"Alright, stop arguing and get the cargo on board quickly."
The Red Assassin, dressed lightly, ca down from the plane, interrupting the two's quarrel.
"If we hurry to Cuba, we can still catch dinner."
Seeing him, the defiant female bandit lost her temper.
"Tch... I can't be bothered with Adcardo's idiots."
Over the span of three months, Red Assassin and his team wore down the temper of the Chaotic Blade Association using all sorts of thods. This ti, they had to use the Association's banner to find a few of the best-performing, cooperative people to co along.
While Gloria was settling the bill with the rental side, Olivia directed two transport robots to carry a massive suitcase onboard, which contained not just clothes, but also guns, ammunition, communication devices, etc.—enough for over a dozen people.
Gloria, along with experts and the Red Assassin, totaled nine people, plus seven modified convicts from the Chaotic Blade Association for this trip.
Whenever Olivia thought of that old Adcardo daring to boast to her, she got furious. If it were before, she would have skinned him alive, so she kicked the box hard.
Thud!
"Ow..."
A faint collision sound and a cry of pain ca from inside the box.
"?"
Olivia looked around, thinking she misheard, but with nobody around, she suddenly realized, staring at the box with her red cybernetic eye.
She should have reminded the others there's a problem with the box, but Olivia didn't.
Her grin stretched to her ears, revealing interlacing canine teeth, filled with dark humor.
"Here, put the box here."
She ran into the fuselage, directing the robot to place the box on the outskirts, thoughtfully closed the pried open lock, then whistled as she left.
A stowaway?
A stowaway ant fun to watch, and besides, what did this have to do with her?
The plane soon took off, speeding towards the sky, the landing gear retracting into the fuselage.
The only problem was David had never flown on a plane, nor had he ever been on a hovercar.
Cramd in the narrow box amidst the luggage, it was stuffy and hot, and within a short ti, he was drenched in sweat. Who knows how long flying to Cuba would take? The plane might not even land before he's suffocated in there.
'No... I have to get out quickly.'
David pushed hard against the door, but Olivia had already locked it, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get out.
"Shit..."
A student fresh out of school wouldn't have much cunning or plans; he jumped in impulsively, not caring about anything else. Encountering unexpected situations was just normal.
Having tried several tis to no avail, David felt the air in the container getting hotter, his clothes drenched by sweat from top to bottom, having not eaten or drunk anything all day to sneak in. If this continued, he'd be exhausted.
Just as David was about to shout for help
Clack
The lock was opened, cold air blew in, and a red-haired woman opened the door.
"Mom..."
David was about to call her mom but saw red light flicker on the woman's dark face.
Although she also had red hair, this woman was definitely not his mom.
Moreover, this faceless woman was radiating killing intent, the suffocating pressure made David's heart skip a beat.
"Hehe, little mouse, found you."
The cold wind turned David's burning heat into an icy abyss.
This woman would definitely kill him.
She was on a different level than those punk street thugs, probably had dozens of lives on her hands!
"…"
Even facing an enemy who could easily kill him, David wasn't completely crushed by her aura, instead, he pulled out a steel pipe he had prepared, intending to hit her on the head.
But his moves were full of flaws to Olivia, who easily intercepted the attack, then broke the pipe in front of David with a slight exertion.
"Keep resisting, try harder and maybe you'll escape from , little mouse."
Still not satisfied, Olivia watched David furiously resisting, feeling pleased; this was more like it, she thought Night City's people were like maniacs, tough and reckless.
"Not staying in your seat, what are you doing here?"
It's said that one thing overcos another, Olivia stiffened hearing this voice.
"Th-that..."
She turned rigidly, her face paused like pressing a pause button, sweat began to flow from her forehead, as she pulled David out of the container.
"I heard noise from the cargo hold, so I ca to check, and I caught a stowaway!"
"David Martinez? What are you doing here?"
The Red Assassin looked curiously at this NPC he had heard about, surprised he sneaked onto the plane.
... It's a good opportunity.
"Go back to your seat, this one's mine."
The Red Assassin quietly made space.
As the commissioner, his authority among modified convicts of the Chaotic Blade Association was much higher than Olivia's.
'David Martinez? This na is just like that woman's? So that's how it is...'
Though reluctant that her toy was taken, Olivia showed interest in the young boy, morizing his appearance, knowing they'd have plenty of ti in Cuba.
"How... did you sneak onto the plane?"
"By the way, let introduce myself, I'm the security chief for your mother's trip."
After Olivia left, the Red Assassin didn't seem intent on taking David back to the cabin but casually found a platform, motioning him to sit for a chat.
"I was worried about my mom..."
Because Red Assassin had recognized him and saved him from that bad woman, he carried a particularly serious, yet reassuring deanor, David lowered his guard slightly, sitting down beside him.
"Cuba is indeed dangerous, but you going might cause more trouble for Gloria."
"…"
"Hmph..."
Observing David, head hanging low and silent, Red Assassin sorted out the young man's character.
"Let's talk about sothing else, David Martinez."
Red Assassin closed the distance between them, adopting a relaxed posture.
"I've heard your na from others, they say you're fond of Night City's legendary rcenaries?"
"Hmm..."
Unclear why he ntioned this, David instinctively responded.
"But David, they're not legends in my view."
Red Assassin patted his shoulder.
"Would you like to hear what my legendary figure is like?"
"You?"
David curiously looked at him; this man seed even more formidable than the woman before.
It was intuition rather than cybernetics; he was filled with a sense of inexplicable confidence.
Such a person... could they also have a favorite legendary rcenary?
"Who? Morgan Black Hand or William Old Snake?"
"Neither."
The Red Assassin smiled warmly, retrieving a book from his coat.
"The legendary figure in my mind is in this book. Before the plane lands, take a look, then compare him with your legends."
David, sowhat bewildered, accepted the book.
In this age of entertainnt, everyone pursued increasingly fast and direct experiences, making print dia almost invisible to youngsters, with wtwo the popular form of learning.
He glanced at the book's title under cargo hold lights, puzzled.
[Steeled How It Was Built]
[Author: Ostrovsky]
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