Gaston got off the plane. He carried only his MF-weapon while his previous gear had been packaged and delivered to his temporary employer.

The sunlight bouncing on the pavement made Gaston groan. He tapped his earpiece and then called the man who should be picking him up.

“Mr. Falsal. I’ve landed. Where should I go?”

“I shall be picking you up, Mr. Hardy. I will be outside the airport.”

Gaston cutoff the call. He moved to the entrance of the airport and waited for Mr. Falsal. Arabia hasn’t changed much. It was still a city surrounded by sand. There are changes such as the renovated water drainage system and the zigzagging waterways.

There was a heated smell of sand. The skyscrapers shone under the light of the sky. Hovering around these skyscrapers were aerial vehicles following a digital pathway accessible through augmented reality lenses.

A sedan car approached with a man whose face he had been in contact with after he got out of Taiwan. Mr. Salman Falsal was the representative working for Lionel. He was a well-dressed Arabian with a well-trimmed beard. Combed hair, and a luxurious suit that fitted his overall look.

He got out of his car and approached Gaston. “Ah, you are a recognizable man, Mr. Hardy. It is a pleasure to finally look at you through my eyeballs.”

“A pleasure,” Gaston shook his hand and followed him in the car where he rode shotgun.

“I say that it is not everyday that the Consortium pushes for another third-party.”

“It happens all the time. My brother spoke highly of you, Mr. Hardy. A frequent visitor to this city.”

“I’m not staying that long. We aren’t. How’s the air here? After that mess in Japan there might have been shockwaves.”

“Managing. But there are tensions among the Princes on what the next course of action is. Oil is still a thriving business and we keep our drilling rigs pumping black gold if the ichor runs out. And sand is a thriving business as always.”

“Sand,” Gaston snorted, “I guess the demand for it is still high all over the world.”

“It is, surprisingly, far more in-demand than ever. Who knew that the very substance used in the construction of roads, bridges, and even land restoration is sought out after the end of the world?”

The car traveled on the streets of Riyadh. The place remained one of the financial hubs of the world. It was a busy city thriving despite the way the world tried to end it. The buildings were interconnected to form this streamlined design that allows the buildings to endure whatever the world can throw at it. It was minimalistic and practical. Still, the beauty and the look of the city did not diminish despite it.

Gaston sunk his back on the seat. “How long have you been working for Lionel?”

“Four years now. A good employer. He allows me to take control of his businesses here and I have no complaints. You work for the Lady of Romanov. So you understand that these ones have been generous.”

“They are if you work for them full-time. I think you know how little the UEDF and the Consortium pays for those who prefer to earn peacefully.”

“Indeed, an employee who can protect himself and slay biomass entities is highly valuable to any employer. I will not lie. I have your profile and have done my research on you. You have a lot of redacted files, Mr. Hardy.”

“That’s what you get working for the UEDF. Sometimes you get dragged somewhere.”

“It’s not even a secret, eh?”

It was not surprising. Some of Gaston’s files weren’t that much of a secret to those who pay well. There are files that are buried and are hidden. Nonetheless, it was quite easy to acquire them because it acted as a reference for Gaston when he was in need of clients and employment.

The sedan moved through the wide streets before arriving at one of the hotels. Even before entering the hotel the security checked him. Gaston looked outside. He spotted drones emitting disruption rays that were seeping in.

“They must be wary of breakers here.”

“Breakers are limited here, Mr. Hardy. They do not sit right with the authorities. You know some of them are… troublesome.”

“Well, that’s what happens when you give people the ability to resist bullets. There is always someone who gets cocky.”

“True. True. Ah, let me give you a keycard for your room. The service in this place is the best.”

“Hmm, is this a state-owned hotel?”

“It is. Most of our guests stay here now. You have to realize that this is also the most well defended place in the city.”

Gaston shot a look at the turrets that were hidden cleverly in the blind spots of the hotel. Falsal parked the car on the side. A valet approached, asked if they wanted to park. Falsal raised a hand silently.

“Not going in?”

Gaston asked. Falsal shrugged his shoulders.

“Unfortunately, I have many things that need to be taken care of. You are familiar with this business, so I’m sure that you would find the way.”

“Thanks for the ride, Falsal.”

“It’s not a problem, Mr. Hardy. Have a good day and welcome back to this city.”

Gaston grunted inside. Personally, he’d rather not be in this city. He recalled the day where the rains came and wetted the desert. The day where biomass entities roamed the flooded streets and he had to make sure that his client would be kept safe.

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“So much for being a freelancer.”

He was pretty much working for the UEDF no matter how he spin it inside his head that he was not. From the start, they already have contracted him to do their work. It was only the consortium, and the UEDF that hired him for work.

Gaston went in. The receptionist spoke fluently. Gaston took out his keycard and asked the receptionist to inform Lionel about his arrival.

After arranging the necessary courtesy. Gaston went up and used the elevator and went straight to the penthouse. Arriving in the penthouse he was welcomed by a tall and fair-skinned middle aged man with gray hair and perpetual stubble that he groomed.

“Lemmy, still working with Lionel?”

“Oh, no wonder that someone was that cocky to have that kind of courtesy. Not licking Lionel's shoes.”

