’t hesitate much. As she said, even if something went wrong, the company would come after her.
...
Arthur and Jackie spent several days at the Animals’ hideout with nothing happening.
Arthur was already growing restless—though at least there was booze.
Jackie, meanwhile, had found some entertainment: now and then a strongman would come challenge him to a spar.
“Ding—ding—”
In the middle of his boredom, Arthur’s Neural Link chimed with an incoming call—unknown number.
He picked it up.
“Hello? I hear your name’s Arthur Morgan.
I need a word with you.”
The voice of a woman, sharp and forceful, made Arthur frown.
“Go on...”
he rasped.
“Long story short—I’m the one Daino mentioned, the one collecting the item.
There’s been a complication. My people can’t move. You’ll have to make the run again.
I’ll be clear: this job is dangerous. If you don’t want it, you can walk away.”
Her words came fast, her tone still hard, but at least she added that final note. It took the edge off Arthur’s dislike.
“What’s the pay?”
he asked flatly.
“Call it a favor. But I’ll raise the price.
I can put up a hundred thousand eddies. And beyond that—we’re still friends.”
Her tone was rough, but she was clever—she knew how to twist her sharpness into a tool for pulling people closer.
Arthur scratched his face, lips curling into a small grin.
He didn’t pick up on her subtleties, but he liked her bluntness.
“Ha... friends... huh...
Alright, we’ll take the job. Where’s the drop?”
“I heard you’re in Pacifica. Too unstable there. You’ll come out.
We’ll meet in Santo Domingo. The 6th Street Gang wouldn’t dare mess with Militech.
Here’s the address. We’ll see you this afternoon.”
And with that, she hung up without another word.
Arthur shrugged, glanced at the location: a canal beside an abandoned factory in Santo Domingo’s Arroyo district.
Secluded enough.
He stood and headed toward Jackie, who was still sparring.
“Got word.”
Jackie didn’t end the fight immediately. His footwork shifted, and with a sudden straight punch slipping clean through his opponent’s guard, he slammed the man in the face.
The result was obvious—the guy crumpled to the floor.
Jackie hopped to the edge of the ring, tapping his gloves together with a grin.
“Time’s not up. The only way to finish early is to knock him out cold.”
He stripped off his gloves, gripped the ropes with both hands, and vaulted out of the ring.
“What’s the news? That Daino guy coming to grab the goods?”
“Someone wants it, but they want us to deliver.
An interesting woman—probably Militech.
She’s paying extra, so I agreed.”
Author's Note
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