"I don't recall saying you needed to bring so many people."
The meeting with Wilton Holt had been quickly arranged thanks to Kenichi Kazuya's coordination. In a private room of a Heywood restaurant under the night sky, the overweight deputy mayor scrutinized Karl and his team as they entered, a hint of displeasure in his voice.
"Well, you didn't say I couldn't, either, Mr. Deputy Mayor,"
Karl replied, deliberately stressing Deputy Mayor as he casually pulled out a chair across from Holt and took a seat. V and the others followed, each taking a place at the table. In moments, the four mercs had completely encircled the lone politician.
Thankfully, the room was spacious enough. Otherwise, five adult men sitting together might have felt cramped. Even so, Holt felt the atmosphere shift the moment they sat down—like the air itself had thickened. Breathing suddenly felt more difficult.
His heart gave a jolt. He couldn't explain why, but his body screamed danger.
It was that primal suffocation one feels when seated too close to a predator with no protection.
Even if Holt knew Karl and his crew wouldn't make a move—on paper, they were allies—the physical presence of these men still triggered deep, instinctive fear.
Still, Holt was a seasoned politician. He'd seen all kinds. After a steady breath, he forced down the discomfort and focused on what they were here to discuss.
The topic at hand was too dangerous. If even a single phrase got out, it could ignite a political firestorm in Night City. He had to tread carefully.
Staring at Karl, who sat there completely relaxed, Holt's heart steadied.
At least these were the best mercs in the city. If anyone could pull this off, it was Team KK.
Thinking back to the intel he'd received—KK's perfect mission completion rate—Holt carefully chose his words:
"Lucius's schedule is usually managed by me. Soon, he'll be heading to the City Council to sign documents related to Pacifica. If you plan to act, I can provide the route of his convoy."
"A hit during transit?"
Karl raised an eyebrow. It sounded familiar—like the way a certain American president and an Austro-Hungarian archduke met their ends. A time-tested tactic. Hits during transit often had a high success rate, since people were usually less alert.
Still, Karl only thought about it briefly before shaking his head.
"No."
The reasoning was simple—same as back when they considered taking out the previous NCPD commissioner. A hit on the road makes escape hard. While it might not tie directly to Holt, it would make tracking down Team KK way too easy.
Karl looked Holt straight in the eye.
"None of us are idiots, Mr. Deputy Mayor. Let's be clear—we're not here because of your request. We're here to assist. That doesn't make us your subordinates, and we sure as hell don't take orders. So don't even think about throwing us under the bus. If you try that, I've got no problem making sure that when the mayor dies, his beloved deputy goes with him."
It was a calm, direct death threat. The job Karl got from Kenichiro was clear: assist the deputy mayor in taking out the mayor. Nowhere in the contract did it say Holt had to survive. If Karl strapped a bomb to the man and sent him off to meet Lucius, it would still technically count as "assistance."
Hearing his own potential death laid out so plainly sent a chill through Holt's entire body.
Karl's tone might've been casual, but there was nothing fake about it. Just listening to him made it clear—he meant every word.
If he pushed these mercs to be the fall guys, they would absolutely take him down too. That guy… had zero hesitation.
Holt swore to himself.
One of the intelligence profiles on KK described him as "surprisingly easy to talk to. Willing to take risks to complete objectives. Open to being asked about bold or high-risk operations."
All true.
But what it hadn't mentioned… was what would happen if the client overstepped.
Still, Holt had never intended to pin the blame on KK. That earlier suggestion was just a negotiation tactic.
The idea was simple: start with something the other side will definitely reject. Once they shoot it down, walk it back until you reach your actual proposal. It's more persuasive than just stating your real intentions up front.
It usually worked.
This time, though… it almost backfired.
Thankfully, Karl hadn't walked out—just issued a verbal threat. That meant there was still room to talk.
Holt quickly adjusted his tone and smiled.
"Just a little joke, KK. I do have someone else more suitable to take the fall. I just need a little support from your team."
Ah, so someone else was meant to be the scapegoat.
Karl kept staring at him silently. Then, he tapped his fingers against the table—tap, tap, tap—before finally speaking.
"Spit it out."
"Lucius likes to visit certain… private places. If something unfortunate were to happen at one of them, it'd be a scandal for sure. But for the sake of his reputation, no one would dare investigate too deeply."
And with that, Holt finally revealed his true plan.
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