The wind off the bay had teeth that morning, sharp enough to cut through his coat. Mitya stood on the balcony of his apartment, watching the cranes swing lazily over the port. Somewhere below, the city was waking — buses coughing to life, gulls screaming over the fish market, the smell of diesel and salt mixing in the air.
The Ledger pulsed in his vision.
Balance: 6,200.00Reputation: +4 (Novice Tier)Note: International contract window available.
International. The word felt heavier than the numbers.
Operator: Opportunity detected. Scope: Pacific Rim. Risk: elevated. Reward: significant.
The Offer
The contract unfolded like a map:
Type: Acquisition & DeliveryTarget: Specialized optics equipment.Origin: Port of Busan, South Korea.Destination: Undisclosed client, Vladivostok.Reward: 12,000.00 + Reputation Increment (Intermediate Tier).Complication: Multiple interested parties. Potential interception.
It was the first time the System had offered him something beyond Russia's borders. The logistics alone would be a test — and the System's "multiple interested parties" was its way of saying expect trouble.
The Temptation
He could feel the pull. Twelve thousand was more than he'd made in all his contracts combined. And the jump to Intermediate Tier would open modules he hadn't even seen yet.
But it also meant stepping into a current he couldn't control. Once he crossed that line, the game would no longer be local. Rivals wouldn't just be dockside fixers like Sable — they'd be operators with reach, resources, and no reason to leave him breathing.
The Preparation
He spent the day in the Cleanroom, building a new compartment identity — one that could travel, negotiate, and vanish without leaving a trace. The System fed him data on Busan's port layout, customs schedules, and the shadow routes that threaded between legitimate cargo lanes.
Vega appeared briefly, silent as always, to review the plan. "You'll need a second team," he said. "Extraction in case the primary route collapses."
The System confirmed:
Operatives available: 4. Deployment cost: 1,000.00.
Mitya authorized it without hesitation. This wasn't a job to do half‑armed.
The Warning
That night, as he walked back from the harbor, Sable's Volga slid up beside him.
"Going somewhere?" Sable asked, leaning out the window.
"Just a job," Mitya said.
Sable's smile was thin. "Out of the country, I hear. Careful. The sea's bigger than the bay — and the sharks are hungrier."
The Volga rolled away, leaving the words hanging in the cold air.
The Departure
At dawn, the System's interface shifted. The map zoomed out, the familiar streets of Vladivostok shrinking until they were just another corner of the world. A new horizon opened — one that smelled of salt, steel, and risk.
Operator: Contract initiation in 06:00:00.
Mitya closed his eyes, feeling the wind off the bay. The Pacific was calling, and he was already moving toward it.