Heh heh... Pushed to the extreme by the absurd demand, Berry instantly calmed down, merely letting out a laugh.
"The Tyger Claws think too highly of themselves, as if they've got us cornered. But unfortunately, we weren't raised to be scared. Please leave; there's no way we'll accept such an agreement."
As if he had anticipated her refusal, Berry's rejection didn't cause the slightest change in Togo's expression.
Instead, he calmly pushed up his glasses and spoke indifferently.
"I sincerely advise your esteemed party to reconsider. After all, if everything is gone, what meaning does dignity have then?"
"Everything only has meaning if you live."
"Are you threatening me?"
Listening to his polite tone but utterly unreasonable words, Berry felt a sense of absurdity, even doubting herself.
Had she perhaps killed too few Tyger Claws? Otherwise, where did he get such confidence?
Did he really think she was easy to manipulate?
"Heh, go back and tell your boss, if he wants our shares, tell him to come and get them himself."
Facing Berry's explicit dismissal, Togo's smile became even more humble and sincere, but the contempt in his eyes almost overflowed, making one furious.
If it weren't for the principle of not harming envoys in war, Berry would have given that annoying face a few electric punches.
"I see. Your Excellency's resolute attitude is moving. Do you disregard the fact that your esteemed guest is currently staying at our humble abode?"
"..."
At these words, the three exchanged a look of confusion.
Finally, Berry spoke.
"You've captured one of our people?"
"No, as I said, merely a guest at our humble abode. Your guest is quite talkative and has told us much about the Hive's situation. Truly amiable, I'd say."
So that's it.
Berry frowned, instantly understanding.
No wonder he had the audacity to come here and act so insolently.
He had taken a hostage.
But who was it?
No one from the Hive had gone missing these past two days. Could it be Jackie?
But how could a guy that big be caught so silently?
Thinking this, Berry signaled to V, who understood, stood up, and left to find out who the Tyger Claws had captured.
After watching Togo's annoying face for about three minutes, V returned.
She first gave Togo a strange look, then came over and whispered to Berry.
"Nobody?"
Berry's eyes widened in surprise.
V replied with a strange expression.
"Indeed, no one is missing. Everyone has contacted each other, and not a single person is unaccounted for. Jackie is still with Misty, still messing around. No one is missing."
Berry felt that she herself couldn't quite understand how things were developing.
No one from the Hive was missing, so who was this guy's hostage?
Could he be bluffing her?
But judging by his confident demeanor, he didn't seem to be lying.
Berry was momentarily confused.
She had no choice but to ask directly.
"Who exactly is this 'our person' you say is staying with you?"
"Heh heh, don't your esteemed party know your own people?"
Berry and the other two's reactions seemed to have given the man in front of them the wrong signal. He leaned back in his chair, relaxed, as if he had the Hive completely figured out, speaking with ease, everything under control.
Oh, if you put it that way, I understand.
Berry nodded thoughtfully, then turned to V and said.
"Beat him up and throw him out of the building."
"My pleasure."
Hearing the order, V sneered and stepped forward with clenched fists.
She had been annoyed with this guy for a long time.
Coming to their territory to cause trouble right in the middle of lunchtime, if she didn't beat the crap out of him, it would mean he was holding back too much.
"Wait, are you serious?"
Seeing the female Mercenary approaching with a grim smile, Togo finally panicked, his face full of disbelief.
He was completely bewildered.
The script wasn't supposed to unfold like this.
You still have a hostage with me; how dare you?
But his confusion was destined to remain unanswered, because before he could even speak, V's fist landed on his fair face. In just one hit, one side of his pale face swelled up like a risen bun.
Without waiting for him to resist, V continued, grabbing his expensive-looking tie and landing three more solid punches to his face.
He screamed repeatedly, his composure gone, and his glasses flew off to who knows where.
By the time V stopped punching, the life his mother gave him was mostly gone. He was held by his tie like a dead dog, his face bruised and swollen, unable to speak, only gasping for air... "It's over, the other party chewed him up. S... The mission failed."
In the car, the bruised and swollen Togo spoke, inevitably wincing from the pain in his facial wounds.
But the boss on the other end of the phone seemed to offer little sympathy.
"Whatever, come back."
Those six short words deeply wounded Togo's heart.
How could a boss weighing three hundred pounds utter such cold words?
In a luxurious office, "Yokohama" Bukit, a high-ranking Tyger Claws executive, dropped the phone, his face calm.
If he couldn't reach an agreement with their number one, there was no need to continue talking.
He already had a better candidate.
The Hive's number two person.
That kid named Jackie Welles.
He stroked the red tuft of feathers on the parrot's head on his desk, and Bukit dialed another number.
"Operation commence, bring the target back."
"Yes, Boss."
Hanging up the phone, Bukit, whose body was swollen like a balloon, adjusted his posture to sit more comfortably, causing the already overburdened chair to creak.
But unlike his corpulent figure, the eyes on his face, squeezed into a slit by rolls of fat, gleamed with intelligence.
"Heh heh, no wonder Jotaro was so secretive about the Hive. I didn't expect such an obscure little group to hide such good things."
Jotaro's tricks still couldn't fool this casino magnate within the Tyger Claws.
And coincidentally, what Jotaro wanted, he also wanted.
This meant he had to take control of the organization before Jotaro's gang launched a full-scale assault on the Hive.
And thinking of this, he wanted to laugh.
Jotaro's gang was still too ignorant.
In Night City, resorting directly to violence was the lowest form of action.
Using violence as a foundation, combined with an understanding of human nature, that was his, Bukit's, path to success.
The casinos that dotted the streets and alleys of Westbrook District were the source of his confidence.
As long as you grasped people's greed, they would flock to you with money, and you couldn't stop them.
No coercion, no demands.
Bukit looked at Jackie Welles' photo in his hand, reviewing his plan.
He would give this number two person of the Hive an offer he couldn't refuse.
He would help him rise to power.
Then pledge allegiance to Bukit.
Death, or glory and riches.
It depends on their choice.
This was his plan.
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