The moment Gloria arrived with an Arasaka convoy and started talking about rules, Faraday's expression darkened.
He had no idea when Arasaka had started backing new fixers.
He could not tell what kind of background or strength she really had, because he lacked the information he needed.
But judging from the Arasaka executive car Gloria had arrived in, the Arasaka higher-up she was connected to held a very high position, likely even higher than the Militech people he usually dealt with.
If Arasaka was backing her this strongly, then this new fixer was not someone he could casually look down on.
So Faraday could only turn first and question Maine.
"You know her?"
Maine was just as confused.
He could not understand how Gloria, who only a few days ago had still been hauling bodies around and working herself to exhaustion at the public medical center, had suddenly transformed into a representative of Arasaka.
And with an Arasaka higher-up openly backing her, even if that person had not stepped out of the car, Maine could almost guarantee that they were sitting inside right now, watching everything outside.
The first person Maine thought of was still Kai. Other than him, there was almost no one else who would do something like this.
But Maine did not share that conclusion with Faraday.
Not only did he owe Kai a favor, Kai also had leverage over him.
If Kai wanted to support Gloria as a fixer, that was Kai's personal decision. Maine felt he had no right to interfere, and should not get mixed up in it. It was better to stay away from corporate business.
Maine answered Faraday in a low voice, "We've had some contact, but we're not close."
Faraday snorted. He knew Maine was not telling the full truth, because the surprise on his face a moment ago had already given him away.
So he pressed further.
"What's her relationship with Arasaka?"
Maine just shook his head and said nothing.
There was a clear threat in Faraday's voice.
"This involves Tanaka, a high-ranking Arasaka executive. If you don't figure it out, be careful you don't end up on their radar."
Maine ignored the warning from Faraday and instead kept his eyes fixed on Gloria, waiting to see what she would do.
Gloria stepped forward confidently, taking a few more steps ahead.
She rarely wore high heels, so walking in them was unfamiliar, and she had no choice but to slow down.
The heels clicked sharply against the ground.
"Looks like you've run into some trouble."
"That car belongs to Tanaka from Arasaka, doesn't it?"
Faraday tried to keep his expression calm, but inwardly he was cursing.
Damn you, Maine. You actually dragged the car here.
There was no way he could admit in front of an Arasaka higher-up that this had been his doing, and he definitely could not expose Militech as the backer behind it.
Maine kept his face under control and answered directly, "I'm the one who got that vehicle here."
He could only take responsibility himself to keep the matter from growing and dragging Faraday into it.
Carrying out a job according to the terms of a commission was simply part of being a merc.
Now that things had gone wrong, Maine worried that if Faraday and the Militech connection were exposed, the whole situation would become even more troublesome.
And he might lose one of his main patrons, which would make it even harder for him to keep surviving as a merc in Night City.
Credibility was something every merc in the city had to put on the table.
If you wanted good jobs, your name mattered just as much as your strength.
Gloria did not respond directly to what Maine said. Instead, she turned the pressure on Faraday.
"You can work for Militech if you want, but with this level of professionalism, I'm afraid all you'll bring them is disappointment."
Faraday's brows tightened.
This was obviously aimed at him.
And strangely, Gloria had not brought up the matter of the vehicle itself. Instead, she was attacking his standing as a fixer.
What was the point of this?
Since he still did not understand what was really going on, he could only suppress his irritation and answer proudly.
"A fixer is responsible for arranging commissions and providing necessary information. Whether a mission succeeds or fails depends only on the mercenary team."
"And let me correct one thing. I am just a fixer. Even if corporations are involved, they are only some of the many clients I deal with."
"If you're here to pursue responsibility, then I can tell you the backer behind this was Militech. But whatever their intentions were has nothing to do with me."
Maine could not help clicking his tongue when he heard that.
Damn bastard. At a moment like this, he's only thinking about protecting himself and dumping responsibility.
The second Faraday made it clear that he was "just a fixer," and pushed the entire blame for the car theft onto Maine and Militech, Maine cursed him in his heart.
Corpo lapdogs really can't be trusted.
Gloria understood exactly what Faraday was trying to say.
He meant that he was only the middleman, the one taking jobs and arranging the work. Arasaka's targeting, and the specific actions involved in carrying out the commission, supposedly had nothing to do with him.
She looked down on him even more after that, and immediately felt that he was not nearly as strong as he tried to appear.
When faced with Arasaka, he was still just trying to save himself.
Seeing that her approach had worked, Gloria pressed the attack.
"As expected of one of the powerful fixers in this area. You're very clear about your position."
"You take benefits from both sides, and in the end come away without a single leaf stuck to you."
"Do you really think Arasaka would believe an explanation like that?"
Gloria smiled.
She looked polite, but there was clear menace hidden underneath, and that menace cast a shadow over everyone present.
Arasaka.
That word alone was enough to make the people of Night City want to stay far away.
Once Arasaka fixed its gaze on you, it was very hard to end up well.
Faraday felt a tightness in his forehead.
Gloria was using Arasaka's weight to crush him, while he could not do the same with Militech.
Because he knew very well that in the eyes of Militech, a fixer was nothing more than an outside dog working for the corporation.
Faraday stayed silent, but his arrogant gaze remained fixed straight ahead.
He knew that once you lost momentum in a contest like this, you had already lost half the battle.
Watching Gloria perform this well, Kai, sitting in the car, was genuinely a little surprised.
Her expression, her tone, the way she threatened people, the whole style of it looked exactly like the methods he usually used himself.
He had not expected Gloria to enter the role this quickly. She was very obviously picking things up from the way he did them.
Could this really be what power gave people, this kind of confidence and transformation?
No wonder everybody hates corpos. They always talk like they're standing over everyone else.
Kai thought over the way he normally behaved, and suddenly felt like he understood something.
Sure enough, having power really does make people reckless. If you don't abuse it now, maybe you won't get the chance later.
After all, the first time I came to Night City, I'd already quit Arasaka before I could really enjoy what being a corporate executive was like.
Kai's gaze settled on Gloria.
He had to admit that whether it was her appearance or her figure, she was top-tier.
As his representative outside Arasaka, she definitely did not make him lose face.
If, with all the support and backing he had given her, Gloria still did not dare step onto the stage and crush Faraday, then it would only prove that her personality was too soft and that she was not suited to become a fixer.
What Kai wanted was a fixer who could one day stand on her own.
Not a woman who would only ever hide behind him.
Maybe Gloria's future could become something like Rogue's.
Kai still did not know exactly where he would end up needing her, but he believed that under his guidance, this red beauty would one day find her own sunlight and rain, and become something of real value.
(End of Chapter)
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