"My dear boss, from the data chip you gave me, I discovered something strange — this building couldn't have been constructed by just one team," said Sengoku Lingma, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he analyzed the precisely ordered architectural model on his laptop.
"Go on," Nathan Hawk gestured for him to continue.
"According to my simulation, the lower ten floors of the building were part of an old project by Knight International, the predecessor of Knight City Industries," Lingma explained, showing the data to Nathan one by one.
"Wait a second," Lingma suddenly paused, a spark of realization flashing in his eyes. He quickly resumed typing.
"David James."
Nathan Hawk narrowed his eyes, intrigued by the name. He knew Night City's history was anything but simple—many buildings carried secrets buried deep within their blueprints.
"Lingma, are you saying this building's construction was originally contracted by Knight International, and that David James was their former general manager?" Nathan asked.
"Yes," Lingma replied, nodding. "According to my data, David James served as the GM of Knight Group. His design philosophy and construction methods are still visible throughout the structure."
"I found some old design blueprints on official archives and even on the darknet. Although Knight's current projects focus on public infrastructure, several design signatures match almost perfectly with this building."
"Interesting." Nathan Hawk tapped his desk thoughtfully, eyes gleaming.
Lingma nodded, glancing up at him.
"Max, you'll go with Lingma," Nathan said to Electro, who had been sitting silently with his eyes closed.
Electro slowly opened his eyes and nodded. Electricity began to crackle faintly around him as his body lifted effortlessly off the ground.
The sight left Nathan Hawk and Lingma stunned for a moment.
Electro and Sengoku Lingma left the room. Moments later, Wesker returned—followed by several individuals dressed in cyberpunk-style tactical gear.
Nathan could feel the virus in his own body stir the moment he saw them.
"These are the ones?" Nathan asked.
"The ones who survived after I infected them with the virus," Wesker replied coldly.
Nathan immediately understood his plan. "How many can you control?"
"I'm not sure," Wesker said with a faint smirk. "But if you'd like, I could turn this entire city into a biochemical warzone. I can cordon off a section, guide the infected, and let the chaos spread."
Nathan Hawk grinned. "Good. We'll expand our control in stages. When the time comes, we'll start a battle downtown—to draw attention away."
Wesker nodded, understanding completely, then left.
That evening, while Nathan was training, Lingma and Denko Jin returned—with David James in tow. His once-elegant suit was torn and dusty.
David James sat down angrily, glancing around the messy room in disgust but keeping his composure. Finally, he looked at Nathan Hawk and said flatly, "As long as you don't torture or kill me, I'll tell you whatever you want."
Nathan looked to Lingma, who glanced toward Electro. From that look alone, Nathan understood—the reason David James was so cooperative was because of Electro's terrifying power. Nathan smiled. "A man of your stature disappearing for a few days would cause quite a stir. We wouldn't want that, would we?"
David said nothing, his expression cold.
He finally spoke up: "Mr. Sengoku has already told me what you want—the blueprints of the Militech Tower. The schematic is stored in a datachip embedded in my body. But you should know, the tower's been renovated since the original construction. The redesign was done internally by Militech. I only have access to the first-generation layout, so it won't be perfectly accurate."
"No problem. Proceed," Nathan said, nodding toward Lingma.
Lingma motioned for David to expose his data port, then picked up a cable and connected it to his laptop.
David obediently revealed the interface. Lingma plugged the cable in.
He glanced into David's uneasy cybernetic eyes and said calmly, "Just tell me which folder it's in. I won't open anything else."
David relaxed slightly and pointed toward the screen where the Militech Tower schematics were stored.
After transferring the data, Lingma unplugged the cable.
"Excellent work, Mr. James," he said with a faint smile. "I have to say, your cooperation is impressive." It had been a while since Lingma had met someone this compliant. It reminded him of the old days—when everyone at the World Tree Alliance used to argue and defy him.
David didn't respond, only shifting his gaze toward Nathan Hawk.
Electro suddenly frowned. "Something's coming," he said, his voice low but sharp.
Lingma smirked. "Oh? Feels like someone just slapped us." He looked at David James mockingly. "Tell me, David—why did you have Trauma Team implant that biomed chip in you? Were you hoping they'd come rescue you from us?"
"Trauma Team," Lingma continued, reading mockingly from the net, "is made up of combat-trained paramedics. They do everything to protect their clients. As long as you can afford their premium insurance, you get a card and an implanted biochip. Once the chip detects a critical condition, the team is automatically dispatched to stabilize and extract the client—no matter how dangerous the situation."
Nathan Hawk raised his hand to stop Electro from frying the incoming Trauma Team. "No," he said quietly. "This time, I'll go myself."
"Whoa!" Lingma shouted excitedly.
"Mm." Electro replied simply, a faint spark of energy crackling around him.
David James's heart sank as he watched them. These men weren't afraid at all—if anything, they seemed eager.
Truth be told, David had underestimated them from the start. When he'd first heard that someone dared to kidnap him without cybernetic enhancements, he ordered his security forces to kill them. But within one minute, the entire squad was down, and he was dragged away like a child.
Those who tried to use electrical weapons had their cyberware completely fried. The only reason David was still functioning was thanks to his high-end implants—especially the Trauma Team biochip.
Now, watching them prepare so casually for an assault by Trauma Team, David began to piece things together.
They're the ones who wiped out the Maelstrom gang, he realized.
But what shocked him more was how calm they remained even with an elite Trauma Team en route. Did they not understand how dangerous those responders were? Or were they simply that confident—possessing power beyond his imagination?
And this time, the one confronting Trauma Team wasn't the electro-powered fighter—it was their leader, Nathan Hawk himself.
That realization chilled him to the bone.
He could only hope Trauma Team would defeat them and rescue him. But deep down, David James knew—if even this squad failed, the next one wouldn't come to save him. They'd come to erase him.
As Nathan Hawk morphed part of his appearance using his viral augmentation, he turned back before leaving and said coldly:
"Kill them. The ones who can't be saved."
David James froze—terror flooding every nerve in his body.
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