“Boss, you were looking for me?” Canris stepped into Victor’s office and immediately stood at attention.
The towering bodyguard had been working under Victor long enough to know that a sudden summons usually meant one of two things: either an important assignment was about to be handed down, or Victor had come up with another strange idea.
Victor didn’t waste time.
“Go to Counterintelligence and have them gather information on Biotechnology.” Canris nodded.
“What kind of information?” “Drug development divisions.
Department heads.
Senior researchers.
Project leaders.
Anyone important enough to matter.” “Understood.” Canris immediately memorized the request.
Just as he turned to leave, Victor suddenly spoke again.
“Oh, right.” Canris paused.
“Boss?” Victor leaned back in his chair.
“Buy me a pack of cigarettes.” “…” For a moment, Canris simply stared.
He had honestly expected another classified operation.
Perhaps a covert assassination.
A corporate infiltration.
Maybe even a secret mission involving Dogtown.
Instead…
Cigarettes.
“Understood.” Canris answered with all the enthusiasm of a man walking to his execution.
— After leaving Victor’s office, Canris carried the signed documents toward the Counterintelligence Department.
Halfway there, he encountered one of his squad members.
The operative immediately saluted.
“Captain.” Canris stopped.
Then his eyes suddenly lit up.
A brilliant idea appeared.
“Perfect timing.” The squad member straightened immediately.
Years of service had trained him to recognize that expression.
Usually it meant something important.
Something dangerous.
Something profitable.
Canris placed a heavy hand on the man’s shoulder and spoke with complete seriousness.
“I have a mission for you.” The operative’s posture became even straighter.
“Captain, I’m ready.” “Good.” Canris handed him a small data note.
“Buy the boss a pack of cigarettes.” “…” The operative blinked.
“That’s the mission?” “Correct.” Canris nodded proudly.
“Use this brand.” The man looked as though his soul had just left his body.
“Captain…” “I’ll reimburse you later.” “…Understood.” Watching his subordinate reluctantly depart toward the nearest store, Canris couldn’t help grinning.
“Ha.” His smile looked particularly terrifying due to the numerous combat cyberware implants covering his face.
“Sometimes I’m a genius.” — Several minutes later, Canris arrived at the Counterintelligence Department.
Unlike the rough atmosphere of Special Operations, Counterintelligence projected an entirely different image.
Cold.
Clinical.
Professional.
Every hallway was monitored.
Every workstation was secured.
Every employee knew that secrets were the true currency of corporations.
The moment Canris entered, automated scanners swept over him.
Identity confirmed.
Authorization granted.
A counterintelligence officer immediately approached.
“Captain Canris.” The man nodded respectfully.
“Secretary Jenkins instructed me to wait for your arrival.” Canris handed over the documents.
“Minister Victor wants your department to handle this.” The officer accepted the files.
“I understand.” Although the officer technically held a similar rank within the corporate hierarchy, everyone understood an important fact.
Canris belonged directly to Victor.
That alone gave him influence far beyond his official position.
Within Special Operations, nobody below Victor possessed the authority to transfer or interfere with Canris’s squad.
In many situations, dealing with Canris was essentially the same as dealing with Victor himself.
The officer understood this perfectly.
Therefore, there was no reason to create unnecessary problems.
— Not long after Canris departed, another visitor arrived.
V.
She stepped into the department and happened to notice Canris leaving.
Her eyes followed him briefly.
“Team Leader.” The supervisor looked up.
“What is it?” “That guy.” V gestured toward the departing figure.
“He’s one of Victor’s trusted people, right?” The supervisor immediately narrowed his eyes.
“Why?” The look he gave her carried obvious warning signs.
“You aren’t thinking about investigating him, are you?” V almost laughed.
“Do I look suicidal?” That earned a chuckle.
“Good answer.” The supervisor leaned back in his chair.
“Because that would be incredibly stupid.” V folded her arms.
“Then why does Victor trust someone like him so much?” She remembered Canris’s appearance.
Massive build.
Countless cybernetic implants.
A face that looked more suited for breaking bones than conducting corporate business.
The supervisor shook his head.
“That’s where you’re wrong.” “He isn’t some simple thug.” V remained silent.
The supervisor continued.
“People tend to underestimate him because of how he looks.” His expression grew serious.
“Don’t.” V absorbed the advice.
The warning felt genuine.
After all, anyone capable of earning Victor’s trust couldn’t possibly be simple.
— The supervisor changed the subject.
“Anyway, enough about that.” He inserted the documents Canris had delivered into a nearby terminal.
The system immediately began processing the data.
Lines of information scrolled across the screen.
Biotechnology.
Researchers.
