“Work together?”

T-BUG remained silent for a moment before responding, “Are you asking me to join your squad?”

“More or less. My squad is currently missing a permanent hacker who can provide support from the backline. Since you were able to collaborate with us on this mission, I assume you don’t have a fixed team. What do you think? Interested in forming a long-term partnership?”

“You guys are quite skilled, and having teammates like that is reassuring. But I need to think about it.”

T-BUG didn’t seem entirely opposed to the idea, just hesitant.

“If you’re interested, I’ll go ahead and lay out the squad’s rules so you can consider them in advance.”

Karl didn’t mind her indecision and started explaining:

“As mercenaries, most of us are in it for the money. As for payment, if no one played a particularly crucial role that everyone acknowledges, the earnings are split evenly. Nobody gets more, nobody gets less. If there’s any leftover change that’s hard to split, we put it towards group meals.”

Seeing that T-BUG had no objections, he continued:

“As for missions, we discuss them together, just like the one we did today. But whether we take a job or not is usually my decision. That cool with you?”

“The leader makes the calls, just like a fish follows its leader. No problem with that.”

“That’s pretty much all the rules. We don’t have any extra restrictions. If you have any concerns, we can adjust as needed.”

“No issues with the rules. They seem reasonable.”

T-BUG replied, “But I still need to think about it. This was only my first mission with you guys, and I need to go over the details.”

“Alright. We’ll wait for you to reach out. Whether you decide to join or not, I just ask that you let us know. Even if you don’t join the squad, we can always call on you for help when needed.”

“Got it.”

With that, T-BUG ended the call, but she didn’t leave the squad’s group chat.

“What do you think, Jack?”

Hearing Karl and T-BUG’s conversation, Oliver glanced at Jack in the passenger seat.

“I think we’ve got a good chance.”

Jack smirked, “I have a feeling we’ll be welcoming one hell of a hacker into the squad soon.”

“I’ll trust your instincts.”

Oliver, driving, then asked Karl in the backseat, “What’s next? Grabbing lunch?”

“Let’s order takeout and head to your place. I’ve got something for you guys to look at.”

Karl flipped his hand and passed a chip to Jack.

“What’s this?”

“Something from Arasaka, most likely. Take it and check it out on Oliver’s computer.”

“‘Custom Sandevistan Prototype…'”

Jack muttered, showing the chip to Oliver while they were stopped at a red light.

“A custom Sandevistan, from Arasaka. You know what that reminds me of?”

After taking a glance at the chip before the light turned green, Oliver replied, “Remember the first cyberpsycho Karl took down?”

“Patrick Bell?”

Karl still had some memory of that cyberpsycho. And then, in an instant, he understood why Oliver mentioned it.

“I remember Johnson said that since he was an Arasaka security contractor, all his gear had to be returned to them. I even ranted to you guys about that when I got back.”

“I remember, he also had a Mantis Blade and a Sandevistan setup, right?”

Jack said, “Looking at it this way, these two pieces of cyberware really are the standard loadout for cyberpsychos. Do they have some kind of particularly strong stimulant effect?”

“Maybe,” Karl muttered, before realizing something. “Wait, his implants were later examined. Johnson said it was a Dinara Sandevistan Type-1, not this so-called custom Arasaka Sandevistan. So they shouldn’t be related, right?”

Then it clicked for him. “Got it. Tolerance testing.”

“That’s what I was thinking too,” Oliver added. “I heard from some old Six Street vets who fought in the Unification War that Arasaka’s operatives love this setup—Mantis Blades and a Sandevistan. Their so-called ‘custom’ Sandevistan testing? No way they’re using their elite prepped forces for that. They’re definitely starting with low-level security contractors or bottom-rung guys like Tiger Claws.”

Oliver continued, “And I’ve heard that inside Arasaka, there’s actually a special Sandevistan model exclusively for elite operatives. Guess where they get their testing data?”

“No wonder it’s a corporation—experimenting on their own people with this much expertise.”

Jack sighed. “Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if they make these ‘test subjects’ pay for the cyberware themselves.”

“Come on, Jack, no need to speculate,” Karl said with a smirk. “That Patrick Bell guy went through a basic endurance test, and even after death, all his implants legally belonged to the company. You really think they wouldn’t make them pay? I’d bet they offer these guys ‘discounted’ implants, trapping them in lifelong debt, so they practically have to sell themselves to Arasaka just to qualify for this ‘privilege.'”

As Karl spoke, they pulled into the underground parking lot of their megabuilding.

“Being turned into a lab rat and having to pay for it—what a joke.”

Jack summed it up in a single sentence as they took the elevator up to Oliver’s apartment.

Without wasting time, they entered the room. While Oliver and Jack ordered food, Karl inserted the chip into Oliver’s computer to review its contents.

“Cholesterol levels, lipoproteins, blood pressure readings…”

This looked more like a medical check-up report.

After scanning through a long list of data, Karl removed the chip from the computer.

To summarize: it was a chip that constantly monitored the user’s vitals. But…

For Karl, it was completely useless.

Maybe a specialist could make sense of it, but for a merc like him, what the hell was he supposed to do with this data?

Was he supposed to reverse-engineer Arasaka’s ‘custom’ Sandevistan from it? No wonder they felt safe handing this stuff over to gangsters—just another way to exploit the lack of technical knowledge on the streets.

Karl might not understand it, but he knew someone who would. Or, more specifically, someone who had people that would.

He made a call.

“Karl? Need something?”

Blanca’s voice came through the line.

“I’ve got some Arasaka tech here. Interested?”

Arasaka tech? MilitaryTech would definitely be.

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