Chapter 52: Connections

Pacific Rim, Animals.

Angie had been feeling uneasy lately. Although she had long prepared for the upcoming power struggle within the Animals, the disparity between her and the other factions remained glaringly obvious.

She felt like an outsider in this tribe of beasts, looking somewhat out of place. Her force was among the weakest of the various Animals branches in Pacific Rim—it was only thanks to the unwavering loyalty of her trusted confidants that she was preparing to make a desperate final stand.

Angie was smart, ruthless, and knew how to win people over. These were the very reasons why the power-obsessed members of the Animals tolerated her presence.

[Incoming Call: Rin]

Angie tossed the baseball bat in her hand onto the floor, bypassed the smoke-filled haze of her office, and stepped out to answer the call.

Rin’s voice came through first, "Ms. Angie, how have you been sleeping lately?"

Angie looked out at the dilapidated old buildings of Pacific Rim, adjusted the brim of her cap, and let out a cold snort, "If Mr. Rin can manage to butcher Aye within this week, believe me, I’ll sleep much better."

Rin spoke as if he entirely missed Angie’s dissatisfaction, "Aye’s whereabouts have been tracked. I’ll send someone to grab his itinerary soon and find a suitable spot to take him out. But that’s not what I called to discuss today, Ms. Angie."

A puzzled look crossed Angie’s face, "Then what is it?"

Rin chuckled, "How many underground bare-knuckle fighters do we have in Dogtown?"

Angie rubbed her forehead, "Not many, only a dozen or so of my own fighters. Why do you ask?"

Rin answered, "Dozens of cybernetic arms, [Kung Fu Behavioral Chips]. What? Planning to build an army of underground brawlers?"

Angie finally lost her patience, "What I need is for you to help me get rid of Aye, and then use your money to help me smuggle the cyberware into Dogtown—"

"No, you should be well aware that smuggling these cyberware items into Dogtown will most likely just end up benefiting someone else. Let me guess… your odds of winning are probably less than ten percent." Rin let out a long sigh, "Since you want me to clean up this mess for you, you might as well lay out all the details so I can actually help you."

Angie fell silent for a long time, then said with a somewhat deflated tone, "It’s not that I don’t want to, but you know the prices… This is already my entire bottom line within the Animals; there’s simply no way to have Mr. Rin do any more."

Rin asked, "What if I don't charge extra?"

Angie was stunned.

"I will definitely help you take care of Aye, and when the new boss of the Dogtown Animals arrives early, I’ll go negotiate on your behalf—you’ll still end up as the one managing the books in Dogtown… You won’t be able to digest all that cyberware yourself. Hansen’s people are keeping a close eye on the stadium; small-scale stuff is fine, but this volume is just too massive. Lower the price a bit, and I can contact retail ripperdocs to offload the stock."

Angie gritted her teeth, "Just how on earth do you know all of this?"

"You don't need to worry about that. All you need to know is that cooperating with me means you can rest easy."

Rin’s voice was calm, as if he were discussing a matter of absolute triviality.

"Damn it…" Angie planted her hands on her hips and paced back and forth, "Lowering the price comes with risks—"

Rin interrupted her, "No, it just means you aren't making enough profit. Let me give you a small suggestion… you can let the underground fighters pay for the cyberware in installments. I can take a portion off your hands, and let your subordinates retain a certain degree of autonomy to peddle the rest to retail buyers in Dogtown. As long as it doesn't enter the stadium, anything goes."

Holding the phone, Angie suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.

If this mysterious Mr. Rin knew this much, did that mean…

"Uh, sorry, Mr. Rin, there's something I need to tell you in advance." Angie gritted her teeth. She was smart enough to know when to confess her own problems.

Rin chuckled, "Is it about you playing both sides?"

Angie’s expression froze.

"I don't really mind. Sensibly and logically speaking, I overstepped my bounds. It’s entirely understandable that you paid me cleanly while also seeking out another fixer to help you out—but what I'm offering you right now is a hundred-percent solid business deal with after-sales service," Rin said with absolute confidence.

"Then, sir, you..." Angie’s tone shifted as well.

"We reshuffle the deck. That new boss of yours in the Animals will obediently use his own money. The cyberware business will gradually expand. All I want is the originally agreed-upon price. Hand over all future commissions from the Dogtown Animals and your personal network connections to me… no need to deal with Hands anymore."

