"The Maelstrom headquarters is right here at the All Foods Factory. You can smell the meat from half a kilometer away."
"V and I scanned the area. The main factory gate goes without saying, but there's also a back door, which is a loading bay for shipments. There should be other exits too; you might be able to leave the factory through the abandoned pipes."
"We don't know the situation inside the factory, but there certainly won't be few Maelstrom members. Once we go in, we'll just have to deal with things as they come."
"That's about it."
Jackie relayed the results of his and V's reconnaissance to Berry.
"Dexter already paid the Maelstrom for the robot, but we don't know if they'll honor the deal now. The worst-case scenario is that they renege, steal the goods, and turn it into a black-on-black deal."
V added.
"That's fine. Militech has its own ideas about the Maelstrom stealing their convoy. Stott, the corporate executive, gave me this." Berry pulled out a pink Credit Chip and showed it. "If they don't honor the deal, we can use this money to buy it again. It's the corporation's money anyway, so we might as well use it."
This was Berry's plan.
Reality is different from games, after all. In a game, fighting your way out of the All Foods Factory means leveling up and grabbing a pile of loot, but in reality, life is singular. There's no need to seek such excitement. Fighting your way through the enemy's lair sounds romantic, but if the transaction can be completed peacefully, why resort to violence?
Furthermore, Berry knew that this Credit Chip contained a Tracking Chip. Militech would come to deal with Maelstrom later. Berry's true intention was to let them fight each other to the death.
"Well, if that's the case, this is what we'll do." After summarizing the information, V offered her plan. "Jackie and I will go meet Maelstrom. Berry, you and this person, Arno, will stay outside to prepare for support."
After hearing the plan, Jackie nodded in agreement, but Berry frowned.
That won't do. Staying behind to be a Cheerleader when things happen is absolutely not Berry's style.
"No, V." Berry looked V directly in the eyes and stated her opinion. "Don't you two dare think about leaving me behind."
Seeing the couple having a disagreement, Jackie wisely chose to keep quiet.
"This..." Seeing Berry's serious eyes, V found it hard to refuse. She subconsciously looked toward Jackie, trying to drag someone else into the situation, but that Bastard Jackie seemed to have anticipated V's thoughts. He was staring intently at his motorcycle's fuel gauge, as if those little dials held the secrets of the universe.
In truth, she just didn't want Berry to risk herself with her, but V knew that if she voiced that thought, Berry would definitely blow up.
"Hmph~" Seeing V's expression, Berry stepped right in front of V, her pouty little face aimed directly at her.
"Alright, alright, we'll go together." V compromised helplessly.
This little Berry, she only listens obediently when they are in bed.
V sighed helplessly.
But, forget it. This Berry, unafraid of difficulty, was the Berry she loved.
Thinking this, V smiled again.
Berry was not the type of person who needed to hide in the back and be protected.
"Then, this... Elder Brother, we'll trouble you to guard the factory's back door and cover us."
V said to Arno.
V had never fully trusted this Mercenary sent by Dexter DeShawn, so her tone was cold. But considering they were working together, V still found him something to do.
And what could Arno say? Naturally, nothing.
Just like that, the three decided to head to the All Foods Factory together.
One car and one motorcycle quickly parked in front of the All Foods Factory.
Gang members are generally bad news, but Maelstrom is definitely the craziest bunch among the gangs.
Their gang is obsessed with cyberware modification, controlling the gangs in Watson and the Northside Industrial District. You can recognize them by their intimidating faceplates and hostile Optical Implants.
These are not only standard issue for the gang but also demonstrate their blind obsession with cyberware and Cybernetic Modifications.
Seeing Maelstrom, you might think: "Now that's bold Post-human Transformation Vanguard." If they were only testing the limits of the human body on themselves, you might be right... unfortunately, they also like to "experiment" on those who are unlucky enough to fall into their hands.
Maelstrom is notorious for extreme cruelty and Public Gang Executions, coupled with the production of illegal braindance experiences and a manic fighting style, resulting in a gang of maniacs teetering on the edge of Cyberpsychosis.
When you see a guy covered in ugly surgical scars, with half his face filled with glowing red Cyber-eyes like a spider, you know you've messed with Maelstrom.
Walking up to the roller door of the abandoned All Foods Factory, Jackie turned on the Comms Device.
"Hm~ Who is this?" A muffled response came through the Intercom in a metallic voice.
"We're looking for Royce. Dexter sent us." V spoke up.
"Go to the Server Room. They're waiting for you." The person on the other end must have been short-tempered; he hung up immediately after speaking, but the roller door opened.
