59: Chapter 58 Entering the Urn

Early morning in Pacifica. Well, it was still the same old Pacifica.

Grey mist shrouded everything, and the scent of desolation and rust permeated the streets and alleys.

Inside their apartment safehouse, the three of them checked their gear one last time.

"Testing connection, this is Lin Yi." Lin Yi linked the three of them through an encrypted channel, his voice ringing clearly in the ears of the other two.

"Received, this is V." V's voice was calm, carrying a hint of eagerness.

"Crystal clear, buddy, this is Jackie." Jackie's voice was deep and heavy, like a war blade about to be unsheathed.

The encrypted communication channel was working perfectly.

No more words were needed. Like the gears of a precision machine, the three began to operate according to the predetermined track.

V set out first. She had changed into an outfit that was easy to move in without losing its street style, carefully tucked away the Relic chip that was enough to make every corporation go crazy, and merged alone into the dilapidated streets.

Following the plan, she seemingly casually spread the word at several grey information nodes that the Voodoo Boys might be monitoring—a lone mercenary with decent skills had some "hard goods" and wanted to discuss a big deal with the Voodoo Boys.

The news was like a pebble thrown into a pool, quickly sending ripples spreading out.

As expected, less than two hours later, two burly men wearing flashy shirts, with fierce eyes and obvious Haitian-style tattoos, found the small bar where V was temporarily staying.

"Come with us, Placide wants to see you." One of them said to her with a thick Haitian accent, his tone brooking no argument.

V didn't speak, just nodded calmly and followed them into a modified, dilapidated car with deafening music.

The car wove through the intricate, trash-filled alleys of Pacifica, finally stopping at that iconic, dilapidated-looking building that had been converted into a stronghold by the Voodoo Boys: the Batty Hotel.

Along the way, V's cybernetic eyes scanned the surroundings without leaving a trace.

The closer they got to the hotel, the more Voodoo Boys members there were. They were distributed openly or covertly along the streets, on rooftops, and in windows, their eyes vigilantly sizing up every passerby, especially her, a new face.

The air was filled with a contradictory atmosphere of xenophobia, tension, and bustling life.

Stepping into the first floor of the hotel, this feeling of being watched became even stronger.

V noticed a small vendor leaning in a corner, seemingly fiddling with an old terminal, but his eyes were glancing at her from time to time.

Her heart stirred. Taking advantage of the moment the burly man leading the way was greeting someone ahead, her cybernetic eyes focused imperceptibly, quickly scanning the terminal. Confirming it was used for internal Voodoo Boys communications, she immediately sent in the stealth daemon Lin Yi had given her. The daemon, like a ghost in the digital world, slipped in silently. The initial "baiting" was partially complete.

The Voodoo Boys member dressed as a vendor looked at his terminal, which had suddenly lagged for a moment before returning to normal, and grumbled: "I told you this terminal was trash. The seller claimed it was some kind of 'magic modified' version—total bullshit."

"Yi, the daemon has been implanted into an internal terminal on the first floor. It's in, and I've activated the auto-addressing. Also, it really was this guy named Placide who came to find me." V reported in a low voice on the encrypted channel, following the guide up the stairs to the second floor.

"Received. Proceed as planned. Insist on seeing Brigitte, put pressure on him, and pretend to know nothing about their situation." Lin Yi's response was concise and clear.

The space on the second floor was even more crowded and chaotic than below, with various cables and equipment piled together. The air was a mix of the smells of medicine, sweat, and overheating electronic components.

Placide's tall figure sat at what looked like the entrance to the Voodoo Boys' server room, like a black bear guarding its territory.

His thick arms were covered with complex cybernetic patterns, and he eyed V arrogantly.

V stated her purpose directly and emphasized that she wanted to see "Maman Brigitte."

Placide sneered and responded in his heavily accented, grammatically broken English. The gist was that Brigitte wasn't someone just anyone could see; if she wanted to talk, she first had to prove her sincerity—go to the Grand Imperial Mall and "take care" of the Netwatch agents holed up there.

"Oh, give me a break," V couldn't help but gripe on the encrypted channel, her tone full of speechlessness. "This guy's language skills are nonexistent. This semi-automatic cotton-picking machine really needs to be handed back to his plantation owner for a factory reset. If you hadn't told us that the thing called Brigitte had already been cornered by Netwatch and couldn't even leave, I would've almost thought these Voodoo Boys were really damn arrogant."

"Keep your cool," Lin Yi's voice carried a soothing tone. "You know Brigitte can't come out. This is them testing your ability and sincerity, and it's their usual style—borrowing power to intimidate others. Do as he says first to lull him into complacency."

To gain trust, Placide signaled for V to connect to their "Poseidon" local network in order to "receive mission details and intelligence support." V did as instructed, but sneered inwardly—Lin Yi had long prepared a perfect camouflage protocol for her. In Placide's eyes, V's performance was mediocre—just a mercenary with some tech skills but certainly not top-tier—and everything was under his control.

Watching V "obediently" connect to the network, a disdainful smile appeared on Placide's face. He waved his hand and said in his broken English mixed with Haitian Creole: "Ranyon, bien travay." (Do a good job, mercenary.)

On the other end of the channel, V almost couldn't stop herself from drawing her gun.

She suppressed her rage and growled on the encrypted channel: "Fuck this! This semi-automatic cotton-picking machine is infuriating! Did he just call me a 'doormat'?! I really want to use my Monowire to slice his black head in two right now!"

"Alright, alright, don't get angry with a man who's already a dead man walking." Lin Yi's voice carried a hint of comfort, soothing the V who was about to "overheat." "Think about it. Go to the Grand Imperial Mall, find that Netwatch agent, and I've already sent a simple message—he'll coordinate with you. We'll confirm the details of the cooperation later. When the time comes, we'll work from the inside and out, and we'll have the whole Pacifica Voodoo Boys, along with this foul-mouthed Placide, together for a BBQ."

Thinking of that scene, the anger in V's heart finally subsided a little, replaced by a cold killing intent.

"Fine, let's get on with it! I don't want to look at this disgusting face for another minute. If I stay any longer, I'm afraid I really won't be able to stop myself from using my Monowire to make him play bungee jumping with his neck and the rafters."

She stopped looking at Placide's arrogant face, turned around, and walked downstairs, heading toward the Grand Imperial Mall.

The first step was successful. The fish had smelled the bait and come closer. Next, it was time to muddy these waters completely and catch all the fish in one net.