73. prey
Leonard’s longtime partner and one of his few friends, Jake the ‘broker’, was a big fan of Junk Town.
About 10 years ago, I ran the field myself, but I did not see much light because my skills were not good there, and after about 3 years, I changed to a broker and slowly made my name. The timing was good, and a lot of luck followed. Right after the New Human Federation War of Independence ended, many skillful solvers came in, and among them, there was a hacker from Hexagon who was exceptionally talented.
“It is thanks to me that he has been able to live on this much.”
“Huh? Did you starve yourself in the back alley and made it look like a human?”
“I wasn’t starving.”
“I’m good enough to live on too!”
Max regretted not hiding a yawn. I asked about something I wasn’t even curious about, and got caught up in the old men’s memories. It was a boring story for a teenager who has more days to live than the days he has lived.
“So when do we talk about work?”
The fixer and the broker glared at each other, then professionally reconciled. ‘I’m absolutely right, but I’ll get over it this once’ In front of the credits, you could be cruel or be lenient.
“This request was made by the mayor.”
“The market? Isn’t that the pants boss?”
A-044 As it was called a ‘city’, of course there was a market. However, the authority was insignificant enough for Max, who was from the back alley, to know. In a world reverting to corporate dictatorship, democracy was a sham cover.
“Actually, he is the puppet of the CEO of the company, but the credits are real. Where are the taxes going?”
Well, since Leonard is constantly paying 8% of his profits as city levies – or development funds – the city hall didn’t have a budget. It’s a problem that it’s corporate directors who approve it.
“Hmm. It’s worth bringing a heavy body.”
Sigma brought coffee. As if his throat was burning, the middleman emptied his throat and went straight to the point.
“It’s a scavenger problem.”
“Half of this city’s problems are scavengers.”
“This one is a bit big. It’s a six-figure request.”
Minimum of 100,000 credits. Leonard wouldn’t be able to eat it all by himself, but it was clearly a big deal. It was not surprising since the mayor commissioned it himself.
“After the bandits swept through Wing Town, a lot of guns were unleashed. Most are pipe guns, but there are also quite a few Big Ground guns stolen from the wasteland.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“therefore?”
Leonard remembered the scrap plant job and erased it. A fight between the Big Ground Company and the Wildkid gang is eventually affecting a group of Junk Town scavengers. The broker was annoyed at not being able to share information. The wrinkles on his bald head were deep and thick. Leonard waved his hand.
“Go on. I will listen and tell you everything.”
“damn. Am I the only one who feels bitten?”
The broker recited the contents of the official letter from the city hall. Officially, it is a request for cooperation, but the request was correct given that the target was a fixer broker who was said to be from Junk Town.
“Illegal weapon recovery from the scavenger? Do you think that would be possible?”
“I’m not asking you to find a firearm hidden in your pocket. I wouldn’t even accept that as a weapon. You will only need to retrieve heavy weapons with a Big Ground tag.”
“That’s easy to say… Oh, is it easy?”
Since the scavenger couldn’t have a stash, it wasn’t hard to find a large weapon like a machine gun.
“But the real purpose would be junk machines.”
The name Leonard gave it became a common noun through intermediaries. But I wasn’t particularly satisfied. Because it’s common enough to be normal.
“It seems that rumors have been spreading from the top. The scavenger is modifying the implant and using it for violent crimes.”
“I was guessing.”
Part of the factory owner’s secret has been solved. The reason for not disclosing the information must be because the city council stopped him or because he was concerned about the rise in the ransom of the fixer.
“The bigger concern is the psycho cyborg.”
“The Liberation Front?”
“yes. If that person obtains Junk Machine technology and combines it with Psycho Terror, even FAP armed with War Machines may find it difficult to subdue.”
“It deserves a market.”
It was a national issue because the market had come forward, meaning that corporate heads had come forward. Gradually, expectations rose.
“So how are you?”
Perhaps because Leonard’s expression became sly, the middleman also became sly.
“Life or death, 5,000 credits for both.”
“Damn it… I should have picked it up from a junkyard…”
It wasn’t an atmosphere suitable for older men, so I relaxed quickly. Sigma let out a mechanical sigh.
“It won’t be easy even for you, as you’ve been active in the shadows until now.”
“Is it really so?”
Leonard glanced at Max. Max said, ‘What did I say? I’m right!’ I made a triumphant expression. The broker looked at the large and small walkers alternately and frowned.
“I know something too. Are you related to the ‘philanthropist’ I requested last time?”
“Well…”
“We haven’t seen each other for a day or two, so let’s share some information.”
As I said earlier, the middleman was the backbone of Junk Town. I have wide feet among freelancers, so even if Leonard doesn’t tell me, I’ll figure it out eventually. Leonard received the information fee at the end of its life by time.
“It’s only been three days. I won’t say anything if I sell it to another broker after three days.”
“3 days? Is that enough?”
“then.”
Leonard locked the philanthropist information and sent it to the broker BrainChip.
“In three days, the mulberries are picked and left over.”
