"Long time no see, Mr. Lin Mo." As Lin Mo stepped down the stairs, the first to greet him was the burly, dark-skinned leader of the merc cre
"Long time no see, Mr. Lin Mo."
As Lin Mo stepped down the stairs, the first to greet him was the burly, dark-skinned leader of the merc crew—Maine.
His smile widened when he saw Lin Mo, eyes gleaming like he'd just spotted a walking bundle of eddies.
Who could blame him? The money on the table was too good. Maine wasn't fond of spoiled corpos, but cold hard cash had a way of changing hearts. And Lin Mo didn't carry the usual arrogance of a corporate heir, which helped.
"Lin Mo, my choomba! Been a few days, huh?" said Falco, the crew's driver, greeting him with unexpected politeness.
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow, a little surprised. Falco had even bothered to pick up a few Chinese honorifics, and calling him "friend" wasn't something Lin Mo expected.
The rest of the team followed suit, offering short nods or gestures.
Then came Pilar, wearing his usual sleazy grin. His expression said more than words ever could.
The moment didn't last.
With a sigh of embarrassment, Rebecca—small but lethal—suddenly kicked Pilar hard in the groin.
Despite being half a head taller, Pilar folded like wet paper and collapsed.
With that out of the way, Rebecca turned to Lin Mo, hands in her coat pockets, voice playful.
"Yo. Been a week, huh, Lin Mo?"
Dorio, the team's second-in-command, nodded calmly. Sasha, the netrunner, gave a casual smirk and a small wave. There was something in her eyes—like she was quietly sizing Lin Mo up.
Lin Mo nodded to each in turn. Calm. Professional.
"Let's skip the pleasantries. I'm sure Hogako already sent you the mission briefing. You know why we're here," he said, tone shifting instantly to business.
(Note: Hogako is a corporate contact—possibly a fixer or handler.)
Maine's grin faded as he stepped into professional mode. His demeanor turned sharp, focused.
"Damn. That's a cold attitude," Rebecca muttered under her breath. She had already leaned against a nearby vehicle, twin pistols—one pink, one green—resting in her crossed arms.
"No time to waste," Maine said. "So, Lin Mo—where are the Scavs holed up?"
Lin Mo looked to North Kawahiro, who had stayed quiet up to now. He didn't seem very interested in Maine's crew, standing off to the side, observing everything in silence.
Lin Mo gave him a subtle nod.
Kawahiro stepped forward reluctantly, coughed once, and said:
"Thanks for showing up. Our target is the factory compound just ahead. The scavenger gang's main position is inside the water tower over there."
He pointed to the tall structure at the heart of the complex. From the street, the view wasn't great.
Noticing this, Kawahiro added, "Hard to get a good look from here. We should head to the top floor of the building next to it. Better vantage point."
Maine nodded. "Lead the way."
The group made their way to the rooftop. Once there, they turned their attention to the distant compound.
"There's a lot of them—fifty-one from the heat signatures. And that's not counting the ones inside the residential wing," Dorio reported, scanning with her optic overlay.
Maine frowned and looked at Lin Mo. "We doing this quiet or loud?"
The team wasn't scared of scavs—but rushing in without a plan was suicide. One wrong step, one landmine, and it could go sideways fast.
"Infiltrate? Hell no. We should just blast in. Scavs are scum—organ thieves, psychos. Kill 'em all," Rebecca snapped.
She raised her pistol and mimicked firing at the distant tower, making pew pew sounds under her breath.
Pilar scoffed. "You? Storming in with that tiny body? Please. You'd get wrecked."
Rebecca's gun instantly shifted, now aimed at his forehead. Her voice was sweet and deadly.
"Say you wanna die, bro~."
Maine ignored their usual back-and-forth and looked to Lin Mo. "What do you think?"
"I prefer going in guns blazing," Lin Mo admitted. "But I know that's not always the smartest move. So infiltration works too."
Maine nodded, then started assigning roles.
"Dorio and Sasha handle infiltration. Pilar and Rebecca cover from the perimeter. I'll draw fire from the front as backup."
He turned to Kawahiro. "What's your skill set, choom?"
Kawahiro didn't answer immediately. He reached into his case and pulled out a sleek, matte-black sniper rifle—etched with the name "Cat Demon" along the side.
(Non-canon weapon: high-caliber silenced sniper rifle, custom-built.)
"I'll cover from here. If needed, I'll go in," he said calmly.
The others raised eyebrows. That rifle wasn't street-level gear.
Maine gave an impressed nod. "A guy with a toy like that? You've got skills. Good. Having a sniper on overwatch gives us options."
"Wait, you're sure about drawing fire yourself?" Dorio asked, concerned.
Maine chuckled, tapping his chrome-plated arm with a loud clang.
"They couldn't scratch me even if they tried."
Lin Mo narrowed his eyes, analyzing the structure beneath Maine's synthetic dermal layer. His muscle frame had been heavily reinforced—probably shock-dampened with subdermal plating and ceramic armor beneath. Standard rounds wouldn't do a thing.
Maine cracked his knuckles and looked around. "So? If no one objects, we start the op."
But just as the team began to move, Lin Mo's voice cut in.
"Wait—did you forget about me?"
Everyone froze for a moment.
Besides North Kawahiro, the rest turned to Lin Mo, surprised.
They were used to clients paying them for dirty work. But it was rare—almost unheard of—for a corpo kid to want in on the actual combat.
Dorio frowned. "Hogako said we were assisting you in rescuing someone… but you're seriously joining the assault, Mr. Lin Mo?"
Rebecca gave a crooked smile but said nothing.
"Don't overestimate yourself," Sasha said coolly.
Lin Mo sighed and ran a hand through his hair. I've heard this a thousand times.
No more words. He knew they wouldn't believe him until they saw it.
Without warning, he drew his blade. A fly buzzed nearby—he cut it in midair with surgical precision.
He caught the falling corpse between his fingers.
"…How about that?" he said, voice calm.
The team stared.
Rebecca blinked. "Didn't you do that already last week?"
"I like to make sure everyone sees it," Lin Mo replied dryly.
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