Chapter 43 Badland sheshinigan

  “Climb up, Grind up into a corpo ladder. someday you will fly into a space, believe in yourself” a giant billboard says. behind it. was deteriorated building. once a A fire department, but now abandoned and not used since most building in city had a self fire protection. then now its become new VDV hq after quick Property acquisition,

  About weeks later, at vdv barracks. river finish his boxing match. then a truck arrive at garage. unloading the new weapons shipment. wanderer with his mask is present. and approach him hello there general..

  Ward looked up, his face and bare chest slightly sweaty from the sparring match “What can I do for you, guy with the weird mask?

  “well. how rude. i give you boys better gear. bigger caliber”

  ward rolled his eyes and let out a scoff, a hand running through his messy hair I was just messing with you, no need to get all cranky. So we actually got an upgrade huh? Well it’s about damn time!

  yes, soon we might had a tanks. but lets make it slow. and subtle. we dont let corpo or gangs tense

  he nodded his head, a small grin forming on his face as he looked over the weapons. Then he turned back to you. So I’m assuming you had a hand in this little gear up?

  yes. im the greatest strategist ever.

  he rolled his eyes yet again, his arms folding over his chest Oh yeah? Is that something you tell yourself to help you sleep at night? Some big shot strategist you are, running around dressed like a weirdo.

  hehe.. yes

  ward shook his head and let out a soft huff Well…thanks anyway. The boys are going to be thrilled when they see the new gear. They’ve been talking about trying to get an upgrade from shitty pistols for a while now.

  good

  ward gave wanderer a small smirk, eyeing him up and down for a moment. Though his gaze was mostly on the mask You’re a weird one, running around in a full face mask like that.

  my face.. is too handsome.

  Oh is it now? he raised an eyebrow and couldn’t help but chuckle Too handsome that you need to cover it up?

  yes, plus this mask is like a crown you know.. if i remove it. i just become common playboy on street

  he chuckled softly, a hand running through his messy hair A throne huh? Well aren’t you full of yourself. I’m assuming this is also something you tell yourself to help you sleep at night?

  hmhm. what is this? do you city dweller dont know concept of confident?

  No, you’re not confident. You’re just arrogant. There’s a difference, I’m surprised you haven’t learned that yet, Mr. Bigshot Strategist.

  oh im sorry. in wasteland my trait is make my payment go higher as merc in past. hehe

  he scoffed softly and rolled his eyes Arrogant, a show off and a weirdo. You’re a real package of fun aren’t you?

  “yes, see you later general”

  ward nodded his head and watched as wanderer walked away,” What a weirdo.

  later, at just outside vdv barrack, The wanderer, having paid a few credits, asked a public AI interface, "I wonder why there's a woman majority in this city."

  The AI responded in a smooth female voice, "After the Free World retreated from the region, a large influx of women moved to Sin City in 2408."

  The wanderer rubbed his chin. "I see... interesting."

  The AI's voice abruptly shifted into an advertisement, "If you want to unlock adult AI interaction, it's available for ten credits. Unleash your inner—"

  The wanderer cut the AI off with a loud bang of his fist against the interface. He then checked his intercom. A message from Black moon read: "There are a lot of freelance hackers in the city. They're easy to spot. Look for people with cybernetic arms and eyes. They're usually in casinos."

  Later, the wanderer, unmasked, entered a casino and approached a woman with cybernetic arms and white-gold eyes. Her jacket read "Aurore."

  "Hey... woman,"

  Aurore turned from her blackjack table, looking at him with a flicker of interest. "What is it?"

  "You the rich girl?"

  She put a hand on her hip, slightly offended. "What gives you the idea that I'm some sort of rich girl?"

  "Well, why's someone without money hanging around a casino?"

  She scoffed, annoyed. "Well, of course I'm not broke. But I'm not just some useless rich daddy's girl. I have a job. I'm a netrunner."

  "Hehe... anyway. Wanna drink?" he offered.

  She looked at him suspiciously before slowly nodding. "Why not. What have I got to lose?"

  "Yes... but just coffee though,”.

  She looked annoyed, crossing her arms. "Just coffee...? Why not something stronger?"

  "Come on... you don't wanna get wasted too soon,"

  "Please, there's no way a single drink will get me wasted. That's absurd."

  Wanderer smirk behind his mask "Yeah... sure, whatever, something,"

  She rolled her eyes but nodded. "Fine then. One drink. Nothing more. Got it?"

  "Yep,"

  Aurore stood casually with her arms folded while he went to get the drinks. Her eyes scanned the casino over extravagant casino with almost blinding light and hovering strip dance, showing no sign of boredom. A flicker of excitement crossed her face when she saw the drinks. She quickly took a cup and took a sip before looking at him again.

