Not long after Jhin left David's home, Gloria rushed back in a hurry.
"David, where's the person you mentioned?"
She scanned the room but found no sign anyone else had been there.
"Uh… you're too late, Mom. He's already gone."
David scratched his head, shrugging helplessly.
"I see… Did he say anything before leaving?" Gloria's expression softened with regret as she turned to look at him.
"Yeah. He said he hopes I'll join them someday. He also left his contact info…"
As he spoke, David handed her the business card Roland had given him. Gloria glanced at the number, then quietly slipped the card into her pocket and looked back at her son.
"David, I'll admit, he's helped us a lot. But I don't know what his real motives are. I don't want you getting involved in any of this. Leave it to me to handle. Your job right now is…"
"My job is to study hard, join a big company, and work my way up to become an executive, right, Mom?"
David finished the sentence in one breath, letting out a long sigh afterward.
Gloria nodded at his quick response. "Exactly. That's what I was going to say. No matter what, this city ultimately belongs to the big players inside those corporations."
"Then why can't I join one of those companies?"
David couldn't help but ask. Gloria stayed silent, knowing that he still didn't understand the massive gulf between major corporations and everyone else.
"You'll understand someday."
It was the same answer as always, and David was getting tired of it. He turned to his computer, put on his headset, and started gaming. Seeing that, Gloria decided not to press him. Still, she couldn't stop glancing at the business card in her hand, unease flickering in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Jhin, unaware of Gloria's inner conflict, was already heading toward Watson North District. He intended to check whether two particular people were now living there.
...
"Hiss… ahh…"
Gris frowned as he watched the Maelstrom gang member before him inhale a line of S-coke.
"How about it? Want a hit? High purity—really wakes you up."
Morodo grinned, his mechanical arm flexing as all six of his cybernetic eyes locked onto Gris.
"No thanks. That stuff's not for me. Keep it."
"What a waste… you don't know what you're missing."
Morodo gave a disappointed look, then took another deep drag.
"Where's your boss?"
Gris waved a hand, frowning impatiently.
"Relax. He'll be here soon. Until then, why don't we talk price?"
Morodo chuckled and sat down across from him.
"You're the one who gets to decide?"
Gris narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone laced with contempt.
Morodo didn't take offense. Unlike most of the junked-out gangers in his crew, his brain still worked fine.
"Of course. As long as you've got the right amount of sincerity, I can make the call."
He spread his hands in mock openness.
Gris immediately understood what that meant—their boss wasn't planning to show. Maybe he didn't trust them, or maybe there was another reason. Either way, the meeting wouldn't happen today.
"Fine. Then tell us where the person you made that deal with last time is."
"One million eddies. Does that sound sincere enough to you?"
Morodo froze for a second, then burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! Looks like that guy's pretty damn important to Militech's boss, huh? But… let's make it one and a half million."
He leaned forward slowly, a sly grin spreading across his face.
Gris frowned but didn't argue. After a few seconds of thought, he nodded.
"Fine. But I'll only pay in full once I confirm the intel's real. For now, you'll get a deposit."
"No problem. We're professionals, after all."
Morodo nodded in agreement. Moments later, a notification popped up—half a million eddies transferred.
"Now that's quick. Wait right here, I'll grab the intel for you."
Morodo let out a short laugh before heading into the back room.
"Mr. Gris, can we really trust them?"
One of the Militech security officers whispered quietly beside him.
Gris didn't change his expression, replying flatly, "Not completely. This is just a test run. For now, it's the only lead we've got."
The lead, in this case, pointed to the Arasaka group. They'd discovered that the timing of their arrival in Night City lined up exactly with when Fiers confirmed his own travel plans.
Gris knew Arasaka wouldn't dare pull such moves on New United States soil—but in Night City, things were different. Even though Arasaka had been driven out after the Fourth Corporate War, who could say they hadn't left some influence behind? Better to stay cautious.
Gris and Weis both belonged to Myers' faction, and truthfully, neither of them wanted Fiers dead. After all, Myers was both President and CEO of Militech now—their faction's goals would be achieved sooner or later. There was no reason to create unnecessary trouble that could push people toward another side.
Soon, Morodo returned, handing Gris a data chip. Gris tilted his head, signaling his men to scan it.
After a short wait, the security officer gave him a nod.
Gris immediately transferred the rest of the payment and walked out without another word.
"How rude—didn't even say goodbye."
Morodo chuckled, shaking his head before turning toward the towering figure behind him.
"Boss, aren't you worried that giving that info away will bring Arasaka down on us?"
Fado, stepping out from the shadows, smirked dismissively.
"Arasaka? This city's not their turf anymore. And as for those Tyger Claws punks, I couldn't care less. It's not like we gave away anything critical, right?"
He was right. Arasaka had indeed approached them—but not to assassinate Fiers. They just wanted the gang to stir up some chaos in the city during Fiers' upcoming meeting with Biotechnica.
Fado had no objections and agreed immediately. And as for stopping their operations after making a deal with Militech?
Of course not.
Why give up a chance to get paid twice?