Development programs.
Personnel files.
V raised an eyebrow.
“What’s all this?” The supervisor smiled.
“Actually, I was planning to give part of this assignment to you.” “Me?” “Yes.” He pointed toward a list of names.
“Victor wants information regarding Biotechnology’s research personnel.” V examined the files.
Many names.
Many departments.
Many security restrictions.
“Some of these people have pretty high clearance levels.” “You don’t need those.” The supervisor waved dismissively.
“Focus on the ordinary researchers.” “That’s manageable.” “Good.” He transferred additional access permissions.
“I’ll also give you several field operatives.” “You can use them however you want.” V’s eyes widened slightly.
That was more authority than she expected.
“Understood.” The moment she accepted the assignment, she sensed something.
Goodwill.
Her supervisor clearly knew Jenkins had taken interest in her.
This assignment wasn’t simply work.
It was an opportunity.
A test.
Perhaps even a promotion pathway.
As for the investigation involving Victor himself?
V almost laughed internally.
Everyone understood the reality.
The assignment existed because somebody higher up demanded paperwork.
Nothing more.
Actually investigating Victor would be a terrible idea.
The smart approach was obvious.
Perform the investigation.
Create reports.
Follow procedure.
Avoid digging too deeply.
Everybody stayed happy.
— Elsewhere, Victor was reviewing another matter entirely.
Dogtown.
The mere thought made him rub his temples.
Of all the locations in Night City, Dogtown was among the most troublesome.
Officially, it barely existed.
Unofficially, it was one of the most important places on the continent.
The district belonged to Colonel Kurt Hansen.
Former soldier.
Former loyalist.
Current warlord.
After being abandoned by the New United States government, Hansen had seized Dogtown with his surviving forces and transformed it into his personal kingdom.
Over the years, he had expanded his influence dramatically.
Weapons.
Military hardware.
Smuggling.
Black market trading.
Corporate dealings.
Everything flowed through Dogtown.
And Hansen controlled all of it.
His military force, known as Barghest, ensured that reality remained unchanged.
Dogtown had become the largest illegal trading hub in North America.
Naturally, corporations wanted access.
Everyone wanted access.
Militech.
Biotechnica.
Arasaka.
Countless others.
Unfortunately, Hansen understood his own value.
He carefully balanced every corporation against the others.
No single company received too much influence.
No single company gained enough power to threaten his control.
That strategy had kept him alive for years.
It had also made him extremely wealthy.
Victor understood Hansen’s thinking.
The colonel tolerated Arasaka.
He tolerated Militech.
He tolerated Biotechnica.
But he trusted none of them.
Especially Arasaka.
If Arasaka established significant influence inside Dogtown, Hansen would immediately view it as a threat.
That reality created a difficult problem.
Because Victor’s superiors wanted results.
Real results.
Not reports.
Not promises.
Influence.
Power.
Control.
And Dogtown offered exactly that.
Victor considered the available options.
The first was straightforward.
Kill Hansen.
Remove the obstacle.
Take control afterward.
Unfortunately, that solution was messy.
Even if successful, it would create chaos.
Militech would intervene.
Biotechnica would react.
Numerous factions would fight over the remains.
The eventual gains would be limited.
The risks enormous.
Not ideal.
The second option was much more interesting.
And much more subtle.
Instead of removing Hansen…
Influence his territory from within.
Build relationships.
Establish networks.
Create dependencies.
Gradually erode Barghest’s control.
By the time anyone realized what was happening, the game would already be over.
The problem was identity.
Someone needed to operate inside Dogtown.
Someone with a clean background.
Someone capable of becoming influential.
Someone who could survive.
Victor smiled slightly.
Fortunately…
He already knew the perfect candidate.
Mr.
Hands.
One of Dogtown’s most influential fixers.
A man whose true identity remained hidden from almost everyone.
A man who had spent years building networks behind the scenes.
Officially, Mr.
Hands was merely a fixer.
Unofficially, he was far more dangerous.
His connections stretched throughout Dogtown.
His influence touched every level of society.
Most importantly…
His activities remained largely invisible.
Victor possessed information very few people in the world knew.
Knowledge regarding Mr.
Hands’ true background.
His previous identity.
His hidden operations.
The networks he had quietly constructed beyond Hansen’s awareness.
Even Hansen himself knew surprisingly little.
Which meant Victor possessed something valuable.
Leverage.
And leverage was often more powerful than money.
Victor leaned back in his chair.
A slow smile appeared.
Dogtown wouldn’t be conquered through bullets.
It would be conquered through influence.
And if everything went according to plan…
Mr.
Hands would become one of the most useful pieces on the board.
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