Chapter 10

"I checked the surveillance footage from yesterday evening—looks like they headed to northern Santo Domingo. This area's an industrial zone, packed with containers perfect for hiding things. Probably where they did the deal for that military tech. Take a look around the spots I marked on the MAP, but keep it low-key so you don’t draw attention on the main road."

"...Got it."

After hopping back into the Delamain and getting dropped off at a discreet distance this time, I followed Jugra’s instructions and scanned the container yard.

The factory area was swarming with workers, and every single one of them looked suspicious. I tried picking out shady or suspicious individuals, but none stood out.

...So, if they were dealing something dangerous, where would they do it? Somewhere hidden from the road by containers, or maybe a spot enclosed on all sides. Or… somewhere on the outskirts.

"...Tch, this is..."

Near the edge of the industrial zone, under a bridge, the wall was smeared with blood—still fresh, just like the scanner indicated. A closer look revealed a scrap of yellow fabric soaked in blood, discarded in the grass. When I checked the texture against my current jacket, it was a perfect match, sending a sharp pang through me.

"This is either the deal site or an ambush. My bet’s on the latter. Probably got spotted by a rival. Some scav scum who’s been eyeing cyberware theft, maybe even a 'colleague' of theirs. Saw Gloria-san score some primo tech, tailed her to the deal spot, then cornered and jumped her once they hit a quiet area. Keep scanning—dig for more intel."

"R-right. On it."

No idea when Jugra installed a scanner in my optical implant, but I did as told and swept the area again. This time, I found traces of two bikes crushing through the grass, along with tire tracks leading somewhere.

"Good work," Jugra muttered before a navigation signal popped into my vision, tracking the tire marks. Following the path, I climbed a slope and reached an intersection leading to a trailer park. The signal didn’t go there—instead, it veered toward graffiti-marked alleys, where a roofed warehouse stood with two parked bikes.

Hiding in the grass, I peeked out to see a group of rough-looking guys smoking and loitering.

"Ah, so that’s it. Scavs have been dipping into Six Street’s recent moves. That whole area’s controlled by Six Street—a gang started by vets. You can tell by the stars-and-stripes graffiti. And scavs? Literal vultures. They strip cyberware and organs, sell ’em on the black market—bottom-feeders, through and through. Wait!! Good, stay hidden. I’m not done."

Jugra’s sharp command froze me mid-step as I nearly bolted for the warehouse. Frustration burned, sweat beading, but I forced myself to wait. Flat. Level. Steady. Calm.

"That’s probably just a staging area. I skimmed nearby cam logs—no lights on, even at midnight. No generators or gear inside. Just a storage spot for 'merchandise.' They post guards outside but don’t stick around inside. Call it morbid, but freshness matters. Ripping from corpses vs. living bodies? Big difference in value. So, good news—Gloria-san’s probably still alive."

"...Hah… thank god."

"Idiot, don’t relax yet. Can’t rule out a basement. If there’s living quarters? Worst-case—no way they’d leave a young widow untouched."

"—Huh?!"

"Cool it, David. Wanna be a cyberpunk? Gotta consider every angle. Plan for the worst, pick the best move in front of you. Merc work ain’t just shooting your way out. You gotta read the streets—gang turf, rumors, info flow. Like how I just schooled you on scavs. Knowing their game lets you guess their moves."

White-hot rage bubbled up, but I clamped down. Just hypotheticals. Right. Finding Mom and riding into the sunset? Could just as easily end with a bullet from some unseen corner.

Writing her off as dead ’cause scavs took her? Too shallow. Missed details cost lives. This was Jugra’s lesson—grit my teeth and swallow it.

"...My bad. Go on."

"Right. Ideally, we’d slip past the guards and extract her. But the warehouse only has two entrances—front and back—each with a lookout. Front’s got four guys shooting the breeze, though. Bored as hell."

"We’re screwed."

"Sigh… Why’d I give you that Smiley again? Take out the back guard and get inside. That side’s cluttered with scrap—plenty of cover. Keep it quiet."

Take out. The casual way Jugra said it made me question her sanity. But no time to freeze up now.

Creeping along the warehouse wall, Smiley in hand, I reached the corner. Peeking around, I spotted the back guard—yawning, blinking, just standing there.

I aimed the Smiley at him… but couldn’t pull the trigger.

I was a student. Killing someone? Not something I could just do. Shooting limbs would just make him scream and alert the others. Headshot was the only sure way—I knew that. But my finger wouldn’t move.

Seconds ticked by, the Smiley still trained on the oblivious guard. Jugra stayed silent, waiting.

Like the guys from Doc’s black-market BDs, I just had to—

"Huh? Oh, you gotta be kidding—now?! David! Brace for impact!!"