Having stated his demands, Angie’s first thought was that this person was truly adept at calculation. Setting aside this mysterious individual's intelligence network, there was also his long-term business vision and adherence to contract spirit.

"I agree."

Rin replied, "That’s honestly the best possible outcome."

...

After replying to Sasha's message on her phone, Rebecca pulled a long face and leaned against Maine's car door.

She hadn't mentioned that Lin Yue was cleaning up a mess for the Corporation, because she feared that revealing it would only make her teammates back away—truth be told, corporate gigs paid handsomely, but the danger was equally real.

After all, few corporate gigs were straightforward, and fixers rarely liked to lay all the cards on the table; they were all slippery bastards who covered their own asses.

That was why anyone in Night City daring enough to take on corporate contracts was practically a household name in the Afterlife.

She had no idea how things were going over at Lin Yue's corporate gig. Rebecca had tried calling earlier to ask, but that infuriated bastard had hung up on her. Just thinking about it made her blood boil!

It wasn't until Mr. Rin sent down the mission details, leaving them waiting with heavy hearts, that Rebecca finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At the very least, it proved Lin Yue wasn't missing any arms or legs and was still capable of handling a job.

"Did Lin Yue just stroke himself to death at home?" Pilar felt that the Dogtown sun was a bit too blinding, no different from the Badlands. Waiting around for a young mercenary with a whole crew made no sense at all.

Rebecca's mood didn't go unnoticed by Dorio.

This robust woman was actually the one in the crew previously responsible for intelligence analysis and mission command, though Lin Yue had since taken her place. Even so, she remained exceptionally meticulous and observant.

"Didn't you sleep well? Get in the car and rest for a bit." Dorio patted Rebecca's shoulder.

With her hands shoved into her pockets, Rebecca shook her head, her ponytail swaying back and forth.

"You shouldn't use heavy weaponry anymore recently. The structural integrity of this arm cyberware isn't holding up. If you keep using your previous gun-arms, you're bound to run into trouble sooner or later… stick to lighter firepower," Dorio advised Rebecca.

Hearing this, Rebecca flashed a mischievous grin, clenched her fist, and flexed her muscles. As her sleeve slipped down, the misalignment at the joint of her cyberware arm became visibly apparent.

Seeming to notice Dorio's gaze, Rebecca felt a bit awkward and withdrew her arm with a dissatisfied huff, "This piece of junk is too pathetic. I should just install a pair of gorilla arms—"

Before she could finish her sentence—

"What did you just say?!" Pilar stretched his neck out, looking down at his younger sister with a teasing expression, "You little asshole, didn't you just say you looked down on flashy cyberware arms like your big brother's? Oh-ho-ho, what's this? So it turns out your mouth says no, but your heart screams 'I want the big boy stuff'!"

"You're just like that bastard kid—trash-talking my exaggerated cyberware, yet you went ahead and installed high-end gear without saying a word..."

Gritting her teeth, Rebecca lowered her head to listen to Pilar's mockery while the blood vessels near her temples throbbed relentlessly, yet the voice of the oblivious culprit just kept getting more and more irritating.

Dorio waved her hand helplessly and walked away to talk to Maine. The very next second, Rebecca brought her foot down hard, slamming her heel squarely onto the top of Pilar's foot.

"Holy mother of—!" Pilar's face instantly flushed red, his teeth bared as he let out a continuous stream of curses.

Just as the group was making a ruckus, Lin Yue rounded the distant street corner. Tucking his phone into his pocket, he smiled and waved at his teammates.

Rebecca sneered, "I thought you'd kicked the bucket."

You had to admit, stepping on her brother's foot let off a good half of her pent-up frustration.

The last time that bastard Lin Yue told her it was none of her business, his punk attitude had made Rebecca's teeth itch. There was no way she was going to give him a pleasant expression.

Lin Yue laughed lightheartedly, "Had to handle a few things. Sorry about that."

Sitting on the ground clutching his foot, Pilar looked from Rebecca—who had turned her face away—back to Lin Yue, who was grinning like an absolute moron, a strange look coming over his face...

Hey, hey, hey, no way, right?

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[Kung Fu Chip]: A behavioral chip used by David's bully in the Edgerunners anime. It is said to impart the techniques of a martial arts master, making strikes steady, accurate, and lethal!