Maine handed Heather a data chip. She took it, inserted it into her slot, and a large red screen immediately appeared in her vision, showing all sorts of mission information.
It included the address, a 3D structural layout of the facility, Arasaka's security configurations, their hacker setups, and even detailed staff schedules.
Dog Brother was in awe. "How could that four-eyed fixer have this much intel? Not even Rogue, the Queen of the Afterlife, could pull this off. It seems that four-eyes' boss is Militech, and someone at Arasaka is selling information to them."
Heather showed no surprise. She pulled out the chip and gave it back to Maine. "Captain Maine, this mission seems a bit over-the-top. Do you think we'll be taken out after we complete it?" she said, a hint of self-deprecation in her voice.
Rebecca, the smallest but most hot-headed of the group, crossed her legs. "They'd have to be good enough to do it first!"
Dorio, the pragmatic one, was more objective. "Maine, Miss Heather's right. This mission involves a covert war between two global corporations. We really need to be prepared for anything."
Kiwi, the netrunner with the iron mask, spoke in a muffled voice. "Stealing Arasaka data is already hard enough. We'll have to be on guard when we turn in the mission, too, since Militech might try to silence us."
Falco, the bearded man, rested his chin on one hand. "So, will Faraday sell us out? These corporations hire middlemen when they can't act directly, and then the middlemen find us mercenaries. All the dirty work is ours."
Maine spoke with an air of indifference. "It's just corporations biting each other. Think about it: getting paid by one corpo to mess with another—it sounds awesome, so why not? Don't be so hesitant. We've done so many jobs over the years; which time haven't we been on a knife's edge? What's there to be afraid of?"
Heather quietly watched them talk, wanting to learn more about the team. Suddenly, a call came through from Lucy. Heather looked at Lucy with a strange expression.
They were face to face; was there something special to say? In fact, everyone had already added each other as contacts upon entering the private room. Heather answered, and Lucy's virtual voice came through her mind.
"Miss Heather," Lucy's voice said, "I'll be watching you throughout the operation. You'd best not make any strange moves."
Dog Brother scoffed. "This girl has suspected you of being a corporate mole from the start."
Heather and Lucy's conversation continued. "If you're not at ease, then keep a closer eye on me. A straight body casts no crooked shadow." Heather knew that any further explanation would be useless.
Maine stood up. "Alright, the hacker trio—Kiwi, Lucy, and Miss Heather—plus me. The four of us will handle the infiltration. The best approach is to silently acquire the information from the server. If something goes wrong, Dorio, Falco, and Rebecca will create a diversion directly at the gatehouse outside."
Rebecca, the little loli, expressed doubt. "Maine, you're so big, and you're doing infiltration? Are you kidding me?"
Dorio, the strong woman, also chimed in. "Rebecca, why do you have to expose him? After all, there are three sexy female hackers..."
Maine actually looked a little embarrassed, showing a slight contrast in his demeanor. "What, what are you saying? I'm just afraid they'll mess up the operation. If they encounter combat, I can cover their escape! Who has the strongest individual combat power? If not me, then who? Four streets, east, west, north, south, ask around who's the daddy!"
A burst of laughter, and the mission meeting concluded in a relaxed atmosphere. After agreeing on the time and place, everyone dispersed to prepare.
Heather went to the nearest weapon shop to Lizzie's Bar. According to Dog Brother, she needed three guns: a Tech Precision Rifle, a full-auto shotgun, and a sniper rifle.
Heather disagreed. "Big Brother, infiltration. Do you understand? Infiltration! This isn't a massacre!"
Dog Brother insisted. "Always have a backup plan. What if the infiltration is exposed? Wouldn't we have to fight head-on?"
"Me carrying three big guns is exactly what will expose me, understand?" Heather retorted. "If it really gets exposed, Maine can handle it. His body is all modified into cannons. One heavy gunner like him is enough. I hired others through the middleman for my own safety, you brute."
Dog Brother gnawed on his thumb, wanting to refute but unable to utter a single word, which made Heather try to suppress her laughter. "Then at least get a precision rifle."
"Alright, alright! I'll buy it!" Heather gave in.
Dog Brother changed the subject. "You know, this world under corporate rule is really chaotic, huh? These guns bought so openly aren't even registered. It'd be a miracle if Night City's crime rate was low."
Heather examined the SOR-22 Kinetic Precision Rifle in her hand, fiddling with it constantly. "It's not just weapons. If you scan any pedestrian on the street now, you'll see everyone is using second-hand—no, multi-hand—cyberware.
They're all old, defective products. Corporate products can be reused repeatedly, earning several times their original value, and guns are the same. Where can you even buy new guns anymore?"
Dog Brother said, "Why does it sound so strange coming from the mouth of a corporate executive's child like you? So, you support this corporate behavior of exploiting the poor?"
Heather frowned. "Sorry, Dog Brother, I couldn't get a Tech Precision Rifle. It's too precious. You'll have to make do with a kinetic gun."
Dog Brother complained, "Tech guns can shoot through walls. In Night City, combat is always street fighting with lots of cover, so wall penetration is very important."
Heather frowned. "I know Tech Rifles are good, but I can't buy one. I'll check two more shops, and if there aren't any, then there aren't any, okay?"
"Okay," Dog Brother grumbled.
Indeed, after visiting three shops, there were none.
Heather sighed. "Alright, time is running out. It'll just be the kinetic rifle. My palm has a ballistic coordination cyberware, so being able to calculate angles for ricochets is also good."
Dog Brother grumbled, "Give it up. I can manage without ballistic assistance. Luckily, your little pistol is a tech weapon; it can charge up to penetrate walls."
"Holy crap," Heather said. "How deep is your obsession with wall penetration?"
Dog Brother grumbled, "What do you know, little girl?"
At 11 PM, the seven people had gathered. Maine had already planned the infiltration route, starting from a dark alley next to the Arasaka facility in the Valley District.
Lucy and Kiwi's hacking skills were naturally top-notch, but Heather was also a talented hacker. After all, her mother, Asheng Meixue, was a top-tier Arasaka hacker, so her daughter wouldn't be far behind.
All the cameras near the infiltration point were hacked and directly controlled by the three, even allowing them to perform reconnaissance.
Maine tossed the three women in one by one. Yes, for him, it was as easy as tossing kittens. The wall had an electrified fence that couldn't be touched; the correct way was to jump over it directly.
Heather landed very lightly, almost silently. She looked back at the high wall and electrified fence she had just crossed, wondering: Maine's self-weight couldn't be less than 200kg. Didn't he say he was going to infiltrate, too? How would he do it?
Before she could finish wondering, a giant body flew in, though the landing sound was a bit excessive. However, the area had been thoroughly checked, and the patrol personnel were currently on other routes.
Dog Brother said, "This guy's cyberware modifications are too extreme; he'll turn into a cyberpsycho sooner or later. His cybernetic legs must be the charge-jump type."