"Wha—? Whoa—?!"

An engine roared from the front before an explosion rocked the area, the blast sending me tumbling. I rolled twice, slamming into a container—no pain, thanks to my gear.

"The hell?! We under attack?!"

The back guard sprinted toward the front, luckily letting me slip inside unseen.

But what the hell was happening out there? That explosion meant someone else was hitting this place.

With the guards distracted, I slipped in through the back. Inside was like a grungy hangout—sofas, tables, trash everywhere. And in the corner, a locked container.

Gunfire erupted outside, the scale of the fight making me sweat as I reached the container.

"Jugra, found the container. …Jugra?"

No response. My HUD still showed her logged in. Maybe jamming from the fight outside?

I grabbed the hand-crank to open the container—just as something hard pressed against the back of my skull.

"Heya. Lookin’ for someone? Got some questions for ya."

A girl’s voice, sharp and confident, like she owned the situation. I stopped cranking and slowly raised my hands.

"...Funny. I’m looking for my mom."

"Hah? Mommy huntin’? Why’s a clingy brat like you here? Talk. Now."

She shoved me against the container, smacking my forehead into it. The blood dripping down helped me focus.

Jugra said Mom was brought here after an ambush. So, what if the people she was dealing with got ghosted and came investigating? And, like me, followed the trail here?

"Name’s David. David Martinez. The person you’re looking for—wouldn’t happen to be Gloria Martinez, would it?"

“…Ah damn, seriously? Oi, oi, Maine. Your client’s kid showed up—right here. …Yeah, yeah, I got it. Tch, so now I gotta babysit the brat, huh? Me, of all people.”

The weight of the gun that had been pressed to the back of my head vanished. I exhaled and turned around…

…Only to see a half-naked woman.

She was wearing just a hoodie, nothing on her legs, and beneath it, just a black cyber bra and panties. Her whole body was clearly modified—implants everywhere—and she was staring at me with this unreadable look.

Hair, skin, eyes—everything on her was implanted. Her mint-green body was accented with glowing pink cyber tattoos that gave off an oddly seductive vibe.

I quickly turned my burning face back toward the container. Damn. I really hope my face didn’t just turn beet red.

It was the first time I’d ever seen a girl’s body this close. Burned into my retinas now.

“Hm…? What’s wrong? Your ears are totally red. You really are a little innocent, aren’t ya? Hah, so cute~”

“Hey—stop it, knock it off! Getting real chummy all of a sudden, aren’t you!?”

“Haha! Don’t worry, I’m not so pissed I’d get all handsy with a shy little kid. Keh heh heh!”

I rubbed my side where she’d jabbed me and let out a heavy sigh as I looked her over again.

She was a bit taller than Jugra, but still a whole head shorter than me.

Despite her size, she had a surprisingly mature aura—like someone you’d see hanging around a red-light district.

“So, your mom’s in here, yeah?”

“Probably. Given the circumstances, I’m betting she is… Anyway—”

I turned the lock all the way and pulled the container door open.

Inside, I saw about six people, their arms bound behind their backs. Toward the back, in familiar yellow clothes, was my mom.

I rushed over, ran a scan on her body. Just a few cuts on her arms and some bruising on her cheek—nothing life-threatening.

“Thank god… You’re alive…”

“So this is your mom. That means… Maine’s client, huh?”

“…What exactly is your connection to my mom?”

“Hm? Oh, simple. Seller and buyer, that’s all. The big guy making a racket outside is Maine, his right hand is Dorio, and the sleazy-looking creep is my brother, Pilar. We’ve also got two netrunners—decent ones, too. Kiwi’s an older woman, Lucy’s a looker. They’re not here right now, though.”

“Huh. And your name?”

“Me? I’m Rebecca. What, you fallin’ for me or somethin’?”

“As if. I was just asking.”

She gave a mischievous grin and poked at me again, which ticked me off a little. I hoisted Mom up in a bridal carry and stood.

I tried slipping out the back quietly, but of course, Rebecca blocked my way.

I figured it wouldn’t be that easy.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! You seriously trying to sneak off? The cleanup out front’s almost done—just stay put, yeah?”

“My mom’s condition comes first. I need a ripper I can trust to look her over. That’s more important.”

“Eh? But it’s just a cut here, a bruise there, right? Doesn’t smell like anything worse.”

“Don’t say it like that.”

Maybe it was the low tone I used, but Rebecca gave a sheepish “ahaha” and raised both hands in mock surrender.

I was ready to force my way past when something descended from above—Delamain landed in front of me, and out stepped Jugra.

She wore her usual overalls and a black tank top, slinging her massive eight-lens device head casually in one hand.

