Ding~
As Peter stepped out of his apartment, his phone buzzed. The screen showed an unknown number.
"Who is this? And how did you get my number?" he asked, his voice calm yet wary.
On the other end of the line, a woman who appeared to be in her early thirties responded with a confident smile. "I'm Ling Xiaohan, the American director of Kang Tao Company. Mr. Peter, I assume you've heard of me?"
Peter raised an eyebrow. "Ah, Ms. Ling. To what do I owe the pleasure? Especially during such a delicate time?"
Ling Xiaohan chuckled. "Mr. Peter, no need for formalities. We are well aware of your reputation and your... unique skill set. As a capable mercenary, we believe you are the right person for a certain task."
Peter's curiosity was piqued. "A task? Last I checked, Kang Tao had its own armed forces stationed in Night City. Why would you need me?"
"Our security personnel are responsible for maintaining internal safety, not acting as a law enforcement unit," Ling Xiaohan explained. "Unless absolutely necessary, they remain within company grounds."
Peter smirked. "That's an interesting way of saying your so-called security guards aren't much more than decorations. But fine, let's cut to the chase. What's the job?"
Ling Xiaohan's voice turned serious. "A Kang Tao convoy was hijacked in the Heywood district last night. Normally, we would handle such matters ourselves, but due to certain... complications, we require external assistance. The convoy contained an important weapons blueprint that must be retrieved before it falls into the wrong hands."
"A weapons blueprint?" Peter repeated, interest sparking in his eyes.
"Yes, and it's critical that we recover it as soon as possible," Ling Xiaohan confirmed. "We've received intelligence that the hijackers plan to trade it to the Huangban people tonight. Your mission is simple—retrieve the blueprint before the deal goes through."
Peter crossed his arms. "And what's in it for me?"
Ling Xiaohan's tone remained composed. "We will provide you with one of the finished weapons based on the blueprint—a prototype Yinglong rifle. Additionally, you will receive an independent villa in the North Oak district."
Peter couldn't help but whistle. "Now that's an enticing offer. Consider it done."
"Excellent. We look forward to your success," Ling Xiaohan said before hanging up.
A young woman sitting across from Ling Xiaohan frowned. "Aunt Ling, are you sure we can trust a mercenary with this? Wouldn't it be better to send our Qianlong team instead?"
Ling Xiaohan sighed. "Xinyue, there are things you don't yet understand. But for now, just focus on assisting Peter. And one more thing—do not, under any circumstances, test his abilities."
Xu Xinyue remained skeptical but nodded. "Understood."
Meanwhile, Peter leaned back and scoffed at Johnny Silverhand's doubtful expression. "Pie in the sky? Never heard of Kang Tao before?"
Johnny frowned. "Nope. Doesn't ring a bell."
Peter smirked. "Well, no surprise there. The company was founded in 2050—by that time, you'd already been six feet under for decades. If you knew about them, that would be downright spooky."
Johnny scoffed. "Whatever. Still, I don't trust corpos. They're all the same—greedy, ruthless, and corrupt."
Peter chuckled. "That's rich coming from a guy who spent half his life fighting them."
"Yeah, yeah. Just don't get yourself killed," Johnny grumbled before disappearing.
Peter turned his attention back to the job. "A Yinglong rifle, huh? Now that's something worth getting my hands on. Compared to my military-grade G-58, this thing is on a whole different level. High rate of fire, elemental damage—bleeding, fire, poison, electric shock, even EMP. It's practically the perfect weapon. No wonder even Arban imports smart weapons from Kang Tao."
Despite Kang Tao's impressive tech, Peter knew better than to trust them blindly. "They've got skeletons in their closet. Question is, just how dirty are they in this world?"
Moments later, his phone buzzed again—this time, with an address from Ling Xiaohan.
Peter cracked his neck. "No need for backup. I'll handle this myself."
Within minutes, he arrived at the location. The area was crawling with heavily modified gang members. Instead of engaging in a firefight, Peter opted for a more direct approach. With seamless precision, he teleported from target to target, snapping necks before they even realized he was there.
Before long, the last body hit the ground. Peter walked over to a hulking brute and found the blueprint tucked inside his vest.
Ding~
"Peter, what's wrong?" Ling Xiaohan answered, her voice laced with concern. "Need assistance?"
"Not at all. I just wanted to let you know that I've already secured your blueprint," Peter replied, waving the document in his hand.
"Excuse me, what?!" Ling Xiaohan was stunned. "That quickly?"
Peter smirked. "Yeah, turns out I was in the neighborhood. Figured I'd clean up some trash while I was at it. The ones who hijacked your convoy—Animal Gang, right?"
Ling Xiaohan was momentarily speechless. "Yes, but... those guys were all heavily modified! Even our elite forces would have had difficulty dealing with them so quickly."
Peter shrugged. "Yeah, I noticed. They stuffed themselves with high-end prosthetics, made them tough to kill with regular firepower. That's why I didn't bother shooting them—I just snapped their necks."
Ling Xiaohan felt a chill run down her spine. "Understood. I'll send our contact to retrieve the blueprint immediately."
"Good. I'll be waiting."
After hanging up, Peter found a stool and sat down. Twenty minutes later, a group of armed personnel arrived, led by a young woman with a haughty expression.
"You must be Kang Tao's contact?" Peter asked, eyeing her with mild amusement. "Here's your blueprint. Now, where's my rifle and the rest of my payment?"
Xu Xinyue folded her arms. "Your rifle is right here. And the funds have been transferred."
Peter inspected the box containing the prototype rifle before checking his account—50,000 euros had been deposited.
He let out a low whistle. "Now that's what I call service. Kang Tao certainly knows how to treat their mercs."
Despite Xu Xinyue's cold demeanor, Peter simply smirked and picked up the Yinglong rifle. Tonight had been a good night.
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