6: Chapter 6 Medicine and Iron Slag
Jackie practically shoved Lin Yi along, leading him through the labyrinthine, damp, and gloomy alleys of Watson.
The air was thick with the smells of cheap synthetic food, machine oil, and a faint, cloying chemical scent—all mixed together, making one feel thoroughly uneasy. Massive holographic billboards crudely painted neon colors across the faces of passersby. Those faces were hurried, their eyes mostly vacant and guarded.
"Hurry up, brother! Don't keep Owin waiting; that guy's sense of time is as sharp as a Militech watch!"
Jackie chattered excitedly while pushing through the crowd with his massive frame.
"Owin? Is that the fixer's name this time?"
Lin Yi struggled to keep up with Jackie's pace. At the same time, he subconsciously maintained [Insight] at its lowest power setting—about 0.5%. Basic data streams of the surrounding environment flowed across the edge of his vision: cyberware models of passersby, angles of surveillance cameras, and potential threat markers. This constant influx of information made his brain throb slightly, but it was quickly becoming his new normal.
"Yeah, Owin Kinnear. He's a guy with some connections in Watson, mainly dealing in… uh… medical supplies."
Jackie brushed over it vaguely, turning into an even narrower, dimmer alley. He stopped in front of an unremarkable metal door with peeling paint. He knocked on the door—one long, two short, one long.
A code.
An old optical lens on the door flickered, emitting a buzzing scanning sound.
A few seconds later, the door lock clicked open.
Behind the door was a cramped, cluttered small office. The air was a mix of strong black coffee, sweat, and cheap cologne. A gaunt man in a rumpled suit sat behind a desk piled high with data pads and electronic scrap. His eye sockets were sunken, and his fingers trembled slightly, as if from some kind of neurostimulant—but his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, scanning the two who had entered.
He was Owin.
"Jackie. You're two minutes late."
Owin's voice was thin and hurried. He didn't look at Jackie, instead locking his gaze firmly on Lin Yi.
"This is the 'new helper' you mentioned? Doesn't look like much of a fighter." He sized Lin Yi up and down. "I hope you're as good as Jackie claims, kid."
"Whoa, whoa, Owin, take it easy. My brother Lin Yi is the real deal!" Jackie gave a thumbs up and grinned. "With him around, it's guaranteed to be foolproof."
Lin Yi didn't speak, just calmly looked back at Owin.
[Insight] silently provided an analysis—
[Target: Owin Kinnear.]
[Emotional State: Highly anxious.]
[Physiological State: Mild stimulant reaction.]
[Micro-expression analysis: Skeptical of mission success rate, anxious to resolve the problem.]
At the same time, he also noticed several well-hidden laser tripwire alarms in the corner of the office, and a worn-looking but well-maintained Shigure submachine gun.
"Save your breath, Jackie, you know my rules."
Owin waved his hand impatiently and pulled a sealed metal case from under the desk, placing it on the table.
"Let's talk business. A shipment of mine was hijacked by a bunch of blind Scrap."
Scrap—a derogatory term for Maelstrom.
"What kind of shipment?" Lin Yi finally spoke, his voice calm.
Owin licked his dry lips and lowered his voice.
"A batch of custom high-potency painkillers. A… reinforced variant of 'Black Lace'. Stronger effects, addictiveness… well, still manageable. The client is waiting for it, and it's worth a fortune."
He omitted who the client was and the potential final use of these drugs.
Lin Yi understood immediately.
This wasn't smuggling ordinary medical supplies; this was some kind of highly addictive, high-profit illegal synthetic drug. This shipment of Owin's was right up the alley of those Maelstrom lunatics who obsessively pursued mixtures of powerful painkillers and stimulants.
"Where did the signal last disappear?" Lin Yi pressed.
Owin tapped the data pad a few times, pulling up a partial map of Watson. A red dot blinked on the edge of an abandoned industrial zone.
"North, near the old port. The original transport route shouldn't have gone through that hellhole. The last location signal came from an old textile factory—that place is now a Maelstrom stronghold. I heard their boss, a guy named Brick, has been active there recently."
Brick.
Lin Yi's heart stirred.
He remembered this name. This was the original leader of Maelstrom in the game, who was later overthrown and imprisoned by the more radical, more heavily cybered Royce.
"Brick's turf?" Jackie frowned. "I heard that guy actually follows some 'rules,' at least he's better than that mad dog Royce. Why would he suddenly hijack this kind of cargo? It doesn't seem like his style."
"How the hell should I know!"
Owin slapped the table irritably.
"Maybe his underlings acted on their own, maybe Brick changed his mind and wanted a change of pace! I don't care about the reason, I just want the result! Get the cargo back for me—the case has an encryption key; if you're lucky and it hasn't been opened, bring it back as is. The pay, this much."
