Chapter 18: Confrontation

“Mr. Bosewei, he’s taken the Gig.”
“Good. Well done, Mr. Kova.”
Bosewei smiled at Kova’s report and nodded with satisfaction.

“If everything goes as planned, that half a million eddies will be yours. But—you understand what I mean.”
Bosewei’s gaze lingered on Kova, carrying an unspoken warning. Feeling a chill, Kova immediately nodded.

He understood perfectly: from this moment on, he belonged to Militech’s Science Division. He hadn’t planned on becoming one of them, but now that it had happened... well, he couldn’t really complain. The company’s “meals” were simply too good to resist.
“Don’t hold it against me, kid. I’ll light a few sticks of incense for you later.”
Kova pressed his palms together and gave a small, guilty smile.

...

Meanwhile, Jhin was already riding his motorcycle toward the location marked in the intel file. He had to admit, Militech’s data was surprisingly detailed—almost too detailed. It made him wonder if the person setting this trap was a complete amateur.

Why hand over so much information? Normally, corporations delegated these kinds of dirty jobs to mercs because they didn’t want to waste resources digging into the details.
But this guy? He’d laid everything out on a silver platter—all Jhin had to do was pull the trigger. What, was Militech short on armed forces now?

Of course, it could have been about cost-cutting... but no company that wanted to save money would offer half a million eddies for a single job.
“A perfect little trap, wrapped like a job offer. Shame for them... I’m not that easy to catch.”

Jhin silently powered down the red glow on his helmet and sank into the darkness.

...

“Any movement at the factory?”
Bosewei leaned against his chair and asked the surveillance operator.

“None, sir. Looks like the target hasn’t made a move yet.”
The analyst cycled through several camera feeds, finding nothing.

“Notify me the moment something happens.”
Bosewei sighed and waved dismissively, then began flipping through documents to pass the time.

On the factory rooftop, Jhin surveyed the facility below. Through Ascension’s enhanced vision, the layout of every person and machine inside was crystal clear.
A red glint flashed in his eyes. In an instant, Jhin hijacked the entire Militech Science Division surveillance network—complete control, in less than a second.

Whoosh!

His sudden intrusion sent shockwaves through the Militech control room. Intelligence staff and cybersecurity personnel scrambled in panic.

Bosewei, who saw the system takeover firsthand, immediately stepped forward. “Report—what’s going on?!”
“Sir! Someone forced us out and took over all surveillance feeds!”
Bosewei’s face froze, then shifted into a grin. The one he was waiting for had arrived.

“So he’s a skilled netrunner too... Notify the security team to prepare for deployment. I’m going there personally—and bring a few netrunners with us.”
“Yes, sir!”

...

After securing the systems, Jhin wasted no time. He locked onto every Maelstrom gang member inside the abandoned factory.
He’d planned to use his firearm earlier, but now he didn’t feel like it.
When dealing with opponents without decent ICE defenses, there was only one efficient way to handle it.

He drew his weapon and unloaded several magazines straight into the ceiling. The sheer firepower blew a gaping hole open, instantly alerting everyone below.

Spreading his arms wide, Jhin leaned backward and fell through the hole.

Whoosh—

The Maelstrom gang members, already on edge, spotted him instantly and raised their weapons.
But just as they aimed, their vision flooded with lines of corrupted code—their sight and senses scrambled beyond recovery. Acting on raw instinct, they still pulled their triggers.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Amid the chaos, Jhin landed softly on the ground. The overhead lights illuminated him like a performer on stage, commanding the room’s attention.
Blood pooled near his feet.

He looked around, scanning the factory—no survivors. Humming to himself, he strolled toward the Militech cargo, dropping small, fading flowers along his path.

In a single instant, he breached every cyberware system in the area, turned their weapons on themselves, and staged a mass “suicide.”

“Let’s see what kind of cargo you’re hiding...”

He yanked off the tarp covering the shipment. Inside were several Militech security drones, anti-personnel mines, and heavy machine guns.

That gave him pause.
Was Militech’s Science Division really that reckless—using this kind of equipment as bait? Were they not afraid of losing it all?

Well, lucky for him, they’d delivered the goods straight to his door.
And he fully intended to use these lovely toys to “return the favor” once their forces arrived.

As the roar of approaching AVs filled the air, Jhin narrowed his eyes, calmly assembling a sniper rifle before vanishing back into the shadows.

...

Bosewei sat comfortably inside his AV, with no intention of stepping outside. Getting close to a cyberpsycho of that level? That was suicide.

Moments later, dozens of heavily armed Militech operatives disembarked, followed by combat drones taking flight.
Several Militech netrunners immediately began hacking into the factory’s systems.

Watching the scene unfold, Bosewei smirked. He could already picture the moment Jhin would be captured.

He raised his glass to toast his “victory.”

Then—an ear-splitting crack tore through the air.
Before anyone could react, a crimson beam pierced the factory wall, shredded through the AV’s armor plating, and drilled cleanly through Bosewei’s temple.

Bang—

Blood sprayed across the cabin. His arm twitched from the last traces of muscle reflex, raising the wine glass as golden liquid spilled down his suit.

The squad leader froze for a moment before barking orders.
“Keep advancing! Move in on the factory!”

He stepped aside to contact Bosewei’s superior as gunfire erupted.
“Open fire!!”

A storm of bullets tore through the air toward the sniper’s last position.

But Jhin, still calm on the factory’s second floor, didn’t even flinch. He packed away his rifle, turned on his radio, and let soft music fill the air.

As Jhin once said:
“I’ve never harmed anyone. It’s just a performance—one that leaves the audience breathless.”