Chapter 73: 73
Draco, who had been exiting the taxi after the twins, froze when he heard the name the Cab AI announced . Since he hadn't even bothered to check the mission information, he had not an inkling of what they needed to do .
He could afford to be so casual not just because of his skill and Control, but because he had worked extensively with Parkins in his past life . He knew the general requirement of S-class assignments, so he knew that nothing he would be assigned could faze him .
However, this was…
GloryGore Labs was a three story building that was painted a mixture of white and blue, with a glowing nameplate hanging in the true center of the building's front side .
The entrance to the lab was a sliding double door, which had a soft cyan light outlining it . If anyone from over 40 years ago saw something like this, they'd hyperventilate and scream 'FUTUREEEE' .
It was located right in the main boulevard of the business district, where hundreds of people walked by hurriedly and with purpose . Draco took in a deep breath and turned to Jade .
"What is the mission designation?"
His solemn tone made the pouting Jada realize that Draco probably knew something about their target, even without the information provided . Seeing his face like that also meant that their target was more than just a simple S-class objective .
Jade also realized this, so she signed the details over to Draco . She assumed that since Draco knew about their secret abilities, he would also be aware of something as simple as this coded language .
She was right .
"Our mission is to infiltrate this laboratory and steal the source code of the Artificial Intelligence that runs a popular new game called Boundless . We have to complete it stealthily and within 7 days of acceptance . "
Draco's breathing almost stopped and his heart dropped to his stomach . The moment he had heard the name GloryGore, he had been fearful that this would be the objective of the mission, and it was .
GloryGore was the name of the game company that made Boundless . They had a registered office in this same district, which was the only one in the world . It was a pretty standard office that looked unremarkable, like one that was rented by a bunch of tech startup guys straight from college .
Yet, they were able to distribute the rare and unique virtua helmets worldwide . Not only that, but their competition obviously have tried - or will try, since it was so early in this timeline - to reverse engineer their technology in order to mimic it .
However, the material the virtua helmets were made out of was a unique alloy that was composed of elements that did not exist on the periodic table . It was harder than diamond, resistant to heat and frost as well as being impossible to perform a cross-section scan to see its inner makeup .
The AI that ran Boundless was revolutionary . If it wasn't for the fact that it didn't need emotions, it would be no different from a human mind, but with supreme intelligence .
Many fixers had taken up this same mission, either to infiltrate the labs or the office in order to find corporate secrets, capture employees or destroy the properties .
None of them survived .
It was a horror story told to every new fixer and by the time Draco came in, these legends were repeatedly told to him to the point where he developed a fear of GloryGore studios .
However, in this timeline, he was actually the first person to take up this… . this death quest .
"Who is the mission provider? What are the cancellation costs?"
Draco's voice was silent and muted .
"The provider is… well, here it says 'Vernitia Alliance', but I know that's only a codename . The real provider… it's the World Council . "
Jade's revelation was like a train hitting both Jada and Draco . Of course, the World Council was no noble establishment . When they needed certain things done that weren't…'proper'… they'd solicit the darker side of society for help .
Still, even though they couldn't make their involvement public, to go against the World Council required more than balls . If Draco wanted to cancel the mission, he would need more than just Parkins' promise to allow him to cancel as he wished .
Do not underestimate the World Council . If they were so easy to step over, would the Lineages have to turtle up and pretend like they didn't exist?
Let's not even factor in the Lucifer and Amaterasu Lineages, just the fact that the Pangu Lineage - who possessed all the world's arrogance and ferocity - were silent, should be enough to buttress the danger of the World Council .
"About the cancellation costs… it should be $3,000,000 . Luckily, no other costs are attached . " Jade signed this all rapidly, her face blandly taking in the busy area as if she were waiting with her sister as well as a friend for someone in particular, lowering suspicions towards their idleness .
Draco's expression became bitter . Luckily? He didn't even have more than a few dollars on his body . Where was he supposed to get $3,000,000 from?
Do not even mention Boundless . Trading in-game currency for real world cash was unbelievably stupid to no end . Only those at the absolute bottom would trade out . Most of the time, it was people hectically trying to trade in cash for gold .
No matter how good the rate was, it wasn't worth it, especially with the future plans Draco had . Even if he had ten billion platinum, he wouldn't even trade 1 bronze of it out .
Otherwise, why would he need to come out and do such missions for money? Wouldn't it have been simpler to just use the Intermediary Trade Center?
Draco sighed deeply and resolved himself . There was no escaping this, so he could only carry out the mission and hope it would work out .
Before that though…
"Follow me . "
Draco's voice was no longer gentle, bearing a commanding undertone that was hard to resist . Both Jada and Jade complied immediately, their hearts thumping .
There was a bubbling excitement, fear and worry that mixed together to form a cocktail of emotions that made them feel a bit faint . All of this was due to the mission as well as Draco's powerful tone and aura .
It left them gentle and extremely compliant to his words .
They walked across the busy street and found a nearby cafe that was about 100 meters away . It was a popular spot for the various employees in the various companies to come and relax during lunchtime .
Draco led them to an outdoor seating area and they sat down together, Jada and Jade on his left and right on the same side . One would expect these two to have sat across from him, but they sat as close to him as possible .
Crack open their skulls and rummage around for an answer, and all you would receive was a bunch of chaotic thoughts and emotions . Probably, only a fellow sister could decode their thoughts . A brother in the crowd would never be able to understand such a complex thinking process .
Draco ordered for three milkshakes and one large slice of chocolate cake, as well as a medium sized meatloaf . All of that was paid by Jada this time, and those also seated around them couldn't help but feel like it was a fuckboy leading around his two innocent young and rich lovers, utilizing their feelings and naivety to exploit them .
However, that was not their concern, so they lost interest quickly . Of course, some eyed Draco thinking that he was quite a looker while some scrutinized the twins, feeling that they were very pretty in a refreshing and cute way .
"Jade, hack into the traffic cams five blocks around us . Make sure to blur our features in both the live display, the local storage and the cloud storage . When you're done with that, get me a list of employees working for GloryGore Labs . Filter through and find those who match my gender, but also have access to those with higher authority . "
"Do not, and I repeat, do not attempt to hack into the GloryGore Labs . Even though their intranet has access ports to the internet, those backdoors are locked tighter than anyone can pry open . "
Draco's voice was heavy and forceful, making Jade's bland face go red a little, but her expression remained stiff . Honestly, it was super cute and adorable to see her blush with such a stoic face, especially considering how cute she was already .
"Understood . " Jade replied, a trace of emotion in her voice that was almost inaudible .
Draco spoke to Jada this time . "Jada, center yourself and try to predict one of the following three outcomes . The first is my survival rate for this mission . The second is my success rate for the mission . The third is my failure rate for the mission . "
"Yes, Draco . " Jada replied demurely . She closed her eyes and focused, placing her hands together before her chest with her palms separated yet her fingertips touching .
Her eyelids trembled slightly as she went quiet and her breathing became slower and slower until one would think she had died . However, Draco was assured since he could still feel her heart beating in her chest .
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login