To be honest, although Lucy knew that Peter often went out to take care of business, no woman would be happy waking up to an empty bed after spending the night with someone. She didn't like it, but she had grown somewhat accustomed to it.
"I was wrong, okay? Look at what I brought you back."
Peter had expected her to be upset, so he had made a quick stop at a jewelry store before returning home. He held up a necklace with a pure white gemstone set in its center. As the sunlight streamed through the window, the gemstone refracted a spectrum of colors, creating a mesmerizing display.
Even though Lucy wasn't particularly interested in jewelry, she couldn't help but be drawn to the brilliance of the necklace.
"Let me put it on for you."
Without waiting for her to refuse, Peter moved behind her and clasped the necklace around her neck.
"Do you like it?" he asked softly.
Lucy touched the gemstone, feeling its smooth surface. "Yeah… it's nice."
Peter smiled. "I still have some business to take care of in Taipingzhou. But I'll be back tonight to cook a big meal for you."
Before she could say anything, he leaned down and kissed her forehead.
Lucy's cheeks turned slightly pink. Though they had been intimate, his casual affection still caught her off guard. "You don't have to tell me everything, just… come home safely, okay?"
Hearing that, Peter left without another word. He had originally planned to give gifts to all three women when he returned, but V had already left the house, and Sasha was nowhere to be found. He also didn't want to interrupt Lucy, as she was busy working on the game program.
Instead, he decided to use this free time to deal with the Voodoo Gang. They had always disgusted him. He remembered playing through their story in the game and how their actions had repulsed him. The first time, he had been unaware of the consequences and had helped them access the Net, which led to a prisoner's brain being burned out. That memory lingered, and now, given the chance, he had no intention of letting them continue their crimes.
Ding~
Peter dialed Hands, one of the intermediaries he had worked with before. Hands had been his contact after completing the Cyan Bi Building job.
"You're Peter, right?" Hands' voice came through the line, cold and mechanical. "Didn't you already hand over your team to your woman? Why are you calling me now? Something wrong? Just so you know, I don't like small talk."
Peter smirked. "I'm looking for a job. Also, I need information on Bridget, the leader of the Voodoo Gang."
"What a coincidence," Hands replied. "They came to me earlier today looking for a skilled mercenary for a deal. Since you've reached out, the job's yours."
Peter frowned slightly. The timing was a bit too perfect, but he wasn't one to question fate when it worked in his favor.
"As for Bridget," Hands continued, "once you're done with the job, you can go straight to them."
Peter had a different objective in mind. He wanted to wipe out the Voodoo Gang and use them to track down Ott. That woman fascinated him. She was the one who had created the infamous Soulkiller program, and he wanted to know more about her.
"The church on Sloane Street—one of their strongholds, right? Have them send a liaison to meet me there," Peter instructed.
Hands chuckled. "Not bad. You've done your homework. Alright, I'll set it up."
With that, the call ended.
Peter didn't bother driving or taking the light rail. Instead, he flew to a secluded area near the church and landed unnoticed. As he approached the entrance, the contact recognized him immediately.
After a brief exchange, he was led to meet Placid, the enforcer from the butcher shop in the game's storyline. The man appeared unassuming but was notorious for his ruthless methods.
The Voodoo Gang had their own twisted way of operating. To them, their actions weren't immoral—they were just following their own rules. But Peter wasn't about to play by their rules.
As much as he wanted to smash Placid's head into the ground, he held back. If he killed the man now, Bridget would likely go into hiding, making things much more complicated.
The conversation unfolded similarly to the game's script, leading Peter to the China Hotel—the Voodoo Gang's hideout.
As soon as he sat down, Placid attempted to link into his neural interface.
"Let me connect to your personal link," Placid demanded.
Peter scoffed. "Not a chance."
Placid frowned. "How else will you understand the mission?"
Peter leaned back. "You need someone to take out a NetWatch supervisor, right? You could've just said that instead of playing games."
The Voodoo Gang had a reputation for disposing of mercenaries after using them. Either they'd betray them outright, or they'd fry their brains through the Net. Classic scumbag tactics.
Placid narrowed his eyes. "Where did you hear that?" His hand drifted toward his waist, inching toward his gun.
"You'll be dead before you can draw that," Peter said calmly.
Placid hesitated. "What exactly do you want?"
"I want to meet Bridget. And I want access to your subnet—Sea God."
Placid's expression darkened. He pulled out his pistol without hesitation. "You think you can just demand things from us?"
Peter sighed, unimpressed. "If I were you, I wouldn't point a gun at someone you can't handle."
Placid sneered. "Oh yeah? What if all of us point our guns at you?"
Around the room, more than twenty gang members drew their weapons, surrounding Peter. He let out a low whistle. "Shh~ That's cute."
Then, in a blur, all their weapons vanished from their hands and clattered onto the table in front of him. The table overflowed with confiscated firearms. The gang members looked around, realizing that in a fraction of a second, Peter had disarmed them all without breaking a sweat.
Placid felt a cold chill run down his spine. He didn't understand how Peter had done it, but one thing was clear—this was no ordinary mercenary.
Peter leaned forward, a smirk playing on his lips. "Now, can we talk about the mission like civilized people?"
Placid swallowed hard. The tables had turned, and suddenly, he was the one out of options.