Jin walked along the fence, looking for a place he could climb over. The metal plates, tightly fused together by industrial welding, formed an almost solid wall that separated the warehouse grounds from the rest of the district. The fence stood about two meters tall. Along the top edge, various sharp metal scraps, coils of barbed wire, and rusty spikes had been hastily welded in place. It didn't look like a proper security barrier, but it did its job. Dried blood remained visible on some spikes.
In the distance, the rumble of car engines drifted through the air. Sometimes the sound faded into silence; other times it roared sharply, cutting through the quiet. In this part of the city, liquid-fuel engines with mechanical control were a common sight — a long-standing trademark of the locals. The district had once been a residential zone for employees of an oil company, and everyone owned a personal pickup with a simple internal combustion engine. Free corporate fuel kept people from trading the roar of their engines for the whisper of electric cars. If you think about it, a loud vehicle always symbolized the owner's toughness, power, and prestige. Perfect for the street punks of today. Territory fights had become normal again — so if you wanted to be noticed, you needed a loud, aggressive ride. Otherwise, the noise of others would drown you out.
After some time, Jin came across a car that had crashed into the fence. It had bent the plates inward, tearing their base out of the ground. At the point of impact, the metal was covered in dirt mixed with soot.
Jin approached the vehicle, crouched down, and looked closer. There was a gap at the bottom where the plates had buckled. The space between the ground and the fence wasn't large enough for him to crawl through. But when he touched the lower edge of the plate, he felt that with enough force, the gap might bend inward and become wide. He pressed with his hand — the metal flexed forward. It was not enough.
Standing up again, he looked around and checked inside the car. Scanning the interior, his eyes caught a machete lying in the corner. He grabbed it and returned to the gap, crouched, and wedged the blade under the fence. The lower part of the metal plate bent as far as it could, bracing itself against the machete buried in the ground.
Taking off his jacket, the comm-glasses, and the revolver holster, Jin placed everything beside the gap, lay down, and slipped through it. He quickly reached back through the opening to pull his things inside. Once he put everything back on, he looked at the warehouse grounds.
The gray building, as tall as a three-story block, stretched nearly a hundred meters in width and much further in depth. Various technical fixtures jutted from the walls — ventilation regulators, small pipes, neatly bundled conduits of thick wiring. Surveillance cameras were mounted alongside them.
Positioning himself behind a toppled freight container, Jin looked toward the camera monitoring the maintenance entrance nearby. He zoomed in, and the display on his glasses brought up the object's description.
[CCTV Cam 1]
[Standard-grade perimeter unit. Limited night vision. Firmware updates overdue by 417 days.]
A new panel appeared beside it:
[Available scripts]
[Gain Access]
[Overload]
[Upload Trap]
Jin selected the first option — he needed access to the internal feeds to understand the situation inside.
Another block appeared next to the selected panel:
[Security systems not detected. Counter-connection probability: 0%]
[Confirm activation]
Jin confirmed sending the script. A progress bar appeared. In less than a second, the hack completed, unlocking camera access.
Out of twenty cameras, only six were operational. The rest were offline.
"Probably just shot out. Local dealers don't like the idea of someone watching their deals," Jin thought.
He started cycling through the camera feeds, trying to determine where the chip exchange might take place.
The first camera showed the security room. The control panels on the walls were smashed — some hung by exposed wiring, others were missing entirely. Metal drawers were overturned, their contents scattered across the floor. The guard's chair was gone, leaving only an imprint in the dust, as if someone had dragged it away in a hurry.
The second camera displayed the server room. Two racks stood against the far wall: one completely dead, the other running on emergency power. Cables hung from open panels, some violently torn out. Fragments of plastic mounts and several ripped wires littered the floor.
The third camera covered the staff room. Rusted lockers stood open in disarray, and a torn old couch leaned against the wall. On the table lay food wrappers, and a few ripped pieces of clothing. It looked as though someone had been here recently.
The fourth feed showed the corridor leading to the restrooms and showers. Lights flickered; sections of the tiles were missing. The mirror shattered, and rusty water filled the sink. A bent pipe dripped steadily, producing a dull, rhythmic tap.
The fifth camera gave a view of the warehouse's main hall. It was angled toward the entrance to the restricted cargo block, positioned high under a metal catwalk. The door had a dent, and the lock interface next to it sparked weakly. A scatter of stubs lay on the floor near the entrance.
"That has to be Hog," Jin thought. "He smokes a lot."
The last camera was the one he had used to access the system.
The main hall was perfect for an ambush. Endless shelving and toppled cargo crates provided cover from almost every angle. Meanwhile, the path leading to the restricted block was wide and unobstructed — anyone stepping through those doors would be completely exposed.
Jin sketched the building layout in his mind. He needed to check the remaining parts of the warehouse and then prepare for the ambush.
Before disconnecting from the network, he planted a trap script inside the system. If anyone else tried to connect, Jin would know immediately. It would give him time to adjust his plan while the intruder struggled to purge the virus attacking their interface.
Finally, he pulled the revolver from its holster, took the safety off, and sprinted toward the door by the maintenance entrance. It had a network lock. Running a breach script, Jin slipped through the service door and headed deeper into the warehouse.
***
The loading zone was swarming with people — or rather, with those who used to be people. Their bodies comprised smooth black plating and segmented mechanical joints connected by cables and clusters of internal light. Long dark coats draped over the armored components of their frames, while featureless masks hid their face modules. Each one carried an elite-grade rifle built with the latest weapon technology. About twenty agents spread along the perimeter, prepared to shred anyone who stepped out of the central cargo bay.
"Tanaka-sama…" the first agent said in a robotic voice.
