...Mission, Start...
"There are so many people."
It was already the day of the mission. After the client, Faraday, sent them over and negotiated with the guards, who were obviously Arasaka, Karl, Oliver, and Jack were allowed to carry their weapons and enter the transport port in the Arasaka seaside area. Once inside the warehouse, they discovered that even though they had arrived an hour early, they were still among the last to show up.
Because, apart from them, there were already at least twenty mercenaries inside, equipped with various prosthetics and holding specially modified firearms, all waiting.
"There really are a lot of people," Karl responded to Jack's comment. He began observing the other mercenaries. After carefully looking at their prosthetics and weapons, Karl found that he actually recognized most of them.
"Subdermal armor, Mantis Blades, Saratoga submachine guns, Kenshin pistols, Nova pistols... Oh, Oliver, you've also got the SOR-22 kinetic precision rifle. Looks like they've sent some capable people."
None of these weapons were cheap. Low-level mercenaries couldn't afford them, but Karl wasn't surprised. After all, anyone sent by the various fixer wouldn't still be using something as basic as a Lexington.
"You don't have to say it," Oliver remarked, eyeing his SOR-22 rifle, then looking at the Saratoga in Jack's hands and the Kenshin in Karl's. He realized that the three of them, with their weapons, blended in well among the other mercenaries.
"Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three... Karl, Oliver, counting us, there are already twenty-six people here. If everyone's being paid a hundred thousand, how much is the employer spending on this mission?"
"You're forgetting the Fixer's cut and other expenses. Either way, it's definitely a number we can't even imagine, Jack."
Oliver sighed, thinking about the sheer amount of money: "The gap between people is wider than the gap between dogs."
"It's like you've ever seen a dog in Night City."
Karl laughed. "I've seen plenty of cute dogs. I even raised one before."
"Yeah? I've never seen that. Corporate dogs don't count." Oliver shot Karl the middle finger in response to his boasting.
"Quit your bickering, both of you," Jack cut in, nudging them with his elbow. "Look, someone's coming. Don't they look familiar to you?"
Karl and Oliver turned toward the warehouse entrance, and sure enough, they saw someone they recognized.
"Isn't that the guy from...?" Oliver started, noticing the muscular, yellow-haired man holding a large machine gun in one hand. "He was fighting outside that Choameng store, right? I remember he had two teammates then. Why's he alone now?"
"Maybe they're dead, or they weren't qualified for this mission," Karl replied nonchalantly. "Nothing in Night City is surprising."
As Karl spoke, the yellow-haired man noticed them and started walking toward their group.
'Is he looking for trouble?' Karl thought at first. But he soon realized that wasn't the case. The man actually looked relieved to see them.
"You must be Karl, Oliver, and Jack," the yellow-haired man said as he approached. "My name's Mann. I used to work for Faraday, but this time he only had three spots, so I accepted a commission from another fixer for this escort mission. Mind if I join you?"
"Mann?" Karl didn't respond immediately. He sent a quick message to Faraday, confirming Mann's identity. Once that was done, he replied, "Why do you want to team up with us?"
"Because of the mission," Mann said, glancing at the other mercenary teams before looking back at Karl. "Faraday's connection makes me think you're trustworthy. Plus, I'm curious about your skills. I've been with Faraday for a while, and I was surprised he'd pass over my team for a new one. Didn't expect that."
"And you're alone, right?" Karl noted. He saw through Mann's real reasoning. It was dangerous to run a high-stakes escort mission solo, so Mann was looking to use his connection with Faraday to team up for safety.
Despite his brute appearance, Mann wasn't dumb. He knew there was strength in numbers, especially in a mission like this.
"Exactly." Mann didn't hide his motives. He stared at Karl and asked, "So, what do you say?"
"What's your specialty?"
"If necessary, I can rely on my subdermal armor and hold this 'Type 31 Heavy Machine Gun.' Does that work for you?"
In other words, he was putting himself on the line, showing he wasn't afraid to take point or trust them not to shoot him in the back.
"That works."
Karl shook Mann's hand. "Pleasure to work with you."
"Likewise," Mann replied with a grin. "Captain."
"Just call me K. Let's keep things casual."
Now that Mann had joined, Karl introduced the rest of the team.
"Jack here does the same thing as you—heavy firepower. The two of you will handle most of the suppression. Oliver's our medic and sniper. If you get hurt or need support, he's your guy. As for me..." Karl paused, thinking about his role, then gave a mysterious answer, "You'll find out when the fight starts."
"You'll find out when the fight starts?" Mann repeated, confused. But seeing how unfazed Oliver and Jack were, he didn't press further.
After all, this was just one mission. As long as they understood the basics of teamwork, that was enough. If he survived and completed the mission, who knew when they'd work together again?
Time flew by as the mercenaries either got to know their teammates or eyed them warily.
At exactly nine o'clock, a corporate representative in Arasaka attire walked into the warehouse, flanked by a team of Arasaka security personnel.
The mission was about to begin.
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