Now that they knew someone was planning to use an attack on Kurt Hansen to provoke a conflict between Arasaka and Militech, the logical step to stop it was clear:
Find Kurt Hansen.
No matter what those operatives with the unregulated anti-terror gear wanted to achieve, everything revolved around Kurt Hansen.
If he was their target, then the best course of action was to go talk to him directly.
Simple in theory—anything but in practice.
Who was Kurt Hansen? The king of Dogtown. A man who had carved out a piece of Night City for himself and turned it into his private kingdom. If some random street punk ran up to him saying there was danger and people were trying to kill him, Hansen would probably laugh and kindly toss the idiot out. And where that "outside" was? Well, that depended on how amused he was by the clown.
Of course, that's how it would go for a street punk.
But for KK, Hansen held a certain level of respect.
After their previous encounter, KK had left quite the impression. Someone of his caliber wasn't easily ignored—especially not when he sent a message ahead of time saying:
"This concerns your life, Kurt Hansen. If you're interested, you'd better hear me out. If you don't trust me coming alone, surround yourself with as many guards as you like."
Naturally, Hansen wasn't going to make a show of gathering overwhelming protection. But he did limit the meeting: KK could only bring two people.
The meeting wouldn't take place at Hansen's stronghold in the Emerald Tower. That would be too obvious and a little too much of a power play.
While Hansen wasn't obsessed with saving face, he was still a former New USA colonel—he'd survived gunfire and bloodshed. He had guts. In his mind, even if KK showed up with two elite soldiers, it was delusional to think he could take Hansen down before he had time to react.
The meeting spot was a small diner on the street. The owner had been paid off by Hansen's Phantom Dogs to disappear, and the surrounding buildings were also under their control. Under those conditions, KK arrived right on time.
To Hansen, the two people KK brought looked unfamiliar: one was a burly man, the other a woman with fluffy blond hair and glasses. Completely different from the teammates he'd seen with KK before.
But after a quick scan with his cyberoptic-linked database, Hansen identified the man easily.
Maine, former warrant officer of the New USA, now a merc based in Night City. His squad had a reputation, with a mission success rate above 90%.
Former warrant officer, huh?
As a former colonel, Hansen gave Maine a closer look.
He noticed Maine had retired around the same time he himself had left the New USA—during the Unification War.
As for the fluffy-haired woman, Hansen couldn't find any data on her.
His eyes scanned her face, and some guesses began forming in his mind.
Militech's facial disguise tech? If so, Hansen was already starting to guess the reason for KK's visit.
That guess was soon confirmed when KK sat down and explained.
"Ex-Militech operatives are planning to kill me, and the government wants to protect me?"
Hansen couldn't help but chuckle. "That's rich. I thought they saw me as a traitor. Now that they have the chance to get rid of me, they're sending someone to save me?"
Clearly, that was directed at Karl. But his tone was calm:
"Technically, the job isn't to protect you—it's just to eliminate them and make sure their plan fails. But to ensure that, your survival is essential. That's why I thought it best to speak with you directly—so you understand how to stay alive."
Karl's eyes locked on Hansen's.
"Because if this mission fails because of someone else, I'd be pretty damn disappointed."
"So, you think I can't protect myself—even with your warning?"
This was new for Hansen. People usually worried about what he'd do to them. This was the first time someone stood in front of him and worried for his safety.
"I didn't say that," Karl replied. "But if that's how you want to take it, I won't argue."
He leaned in slightly.
"It's not the bullet you see that kills you—it's the one you don't."
Hansen was certainly no slouch. Even Karl would have to "work a bit" to take him down in a fair fight. But in an ambush? With Karl getting the drop on him? If Hansen lasted even a second, it'd be because Karl was feeling generous.
And the same applied to this Militech threat. If they came at him head-on, Hansen might survive. But if they used the experimental equipment they'd seized—who knew what could happen?
Especially since some within Militech and the New USA wanted Hansen dead, just so they could replace him with a loyal puppet. At this point, it was impossible to tell who in his inner circle he could still trust.
Hansen's grin faded.
He clearly understood the situation better than Karl had expected. But he had needed to gauge KK's attitude first.
Now, though...
"I think we can talk."
Hansen looked at Karl. "I doubt KK would turn down a protection contract that happens to come with a bonus payout, right?"
A side job with extra pay?
Karl's expression finally changed.
He smiled.
A smile famous in Night City's braindance circles.
"Of course."
Because this wasn't just a little extra money—it was triple pay in one go.
'Talking business like this... yeah, V and the others still have a lot to learn from me.'
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