But the one being addressed paid no attention. He smoked his cigar slowly, savoring every draw. Soon he grew bored, dropped it to the ground, and crushed the stub under his heel.
"I'll go in alone."
The man who commanded every agent present was a young Japanese man. Sharp cybernetic lines traced across his cheekbones and jaw, framing dark, unreadable eyes beneath a carefully kept haircut. A tailored charcoal coat and a long woven scarf contrasted with the metallic implants in his neck and the chrome joints of his augmented hand. Polished leather shoes completed the look — a fusion of corporate elegance and street-hardened augmentation.
A second agent stepped forward to join the first.
"Sir, it is not safe for you to go in alone. Our protocols require us to accompany you at all times. And we haven't finished scanning the area. We—"
"Remind me whom you serve," Tanaka said.
"You, sir," the second agent replied.
"No. You serve the Tsunoda family. And what is the tradition of my family?"
"The master's decision is absolute," the agent answered.
"Correct. And I am aware of your concerns. This is my decision. It stands," Tanaka said.
"In case of any unforeseen circumstances, use the emergency channel."
He went toward the warehouse entrance. The first agent immediately followed him.
"I said alone, Nao," Tanaka said in Japanese.
The agent—his bodyguard—stopped. He felt displeased; letting his master walk into danger went against everything he'd been trained for. Alas, disobeying him would be far worse. It was unforgivable.
Tanaka Tsunoda entered the warehouse. A few minutes later he passed through the inner unloading area and stepped into the main storage hall. The spacious chamber ahead shifted several dozen meters later into a maze of shelves and containers. Despite the layout, he walked forward without hesitation. At the center of the labyrinth ran a straight, wide aisle leading to the pavilion reserved for special cargo.
Reaching the large doors marked "RESTRICTED STORAGE BLOCK," he stopped. He had absolutely no desire to go inside.
"Hey, Hog! I know you're in there!" Tanaka shouted. "You know I hate tight spaces."
"So, come out. We'll talk here."
***
"Strange… thought ye were into virgins, Tan. Ha-ha."
A voice came from behind the doors. A moment later, someone peeked out, then squeezed through the opening. Hog stepped outside, flashing his chrome-plated teeth and a venomous grin.
He was massive. A bald head and a heavy beard framed his jaw and throat. Old scars and faded tattoos crossed his shoulders and chest, which were packed with dense, defined muscle. A metal cybernetic prosthetic fully replaced his right arm, featuring segmented plates and reinforced joints, while a mechanical limb with exposed actuators and shock absorbers replaced his left leg. He wore loose cargo pants and heavy boots that complemented the weight of his body. A worn military vest with ammunition pockets covered his torso. In his right hand, he held a large-caliber pump-action shotgun.
"And what's that for? A confidence booster?" Tanaka asked. "The bigger a man's gun, the smaller his own barrel."
He smiled. There was savagery in that smile, and no trace of fear.
Jin watched the exchange from a distance. After reaching the main hall, he picked a tall storage rack deep within the maze. From there, he had a clear view of the center of the room. He surrounded himself with nearby debris and loose items to break up his silhouette.
His assumption proved right — no one would walk into an unknown sealed space knowing they were already being awaited inside. The meeting began right in the main hall.
Jin activated the observation mode in his glasses; the system amplified incoming sound waves and zoomed in on the image. Now the sound was clearer, and the two men were sharply visible.
"Tanaka Tsunoda. Never heard of him," Jin thought.
After exchanging their usual jabs, they finally got to the point.
"I would like to see the chip," Tanaka said.
"Sure, princess," Hog replied and pulled out the chip. It looked exactly like the one Jin had.
Seeing it, Tanaka offered a polite smile. His implant dispatched a silent authorization, and the funds moved.
"Look at ye now, Tan. All grown up, lookin' like some rich daddy's boy. Not that reckless, angry brat who'd start fights and kill anyone who didn't fockin' listen."
"Not anymore."
A pause settled between them.
"The money has been sent. Check your account," Tanaka said.
"Aye, I can see meself gettin' richer." Hog licked his lips. Notifications began popping up, showing the credits flowing into his accounts.
Tanaka took the chip, examined it briefly, then slipped it into his coat pocket.
"Always a pleasure doing business with you, Hog," he said. "I hope you stay alive until the next job."
He turned around and walked away.
"Aye, don't worry, Tan! I'm always here to help ye out. Where'd ye be without me, eh?" Hog shouted to him and laughed.
"Shit, he's leaving," Jin thought. "I need to intercept the chip now. Outside he'll be surrounded by loyal servants who were kind enough to leave their master alone with his dirty business."
Stepping in now meant putting himself between a hammer and an anvil.
A hulking brute ready to smash his skull into a wall… or a corporate specialist wrapped with hidden weapons, perfectly capable of filling him with a storm of precision-engineered bullets. Pick your killer.
No good options.
Hog remained standing still, his gaze fixed on a single point, eyes unblinking. From afar it was almost invisible, but his body trembled—like a faint current was passing through him.
Jin thought he saw a red-green flicker in Hog's eyes. It were colored symbols he saw once.
Suddenly, Hog stepped forward and grabbed Tanaka by the shoulder.
"Ya know…" Hog said. "I think I'll keep the chip for meself."
He raised the shotgun, pressed it into Tanaka's lower back, and fired.
Chunks of flesh mixed with bone blasted forward. Blood gushed from the man's right side in a large arc.
"What the fuck…" Jin whispered. He was stunned — but this turn of events played to his advantage. Now was the time to move, to exploit the sudden shock. There is no need to fight Hog. Take the chip and leave him to security agents that are going to burst here eventually.
Jin stood from his hiding spot, shaking off fabric, debris — everything he used as camouflage.
He jumped down and raced toward the scene.