“Kinosuke-san, right this way.
Let me get the door for you.” Afanasy chuckled, shoving the heavy iron door open.
The harsh screech of rusted metal filled the room, masked by the crisp click-clack of dress shoes.
Kinosuke stepped inside, his heel catching on the thin, almost invisible tripwire Levi had rigged.
Snap.
The wire parted, nearly silent.
A fraction of a second later, the subtle clack of a firing pin striking a percussion cap echoed in the room.
Kinosuke scanned the room, frowning as his gaze landed on the blood-soaked floor and the butchered corpse of the Scavenger.
There were no organs on display.
“Afanasy,” Kinosuke barked, his voice sharp with annoyance.
“Where are the heart and kidneys you promised?” Afanasy froze, his face draining of color as he stepped inside and saw the carnage.
He opened his mouth to stammer an excuse, but the room was suddenly swallowed by a thunderous BOOM.
The blast wave threw them both like ragdolls.
Afanasy, standing closest to the grenade with no subcutaneous armor to shield him, was shredded instantly, his body collapsing into a mangled heap of meat and wire.
Kinosuke had better luck; the Scavenger’s body had absorbed the brunt of the shrapnel, and Kinosuke’s own subcutaneous armor held, keeping him standing—barely.
[Notable Little Chinatown Organ Trafficker, ‘Afanasy Ivanovich’ has died] [Reputation +100] Hidden behind the surgery bed, Levi stood up, the Nova revolver leveled steadily at the door.
He knew the grenade had only taken out the trash; the suit who wanted his heart was still breathing.
“Afanasy, you incompetent piece of filth,” Kinosuke sneered, clutching his wounded arm to his chest as he shielded his face.
He was a mess of lacerations, blood dripping from his suit and pooling on the floor.
Levi’s optics locked onto him, and his interface flickered with data: [Name: Kinosuke Ogai] [Affiliation: Arasaka Corporation] [Cyberware: Kiroshi Optics, RAM Upgrade, External Connector, Camillo RAM Manager, Self-ICE, Synthetic Lungs, Smart Link, Arasaka Mk.3 OS, Biomonitor, Bioplastic Blood Vessels, Adrenaline Converter, Subdermal Armor] [Threat Level: Moderate] “Kinosuke Ogai,” Levi muttered.
Kinosuke lowered his arms, his expression hardening into cold, corporate arrogance.
“You know my name?
Good.
That makes this easier.
Name your price—how much for your heart and kidneys?” Levi opened his mouth, but Kinosuke cut him off with a flick of his hand.
“Don’t bother saying no.
I’m the secretary to Naoshi Ichikawa, the Deputy Chief of Arasaka’s Security Department.
My word is his word.
Now, state your price.
People like you always want a bigger payday, don’t they?
Is 30,000 enough?” Kinosuke’s eyes glowed blue as he triggered a digital transfer.
A prompt appeared in Levi’s field of vision: [Kinosuke Ogai is attempting to transfer 30,000 Eurodollars.
Accept?] Levi remained silent.
Kinosuke took the hesitation for greed and sneered.
His optics flared blue again.
“I’m a man of peace, usually.
I prefer to settle things with credits.
But if someone is…
unreasonably greedy, I’m perfectly capable of using violence to balance the books.
So, you’re not the greedy type, are you?” Another prompt flashed.
[Kinosuke Ogai is attempting to transfer 100,000 Eurodollars.
Accept?] Levi considered the future.
If he was going to survive in this city, he needed capital.
He tapped ‘Accept.’ [Transfer complete.
Current balance: 100,314 Eurodollars] Kinosuke nodded, satisfied.
He loved people who understood the balance of power; it saved so much time.
He never expected that the moment the credits cleared, Levi would spend 100 reputation points to unlock the [Aim-Lock] ability.
“You’re right,” Levi said, his voice cold.
“I’m not the greedy type.
I don’t just want your money—I want your life.” Before Kinosuke could react, Levi’s aim snapped onto the man’s forehead with uncanny, machine-like precision.
He squeezed the trigger.
BANG.
The heavy slug from the Nova revolver tore through the air at twice the speed of sound, punching a neat hole through Kinosuke’s skull.
The hydrostatic shock turned the rest of his brain into slurry.
Thud.
Kinosuke’s body slumped backward, eyes wide with confusion.
He couldn’t comprehend how a nobody had dared to kill him.
And Levi?
He didn’t care about the corporate logistics of it.
If he’d surrendered, he would have ended up as spare parts on a table anyway.
He didn’t come to this world to be a wage slave for a second lifetime.
If he was going to go out, he was going to leave a mark.
[Secretary to Arasaka Deputy Chief Naoshi Ichikawa, ‘Kinosuke Ogai’ has died] [Reputation +500] [Your decisive action has caught the attention of Arasaka Security Deputy Chief, ‘Naoshi Ichikawa’]