Chapter 32: "I Want Them All Dead!"

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Night City, 7 p.m.

As a subsidiary of Kang Tao, QianTe's Night City division stood next to the towering Kang Tao headquarters, though noticeably smaller in stature. On the top floor of QianTe's sleek building, in a private office, Xu Wanxue sat reviewing a complex data file on cyberware modifications. Satisfied, she sent the files to her subordinates with instructions to work through the night and finish the project.

Stretching and feeling the strain of her long day, Xu Wanxue moved to the large window, staring out over the glowing expanse of Night City as it awakened. A sea of neon lights flickered to life, stretching across the cityscape like veins of gold weaving through the darkened streets. Night City was always the most alive at dusk.

Sighing, she walked back to her desk, pulling open a drawer to retrieve a stim inhaler. She was just about to indulge when Lin Mo's voice echoed in her mind—his usual nagging about avoiding stims.

With a reluctant smile, Xu Wanxue set the inhaler back down and opted for a cup of black coffee instead. She stood near the window, her eyes briefly drifting toward the distant lights of North Oak, where her brother, Lin Mo, lived.

"Probably at home by now... or up to no good," she thought with a slight smirk.

Just as she let her mind wander, her phone rang, the orange glow in her eyes signaling an incoming call. The caller ID flashed: SSI. Her smile faded instantly, and her brows furrowed.

Taking the call, a voice on the other end spoke, cool and professional.

"Ms. Xu Wanxue, under the terms of your Family Protection Plan Agreement, we're notifying you that your brother, Lin Mo, has activated our VIP security response. We've dispatched a rapid-response team to the indicated location. Please rest assured."

Xu Wanxue froze. Her heart dropped. The coffee she had just poured slipped from her hand, the cup shattering on the floor as panic surged through her.

"What? Are you sure this is real?" she asked sharply, trying to mask the rising fear in her voice.

"Yes, ma'am. We've confirmed the activation through voiceprint analysis. The situation is genuine."

Xu Wanxue's pulse raced. Pacing the office, she forced herself to stay calm, though her fury was barely contained. When she spoke again, her voice was ice-cold.

"Get him out of there—whatever it takes. I don't care what it costs. And find out who did this."

Her voice dropped, steely and murderous.

"I want them all dead."

The SSI representative remained calm. "Ms. Xu, rest assured, the costs have already been covered by Lin Mo himself. You needn't worry about additional fees."

Xu Wanxue paused, stunned.

Where the hell did he get the money for this?

She gave Lin Mo a generous allowance—enough to rival a corporate mid-manager's salary—but it shouldn't have been enough to cover a high-tier security package like this. Her mind spun as she realized how little she truly understood about her brother.

"Thank you," she finally responded, her voice now laced with confusion.

"This is our job, ma'am. Should you have further questions, don't hesitate to contact us."

As the call ended, Xu Wanxue stood silently for a moment. Then, with renewed determination, she grabbed her things and left her office. Tonight, she would not be staying late.

"Boss, what do we do about those two?" one of the street thugs asked, glancing toward the dark alley where two figures were cornered.

Their leader, a sharp-eyed man with a look of simmering anger, stared down the alley. His crew had surrounded it, but he still hadn't given the order.

"Fucking hell," the leader muttered. "We got those two mercs pinned down, and then these assholes show up to screw everything up." He clenched his fists, rage barely controlled.

"Boss, we should just waste 'em and move on," another thug suggested, clearly itching for action.

The leader, however, wasn't about to act rashly. His eyes narrowed as he weighed the situation. "Who the fuck are these two?" he wondered aloud.

"Any intel on them?" he asked his second-in-command, who was fiddling with a data pad.

"Not sure, boss. They're not our targets. Moore Technologies only wants that merc team. These two don't match the profiles."

The leader's frown deepened. The job had been simple—capture a rising edge-runner crew and deliver them to Moore Tech alive. But somehow, his crew was getting bogged down, and now these two randoms had turned what should've been an easy payday into a shitshow.

"You want me to take some guys in and finish it, boss?" one thug asked, his voice edged with frustration. "No way these jokers are as tough as the mercs."

The leader shook his head, keeping his focus. He studied the alley again. Even with his crew ready and armed, something about this felt off.

"The witnesses said it was a kid and an older guy, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, boss. One's a teenager, other looks seasoned," came the reply.

The leader frowned, looking down at his lieutenant's screen. "What's Moore Tech saying?"

The lieutenant hesitated. "Uh... they told us to deal with the mess. They only care about results, not how we handle it."

"Typical corpo bullshit," the leader muttered under his breath.

Swiping the datapad, he began scrolling through encrypted messages from their corporate handler.

Messages from Moore Technologies:

Capture the mercs alive. Kill any, and your payout drops 20% for each death.

I don't need your questions. Just do what I say.

You idiots lost half your team to six edge-runners? A fucking house bot could've done better.

I've left some gear at the drop. Use it wisely.

You've got two of them cornered? Good. Finish it.

I don't care about your screw-ups. Just get it done or lose your payout.

I picked you for this because you were disposable. Don't make me regret it.

Oh, and if the two interlopers are edge-runners, bring them too. I'll adjust your reward.

The leader's scowl deepened as he finished reading. Cracking the data pad in his grip, he crushed it underfoot.

Moore Tech didn't care how many people died. All they wanted were results.

These two newcomers had cost him dearly. Whether they were mercs or not didn't matter anymore—they'd crossed the wrong crew.

"All right. Everyone, lock and load," he ordered. His voice was cold, filled with deadly intent.

"Go in. I want them alive. After that, they're mine."