Lemmy was a tall man that towered Gaston. Standing 6’5” tall. Lemmy looked around before pointing his thumb at the entrance of the penthouse surrounded by Lionel’s crew.

“Yo, it’s Gaston.”

“Oh shit, you finally accepted to be killed?”

The first man to speak was Damir. The other guy was Casimir who had wrapped a scarf around his neck. Next to the two was a fairly tall woman with charcoal hair. She sized up Gaston before nodding quietly.

The other guy near a potted plant tapped his shoes. He eyed Gaston before nodding at him.

“Talgat, you good man?”

“I am. Lionel found a way to make you work for him?”

“He did. Unofficially and unfortunately I have to join you guys for now to facilitate a problem. By the way, where is Ferdinand? Is Willis out?”

“Will got shot in the shoulder last month. Ferdinand’s watching the cruiser,” Damir said. “Heard you are working for the Babaika Lions. How’s things with Janna by the way?”

“Pretty good. We are handling ourselves well.”

Bruna shot him a look, “She's still playing around with that bitch?”

“Hild? Yeah, they are frenemies you know? I really just wish that they’d leave me out of it.”

“Shouldn’t talk about Janna, Damir. Last time you opened your mouth when she was around. We almost have to bury you prematurely.”

Damir shivered. The memory of Janna beating him was still probably fresh in Damir’s mind. Janna was the type to be soft and less hostile when it comes to family and close friends. But when it comes to people that aren't. She was a tide of aggression. There were only a few who could contain her passion.

“I hope you are not broken, Damir.”

“Quite tough. Besides, I have apologized and shouldn’t be in trouble with her now, no?”

“Hopefully.”

“What does that mean?”

Lemmy stood next to Gaston. “Alright, since you already got your meet and greet. Then, how about you meet the boss?”

“Alright. See ya later, fools.”

Gaston followed Lemmy inside the cordoned office. Taking a step inside, he saw the pale man with baggy eyes typing listlessly on the keyboard of his laptop. Next to him was his secretary. A black-haired half-blooded women dressed professionally.

“Yo,” Gaston called. “Still whipping him Linda?”

“How else can Lionel do his work?”

Lionel stares at Gaston. He made a goofy smile.

“Ah, how fate works, it is so strange, Gaston!”

He stood up too energetically.

“Finally, I’ll have the pleasure to work with you again.”

“Lionel Hasburg, Sir.”

Lionel chuckled. “Linda, have you thought about this? Maybe I can bully him?”

“No, I won’t allow you. Don’t listen to him, Hardy. He’s been acting crazier because of the pressure.”

Gaston thought back how Linda acted first before becoming Lionel’s secretary. The polite lady knew once, who after a few years working for this blockhead had become fierce.

Gaston impolitely sat down. Lionel Hasburg was an eccentric who had many interests. It also helped that his name carried a lot of reputation as a dealer. Being associated with the owner of the Babaika Lions made him quite famous among companies who wanted to make a deal with him.

“So, business then? You are here because I have purchased items, wasn’t it not? And now this Mortimer fellow is after me because of said items.”

He smiled. It was an evil one that loved the situation he was in. This man if he wasn’t a businessman would be a daredevil and an adrenaline junkie. Well, Lionel was an adrenaline junkie until he got bored of it. He does still do them, but not like right now where he thrived under great pressure from his profession.

“Yes, ah, no wonder. You have faced the cult in Neo-Tokyo, Gaston. So I ask you. What do you think of them?”

“Smart and efficient. They have their own goals and are not afraid of taking on a country for it. Their technology is advanced and if studied would bring changes to logistics. Especially that warping device of theirs that can be easily installed without the use of a complicated ichorium-based engine. I admire their efficient way of doing what they want and making their goals happen. But, their goals, visions, and their mission are something that no one other than those who have experienced the in-between of the split-realm would understand.”

“So you are sympathetic?”

Lionel studied him. Gaston glared.

“Don’t mistake my understanding of them as sympathy. I understand why they would go this far to achieve their goal. But sympathy isn’t one of them.”

“That’s good then! Bah, how can anyone live in that biomass-filled world, eh? Anyway,” he raised a hand, “the items that Mortimer wanted and the artifacts that I still have. Linda, show Gaston why he is here. The real reason.”

Linda sighed. She took out a briefcase and then opened it. Inside the briefcase there was a schematic. If it was any normal schematic, Gaston wouldn’t be bothered. However, scanning the schematic, Gaston could only groan tiredly.

“Seriously? How?”

“He slept with a girl.”

“Bullshit.”

Linda snorted, “Unfortunately, this man’s luck is extraordinary.”

“Hey now, you two are are jealous, right?”

Linda rolled her eyes. She closed the briefcase.

It was a staff that one of the cultists worked on. But it was not the staff that was important. It was the method detailed on the schematic on how to disassemble the item without triggering the failsafe on it.

It was a method to gather any cultist-based. It might not work on every item that the tech-cult made. But it could be the first step on knowing how these items are made.

If anyone could get their hands on this schematic. They would be the most sought out person in the world and also the number one bastard that the cult would love to kill.

In other words he was a headache-inducing bastard that was carrying a problem bigger than Gaston hoped he would. At the same time, he now understood why the Consortium wanted him to work with Lionel in his business with Mortimer. He was holding something that could rattle a few nations.