Chapter 69: Chapter 65: The Process of Integrating into the City
"Aren’t mercenaries just in it for the money?"
Andrew clutched his severed arm, his teeth gritting in pain.
"I know I’m a scumbag, pal, but killing me will bring you more trouble. Take the double pay in peace, and tell Maya — I’ll get the hell out of Eden City and never show up again."
He saw contempt and disdain in John’s eyes.
Andrew couldn’t help but ask.
"You were hired by Maya, right?"
"Actually, Maya’s husband suspects she’s cheating and hired me to take out the lover."
"What! Lover? Shit, this is a huge misunderstanding!"
"Shh, tsk tsk tsk, I know."
John sighed. "But when you mess with someone else’s family, you should consider the price you’ll pay."
Bam!
Andrew’s head exploded.
His half prosthetic eye fell beside the wheel, the front vitreous completely shattered, revealing an expression of shock and unwillingness.
[Awaiting Maya. (Not Achieved)]
John dragged the body to the back seat of the truck and found a bunch of miscellaneous items and bills with various names while searching the vehicle.
The conclusion was almost certain:
This vehicle was temporarily stolen by Andrew.
He was dirt poor, even his gun was a cheap model, and for a Special Affairs Bureau agent to end up like this...
No wonder he was extorting his subordinates.
Andrew had a badge in his pocket.
[Collectible: Special Affairs Bureau Badge (Andrew)]
[Description: Issued when sworn into New America, agents usually destroy it or hide it with their pension.]
The intelligence department hardly had any paper badges, even the files had to exist within tiered secure systems.
But this was genuine.
It was a product of political whirlpool and state oppression, and while Andrew got ground to waste in the cogs, he carried this with him in his flight.
Hard to say what he was thinking.
John took out a cigarette.
[Description: Besides running his stall, Gerry Pierce trades rare leaves with old customers.]
The cigarette was handed out by the stall owner, its steaming mist seemingly conveying the loneliness of middle-aged men.
Many street mercenaries were keen on traditional cigarettes.
Firstly, materials were easy to gather and manufacture.
Secondly, the tobacco could stop bleeding, relieve pain, numbing discomfortable sensations from prosthetic body modifications.
Considered the cheapest dopamine available.
John leaned against the broken chain fence, the taste of tar warding off the stench drifting over the water.
[Scan detected, no hacking attempts.]
A prompt popped up.
It meant someone was observing him from a distance.
John didn’t pay attention, just smoked quietly.
He tossed the cigarette butt into the water, then turned around to see a woman with a briefcase slowly approaching.
[Name: Maya]
In the photos Gerry gave, she appeared as a gentle wife and mother smiling with a child.
Now, the difference was worlds apart.
Maya had checked the surroundings on her approach and also found Andrew dead in the car.
John hadn’t hidden it, waiting for her to come.
"Gerry sent me to solve your trust crisis."
"How much do you know?"
"I’ve read your messages with Andrew."
John answered truthfully.
He noticed Maya’s expression turned somber, so he nonchalantly displayed the Technique Revolver.
"I took out Andrew without a spec of dust on me, your military prosthetic hasn’t been updated in ages, want to try silencing me?"
Maya tore off her disguise, revealing her true self.
"Phew— if I’m discovered, it actually relieves me. It’s been tough for both Gerry and I."
"He thought you cheated."
"So he wants you to kill me?"
"No."
John shook his head. "He wants to talk to you."
Maya looked pained, then smiled with some relief, and her briefcase fell to the ground.
"What should I do?"
Her courage to face the meeting was exhausted.
"Sometimes lies are gentler than the truth. If Gerry knows I used to work for the Federation, there’s so much to explain, those experiences would destroy our marriage..."
She was trying to seek advice from John.
"Or should I admit Andrew was my lover, he’s already dead by your hand, can I get life back on track?"
[Have Maya confess. (Optional)]
[Help Maya conceal. (Optional)]
[Do not provide advice. (Optional)]
"How the hell should I know?"
John was just taking a break for a side quest, not interested in providing emotional counseling to a problematic family.
He put away his gun and got into the Calormen Truck.
"Gerry sits in his store every day, listening to customers vent all sorts of crappy stories... Hey, listen, he’s the most damn unfortunate person in this mess, not you. You made these shitty things happen to him."
John held the steering wheel with one hand.
He propped his elbow on the window, pointing to the back seat.
"Andrew paid the price, and the punishment you have to face is meeting Gerry and your daughter, good luck~"
The Calormen Truck started up.
Maya faded away slowly in the pendant-decorated rearview mirror.
John drove with Andrew’s body to the Dan Street Apartment, heading to the agreed parking lot.
Jilead was waiting there after receiving the message.
The Black Gold Gang had its own channels:
They specialized in handling all kinds of vehicles with dubious origins, stripping them down until each screw was unrecognizable.
As for the body, that was even simpler.
Whether they randomly picked a shady clinic or contacted some fresh faces just entering the Ghoul trade, they could make Andrew physically vanish from the world.
John handed the car over to Jilead.
It was his reward for the information search, the money didn’t matter, the key was maintaining the relationship.
[Mission Objective Updated]