Corpo Intrigues

Chapter 4: Corporate Scheming

The negotiation was taking place on the fourth floor. Perhaps corporate types had some inexplicable obsession with climbing to the top; even for a negotiation, they'd prioritize the highest floor.

Inside the room, aside from the ten Maelstrom members who were presumably there as security for the other side of the negotiation, there was a Corpo Dog in a suit and tie. Unlike Blanca, who was wearing casual clothes and desperately trying to suppress her nervousness, this Corpo Dog in his smart attire practically embodied every Night City stereotype about Corpo Dogs.

Arrogant expression, nose in the air, and a sneering look in his eyes that made you want to put a bullet in his head just to cool him off.

'A punchable guy.'

After mentally assessing the Corpo Dog, who looked to be in his late twenties and was sitting at one end of the conference table, Karl had to admit that, compared to the Corpo Dog across the table, his employer, the Corpo Dog Blanca, had at least some advantages, namely her looks.

Oh, and she paid him.

"Sit down, Blanca."

The Corpo Dog across the table seemed quite familiar with Karl's employer, speaking to Blanca in a very relaxed tone. His posture and the way he looked at Blanca suggested he already saw her as meat on the chopping block.

"Juanito..."

Blanca said, her tone complex, as she sat down at the other end of the conference table, facing the male Corpo Dog.

"No need to be so nervous, Blanca."

Juanito smiled, his smile revealing a sense of confidence and accomplishment. "We're just discussing a minor matter that we can both agree on, aren't we?"

"Minor matter?"

Hearing Juanito call it a minor matter, Blanca clearly showed anger, but in the face of Juanito's smile, she forcibly suppressed it. "Speak. What do you want in exchange for that item?"

"I won't ask for much."

Juanito's expression turned mocking. "After all, when I was your subordinate, you took 'good' care of me."

He emphasized the word "care," indicating that his past with Blanca wasn't as rosy as it sounded.

'Looks like Corpo Dogs are fighting each other.'

Karl thought to himself as he scanned the temporary conference room, which had been created by smashing through a wall and connecting two rooms, resulting in a total area of about 120 square meters. After confirming the weapons and positions of each Maelstrom member, he nodded almost imperceptibly.

The employer's intelligence wasn't entirely accurate; there were actually eleven people on the other side, fourteen including the ones at the door and the driver. But this was within the acceptable range of unexpected events in the contract. Overall, this mission wasn't too difficult.

While Karl was sizing up the Maelstrom members, they were also sizing up Karl. However, with ten of them against one, they didn't detect much of a threat from Karl, so their posture relaxed slightly.

They had heard from their contact that the person they were negotiating with had no reliable subordinates left and had to recruit some low-level street mercenaries for help. They had thought it was an exaggeration, but now it seemed to be true. A mercenary wearing a Bulletproof vest, without even Subdermal Armor, and armed with only a pistol—what could he possibly do?

These ten didn't recognize Karl as the Devil from before. First, the Devil was just a small-time enforcer, and Maelstrom members like that died every week, so it wasn't worth paying attention to. Second, these Maelstrom members were spare hands that the contact had obtained from a higher-level boss using Eurodollars. Few of them knew each other well, let alone exchanged information.

Because of this information gap, in their eyes, Karl was just a kid who looked seventeen or eighteen, too young even to be in a gang.

While Karl and the Maelstrom members were sizing each other up, the two Corpo Dogs' conversation didn't stop. Juanito continued to mock Blanca with sarcastic remarks, increasing the frequency of her arm trembling with suppressed anger to the point of almost reaching its limit. Finally, as if he had vented all his past anger, he cheerfully got down to business.

"I want you to hand over all your assets, resign voluntarily, and get out of the company. Oh, and by assets, I mean everything, including your car, house, and money."

With just this one sentence, Juanito completely ignited Blanca's anger.

"That's impossible!"

Blanca slammed the conference table, which had lost a layer of paint, and stood up. "What you have isn't enough for me to give up all that."

"Not enough to give up all that?"

Juanito scoffed. "Did you think you could destroy the evidence of you secretly selling company transport routes to Maelstrom and then yell at me? I don't mind telling you, I'm doing the same thing you're doing, and I've been doing it longer. Even your participation was arranged by me and the Maelstrom higher-ups who gave you this opportunity. You destroyed this transport evidence, so what? I can get as much as I want."

Juanito raised a pinky finger and tapped it on the table.

"Otherwise, how do you think I found out you were selling company transport routes and got this evidence? By bribing the Maelstrom guys before you? Face reality, Miss Blanca. Other than having a better alma mater that allowed you to sit in the position I should have gotten, what do you have that's better than me?"

"The whole collaboration was you plotting against me?!"

"What else? Don't worry, Miss Blanca. I had my Maelstrom friends set up jammers in this place beforehand. Don't even think about secretly turning on your recording device. Did you think I didn't notice you pretending to be angered by me while secretly turning on the device? What's said here won't reach the company."

Hearing Juanito's arrogant words, like a final judgment, the angry expression on Blanca's face froze. Then, as if nothing had happened, she returned to her calm demeanor. She silently sat back down, looking at her former subordinate, now her mortal enemy.

"Loosen the conditions, and we can talk."

"Sorry, Miss Blanca, but I'm not negotiating with you. I'm just informing you to hand it over voluntarily to save me the trouble. Oh, and of course, there's also a bit of revenge involved."

Juanito looked at the cold-faced Blanca and laughed loudly. "I've always wanted to see this expression on your face, this expression of resentment towards me, hahahahaha!"

It was as refreshing as drinking an ice-cold soda on a summer day!

"Are you happy?"

Blanca's sudden question made Juanito's smile freeze. He didn't understand why she could still say something like that at this time.

Wasn't she going to break down?

With this strange thought in mind, he looked at Blanca, and what he saw was a dark gun muzzle.

"Idiot."

Playing corporate schemes, and you don't play with guns?

"Bang."

A gunshot rang out.