'Caligo?' Dante raised an eyebrow.
[The tone of the conversation suggests that they are this individual's superior.] Volcan said. [He was ordered to keep an eye on Ms. Eisenberg. Apparently, she has been going around asking about some product.]
'Go figures…'
Dante had pretty much deduced the reason she came to Factory Town. It still didn't make sense, considering that such a task was better suited to those working in the background and not a public face like her. That tickled Dante's curiosity, making him drop the thought of breaking his promise and running away.
[Dante, the suspicious individual has asked for help in monitoring you.] Volcan said. [He has been informed that someone is on the way.]
Coming out of the alleyway's other end, Dante looked left and right before crossing the road and heading to another alleyway. As he walked, he opened his contracts and sent a message to Victor.
[
Dante: Things got complicated.
Do you have anything on Caligo?
]
He didn't have to wait long for a reply.
[
Victor: What kinda mess did you get into this time?
Caligo is the name of a gang. It's also what the core members use to refer to themselves.
Don't tell me you stepped on their shoes.
Dante: No.
Not yet, anyway.
]
For a moment, Dante considered telling the broker about Flare. He decided against it, however, not wanting to give him a heart attack.
[
Dante: By the way, you can go ahead and drop that gig.
Jason is no longer within our reach.
Victor: What now?
Dante: You'll hear the details when I get back.
]
Just when he was about to close the messenger app, another text appeared.
[
Victor: Stay safe, kid. Don't take risks.
]
Dante didn't bother replying. As much as he wanted to avoid situations where he would have to take risks, the choice wasn't always in his hands.
Arriving at another street, he caught sight of a group of street rats loitering in front of a closed garage. They glanced his way then pretended to mind their business, something their kind is incapable of doing when an outsider enters their neighborhood.
'How is Ms. Hero doing?'
[She is still advancing toward the train station.] Volcan said. [At this pace, she will arrive there in about twenty minutes.]
'And her stalker?'
[He's still on her tail.]
'I'm guessing he doesn't know anything about her true identity, since you didn't mention it.'
[Yes. There is no mention of Ms. Eisenberg's relation to the Bureau of Enhanced Operations. They suspect she has a connection to law enforcement, however.]
Without the knowledge of her true identity, it was easy to mistake Liliana for just another rich brat not knowing how the world works. Miraculously, she hadn't been exposed so far. You'd think she'd have been mugged by now, but it seems Factory Town was much safer than one might expect.
'She did beat those three this morning.' He thought. 'You would think word of that got out already…'
[Dante, the group you passed earlier has split up and is following you through different routes.]
'Uhuh…'
After walking three blocks, Dante decided it was time to make his way to the station. He had achieved his goal of confirming whether the first guy was following after the girl, though now he had his own stalkers to worry about.
Just as he turned another corner, he was met by another group of thugs. This one didn't bother hiding its hostility, pulling up in motorcycles and blocking the road.
Red lines washed over them from top to bottom, and a second later Volcan spoke.
[Five hostile entities detected.
Threat valuation: Level 1
Dante, most of them have simple enhancements on their hands and legs. Individually they are still at Level 0, but together they are capable of dealing more damage.]
Dante's brows came together in a frown. He looked around for another path only to find the alleyways blocked by none other than the three street rats he passed earlier.
'Of course they did…' He sighed.
"Hey, haven't seen you around before!" One of the bikers yelled. It was easy to tell he was the leader by how flashy his ride was compared to the others. "What's an outsider like you doing here?"
Hearing the same old question, Dante came to a halt a couple of meters away.
"Looking for someone." He said. "Gambler who owes my client some money."
The biker turned to look at his comrades. They whispered something among themselves before the leader spoke again.
"So? Did you find the bastard?"
"Tracked him to that Den place. He didn't make it out."
"Then what the hell are you still doing here?"
"Trying to lose some chick. Bitch won't leave me alone since this morning."
[Would you like me to overheat their NIMs?] Volcan asked.
'Let's see if we can end this peacefully first…'
The thugs kept staring at him in silence, trying to look intimidating. It was easy to tell they were waiting for orders, otherwise they would have attacked him by now.
"Alright," The leader reached into his pocket and took out a card with a QR code. "Just pay your tax and get going."
Dante pretended to sigh in relief and stepped toward him.
"How much?"
"Fifty."
"... Guess I won't be eating tonight."
Scanning the code, Dante transferred the amount while looking devastated. Surprisingly, the bikers took off shortly after.
[They are much more organized than they seem.] Volcan said. [I expected them to demand more.]
'Fifty is already too much. They probably don't take that much from the locals.'
Every problem in the world could be solved with one of two solutions; money or violence. The more one has of the former, the less likely they would need the latter, though both come hand in hand. The less one has of both, the more difficult life will get.
Dante looked at his balance and sighed. He was broke with every meaning of the word, and with his latest job being a failure, his goal of getting some new bionics was pushed farther away than before.