She took one look around and quickly assessed the situation. Tossing the device into the passenger seat, she walked over.

Her calm, collected face—unfazed by the gunfire from the front of the warehouse—somehow made me feel safer.

“Jugra!”

“Yo. Congrats on your first run, David. And good thing Gloria’s injuries were minor. Load her in—I'll take care of her back at our place.”

“Hold up, hold up! That’s not how this works! David’s coming with us, remember!?”

Rebecca and Jugra locked eyes. The air practically sparked as their gazes clashed.

…Weird. It felt like a tiger and a dragon were facing off.

In the next second, Rebecca was bound and on the ground in a ridiculously lewd pose by Jugra’s medical monowire.

…Why the hell did she tie her up like that? Even my scanner labeled it shibari. I didn’t need that info.

With her mouth tightly gagged, Rebecca could only mumble “muh guh guh!” while Jugra coolly said:

“Sorry, but stay like that for a while. I’m taking Gloria to Glakker in Japantown. Once you’ve cleaned up, come by and tell the others. Let’s go, David. You’ll see her again. I get it—hard to part, but save it.”

“Not like I care that much. …Anyway. Take care, Rebecca.”

“Muh guh guh!!”

Stepping over her, I climbed into the back seat with Mom. As soon as she was settled, the doors shut and we lifted off.

The tension finally drained from my body, and a deep breath escaped me. Exhaustion hit all at once.

Really… Thank god Mom’s okay.

Jugra was already doing a quick exam next to me. She didn’t look worried—probably nothing serious.

Looking down through the window, I saw the front of the warehouse had turned into a warzone. The Scavs had brought reinforcements—it wasn’t just lookouts anymore.

“…Things are really getting wild out there.”

“Yeah. Apparently the whole factory nearby was a small-time Scav hideout. That one blast must’ve stirred the nest—now they’re pouring out like ants. Looks like Gloria just passed out from exhaustion, not drugs. No serious health issues. I’ll slap on some disinfectant and patches. That’s all she needs.”

“Got it… Thanks.”

“No big deal. You found her safe and sound. That alone makes this a win. Pretty good for your first mission. You did well, David.”

“…Yeah.”

Sure, Jugra carried me through half the mission and laid out the red carpet for the rest, but just having my mom alive beside me was enough to feel like I’d accomplished something.

Just like before, I bumped my fist against Jugra’s in quiet celebration with a partner I could count on.

…Oh yeah, that reminds me.

“Why couldn’t we communicate once I went inside the warehouse?”

“Got poked at by their netrunner. I sent a little present back and left it at that. Probably still dealing with it now.”

“…What kind of present?”

“Just one hundred pop-ups per second saying, ‘Firewall ICE activated!’ All fake. I hid the real ‘exit’ button under the pile. You can’t even access my machine without hitting that one—but good luck finding it when they keep spawning. And since it’s a sender-only PC, no way to get in even if they break through. Probably lagged to hell by now.”

“…That’s brutal.”

Normally, you’d have to enter a three- to five-digit code to unlock each layer of ICE, but this wasn’t a simple 5x5 grid. It was a 100x100 hellscape that spammed their screen with fake walls.

The design mimicked standard netrunner tools so closely that unless you were really sharp, you’d fall for it.

And if you gave up, the pop-ups would keep piling on, overloading the device. Since there was no virus inside, cleaning it wouldn’t help. And if you didn’t shut down the power, they’d just keep coming.

I asked to see one, and sure enough, a blood-red window popped up telling me to enter a ten-digit passcode.

Looking at that 100x100 grid made me want to give up on life.

No wonder it was effective.

“And here’s what the real firewall pop-up looks like.”

“…It’s so small. Damn, the fake one’s nearly identical…”

"Right? That’s why the serious types get obsessed and fall for it, and the proud ones waste effort trying to break through. It’s just a pop-up—not a firewall or anything. But slackers? They’ll let it hog memory until their important data gets crushed under junk. If you’re using a device, you could just shut it off, but nowadays every netrunner insists on using their own body, so they’ve got no choice but to deal with it. See? Analog’s still got its uses, huh?"

Jugra smirked smugly, and I gave her a wry smile before asking her to close the pop-up in front of us.

She blinked blankly, let out an "Aah…" and then gave me a thumbs-up with a "Hang in there."

You’ve gotta be kidding me. So unless I solve this annoying thing, I’m stuck?

I desperately worked on it and somehow managed to unlock it before reaching the Glucker, but yeah—I couldn’t help but pity anyone who got hit with this.

After unlocking it, the cute, chibi-style tiger on the back of the business card gave me a "Good job!" as a reward. Was that really necessary…?

Exhausted, all I wanted was to sleep—but given the situation, that wasn’t happening.