He made a gesture.
Quite substantial.
Jackie's eyes lit up, and he looked at Lin Yi.
Lin Yi was silent. [Insight] operated rapidly, power consumption increasing to about 3%. Combining Owin's intelligence and his game memories, he deduced—
[Analysis: Brick is relatively traditional, valuing turf and weaponry more, and has little interest in trivial matters like seizing drugs. Hijacking specific drugs does not fit his habitual behavioral pattern.]
[Probability: 71.4% that it was internal staff—Royce's faction—acting without authorization, intending to frame or provoke Brick.]
[Estimated stronghold defense level: Medium.]
[Potential risk: High.]
"What do you think, brother?" Jackie nudged him with his elbow.
Lin Yi raised his head and looked at Owin.
"The intel is too vague. We need more detailed stronghold layout, guard distribution, and potential network nodes. Otherwise, the risk is too high."
Owin sneered.
"If I had such detailed intel, would I need to hire you? Are you dreaming, kid? That's the rule of the street—take the money, do the job, don't ask too many questions. Jackie knows my reputation."
Jackie quickly smoothed things over: "Alright, alright, Owin. My brother is just being cautious. We'll take the job! Don't worry, we guarantee we'll bring your little pills back in one piece!"
Leaving Owin's office and returning to the street.
Jackie put his arm around Lin Yi's shoulder: "Hey, don't be so tense, brother. It's just a small Maelstrom stronghold. With the two of us working together, we'll handle it easily! I'll handle smashing their iron heads, and you handle those electronic locks and whatnot."
Lin Yi looked at Jackie's optimistic face and didn't voice his deductions.
He just nodded.
"Hope so. But we need to be fully prepared. Let's check the perimeter of the stronghold first, and if it looks right, we'll move in."
The two called a Delamain taxi and headed to the northern part of Watson.
The closer they got to the old industrial zone, the more desolate and dilapidated the surroundings became. Abandoned factory buildings stood like massive steel tombstones, with graffiti and gang tags covering every inch of the walls. The air began to fill with the smell of ozone, burning metal, and a strange, cloying chemical scent.
They got out a block away and approached the target location on foot—the abandoned textile factory.
The massive chimneys were no longer smoking. Most of the factory windows were broken and haphazardly boarded up with metal plates. But new barbed wire was strung around the factory, and modified armed vehicles were parked at the entrance. Several Maelstrom members, their bodies covered in inferior metal cyberware and their skin a sickly grey-white, were patrolling, their electronic eyes glowing with crimson light.
"Whoa, looks like these Scrap really take this seriously." Jackie lowered his voice, hiding behind a pile of abandoned shipping containers.
Lin Yi activated [Insight]—power consumption about 3%.
His vision aggressively inserted itself into their local network, borrowing their own equipment to scan the structure of the stronghold.
[Multiple heat signals detected, densely distributed. Main entrance defense is heavily guarded.]
[Internal independent network node detected, signal strength medium. Firewall recorded as 'Fury' series, network defense level low. No historical records, possibly a custom package developed by Maelstrom. Hackable.]
[Rear ventilation duct entrance detected, guards relatively weak.]
[Non-standard energy reaction detected inside, suspected small-scale chemical synthesis equipment.]
Meat factory.
This wasn't just a stronghold; it was a small-scale food processing plant.
It was no coincidence that Owin's cargo was hijacked here.
"Jackie." Lin Yi said in a low voice, his gaze sharp, "It looks like we've stumbled into more than just a simple hijacking. The water runs deep here. Brick's people might be running a 'side business' inside… or—"
"Or what?"
"Or, someone wants to use this shipment to cause big trouble for Brick."
He remembered Royce's insane face.
Jackie froze for a moment, then spat: "Fuck! These Scrap have so much drama! So what now? I can see three automated turrets at the entrance alone; storming it is definitely not an option."
"Go in through the back ventilation duct." Lin Yi pointed in one direction. "I can handle the surveillance and electronic equipment there. We need to infiltrate, find the cargo hold, and confirm the status of the goods—it would be best if we could listen to what those Scrap are saying."
"Stealth?" Jackie muttered, "Hey, buddy, I'm better at making a little noise…"
But he still nodded.
"Fine, I'll listen to you. You lead the way, I'll pave the way. I guarantee I'll smash their heads in quietly!"
Lin Yi took a deep breath, feeling the icy touch coming from "Baize" at the back of his neck.
"Alright. Let's go."
The two, like shadows, silently merged into the darkness on the edge of the abandoned factory area.
Stealthily moving toward the "meat factory" that reeked of metal and chemicals.