@
Leonard opened the information on the junk machine he had been given as a gift from the philanthropist and went on a chase.
He is a street scavenger without an address or citizenship number, but as a solver specializing in finding people, he was able to find them all if he was determined. If there was something to worry about, it was after finding it.
“Isn’t implant remodeling a felony that deserves death?”
Max asked curiously as he filled his double barrel shotgun with slug rounds. He was an assistant who still had a hint of innocence.
“Did you wear such an ignorant body as a hobby?”
“Um… that’s right. The price of scrap metal is not cheap.”
Leonard pulled out the cylinder of the revolver to the side, checked the bullet, turned it to see if it was working, and put it back into recoil. Clap – The sound was refreshing.
Max asked rather hastily as he inserted the 9mm magazine into the chest rig.
“You won’t kill me, will you?”
“why?”
“If you kill it, it becomes a contract killing. Won’t the reputation of the immortal Leonard Walker be damaged?”
“…I’ve never built a reputation like that. No, do you say that when you know how many gangsters and scavengers I killed?”
But there was a point. Implants were remodeled, but I hadn’t committed a crime ‘yet’, but I was sorry for sticking a bullet through it. It is because the spirit of the law-abiding spirit of the old people is alive.
“If we cooperate, let’s retrieve only the body.”
“As expected, it’s Mr. Leonard! Is that why I respect John… John…?”
“Didn’t you just say respect?”
“Nope? Respect.”
Weapon inspection is over. Leonard and Max got out of the pickup truck and looked up at the run-down three-story villa. It was a common junk town crime zone building that I often saw on the road, but it was now a treasure chest with 5,000 credits buried there.
“great. Start.”
@
Actually I didn’t even expect it.
They said, ‘It seems like the body is illegal, so give it to me right away.’ Hurry up and take it,’ he said. Even if the corporate public security requested it, they would curse at each other, but there was no way they would cooperate with the troublemaker.
“Mom-!”
Max flattened himself. A round table made of wood flew like a boomerang and brushed over Max’s head. It was dangerous if he was a little taller. Max, who came back from the dead, bursts out! got angry
“That expensive one!”
The only expensive piece of furniture in this house was shattered by the power of a junk machine. Well, if Leonard caught him, his limbs would disintegrate, but there was no way he could see the table.
Leonard tried hacking again, but backed away in a fright from the head-sized fist. I dodged down once and once to the right, and when my back hit the wall, I had no choice but to sit down and roll on the floor. It’s a bit ugly, but looking at the concrete wall being smashed by punches, it seemed like a good thing.
“Give me some time, monster!”
The house is small, but the junk machine is huge. My fist reached from one wall to the other in three steps, so I didn’t have 3 seconds to upload the hacking program. It was a mistake to blindly enter to save time.
A psycho cyborg who has lost his reason would lure him out of the house or use obstacles to buy time, but the junk machine was a normal person with a little hot temper. If Leonard goes out of the house, he will break the window and escape because he wants an opportunity. Even now, glancing out the window was 120% of my heartache.
‘It’s fortunate that I’m not a well-learned guy…’
Using fists was a typical street scavenger. It was not difficult to dodge as he aimed for the head and only threw left and right hooks. However, the difference in weight class was too great to compete against. Even if Leonard’s implants were of the highest quality, they weren’t enough to pierce a piece of metal.
“Eh, Eight! Shall we shoot?”
Max couldn’t see it and aimed the shotgun at the muzzle. Junk Machine turned his head around at the word ‘shoot’. Leonard did not allow the assistant to open fire. This is because when the opportunity arose, he drew his revolver at an angle and fired first. bang! Kwakwang-!
It was a 45-caliber armor-piercing bullet designed for anti-cyborg use. It was more powerful than regular bullets commonly used by gangsters or scavengers. After feeding two feet in succession at close range, the iron plate on his chest dented and he was pushed back a couple of steps in shock.
Leonard shook off the remaining ammunition with a panning shot. Kwak Kwa Kwam-! bang-!
Balls bounced, sparks flew, and the head of the junk machine bounced up and down. Leonard was not relieved with six rounds, so he switched his revolver and fired six more. Max was at a loss for words at the more violent suppression than usual.
“That… must have accumulated a lot?”
It wasn’t emotional. Leonard’s judgment was correct. Twelve rounds of armor-piercing bullets were put in, but the junk machine did not die. No, even the armor wasn’t pierced. The fact that he collapsed now was more attributable to the psychological factor of being shot. Although there is no physical pain, there is a psychological impact. Because there was no pain, he was unaware of his own body condition.
Leonard cut the electrical signals to the distraught junk machine’s limbs and, as a bonus, kicked him in the head to help him pass out. It didn’t work in one room, so I had to kick a little bit.
“This isn’t usually a headache when you become a psycho cyborg.”
How can the world keep popping up like this monster? People who breathe high air should be concerned.
However, today it is only a 5,000 credits prey for the fixer gang.
“Let’s put it in the car and go to the next location.”
“Who? me?”
“…Let the car wait.”
There is one gang, but it didn’t help much.