The Villain Knight Doesn't Want to Be a Hero

In the grand scheme of things, that's fine.

If people are gone, you can just hire new ones. You don’t have to pay compensation. There is no shortage of people who want to work for a company these days.

Even the vacant position itself can give the employees below a boost.

——You see, the position of team leader is now vacant. The company wants to select someone from among you who is capable and willing to take responsibility to take on this important task.

But who should I choose?

Anyway, the opportunity is here, and it depends on your performance.

As for whether it will eventually fall on the head of some lover who sells her beauty and just climbs out of the executive's bed before going to work, that is another matter.

Anyway, it's not a big deal.

But if the target is a company executive, then the problem is a little more serious.

After all, they have a lot of intelligence information.

——And as of now, this possibility is very high, otherwise he would not have been notified.

But most importantly, the executives in Night City know something about him... plus the Chimera's Box.

Even though Lin Qiao had previously erased part of their related memories in order to hide their true identities, except for a very small number of people, most others only knew that there was a mysterious man named Blood Riot inside.

But for the sake of convenience in daily life, it was not completely erased.

Although I haven't figured out the other party's purpose yet, it's inevitable that someone will follow the clues and find me... This is a bit troublesome.

"The person who lost the data is a bodyguard named Maxim. He is usually in charge of Tanaka."

"Oh, that fat guy from the product department."

"To be precise, he is the head of the product department and a member of the board of directors."

Sasha sighed, but these were not important matters.

And considering Lin Qiao's status, there is really no need for him to look down on Tanaka.

"Anyway, according to Maxim himself, some time before the data was stolen, he was gambling in a nearby underground boxing ring."

"But because his favorite boxer died in the ring, causing him to lose a large sum of money, he was depressed and went to the bar to get drunk. During this time, his boss also came to him once."

"This was also confirmed by people close to him. The counterintelligence department also made the same inference - the data was stolen between 5pm and 7pm, and the location was most likely the bar where he was."

It is common for them to commit crimes in chaotic places like bars.

The noisy music around me, plus the paralyzing effect of alcohol...

Not to mention a small navigation chip on the back of the neck, even if a scavenger walked in and dragged out a living person, no one might notice it.

"Just tell me who did it."

"do not know."

"Hmm? ...Are you serious about this?"

"Unfortunately, we are still investigating, so we really don't know right now. At least that's what the Counterintelligence Department said."

"..."

My goodness, when Arasaka was reporting to his boss, an unknown person came up... Did those people in the Counterintelligence Department really think that their salary was too high?

However, Sasha himself is helpless about this...but he doesn't care.

——After all, she is not in charge of the investigation. At most, she is just a mouthpiece.

"There were no surveillance cameras in that bar, and the surveillance cameras on the entire street had been hacked in advance. Plus, there happened to be a lot of people there during that time, so it would probably take a lot of time to check them one by one."

What’s worse is that such surveys generally have little effect.

Or to put it more bluntly, the other party may have achieved their goal and fled long before they finished their investigation.

——There’s not much use in continuing to investigate.

This is the conclusion Sasha came to based on his previous experience as a mercenary...this method is inexplicably familiar.

But before she could think of anything, Lin Qiao interrupted her thoughts.

"Didn't the man named Maxim see the thief?"

With today's level of technology, even if there is no surveillance camera to capture the incident, as long as the eyewitness's description is detailed enough, the restoration degree can be as high as 90%, if not 100%.

"That's the theory, but he says he can't remember it."

And in fact, this is where the problem lies.

Although Maxim was drinking to drown his sorrows at the time, he was not yet completely drunk - this can be seen from the fact that he answered the call immediately after his boss called.

But his boss waited for more than an hour and still didn't see him, so he reported it to the company.

When the Arasaka people found him, they discovered that this guy had already passed out after drinking in the bar.

According to the bartender, when this guy was about to leave, he started drinking with another person...

But Maxim himself had no impression of this, and even the bartender couldn't remember what the man looked like.

——Something is unusual.

It was precisely because of this that Arasaka sent someone to give him a comprehensive checkup.

It was during this investigation that it was discovered that his navigation data had been copied.

"Memory erasure, or mind control...?"

Because he himself was very good at controlling things, Lin Qiao immediately suspected this.

But no matter which one it is, this cannot be an ability that the natives of this world should have.

——Even the wandering AI can't do this.

"Is this the person you are looking for?" Seeing Lin Qiao frowning, Lucy reminded him.

