Even with Lin Mo's usually calm demeanor, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
This was, after all, the cyberdeck left behind by the legendary netrunner Bartmoss—a true relic of the past, akin to an artifact dropped by a max-level boss!
Lin Mo still vividly remembered how, during a mission in the game, players had the chance to obtain this legendary netrunner's cyberdeck.
In the game, this outdated deck's virus program almost killed a top-tier netrunner at the Afterlife bar, a well-known hangout for mercs and fixers. This alone showcased Bartmoss's significance, and few in Night City's roster of legendary figures could rival his achievements.
After all, Bartmoss was the man who broke the Old Net.
Suddenly, Lin Mo paused, his pacing stopped abruptly.
Wait a minute… the virus?
His excitement fizzled out as that realization sank in, leaving him standing still for a moment before he sat back down, letting out a deep sigh.
Damn, why was he getting so hyped? Even the top-tier netrunner at Afterlife couldn't handle the virus on that cyberdeck, so what could someone with only 4 Intelligence, like him, really do with it?
Unless he could eventually boost his Intelligence stat, that deck was only useful to someone like V, who could clean the virus out.
"Lin Mo, are you okay?"
Sasha furrowed her brow, confused by his sudden change in demeanor.
"I'm fine," Lin Mo replied, spinning a quick excuse. "Someone sent me a message saying I'd won a lottery, then followed up saying I'd have to pay a 5% tax to claim it."
Sasha gave him a skeptical look—clearly, she wasn't buying his story. A mere lottery wouldn't get someone of Lin Mo's stature excited.
Still, she didn't press the issue and instead played along. "Those scam texts are common. Don't fall for them."
Lin Mo nodded.
With that, the conversation hit a lull. Sasha sat gracefully, sipping her drink, while Lin Mo thought quietly, the atmosphere between them turning calm but a bit awkward.
Just then, the hum of a car engine cut through the quiet. Lin Mo looked up toward the source of the sound.
A purple-painted Chevrolet slowly pulled into the small parking lot. The arrival of this outsider caused a sudden hush over the gathering of edge-runners.
Lin Mo noticed many edge-runners around him lowering their voices, trying not to draw attention to themselves.
Who's this guy to get such respect? Lin Mo wondered.
His question was soon answered. From the expensive vehicle stepped a middle-aged man with white hair, clad in a sharp red-striped suit. His posture was upright, and he exuded an air of authority.
The man's sleek, clean-cut appearance sharply contrasted with the gritty, rough-edged crowd of edge-runners around him. Even from a distance, his imposing presence left a strong impression on Lin Mo.
What stood out most was the man's face—specifically his right eye socket, which had three narrow, snake-like cybernetic eyes implanted, giving him an eerie, intimidating aura.
Lin Mo watched as the man made a beeline for Maine. A thought crossed Lin Mo's mind.
Damn, this guy really looks punchable.
"Hey, Sasha, who's the four-eyed guy? Why does he look like everyone owes him 80 grand?" Lin Mo asked, leaning toward her in a low voice.
Sasha, also watching the man, replied quietly, "That's Faraday, one of the most powerful fixers in the area. We've worked with him a few times. He's probably here to give Maine a new job."
Really? That smug-looking guy is the top fixer around here?
Lin Mo was skeptical. In the game, he'd never heard of someone with that name. Plus, Faraday's unique appearance made it hard to believe he was a major player.
Faraday and Maine exchanged words briefly. Even the usually carefree and boisterous Maine seemed more serious and reserved in Faraday's presence, his face devoid of its usual smile.
After a short conversation, Faraday didn't linger. He returned to his car, and moments later, the vehicle left the parking lot.
Lin Mo kept his eyes on Maine, who seemed to be deep in thought.
A moment later, Maine turned and started walking toward Lin Mo and Sasha.
"Hey, Sasha. I need to talk to you," Maine said, his face still somewhat grim.
Sasha glanced at Maine, then back at Lin Mo, offering an apologetic smile before standing up to go with Maine.
"What's with all the secrecy? That four-eyed guy give you a new job?" Lin Mo asked casually, not moving from his spot.
Maine looked at him for a moment, then nodded.
"Can I help? Maybe I could be useful for this one," Lin Mo suggested.
He wasn't one to pass up opportunities. After all, missions meant fighting, and fighting meant more stat points through the simulator.
Missions equaled stat gains—that was an equation Lin Mo had grown accustomed to.
Maine stared at him for a long while before sighing. "This job's supposed to be hush-hush. You're not supposed to get involved."
