At that moment, David's feelings were no different from bumping into a beautiful older woman on the street—one who smiled joyfully and ran over to greet him. But just as he was wondering why she was so excited to see him, he was stunned to realize she was actually a fan of Lin Mo's and was politely asking him for an autograph on her idol's behalf.
Faced with such a question, there was no good answer—whether personally or professionally.
On the professional side, revealing private details about his own boss's personal life was clearly improper. On the personal side, Lin Mo was both a good friend and a close brother to him.
How could he betray a brother like that?
Helpless, David turned to the man sitting across from him—Kitagawa Hiroshi—hoping to find guidance.
But to his surprise, the usually unflappable and rigid man had his mouth slightly agape, as if he'd just stumbled upon some astonishing piece of gossip. He actually looked more shocked than David did.
"Having trouble answering that question?"
Since David hadn't responded for a while, Sasha spoke again on their private channel.
"I was just asking casually, David. But if you're willing to answer... I might look after you a little more during future ops—as a senior member, of course."
Her tone remained soft, but there was now a hint of something else—gentle coercion.
So if I don't answer, you won't help me out later? David grumbled inwardly. After struggling with it for a moment, he figured the question wasn't all that serious anyway and finally replied:
"As far as I know, he's pretty popular at the academy. But up to now, he's still single. Yep—still a virgin."
Since he'd already made the decision, David just laid it all out.
After all, there were plenty of times Lin Mo had playfully messed with him back at school. He was a friend, a brother, and sometimes a total troll.
"Got it. Alright, back to business," Sasha said. "I've already set up the private channel for you two. Feel free to use it as needed."
"Thanks, Sasha."
Kitagawa nodded and then began relaying the audio he had picked up through his auditory enhancement system to David.
A stream of sound entered their private comms channel.
David quieted down and focused, casting a few discreet glances down to the first floor. He could now hear clearly what the target was saying whenever he spoke—perfectly synced with his mouth movements.
After a few seconds of listening, David realized the target was just chatting casually with his female companion about what to order for dinner.
Goodwin—that was the target's name.
"Looks like he's a corpo dog—and a loyal one at that. Must hold a high position; otherwise, he wouldn't be eating at a place like this."
Kitagawa narrowed his eyes slightly and leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, appearing to rest his eyes. But behind his half-lidded gaze gleamed a sharp, snake-like alertness aimed right at the middle-aged man below.
The voice in their ears was that of Goodwin chatting with his female date.
There wasn't much substance to the conversation—mostly mundane small talk. Based on demeanor alone, Goodwin did appear to be a gentleman.
"Kid, picking up any intel?" Kitagawa asked through the comms without moving his lips.
David tensed, ducked his head, and thought hard, mentally reviewing everything he'd just heard.
Eventually, he hesitantly said:
"He plans to order the steak and pasta combo. To drink, coffee. His date wants smoked salmon with cream mushrooms and herb-poached eggs. Their conversation was casual—just polite exchanges. Seems like they haven't known each other for very long."
"Not bad," Kitagawa commented.
David's eyes lit up.
Then came the follow-up:
"But totally useless."
Kitagawa took a sip of his lemon water before continuing.
"The guy's stiff as hell. Borderline OCD, too. I've seen him wipe the table with the napkin multiple times. Barely moves at all—once he sat down, he's stayed put. Judging by their conversation, I'd say he's a dull guy—uptight, no sense of humor."
He paused, and suddenly his eyes snapped open.
A waiter approached with a tray.
After a polite greeting, the server placed the plate on their table, bowed, and left.
Once Kitagawa nodded his approval, David eagerly dug in. The steak sauce alone was mouthwatering.
"Steak and pasta at a place like this... shows how little he cares about food," Kitagawa continued. "This place is expensive, sure, but even you wanted seconds—which means the food's pretty damn good. The fact that he's ordering basic stuff means he's got no taste. Probably lives like some ascetic monk."
"Rich people, man. I'll never get them," David muttered. "Take Lin Mo, our boss—I don't understand half the stuff he does either."
Kitagawa's brow twitched, and he immediately snapped back coldly:
"Lin-kun's foresight isn't something you're qualified to speculate on."
David instantly fell silent, realizing he may have crossed a line.
He knew well by now what kind of man Kitagawa was.
Whatever kind of spell Lin Mo had put on him, this fearsome man had somehow been turned into a full-on fanatic. He wouldn't allow a single bad word spoken about his boss. Not even a joke.
Hopefully he won't hold this against me...
David glanced up nervously. Seeing that Kitagawa didn't seem to care, he exhaled in relief.
"But you know," Kitagawa added with a faint smile, "I'm actually a fan of that kind of spartan lifestyle. Maybe I'll include it in your training regime going forward."
David froze mid-bite. He looked down at his juicy steak and suddenly had the grim realization—
This might really be my last proper meal for a while...
From then on, David kept his mouth shut while Kitagawa continued analyzing Goodwin's behavioral patterns.
Meanwhile, Goodwin remained blissfully unaware that he was being watched from the second floor. He was chatting cheerfully with his blonde secretary, a rare smile breaking across his usually stern features.
Their conversation ranged far and wide, but they carefully avoided any mention of corporate matters.
Despite Kitagawa's undivided focus, he still couldn't extract a single piece of valuable intel.
Seeing this, he began to reflect.
"Looks like surveillance and eavesdropping won't get us anything useful after all."
"Next, we'll move on to Plan B."
Hearing that, David's expression tightened, and he instinctively slowed his chewing.
This mission had been personally assigned by Lin Mo, making it one of the few formally delegated ops. To ensure it went smoothly, Kitagawa had devised Plans A, B, and C.
But knowing that the studio's personnel were still wildly inconsistent in their skill levels, those plans were more rough outlines than detailed procedures.
Plan B—was simple: wait for an opportunity to tail Goodwin and infiltrate his home to gather intel directly.
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MY CYBERPUNK 2077 SIMULATOR
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