  She scoffed again, taking another sip. "You could've given me a warning that it's hot, though, y'know."

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  Wanderer chuckles "...Hmhm. I'm sadistic, hehe,".

  She rolled her eyes, her expression shifting to a sassy look. "Of course you're a sadist. Typical. I mean, that explains why you only got me a single drink."

  "So... tell me your job,"

  "I told you already. I'm a netrunner. I go into the net to hack or infiltrate computer systems and networks. Though don't mistake me for a simple white hat hacker."

  "So... can you, like, change property owner IDs in the blink of an eye?"

  She gave him a smug look and nodded. "Of course I can. What do you take me for, a rookie? It's child's play for me."

  "Good... I want a big job... like changing a whole city's property IDs,"

  She scoffed, crossing her arms. "You want me to hack a city's entire identity? You've got to be kidding me. That's not just a big job, that's a monumental task. Do you realize the level of risk involved? Not to mention the difficulty?"

  "Yes... one million,"

  Aurore raised her eyebrows, giving him a serious look. "One million, you say? Now you're talking. But the risk is still significant. Why do you even need this anyway?"

  Wanderer chuckles "Hehe... don't worry. You'll get your own... bodyguard if you want... in the Badlands,"

  "Bodyguard in the Badlands? Sounds intriguing. Alright, I'm in. But I want one thing cleared up first: this won't turn out to be some setup, will it?"

  "I'm not a Popo,"

  She chuckled, a smirk appearing. "Well, I guess that's reassuring. But I'm still watching my back, so don't try any funny business."

  "Yeah... sure. But... you're not associated with any gang, are you?"

  She raised an eyebrow, slightly confused. "Why would I be? I'm not some common criminal. Sure, I'm connected to a 'gang' in a way, but I don't have any loyalty to them."

  "Good enough,"

  Aurore scoffed. "Good enough? Please, I'm more than just 'good enough.' I'm one of the best netrunners out there, remember?"

  "Alright. My good girl,"

  Aurore rolled her eyes. "Watch it. I'm no one's good girl, got it?"

  "Alright. Bad girl, hehe,"

  She smirked. "You better stop with the 'bad girl' comments. You're only feeding my ego."

  "Alright... anti-hero girl,"

  She scoffed, crossing her arms, a smug look on her face. "Anti-hero girl, huh? I like the sound of that. Sounds way cooler than 'good girl.'"

  "Alright, girl... just meet me in the Badlands... like tomorrow for details," he instructed.

  She raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Fine, I'll meet you in the Badlands tomorrow for the details. But remember, you have to uphold your end of the deal. Don't you dare try to pull a stunt on me."

  "Hehe. Do you think I'm kinda a prankster?"

  Aurore scoffed, a slight smirk forming. "Well, you certainly strike me as the type with a mischievous nature. Can't blame me for being wary."

  "Good... but I'm hot, aren't I?"

  She smirked. "As if you didn't know that already. Of course you're hot. Anyone with eyes can see that."

  "Good... I'm great too,"

  She chuckled, amused by his confidence. She looked him up and down. "Cocky as well, aren't you? But judging by your appearance, you already knew that."

  "Alright, woman..." He spanked her butt. "See you around."

  A gasp of surprise escaped her lips, her eyes widening slightly, but the smirk never left her face. She looked at him, amused. "See you around then, handsome."

  A day later, in a trailer in the desert, surrounded by gun trucks and armed cars, Aurore approached, a small smirk on her face. She raised an eyebrow at the sight of the heavy security, wondering about its necessity, but she wasn't worried. If anything, it heightened the adrenaline.

  "You come... ready for your first job?" wanderer asked.

  Her smirk widened, the adrenaline pumping, but she remained composed. "As if you had to ask. Of course I'm ready. I've been itching for a good gig for a while now."

  "So... do you know the gravity of the situation?"

  She crossed her arms, her smirk fading into a serious expression with a hint of confidence. "Judging by the security, it's safe to assume this is a pretty high-stakes job. I'm guessing stealing some important data, or something of the sort?"

  "We're going to mess up a lot of gangs' IDs. It'll make them reset their relationships to the corpos... so yeah... it's changing the whole city landscape,"

  Her eyes widened slightly. This wasn't a simple heist, but a major event. A sly smirk appeared as the adrenaline surged. "I see. I don't know whether I should be worried or excited. Changing the whole city's landscape, huh?"

  "So after we mess up, there's a chance they can locate us, right?"

  She nodded, her smirk fading, a slight worry appearing. "That's definitely a possibility. With a job of this magnitude, some gang won't be happy, especially since it'll result in a power shift. They'll want revenge, and they'll be searching. So yeah, the risk of them locating us is pretty high."