The opening door released a stale odor, but what was important was that inside the cluttered factory, several Automatic Turrets were positioned high and low, their red aiming lasers dimly pointing at the floor, creating dense red spots that were chilling just to look at.
"Well, nice atmosphere. Just needs a couple of potted plants." Jackie shrugged and walked in, now glad he hadn't planned to force their way in from the start. "Wow, they're pretty well prepared."
"I've never seen a food factory this heavily guarded," V said, frowning too.
This kind of setup was vastly different from their previous skirmishes on the streets.
"Ugh, they probably stole all this gear from the convoy... Hmph, they're probably armed to the teeth." Jackie voiced his guess.
Berry was mortified by Jackie's crude metaphor.
How do you arm an asshole? Stick a pole in it?
The dark, narrow factory corridors contained only cold metal walls and ladders, devoid of people. The murky light from the incandescent and red lamps offered no sense of security, instead making the atmosphere feel ominous.
At doorways and corners, block-shaped objects resembling lunch boxes were placed. V and the others recognized them as Laser Mines, some even bearing the Militech logo.
"Anti-personnel Mines, directional fragmentation kill." V murmured.
An factory so heavily defended would certainly not be easy to take down, at least not for one or two teams of Agents.
It seemed the robbery of the Militech convoy had elevated Maelstrom's strength significantly.
Thinking this, the trio felt even more uncertain about the meeting, their caution levels raised to the maximum.
Turning a corner, the three entered a spacious workshop. Illuminated by incandescent lights, the view suddenly opened up.
The workshop was filled with high-tech goods bearing the Militech logo: electronic components, Magnetic Grenades, data chips... and, of course, countless firearms, painted iron-gray, all top-tier military-grade items.
Berry suddenly felt that her haul from sweeping up the Scavengers in Kabuki was severely lacking in comparison. Sure enough, a gang is a gang, but hijacking a Militech convoy meant they had upgraded their arsenal dramatically.
If she didn't know that Militech would later sweep the factory clean, she might almost give Maelstrom a thumbs-up.
Besides the goods, the spacious room also contained a large group of Maelstrom members.
Most of them were shirtless, their bodies covered in scars and weld marks from modification surgeries. Their faces were grotesquely altered, with clusters of light-bulb-like Cyber-eyes jammed into where their natural eyes used to be.
These Cyber-eyes scrutinized the three intruders, emitting a chilling crimson glow.
The sight made the trio's hair stand on end, and their guard was raised.
"Hurry up and get in the elevator, you three fucking Cowards!" Watching the trio pass by, the Maelstrom members maliciously tried to intimidate them, their repulsive gazes lingering freely on V and Berry. If V and the others weren't clients for a transaction, who knows what these scumbags would try to do.
"Don't sweat it... they're trying to scare us." Jackie frowned, not slowing his pace one bit. V and Berry did the same.
The three walked into the elevator.
To be honest, Maelstrom created a decent atmosphere, but it wasn't enough to scare the three of them.
The three of them weren't Greenhorns; they were seasoned Mercenaries from the streets.
Gang members rely on the gang's power to throw their weight around, but V, Jackie, and Berry made their names through their own efforts, and the guns in their hands.
If it came down to a fight, none of these Addicts would be a match for them.
The elevator reached the top, the metal shutter door opened, and a thin Maelstrom member stood guard at the entrance. Behind him was presumably the Server Room mentioned earlier.
"Who are you looking for?" The Short Guy Maelstrom member asked, shaking his head, which was embedded with dense, glowing red Cyber-eyes. By his voice, they knew this was the person they had just spoken to on the Comms Device.
"We're here to see Royce. We have a deal to discuss with him." V stepped forward and said to the Short Guy guarding the door.
"Mr. Royce is busy. If you have business, talk to me." The Short Guy seemed unable to stay still for a moment, bobbing his head back and forth, the gun in his hand swinging around. Berry worried the kid might accidentally fire it.
"You have a robot, MTOD12 Model, called flathead." V said patiently.
"What about it? None of your damn business!" The Short Guy snapped back, shaking his head, sounding extremely impatient. Berry guessed he was either naturally this volatile, or his fix was wearing off.
"My client already paid Brick. I'm here to pick up the goods. If necessary, I'll talk to Royce face-to-face."
"No, you'll talk to me. I'm Dum Dum." The short man's cyberware eyes, arranged like a spider's, flashed red in the dim light. His voice sounded like he'd swallowed razor blades—very heavy metal. However, the other party had finally relented.
"Sofa. Sit down and talk." Sparing his words, he clapped V hard on the shoulder before the short man staggered into the server room.
Shrugging toward Berry and Jackie, V led the way, and the three of them entered the dimly lit server room.
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