Since they decided to proceed their own way, excessive communication with the fixer was unnecessary.
The three decided to return to the bar, finish their drinks, and plan their next moves.
V raised a hand, "First off, we should buy a car."
Leo: "Denied. If we're buying, it should be a V340; otherwise, you'll regret it."
Jackie: "Why? Is this job really that hard on cars?"
V: "Yeah, why? I want a sports car!"
Leo sighed, "This job is deep waters. First, who do you think gave Faraday the contract?"
The two exchanged glances, and V was the first to answer, "Some other company's corp stooge, probably."
Not bad, some progress—Leo gave a light round of applause.
Most mercs think that working for a fixer is different, that at least they're not working directly for a corp.
But that's not really the case.
However, the question wasn't over yet. Leo asked another:
"Which company do you think it is? Arasaka, Militech, Night Corp, or maybe the synthetic food processing company across from the apartment block?"
"How would I know? I'm not a fixer—if it's an enemy of Biotechnica, then maybe MoorE Technologies? They've got a lot of overlapping business."
"I think it's Arasaka."
Jackie and V were stunned, not understanding why Leo said that, especially since Arasaka was a true giant.
How should Leo explain? He didn't need to explain—after all, he had insider information.
Operation Nightingale's client was Militech, and anyone looking to go against Militech would obviously be Arasaka.
If the timeline was right, Militech probably already reported Arasaka's breach of monopoly regulations to the ESA, accusing them of unauthorized launches to the moon.
Arasaka's intelligence division was likely in a frenzy trying to figure out how to strike back; the counterintelligence team was likely seeing a lot of casualties.
Moreover, Arasaka couldn't directly investigate Biotechnica—there were security contracts between the two companies, and if it leaked that Arasaka was investigating their client, it would severely damage their reputation in the private security sector.
Faraday might not have even met with anyone from Arasaka directly—there wouldn't be any traces left from this kind of operation.
Of course, considering Faraday's peculiar and rare method of issuing contracts, he might have taken on other jobs as well.
Arasaka would definitely want a hand in Operation Nightingale—coincidentally, Leo had a lead too, that being the firsthand experience of the Red Ocher family.
However, if V's offhand guess about MoorE Technologies turned out to be right and they could drag them into this, that would be even better.
Leo rubbed his temples, "We'll start with the Red Ocher family. They've got some collaboration with Biotechnica; we'll first figure out what that entails and see if we can use that as a way in.
We might need to make a couple of runs to the Badlands, and we'll need to keep our gear ready in the car at all times. We need a sturdy, durable vehicle.
Or we could just use this Mackinaw. Worst case, we'll pay Red Ocher to buy another from them."
Leo and his team had already left two V340s with the Red Ocher family, vehicles they'd taken from the 6th Street Gang—push comes to shove, they could trade for one of those.
V deflated, "Ugh, so when can I buy a sports car?"
"After this job."
"So, should we head to the Red Ocher family now?"
Leo was about to speak when he noticed some unread messages and missed calls on his phone.
He had put his communication on silent to focus on the conversation.
Sender: Hector.
Leo immediately realized—something had happened.
Hector: "Leo, how've you been? One of our tribe members ran off, Cedric Muller."
Hector: "You haven't met him. He's been bedridden in a tent for a while, but after getting some immunosuppressants, he was feeling better. Yesterday he said he couldn't take it anymore, and today he disappeared."
Hector: "Navi said he might've gone to Night City, and he took a gun with him when he left."
Hector: "He might be heading to Biotechnica, said he's going to take revenge on them."
Hector: "If you can, could you help? Navi's already gone after him, but I'm worried something will go wrong."
Leo: "Alright, I'll go check it out."
Hector: "Thanks. Also, someone died in our family, and Cedric took the body. If possible, could you bring the body back?"
Leo: "I'll do my best."
Hector responded quickly, clearly keeping a close watch on the communication.
But seeing that name, Leo furrowed his brow, thinking it sounded familiar.
So, he sent another message.
Leo: "What kind of cyberware does Cedric Muller have?"
Hector: "He's quite skilled."
Hector: "Recoil dampening limb system, enhanced limbs, reinforced tendons, built-in stimulants, tactical eye, bionic joints."
Leo: "What brands?"
Hector: "The tendons are from MoorE Technologies; the rest are market scrap. He modified the tactical eye himself."
Leo: "Do you know what version of ICE he's using?"
Hector: "I'm not sure, but we can't afford good stuff."
Leo: "What about weapons?"
Hector: "A Budget Arms Carnage shotgun. He modified the weight distribution, so it handles well."
Leo: "Got it. That's all for now."
Leo immediately stood up from his seat and told the two, "We've got a job. Someone from the Red Ocher family, Cedric, took a body and went to confront Biotechnica. Navi is chasing him; we're going to check it out."
Jackie and V both downed their drinks in one gulp.
"Then let's go."
...
Navi from the Red Ocher family was speeding down the roads of Night City in a Rattler.
He was in a hurry—
Cedric was a big brother in the family, heavily cybered up, helping out with car repairs and fighting.
Even though his words were often harsh, he genuinely cared for the family, evident from his volunteering to be Biotechnica's guinea pig.
The nomad tribes are like one big family; you might not always get along with everyone, but when trouble comes, everyone lends a hand.
Ding-dong—
Caller: Jackie.
Jackie: "Navi? Are you chasing Cedric? Got a location on him?"
Navi: "Jackie! I do. All the tribe's cars have trackers. He hasn't turned his off, but he's driving too fast—I can't catch up!"
Navi: "I'll send it to you."
After sending the information, Navi tried calling Cedric.
Cedric: "What? Kid, save your breath. I know what you're going to say. They killed Andre!
And so many others haven't recovered! If you're coming, bring weapons and help me take out those Biotechnica scumbags. If not, then leave me the hell alone!"
The call ended before Navi could say anything.
Navi: "Please don't do anything stupid..."
Cedric was driving a heavily modified Galena Gecko—a vehicle built for the Badlands.
The standard Galena wouldn't last a minute in the desert, but this one was different.
The windows had been replaced with military-grade bulletproof one-way armor, the entire front reinforced, the roof equipped with a 360-degree HD camera, and even a small Javelin missile launcher.
With the engine burning at full throttle, flames shot from the exhaust, the car's outrageous speed and noise a clear sign of the driver's rage, forcing other vehicles off the road.
Ding-dong.
Cedric was making a call—to Brandon Murphy.
Finally, the call connected.
Cedric: "You bastard, our people are dead. What the hell do you have to say?"
Brandon Murphy: "As per the agreement, you were aware of the potential risks of the experiment..."
Cedric: "But it didn't include death! Look at Andre now, and my nerves are shot to hell!"
Cedric: "It's like someone shoved a damn oscillator into my brain!"
Brandon Murphy: "I don't care about that. I thought you were coming to bring the body for us to study. If there's a problem, Biotechnica is the only one who can find a solution."
Study?
Cedric's mouth twitched, but he suddenly calmed down.
Cedric: "Yeah, yeah, sure—screw you. Hurry up and do your research, then give us the fix!"
Brandon Murphy: "Then as agreed, head to the location I sent you. We'll take care of it."
Cedric: "Not the Biotechnica building?"
Brandon Murphy: "No—there might be bio-contamination. The company needs to verify the contamination before handling it."
Cedric: "Screw you... alright, alright, I'm on my way."
Brandon Murphy: "That's the spirit. The company won't leave you hanging. We'll find a solution."
A solution?
F&%# you—sandiw@@#%...()
Cedric's eyes suddenly flickered in the camera feed.
It was the result of data stream instability, causing the visual feed to stutter.