The guard frowned, not understanding why his friend was hesitating like this.
"I get the feeling he did not care because he could kill me anytime he wanted. Like my life was already in his hands. Believe it or not, I did not run a single red light the whole way. He was sitting right behind me, and I barely dared to breathe. I was afraid one wrong look would get me killed. I only dared to take my gun off safety after he left."
As he spoke, the driver's voice grew louder, and panic crept onto his face. He reached back and wiped his shirt, only to find it soaked with cold sweat.
"That is way too exaggerated."
The guard started to dismiss it, but when he saw his friend's expression, he stopped. After a pause, he asked again, as if seeking confirmation. "Is it really that bad?"
"Probably worse than I said. He is not even wearing Subdermal Armor, just basic armor. Still, I feel like if he wanted to, he could kill all of us by himself and not get hurt at all."
"Not get hurt at all."
The guard looked toward the apartment where Carl had disappeared. His voice lacked confidence as he spoke. "There are ten of us inside today. Ten guns pointed at him. He cannot possibly kill everyone at once, right."
Even as he said it, he was not sure. He remembered the glance thrown his way as the man passed by, and the same strange fear rose in his chest.
The negotiation was set on the fourth floor. Corporate people always seemed obsessed with reaching the top, and even a meeting like this had to be held at the highest level of the building. The choice of location felt deliberate rather than convenient.
Besides ten Maelstrom members who were clearly acting as security for the other side, there was a man in a tailored suit who fit every stereotype of a Corpo Rats in Night City. Compared to Blanca, who wore casual clothes and tried hard to keep her nerves under control, this man displayed his identity openly. His posture was arrogant, his chin tilted up, and his eyes carried open contempt.
It was the kind of face that made people want to put a bullet through it just to shut him up.
"An annoying bastard."
After making that judgment about the Corpo Rats who looked twenty-seven or twenty-eight and sat at one end of the table, Carl had to admit one thing. Compared to the man opposite, his employer Blanca at least had some advantages, including her looks. And she paid on time.
"Sit down, Blanca."
The suited Corpo Rats spoke as if he knew her well, using a relaxed tone and an easy posture. The way he looked at her made it seem like she was already under his control.
"Juanito Alvarez."
Blanca spoke his name with a complicated tone as she took the seat across from him.
"No need to be so tense, Blanca."
Juanito Alvarez smiled, full of confidence and satisfaction. "We are just talking about a small matter that both of us can accept, right?"
"A small matter?"
Anger flashed across Blanca's face, but she forced it down in front of his smile. "Say it. What do you want before you hand over that item?"
"I will not ask for much."
Juanito Alvarez's smile turned mocking. "After all, when I worked under you, I received a lot of your so-called care."
He stressed the word "care," making it clear their past was far from pleasant.
"So it is Corpo Rats tearing at each other."
While listening, Carl swept his gaze across the temporary meeting room, which had been created by breaking through a wall and covered about one hundred twenty square meters. He quietly noted every Maelstrom member's position and weapon, then gave a subtle nod. The employer's intel was off, since there were eleven inside and fourteen total including the door and driver, but it was still within acceptable limits of the Contract.
As Carl observed them, the Maelstrom members hired by Juanito Alvarez were also watching him. With a ten-to-one advantage, they did not sense much threat from him, and their posture relaxed slightly. They had been told the other side had no reliable subordinates left and could only hire cheap street mercs, and now it seemed true.
A merc in body armor without Subdermal Armor and carrying only a pistol did not look dangerous to them. None of them recognized Carl as the one who had dealt with Madhead, since such figures died every week and were not worth remembering. These people were temporary manpower pulled in with Eurodollar, unfamiliar with each other and short on shared information.
Because of that gap, Carl looked like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old kid who was barely old enough for gang life.
While both sides sized each other up, the two Corpo Rats kept talking. After several more sarcastic remarks from Juanito Alvarez that pushed Blanca's suppressed anger close to the limit, he finally moved on, as if satisfied.
"I want you to hand over all your assets, resign on your own, and leave the company. I mean everything, including your car, property, and cash."
That single sentence completely set off Blanca.
"That is impossible!"
She slammed her hand on the worn conference table and stood up. "What you have is not worth that price."
"Not worth it?"
Juanito Alvarez laughed softly. "Do you think destroying evidence of you selling company transport routes to Maelstrom lets you shout at me? I will tell you plainly, I was doing the same thing before you, and earlier. You only got involved because I contacted higher-ups in Maelstrom and gave you the chance."
He lifted his little finger and tapped the table with it.
"You destroyed one set of transport records, fine. I have as many as I want. Otherwise, how do you think I found out about your betrayal and got the proof? By bribing them later than you did? Face reality, Blanca Miss. Other than graduating from a better school and taking the position that should have been mine, what do you have over me?"
"So the entire cooperation was your trap?"
"Of course. Do not worry, Blanca Miss. I had Maelstrom friends install jammers here in advance, so forget about secretly recording. I noticed you pretending to be angry while turning on your device. Nothing said here will reach the company."
Hearing his arrogant words, spoken like a final verdict, the anger on Blanca's face froze. Then, as if nothing had happened, she returned to a calm expression and sat back down. She looked at the man who had once been her subordinate and was now her enemy.
"If you ease the conditions, we can still talk."
"Sorry, Blanca Miss. I am not negotiating with you. I am just informing you, so you can hand it over and save me the effort. Of course, there is also a bit of revenge in it."
Juanito Alvarez laughed loudly at her cold face. "I always wanted to see this expression on you."
"Are you happy?"
Blanca's sudden question stopped his laughter. He did not understand how she could still speak like this. Then he followed her gaze and saw the dark muzzle of a gun pointed at him.
"Idiot."
You play Corporate Power Play, but you do not prepare for guns.
Bang.
Before the gunshots, Blanca made a small motion to brush back her hair, but when she actually drew her gun and dropped the Corpo Rats in front of her with one shot, Carl still froze for a moment. He had not expected his employer to be this decisive, pulling the trigger the instant words failed. Someone threatened her and held evidence, so she simply removed the person.
Using force to settle logic was clearly something Blanca had already learned from corporate infighting. On this point alone, Carl had to admit that the long-winded Juanito Alvarez was completely outclassed by his employer, and that her higher position in the company was earned. After that brief surprise, his own reaction was fast.