In response to this, Lin Qiao looked at the system prompt and shook his head.

"It shouldn't be... at least not me."

The task assigned by the system is still in the first stage of survival task.

This means that the distance between him and the other traveler is more than eighty kilometers.

——The distance from the rocket launch base to the bar in Santo Domingo must be less than 80 kilometers.

In other words, is this the vanguard sent by the other party to test us?

"But why did you target Tanaka?"

Is there anything special about that fat guy?

Although he is indeed the head of Arasaka's product department in Night City and a member of the board of directors, he can be said to be powerful and wealthy, but...

Well, when you think about it, there are quite a few reasons to target him.

"So what are your next instructions? Director Abernathy means to have the Counterintelligence Department launch a comprehensive search."

"A comprehensive search..."

Lin Qiao pinched his chin and thought about it. This was indeed a way to deal with it...but it didn't fit his idea.

"No, tell the counterintelligence department not to make any big moves for the time being. Just let them handle the situation as usual, but keep a close eye on Tanaka's whereabouts."

Sasha hesitated for a moment. She probably understood what Lin Qiao wanted to do: "Do you want to play the long game and catch the big fish?"

"That's right." Lin Diao answered affirmatively.

After all, you can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child, let alone this is not your own child.

As for this process, whether Tanaka himself will be in trouble...what does that have to do with him?

"And one more thing--"

Just when Sasha was about to log off, Lin Qiao called her.

Listening to the faint smacking sounds from the other side, he could probably imagine Sasha's expression when he heard the bell for the end of get out of class but was forced to stay after class by the teacher.

——I have to say, it is indeed very interesting.

"Go investigate and see who sent the commission."

Chapter 346: David, the Newbie

The streets were unexpectedly lively at two o'clock in the morning.

Several sports cars were parked in front of the bar. A group of people dressed in extravagant clothes, who also looked like mercenaries, under the influence of alcohol and music, wantonly released the pressure they felt living in this hopeless dream city.

"Look at me giving you guys a whole job!"

In the place where everyone's attention was focused, Pyrrha, who was responsible for livening up the atmosphere, seemed to be performing an acrobatic trick.

Using his arms, which were much larger than those of others, he threw multiple wine bottles and plates into the air, and then caught them intact.

To be honest, this was a scene David had never seen before.

Because he had to go to school at Arasaka Academy, at the request of his mother Gloria, he has always been a good boy who goes to bed early and gets up early.

Although I have inevitably been exposed to places like bars, this is my first time.

The unexpected feeling is good...

But it’s a little difficult to integrate into their group.

"Good job, kid."

While he was still a little dazed, Mann came over with a bottle of beer in his hand.

Compared with his sturdy body, the beer in his hand looked like a baby bottle.

Just looking at his right hand holding the beer, David felt a dull pain on the left side of his face.

"For a newcomer, you did a pretty good job today. You were very efficient."

David scratched his head and said, "It was just good luck. If it weren't for that person who showed up later..."

"So luck is also a part of strength. Even if he wasn't there, I arranged for Rebecca to delay time."

Rebecca? Who?

David thought about it and it seemed to be the fierce little girl he saw in the clinic last time.

I didn't expect that such a young child would become a mercenary.

“So I passed?”

"Well, I'm qualified. But the above is only for newcomers... But in Night City, newcomers don't live long."

There are a lot of new and promising people every year, but less than one-third of them can survive a year.

After taking a big gulp of cold beer, Man Yin breathed a sigh of relief, and then his tone became a little serious.

"Whether for yourself or for Gloria, you have to grow up quickly."

"I see……"

He nodded with a low murmur. It was indeed just as Main said. He now had more than just himself on his shoulders.

David grabbed the beer bottle next to him, but after just two sips, his face turned pale at the strange taste and he almost choked.

His embarrassed look made Man Yin, who was standing beside him, burst into laughter.

"By the way, this is your money this time, and..."

As a gratifying amount of money was transferred, Maine took out two small packages and placed them in front of David.

"These are immunosuppressants and the muscle relaxants that came with the discount at K's place. They are all in the instructions for use. They are all for one month's dosage."

"Although the latter one is about to expire, if you want to continue using Sian Westin, you still need this one."

Even though the guy selling this thing is suspected of clearing out his stock, this is true.

It turned out that these were all prepared for him.

"Thank you." He took the two bags handed over by Man Yin.

Although their initial encounter was not friendly, it was even bad.

But after getting to know each other, I felt that Manin was like a reliable and mature big brother.