156: Strange Hansen

"Your wrist should be fine, right? My medical skills are pretty decent now. You have no idea how hard it was when I performed surgery for the first time. I had to open up someone's skull, and I was so nervous my hands nearly started shaking. You guys came along at a good time."

After Carl checked on the patient's postoperative condition, she saw Kenichi Shiro emerge from the room where Slider had been left behind to continue discussing matters.

"Mr. Kenichi Shiro, how did it go?"

"Slider will be relocating his base soon."

"Relocating his base? Oh, to guard against Intelligence Bureau agents, right?"

After a moment of confusion, Carl understood. Once Slider had decided—or rather, had been forced—to side with Arasaka, his position had changed. But members of New America, led by the Intelligence Bureau, might come looking for Slider afterward. To avoid encountering them and exposing anything, Slider had to relocate and hide for at least the next couple of days.

Having never believed that New America would truly let him go, Slider had long since prepared another base. This current base had been deliberately exposed, waiting for someone to come knocking. And no matter who came, it did not matter to him. He only needed to ensure that he remained useful and could be sheltered by one side or the other so he could survive.

"He's a cunning, clever fellow."

Kenichi Shiro commented on Slider, "He understands how to judge the proper limits."

"After all, he managed to break away from an environment like the Voodoo Boys, gather his own group of people, and thrive in Dogtown. If he were an idiot, that would be the strange part."

Carl was not surprised. To be honest, on a personal level, she actually had a fairly good impression