  "Good... so you ready?"

  She scoffed, her smirk returning, her confidence back. She nodded. "I wouldn't have come here if I wasn't ready. Let's get this started."

  "Good. Then do your thing. We'll guard like good security dogs,"

  She smirked, giving a playful salute. "You got it, boss. I'll make sure to be as badass as possible while getting the job done."

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, focusing. She was about to hack a whole city's property ID system—a near-impossible task, but one she felt capable of handling. After a moment, she opened her eyes, looking serious. "I'm going in. Keep an eye out for anything suspicious."

  "Good,"

  She nodded, closing her eyes again and beginning her work. In her mind, she was in the net, surrounded by data streams. Lines of glowing code scrolled past her vision, a chaotic torrent of data. She deftly manipulated a sequence, a digital key turning in a lock, and a firewall dissolved into shimmering pixels. The difficulty was clear, but Aurore was focused.

  wanderer watched her, witnessing a human become a computer for the first time. He contacted Oboro with his real-time psychic connection. Oboro was perched atop a decayed electric tower, a tall structure supporting overhead power lines. After an hour, Oboro spotted a group of cars moving toward the wanderer's position.

  "Alright boys... this is it... we must defend this area," the wanderer ordered his mercenaries, preparing an ambush. When the gang's sports cars passed the abandoned trailers, the mercenaries detonated their mines. The front cars were destroyed. As the remaining cars tried to turn back, another was destroyed, trapping them in the activated minefield. The gang members dismounted and dropped their weapons, knowing they had no chance.

  "Well that is quick..." the wanderer grinned. while observing the aftermath of the carnage

  Later, the wanderer, having successfully defended against the quickly repelled gang attack—their scattered assault and lack of cohesion making them vulnerable in the open terrain—returned to Aurore, who stood frozen in the net world. "Do you need a drink or something?" he asked.

  After what seemed like an eternity, her eyes snapped open, and she let out a deep sigh, beads of sweat glistening on her forehead. She felt mentally exhausted but satisfied. Hearing him speak snapped her out of her focus, and she turned to him. "A drink? Yes, please. Something strong. I'm going to need it after that."

  "Strong? Water is not enough?"

  She rolled her eyes, annoyed. "Water? Seriously? I just hacked into a whole city's property ID system. Do you think a bottle of water is going to satisfy me?"

  "Umm... I just don't know what you need," he mumbled.

  She rolled her eyes again, even more annoyed. "Just get me something to drink, preferably something stronger than water. Alcohol, a cocktail, anything that can help me ease the mental exhaustion. And don't even think about bringing me a soda or something."

  "...Really? Doesn't that make you dizzy?"

  She scoffed, her patience wearing thin. "Yes, really. Do you think I care about getting a little dizzy right now? I just hacked into a whole city's property ID system. I think I can handle a bit of alcohol."

  "Okay, okay. Whatever." He quickly retrieved a bottle of whiskey from the gang's failed attack.

  She took the bottle, a smirk appearing. "Good choice. This will definitely help me unwind." She opened the bottle and took a large gulp. "You really know how to pick your bottles."

  "Anyway... how much percent you made?"

  She took another gulp and smirked. "About 99%. I'd say I did a pretty damn good job, huh? The system's ID properties are now completely changed."

  "Really? So... what is the 1%?" wanderer raise his eyebrow.

  She took another swig. "The 1% is just checking to make sure there are no system errors or anything that can affect the IDs once they've been changed. Just a precaution. Gotta be thorough and all that."

  "Good,"

  She took another sip, raising an eyebrow. "So, now it's just a matter of waiting for the system to process the new IDs. Once that's done, it'll be like the old ones never even existed. And the gangs will have no idea what hit them."

  "Interesting... so you remain anonymous despite being compromised?"

  She raised an eyebrow, amused. "What do you take me for, an amateur? Of course, I remain anonymous. I covered my tracks the moment I entered the system. No way anyone's going to find out it was me who did this, unless you ratted on me, of course."

  "Well... your kind is great. But I wonder why still... kinda poor, hehe,".

  She raised an eyebrow, "Are you trying to be witty right now? Well, hate to break it to you, but it's not as simple as just being 'kind' that makes me good at what I do. It's skills, experience, and a whole lot more. And as for 'poor,' well, let's just say I value my independence more than having a fat paycheck."

  "Mhmh... perhaps the system who keep you stuck in here... if you in outside of this... land. you are real phenomenon,"

  She chuckled, taking another swig. "Phenomenon, huh? You give me too much credit. Sure, my skills are pretty good, but I'm not some genius hacker. There are plenty of others out there who are just as good, if not better than me."