Chapter 186: Second Cooperation (Part 2)
Curacao watched Ningguang and Ganyu from across the office, a subtle light flashing in her eyes.
Their intelligence had confirmed it in advance: only the Tianquan and her secretary would be present at the Jade Chamber today. Now that both were here, it was a rare opportunity. Whether they were overconfident or simply had no reason to shadow their guest, she couldn't be sure. All that mattered was that Camus now had a clear field. She could only hope he would make the most of it.
On the other side of the building, Camus had, of course, not gone to the restroom. Following a map provided by a bribed employee of Ningguang's company, he expertly avoided the network of surveillance cameras, arriving at his destination: the server room for the Void Terminal's Japanese network.
"What are you doing?"
Just as Camus produced his tools, preparing to crack the combination lock on the heavy steel door, a sharp female voice cut through the silence from behind him.
He reacted on pure instinct, tilting his head a fraction of an inch. A brilliant flash of purple light sliced through the air where his neck had just been, carving a bloody line across his cheek.
His eyes flicked to the steel door in front of him. A deep, sizzling score mark now marred its surface, etched there by some unknown projectile. Without a wasted motion, he discreetly tucked his hacking tools back into his coat, raised both hands in a placating gesture, and turned around, a disarmingly innocent smile already fixed on his face.
"My apologies," he began, his voice smooth. "I'm one of the representatives here to discuss the cooperation with Miss Ningguang today. I seem to have gotten lost and ended up here by mistake. Is this young lady also an employee of Miss Ningguang? Could I trouble you to show me the way back to her office?"
As he spoke, Camus coolly sized up the woman who had appeared so suddenly. She was a striking figure, dressed almost entirely in shades of purple—from her twin-tails and sharp, intelligent eyes to the elegant lines of her dress. The monochromatic scheme, rather than looking monotonous, gave her a captivating and formidable presence.
Her brows were slightly furrowed, her gaze piercing as she scrutinized him, completely ignoring his flimsy excuse.
"My name is Keqing," she stated, her tone crisp and businesslike. "I am the head of the Jade Chamber's US operations." She stared at him for another long moment before turning on her heel. "Follow me."
Camus glanced back at the server room door, so tantalizingly close. He let out a silent, inward sigh at the missed opportunity before obediently following Keqing's lead.
The thought of simply incapacitating her and continuing his mission had crossed his mind. However, two factors stayed his hand. First, their respective organizations were on the verge of a partnership; going too far could jeopardize the entire deal. Second, he still had no idea what that bizarre, light-based attack was. Acting rashly against an unknown element was a surefire way to fail.
And so, though it pained him to do so, Camus decided to cut his losses and play along for now.
Before long, the two of them arrived outside Ningguang's office.
At that exact moment, the negotiations inside between Curacao and Ningguang were drawing to a close. The two sides had reached a general agreement: the Jade Chamber would provide the technology to upgrade and reinforce the Organization's information systems.
Naturally, Ningguang's people wouldn't be handling the work directly. Instead, they would provide the source code for their latest artificial intelligence, which the Organization's own software engineers would then be tasked with deciphering. From there, they would be responsible for building their own intelligent system, upgrading their firewalls, and developing their own version of the Void Terminal.
In exchange, the Organization would use its vast network of connections to ensure the Jade Chamber's newly developed Void Terminal could saturate the Japanese market in the shortest possible time.
Inside the office, Curacao's heart tightened as she heard the distinct sound of more than one set of footsteps approaching. 'Camus?'she thought.'But who is the second person? Did something go wrong?'
A sharp knock echoed through the room. Curacao's gaze shot to the door as it opened, revealing a purple-clad young woman who strode in with an air of brisk efficiency. Following close behind her was Camus—the very man who had claimed to be visiting the restroom.
The moment Keqing entered, she spoke, her words clipped. "Are you still not done? This is taking far too long. I thought it would all be settled by the time I got back, but it seems I still need to lend a hand."
Ningguang simply nodded, offering Keqing a faint, knowing smile. She then turned to Curacao and formally introduced Keqing as another key party to their venture.
After the brief introduction, Keqing stepped aside, revealing the wound on Camus's face. She succinctly explained the situation she had stumbled upon, her gaze finally landing on Curacao. "Your people can't even handle a simple floor plan. It seems your competence isn't quite what it's made out to be."
"Oh, I can't help it. I'm naturally unfamiliar with places I'm visiting for the first time," Camus interjected with a charming smile before Curacao could formulate a response. "I guarantee that if I come here a few more times, I definitely won't get lost again."
The bloody gash on his cheek, still untreated, oozed a slow trickle of red down his skin. Paired with the perfectly pleasant smile on his face, the sight would have sent a wave of dread through any ordinary person.
But the people in this room were far from ordinary. They remained utterly unfazed. Ningguang bypassed the topic entirely, turning back to Curacao to finalize the day's discussion.
With everyone else occupied, Camus was left standing alone in the middle of the office. Left with no other choice, he could only return to his original seat and wait.
Not long after he sat down, Ningguang and Curacao finalized the last details of their cooperation. Of course, with Keqing having caught Camus red-handed, Ningguang used the Black Organization's "lack of sincerity" as use to extract a few more benefits at the last minute.
Since they were clearly in the wrong, Curacao had no grounds to object and could only agree to the revised terms.
"It's still early," Curacao said once the documents were settled. "Since this is such a rare opportunity, I wonder if we might have a tour of Miss Ningguang's company?"
She still held out hope of gaining something more from this visit than just a signed contract; otherwise, Rum would certainly not be satisfied. This was a final effort to at least get a clear picture of the company's internal layout. The employees they had bribed only knew so much. With her eidetic memory, Curacao was confident she could memorize most of the building's critical details, even without the aid of special equipment.
The negotiations were complete. Ningguang stood, about to have Ganyu see her guests out, when she heard Curacao's request.
After a moment of consideration, she agreed and instructed Ganyu to lead them on the tour.
In any case, Ningguang had already secured what she wanted. It wouldn't hurt to throw the Organization a small bone. Besides, she trusted Ganyu implicitly to steer them away from any areas they shouldn't see.
And so, Ganyu began to lead Curacao and Camus on a tour of the company, politely answering any questions she was permitted to.
"I must say, I never expected someone as gentle-looking as Miss Ganyu would join such a shady, underground organization," Camus remarked, walking beside her. He had one hand casually tucked in his pocket, and he turned to her with a smile that held a sharp, malicious edge.
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