"A friend has already volunteered to help with this job, so I'm afraid we won't be needing your services."
"We never finalized a deal, and the merc hasn't made contact with you either, so this shouldn't count as breaking any rules, right?"
Victor sat back down on his little bench, casually watching the boxing match as he spoke.
Dexter DeShawn on the other end was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered.
"Of course not, my friend."
"But I'll give you a piece of advice: this won't be an easy job. Those Maelstrom lunatics are no joke. Don't get your friend killed."
Even after losing the business, Dexter wasn't upset. He knew Victor wasn't as simple as he looked.
"My friend's strong. I could introduce him to you—maybe someday he'll help you out of a real mess."
Thinking of Lin Yu, Victor spoke with full confidence.
Forget about the unknown generation of cyberware he carried—just the steel resolve shining in his eyes was enough for Victor to believe this man was destined for greatness.
"Jackie? That big lug's good for brawling, but he's brittle—he can't handle this kind of job."
Jackie was somewhat well-known among mercs, and Dexter knew both him and his relationship with Victor.
"No, he's got a friend—V. You'll want to meet him."
"I'll be looking forward to it."
With that, the two ended the call.
"V?"
Dexter rifled through his mental Rolodex but found no memory of anyone by that name.
Lin Yu, having come from the corporate world, was naturally a nobody in Dexter's circles.
"Send someone over to the robotics plant in the North Industrial District. Just keep an eye on things—no need to intervene."
Dexter thought it over, then made a call.
It wasn't that he distrusted Victor's words, but in this line of work, he preferred to judge for himself.
If there was real talent, he wanted to know.
★★★
Meanwhile, Lin Yu and Jackie had arrived at their destination.
After parking the car by the rear entrance, they climbed over the fence.
Maybe the factory had gone under or something—its security system was outdated, and Lin Yu easily hacked it.
Since they hadn't pinpointed the goods' exact location yet, they needed to avoid alerting anyone.
Following the coordinates from Victor's chip, they crept along the right side of the building.
In the corner to the right, there was a black Columbus V340 cargo truck. Its fresh scratches suggested there had been a recent scuffle.
To the left was a massive steel door. The Maelstrom gang was likely holed up behind it.
Lin Yu considered whether he could slice through it with his Mantis Blades, but it would definitely take time.
Since Victor had already tried negotiating, Lin Yu decided to be polite first—and violent if needed later.
"Who the fuck are you? I don't know you!"
As soon as he hit the door buzzer, a foul-mouthed voice barked out.
"I'm here on Victor's behalf to pick up the goods."
Lin Yu forced down his irritation. Better to get inside first.
"You bring the money?"
Some more cursing and what sounded like an argument inside, then a different voice asked.
"I brought it!"
Lin Yu spoke as he pulled out a tiny chip, simultaneously memorizing the surrounding surveillance system in his mind.
Of course, this wasn't a credit chip, and it didn't contain any money, but it was good enough to fool this group.
"Up to the second floor!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the iron gate swiftly opened.
Inside was a fairly spacious warehouse, equipped with surveillance cameras all around, and in every corner stood at least six members of the Whirlpool Gang.
Lin Yu quickly scanned the room, memorizing each person in case a fight broke out later and someone tried to fire a sneak attack.
"Follow me!"
A gang member holding a kinetic submachine gun immediately approached and led Lin Yu and Jack upstairs.
Like the others, he wore filthy combat gear, and his head had been grotesquely altered for a cybernetic scanner. Aside from the bloody flesh, all that remained was a single red beam slicing across his face.
Just one glance made Lin Yu feel even more disgusted than when playing games.
Worse yet, he caught a faint whiff of rot following behind the man.
Most likely, poor cybernetic implantation had caused an infection.
Lin Yu simply couldn't understand why someone would willingly turn themselves into something resembling a zombie.
The second floor housed a small security room, where a man who looked like a minor boss sat in a chair, his own head similarly twisted into a monstrous blend of human and machine.
"The goods are here. Where's what I asked for?"
Lin Yu spoke bluntly, feeling nauseated and unwilling to waste time with these people.
"You know your business, huh?"
The minor boss reached out to grab the chip, but Lin Yu was faster, swiftly pulling it back.
"I'll be inspecting my goods as well."
Lin Yu said coolly.
"Who the hell do you think you are?!"
A burly man nearby immediately drew his gun and aimed it at Lin Yu's head.
Jack quickly stepped in front of the barrel. "Try saying that again, asshole!"
There was a commotion downstairs—it sounded like people were blocking the stairwell.
"No need to get nervous. It's business. Sometimes when deals go south, you have to shout it out."
The minor boss waved his arm, separating the tense Jack and the burly thug.
At the same time, a few men carried out a large box from an inner room, revealing that the security room actually concealed additional space.
When the box was opened, most of the cybernetic parts were still there—except for one missing arm.
"I've kept these safe for you for quite a while. Taking a little interest isn't too much to ask, right?"
The minor boss said as he flexed his iron arm, testing its feel and range of motion.
It seemed the missing cybernetic limb had already been installed onto his own body.
"Fair enough. But collecting my interest won't be that easy."