“Boss, you looking for me?”
“Yeah, go to the Counter-Intelligence Department and have them gather intel on Biotechnica…
mostly the directors in charge of drug R&D.
Of course, key researchers work too.”
“Understood.”
“Oh, right, one more thing.”
Just as Canris was about to leave for the Counter-Intelligence Department, Rain suddenly called out to stop him.
“Boss, any other orders?”
“Yeah, go out and buy me a pack of cigarettes.”
“Oh.”
Hearing this, Canris immediately looked a bit dejected.
He thought there was some important task for him…
turned out it was just buying cigarettes…
After leaving Rain’s office, Canris headed straight for the Counter-Intelligence Department with the documents Rain had signed, but ran into members of his own squad on the way.
“Captain.”
“Hmm…
Oh?
You’re just in time.
I have something for you to do.”
Canris nodded, his eyes suddenly lighting up.
He reached out, placed a hand on the other’s shoulder, and looked at him with a serious expression.
Seeing this, the squad member’s eyes narrowed.
Thinking there was some urgent mission, he quickly stood up straight.
“Captain, say the word.”
“Go buy a pack of cigarettes for the Boss.
Hmm…
this brand.
Go on, I’ll reimburse you when you get back.”
After hearing that, the squad member’s face instantly fell.
He nodded and left.
“Heh, I’m a genius.”
Canris grinned, though with his looks, his smile was quite terrifying…
After all, not only was his face rugged and fleshy, but he was also loaded with combat cyberware.
Before long, Canris arrived at the Counter-Intelligence Department’s office area.
As soon as he stepped inside, the system scanned Canris’s identity, and a Counter-Intelligence staff member came forward to greet him.
“Captain Canris, Minister Jenkins told me to wait for you here.”
“Yeah, this is what Minister Rain told me to give your department.
The specific requirements are inside.
See for yourself.”
“Understood.”
The Counter-Intelligence team leader in charge of the handoff nodded and took the documents from Canris’s hand.
Although Canris’s corporate rank was lower than his, the man was Rain’s confidant and belonged to a squad reporting directly to Rain.
Within the Special Operations Department, no one except Rain’s superiors had the authority to mobilize Canris’s squad.
In a sense, Canris sometimes represented Rain’s will.
“Team Leader, was that man Officer Rain’s confidant?”
“Yeah, that’s him.
You’re not thinking of investigating him, are you?”
As he spoke, V’s team leader gave her a strange look.
Investigating a confidant like this was a clear sign of truly intending to dig up dirt on someone.
“As if.
Do I look like an idiot?
I was just curious why Officer Rain chose such a brute as his confidant.”
“A brute?
He’s anything but.”
V’s team leader chuckled and shook his head.
“Alright, it’s best you don’t have those thoughts.
This job landing in our group’s lap could be a blessing or a curse, depending on how we handle it.”
“A curse?
Why?”
V looked at her team leader in confusion and couldn’t help but ask.
“If it’s not handled well, it’s a curse.
It’s just for these next two days; just make sure no trouble crops up.”
V’s team leader shrugged and said, while inserting the documents Canris had delivered into a nearby computer.
Soon, the information was organized.
“Biotechnica researchers?
How about I leave this to you?”
“Me?
Fine, but I can’t guarantee I can get intel on those directors.
Their security clearance isn’t low.”
“Relax, just handle the ordinary researchers.
By the way, I’ll give you authorization for a few field agents.
You decide how to use them.”
“Copy that.”
V nodded.
She felt the goodwill from the team leader.
He was likely one of Jenkins’s people and knew she was favored by Jenkins, which was why he handed this task to her.
As for investigating Rain…
it was already said to be just a formality.
If you take it seriously, you’re the one who loses out.
But appearances had to be maintained.
As for the Biotechnica investigation…
it wouldn’t be too late to start in two days.
“Hmm…
Biotechnica is settled for now.
The rest depends on when the intel arrives…
As for Dogtown…” Get faster updates on g.com.
Thinking of this, Rain couldn’t help but rub his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
Dogtown, the territory of former NUSA Colonel Kurt Hansen.
After being abandoned, he used his former subordinates and weapons to carve out a piece of land in that area.
He then used that territory to start trading with major corporations, establishing an international black market for trading various illicit goods and heavy military weaponry.
At the same time, he used these relationships to build his own trade network.
After balancing the interests, he expanded the scale of the Wraiths, firmly gripping Dogtown in his Hands.
Under these circumstances, he naturally wouldn’t be happy to see corporations reaching into his territory.
Especially Militech.
Facing his former employer, Hansen held a lot of resentment, but he wouldn’t snap at them like a mad dog.
Because to do business, one couldn’t bypass Militech, the former leader in this region.
Although the leader of Night City has changed, it doesn’t mean Militech lacks power.
So Militech still has some presence in Dogtown and has reached several trade agreements with Hansen.
Some people inside Dogtown even have connections with Militech, though such things are clearly kept in the shadows.
Arasaka, naturally, was not pleased with this situation.
After all, the amount of goods flowing through Hansen’s international black market was immense, and their relationship with him wasn’t particularly close.
Even though Hansen had needed Arasaka’s power over the years to maintain the balance between Militech, Biotechnica, and other companies.
Given Militech’s meddling in his territory, he was actually very wary of Arasaka.
He didn’t want to see Arasaka gain as much power in his territory as Militech had, so Arasaka’s influence in Dogtown had remained quite limited over the years.
And now, the higher-ups wanted Rain to plant a mole inside, one with a certain degree of influence…
Clearly, there were only two paths.
One was to take Hansen out directly.
Setting aside the success rate, even if successful, he would have to put in a lot of effort to compete with other companies, and the final merit wouldn’t be very high because it would cause too much of a stir.
And the other…
that would be like Mr.
Hands: hiding his identity while utilizing corporate power to become a major player in Dogtown, then gradually eroding the strength of the Wraiths.
But this is extremely difficult.
First is the issue of identity.
After all, Hands was someone recognized by Hansen, which is why he could hold his position.
Otherwise, how could he stir up so much trouble without being shot dead by that warlord?
To pull this off, he needed someone with a ‘clean’ enough background to act as the frontman he supported.
On this point, he could actually make use of our dear Mr.
Hands, since his identity…
was also something that couldn’t see the light of day.
Wade Bleecker, a former executive at Petrochem.
Now, with a changed face and identity, he acts as a fixer in Pacifica and uses his resources to support people under Hansen to seize power.
At the same time, after being abandoned by the corporation, he didn’t focus entirely on revenge.
He…
is a very rational guy, or rather…
someone who values his life very much.
So he contacted people from places like Cuba within Dogtown’s territory, using their resources to build his own network independent of Hansen.
Of course, Hansen knew nothing of this, and few in the world did.
But as luck would have it, Rain was one of those who knew, which gave him the opportunity to use our dear Mr.
Hands.