"Come on, I'm practically part of the team. Aren't we all edge-runners here? Besides, a well-equipped teammate who's willing to take care of their own expenses doesn't come along every day," Lin Mo argued, flashing a mischievous smile.
Maine was at a loss for words, caught off guard by the teenager's persistence. The usually straightforward and reliable man suddenly found himself hesitating.
The truth was, Lin Mo's offer was tempting.
After witnessing Lin Mo's combat skills that night, Maine had no doubts about the kid's prowess. Lin Mo's ability to repeatedly use the Sandevistan without collapsing, while others would have burned out, was nothing short of impressive.
In the end, Maine sighed and gave in. "Alright, Lin Mo. You win, just this once."
Sasha, now standing nearby, stifled a giggle, looking at Lin Mo with newfound warmth and camaraderie.
"Welcome to the team, Lin Mo," she teased.
"I'm just the temp help," Lin Mo chuckled. "Now, what's the job?"
"Follow me," Maine said, walking toward his car.
Lin Mo and Sasha exchanged a glance before following him.
When they reached Maine's purple Gurad sports car, Maine leaned against the hood and began explaining, "Faraday just gave us a new job. He said the fewer people know about it, the better. And we have to keep the team small."
Lin Mo frowned. "So it's just the three of us?"
"Exactly. Dorio, Rebecca, and Pilar won't be involved in this one. Don't let them know, either," Maine warned.
"So, what's the job?" Lin Mo asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Next Saturday, Biotechnica will be upgrading their security systems across the entire building. That means no staff will be present. Faraday wants us to sneak in and retrieve some intel," Maine explained.
"Ah, a stealth mission..." Lin Mo's enthusiasm waned slightly.
If it's a stealth mission, there wouldn't be many people to fight.
"How are we getting in?" Sasha asked.
"Don't worry. Faraday said he has an insider at Biotechnica. He'll provide us with a security clearance token and a special jammer that'll disrupt their systems. Once inside, Sasha, it's all up to you to retrieve the data," Maine said, turning to Sasha.
"The plan is simple: get in, grab the files, and get out. The jammer and token will give us some time before anyone realizes we're there. If something goes wrong, Faraday's agreed to cover for us afterward. Got it?"
Sasha nodded without hesitation. "Got it."
"What about you, Lin Mo?" Maine asked.
"No problem," Lin Mo answered. He had no intention of backing out now.
"We're stealing from a corporation. Are you sure this is safe, Maine?" Sasha asked, her brow furrowing.
After all, if the intel they stole was valuable enough for Biotechnica to take action, their squad could face serious consequences later.
"Faraday's handled jobs like this before. He's always come through. Plus, he was upfront about what we're stealing—financial records on Choon-2 and information on a new immunosuppressant prototype, 0.91," Maine replied.
Lin Mo clicked his tongue. "That's not ordinary info. Who's Faraday working for? Is it a corp?"
Maine glanced at him, nodding. "Rumor has it he's closely tied with Militech. A lot of his gigs have huge payouts."
"Militech? Aren't they partnered with Biotechnica?" Sasha asked, surprised.
"Who knows? These corp dogs act like they're working together, but they're always up to something behind the scenes," Maine scoffed.
Lin Mo mulled over the information.
From what he gathered, the mission involved more corporate intrigue than expected. He offered his insight:
"Honestly, there's no need to overthink it. It's obvious what's going on. Whoever hired Faraday clearly doesn't want to openly fight with Biotechnica, so they're outsourcing this dirty work to mercs."
"Biotechnica will know someone's behind it after the fact, but they won't be able to say who or why. If the data we're stealing is only valuable to other corps, Biotechnica won't admit what really got taken."
"Right," Maine agreed, impressed with Lin Mo's reasoning.
Lin Mo smiled and added, "So, even if we make a mess, Biotechnica will chalk it up to a terrorist attack, saying we just stole some random equipment. They'll avoid saying what really got taken."
"Exactly. Corp execs can't afford a dip in stock prices. If their stocks tank, they'll cry more than they would over losing a loved one. Framing it as a terrorist attack is much more palatable than admitting a major corporate rival hit them," Maine said with a knowing grin.
Lin Mo was impressed by how much intrigue this one little job had stirred up.
"No need to stress too much. Faraday's got the equipment we need. Once Sasha's inside, we'll have plenty of time to extract the intel without a hitch," Maine said, laughing.
Lin Mo smiled along with him. It was true—Faraday had a vested interest in not screwing over the edge-runners he hired. With the insider's help and all the equipment provided, the mission seemed straightforward.
Still, Lin Mo thought to himself, better to run this through the simulator beforehand, just to be safe.