Chapter 403 - 375 When You Gaze Into the Abyss

"Mom, why do you have to deal with that company mutt... I mean, company employee?" David was pretty annoyed, "Did you forget what happened on the highway when that trauma team left us to die?"

Strictly speaking, David’s first encounter with Lille was on the highway.

That day he had just ended his vacation, and Gloria, breaking her usual rule, drove to pick him up, asking about his plans for the new term on the way, about the possible expenses and how much they might be.

Then Valentino got into it with the Six Street Gang in their car, which flipped their beat-up G240.

If it wasn’t for Valentino’s Acido stopping to help Gloria out, she probably would have burned to death in the car.

They also had to thank Acido’s gun, and Burger King’s brother for the hospital rescue...

If any part of that sequence hadn’t happened, he might not have a mom right now.

Thinking about it that way, the fact that he hadn’t paid Lille, and had even made a commission off him, was simply...

Too ungrateful!

David suddenly felt ashamed of himself.

Gloria didn’t even turn her head as she lectured, "Neighborhood relations are very important, and this is a member of a trauma team.

The trauma team won’t rescue poor people like us, but if it’s someone we know, maybe things would be different.

If the trauma team responsible for the rescue that day had someone we knew, maybe they could have given us a hand, and it wouldn’t have taken much time..."

David pursed his lips: It seemed like older generations liked to do this kind of thing, hoping to pull at heartstrings and build relations with cheap gestures in a world ruled by money.

In the end, wasn’t it all about the money?

However, soon enough, two members of the trauma team walked in front of them, heading straight for Kaneke’s room and began knocking on the door.

Seeing this, David immediately stopped Gloria, and their pace slowed down as they paused in place.

Bang, bang.

The man knocked on the door aggressively.

"Kaneke! I know you’re in there! You’ve been holed up in there for a week!"

"Hey." His trauma team companion called out to him, "What are you doing?"

From the voices, it was apparent that one was male and the other female.

The man had a louder voice, and he sounded even more irritable.

Reminded by his partner, he clicked his tongue and switched to a much softer voice, "Okay... I’m sorry about what happened, and the company is sorry too.

Can you say a few words? I mean, if you’re in a bad mental state..."

David was surprised to hear this: He hadn’t expected these company dogs to be so human after all.

But the next second, the man said, "Then the company has to terminate the contract with you... Damn, why is this so troublesome, can’t it just be done remotely?"

"Shush! The company needs to assess his mental state, not for you to agitate him!"

The woman took out a tablet from her pocket, scolded the man to step back, and spoke in a softer voice about professional matters:

"You’re not the first person to go through something like this, the company has 3%-11% of employees experience similar things every year.

But with the company’s help, they all return to normal life quickly, you should actively accept the company’s treatment..."

"It’s just death... no big deal, too fragile..." The man scoffed, crossing his arms and stepping back two paces, just in time to see David and Gloria, who had stopped in place.

So he barked viciously at David, "What are you looking at your mom for?"

David forced a smile to hide his anger, "What happened? I live just upstairs."

"Then keep living there, you’d better mind your own business about other people’s affairs."

"Dyes, don’t get angry! This is their neighbor!"

Getting no response from knocking on the door, the woman turned around to stop Dyes and said to David, "Don’t mind him, our colleague is having some issues."

Dyes was about to say something else but received a text message from the woman:

[Petro: Kaneke Rosvald may develop an aversion to us because of work-related trauma, we can try having this neighbor connect with him.]

David’s face was stern, but he could feel his eager mother behind him, about to chime in.

To keep the conversation under his control, he chuckled and took a step forward, inadvertently pressing down on his own mother’s enthusiasm: "What’s the matter?"

Petro said sadly, "His best friend... the kind that might become a wife, died during a mission, and he’s completely broken down, we’re worried he might do something stupid."

Dyes, on the other hand, was skeptical, "Too fake, does he look like he’d break down the way he goes out to save people?

Those who don’t know any better would think he’s out there to collect a living person’s lottery jackpot."

Petro shot the man a glare and then continued to David, "Can you go check on him? He probably doesn’t want to see anyone from the company right now."

David sighed, glanced at his mom, and then looked at the closed door of room 0613.

Honestly, his mother’s point wasn’t without merit, in Night City, indeed one needed friends in many circles.

But did he really have to deal with this?

David’s mind raced back and forth over what the trauma team had said and done after they arrived, slowly lifting his head:

"I think you’re right about what you said just now?"

"Huh? Which part? Not wanting to see anyone from the company?"

"The part at the beginning: stay out of other people’s business, I guess that’s your job, and I have no reason to interfere.

However, if there’s some funding... I might consider it."

Petro was taken aback for a moment and took a closer look at David—

Only then did her prosthetic eye notice something in David’s pocket... It wasn’t just him putting his hands in.

This was more than just pocketing hands.

She immediately switched to a professional, indifferent expression: "A mercenary? If you can find a way to get Kaneke out, I can provide some funding for your help."

"Alright."

David gently nudged Gloria, signaling her to stay put, then sent Lucy a message.

[David: Lucy? You there, got a side job, H4 Skyscraper 0613, the trauma team wants a response from the person inside.]

[David: Can you check the situation inside?]

[Lucy: Can do... need an interface, I will look into it.]

David walked across the hallway to an access point, which could connect to the facilities and equipment in this section of the floor.

As Lucy accessed the network, they quickly had an answer.

[Lucy: No good, the cameras are all turned off, seem to be broken, but I can unlock the door.]

David looked up at Petro and gestured that he could choose to open the door.

Although this was not the ideal situation, Petro weighed her options and decided to go with it.

In David’s augmented eye, a holographic HUD with a loading progress bar appeared in front of room 0613’s door, the progress bar gradually filled, and the red light indicating locked turned to green—

Click.

The door opened, the lighting was dim and flickering.

David slightly bowed, signaling them to enter, and that it was time to settle the bill.

[Transfer: +500 Euro]

Gloria watched the miraculous scene, at a loss for words, holding a bag of cheap stress relief meds, not sure whether to follow them in or leave.

"Mom, let’s go, they’re on official business, company dogs have no sense of personal touch when on the clock."

"But... but he’s our neighbor, I want to know how he’s doing, take a look."

Gloria looked toward the door, Petro and Dyes from the trauma team exchanged glances and cautiously stepped into the doorway...

But just as they stepped in, David’s enhanced cochlear implant distinguished a strange buzzing sound amidst the cacophony of voices, music, and wind.

It was a very faint buzzing sound, which stood out overly in such a noisy environment.

The enhanced earpiece immediately allowed David to discern its wave pattern—

It must have been some kind of detection device operating, an electronic oscillator making a soft humming sound in the circuit.

This kind of sound also occurred when an infrared-triggered landmine was set off.

With instinct kicking in, Si Anweisitan’s thought time was reduced, Petro hadn’t even fully stepped in...

Boom!

Flames instantly engulfed the entire front door of room 0613!

.....

The flames reflected in the eyes of the people hidden in the dark.

"Two people, one dead."