—We’ve explored many places. Could you be more specific about what you’re looking for, Your Excellency?

Eckhart lifted his head slightly to look at me for a few seconds before turning back to stroke his granddaughter’s hair.

—I can see in your eyes that you believe I have nothing to offer you.

—I know you have nothing to offer me —I replied bluntly—. Anything you give me will come with a price tag marking me as yours. And if there’s one thing I value above all else, it’s freedom.

The old man let out a short laugh.

—Interesting concept, boy. No one in this city is truly free. Even I have chains that keep me in place. And yet, you come here and dare to tell me you want more than what I have.

He laughed again, this time in a slow, measured way, as if he found genuine amusement in my words. Then, he returned his attention to Summer, flipping a page of the book they were looking at together.

—I like your attitude, boy. Or, to be more transparent, I like that this attitude of yours has given your old man plenty of trouble.

—That’s me, your humble troublemaker. —I gave a half-bow.

—Let’s get back to business. Tell me, do you believe you have something valuable?

I took a moment before answering.

I had started to notice a certain honesty in the way the old man spoke. Whether it was real or not remained to be seen, but I decided to move forward with that in mind.

—I can’t say for sure that it’s truly valuable, but I think it’s worth investigating.

—And do you think you could fully exploit it on your own?

—Probably not.

Eckhart nodded slowly, as if he had expected that answer.

—For the competition, it is imperative that each family explores ruins with small, pre-approved groups. They cannot send their elite forces, the number of internal soldiers is limited, and instead, they are rewarded for using external forces—provided they are led by someone from the respective family.

He paused briefly before continuing.

—The discoveries made will be scored, but so will the abilities demonstrated by each family’s members. In the end, the winner will be rewarded. That is why I am looking for something weighty enough to stand out, but not an insurmountable challenge for my young ones.

I see.

A HYDRA facility clearly met his requirements. However, I wasn’t willing to part with that base so easily. There could be something useful for me there, something money couldn’t buy.

—If that’s the case, I believe what I have is exactly what you’re looking for. Though I’m not so sure about the last part… There was a particularly nasty construct in the final section.

At that moment, Summer lifted her head from the book she had been flipping through with her grandfather.

—I remember. The Great Lumberjack. That construct was very polite. It protected my synapses… though maybe it only did so because it realized it could erase them.

Her tone was casual, as if she were talking about the weather.

Eckhart stopped stroking her hair and looked at her intently.

I, on the other hand, couldn’t help but wonder what the hell she had just said.

...

...

...

"What!?"

—Oh? What are you talking about, my dear? —Eckhart asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

—While I was asleep, someone connected me to the central system. I don’t know what they were trying to do because they left me almost immediately and did nothing else. That is, until another group arrived and tried to use me to break the security lock. As soon as I did, they forcibly disconnected me.

"What is she talking about? We were the ones who forcibly disconnected her."

—We were the ones who disconnected you —I said, trying to make sense of her words—. But we never tried to use you to break any security lock.

—I'm sure it was one of the four people from your group who entered.

I frowned.

—Summer, only three of us went in to rescue you: Me, Kan, and Mele… I mean, Yalen.

—I was connected to the system at the time, and I clearly remember the report stating there were four intruders in the room.

A chill ran down my spine.

I didn’t understand. I couldn’t understand. There were three of us. No one else. We made sure no one followed us, and until the very end, we never noticed another presence...

Wait.

Kan.

Kan noticed something.

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"Could it be that there really was someone else?"

Damn it.

If there was a fourth person, then that could be the reason why everything went to hell. That would explain why everything kept getting worse as we progressed.

Someone had screwed us over.

I realized I was clenching my fists tightly when Eckhart’s voice broke through my thoughts.

—Judging by how tightly you're clenching your fists, I take it that fourth person played you. Hazards of the trade, boy. Everything in this city is coveted by someone else. It’s a simple zero-sum game.

—A lot of people died because of that game —I growled through gritted teeth.

—And many more will die. The only way to prevent it is to become stronger and punish those who dare to covet what you have... or what you pursue.

Eckhart’s half-smile had a macabre undertone, but I couldn’t ignore the truth in his words.

I needed strength.

Strength to protect myself.

Strength to protect those I cared about.

Strength to find the bastard who played us and make them pay dearly.

Strength to never again let this damn city walk all over me.

—Your Excellency, let’s drop the games. I have something very valuable. I’m sure a large part of the facility remains unexplored. However, I can’t vouch for its difficulty, since my only objective was to get to your granddaughter and get her out.

—So you’ve made up your mind, huh? Alright, boy, how much are you going to charge me?

—It’s not money I’m after.

—Oh? Then what is it that you want?

I remained silent. I simply looked him in the eye and held his gaze.

That forced Eckhart to turn his attention back to me.

—Tell me something, boy... Is it true that you have a state-of-the-art implant from your family?

It didn’t sound like a question. Even so, I nodded.

—And is it true that during your time in the military, you rejected all the implants they offered you?

I nodded again.

—Why?

—Because they were permanent —I replied.

—And low quality —he added with a sly smile—. You rejected them because they weren’t cutting-edge like yours and because they wouldn’t allow you to reach your full potential.

Eckhart leaned back in his chair, gazing at the ceiling with a thoughtful air.

—You seek the best. That’s why you refused to accept implants you couldn’t remove.

He shot a furtive glance at Chitosane and asked:

—What do you think, my good friend?

—I think the kid is crazy. He could have easily died from a lack of combat power.

—Indeed —Eckhart nodded—. There are several reports on the Neuvak envoy indicating how close he came to death time and time again… and yet, here you are, completing missions without any additional implants. You’re really made of something different.

The old man sank into brief contemplation. For a moment, his eyes glowed faintly. He was communicating with Summer. Then, he spoke again.

—Very well. If that’s the case, I offer you state-of-the-art.

I straightened in my seat.

—You mean…?

—Of course not, boy. My family would hang me if I offered a Neuvak our most advanced implants.

—Then… what are we talking about?

Eckhart smiled calmly.

—I have someone who owes me a favor. A very special one. One that, in theory, I should use for my grandchildren… but I know it would be wasted on those little rabbits.

I didn’t particularly like that last comment.

—What is it, Your Excellency?

—Next-generation Axolotl-class genetic modification.

Shit.

I had no idea what he was talking about, but it sounded promising.

I shot a glance at Chitosane, looking for some clue.

That’s when I noticed how his jaw had hit the floor, drilling a hole that probably went straight through the Earth's circumference.

—Is it good? —I asked the old man, still trying to gauge the situation.

—Good? Boy, there’s nothing better than that. There’s only one current producer of that type of modification, and it’s not even on the market. It’s a military-grade contractor. According to technical reports —Chitosane answered, speaking so fast I could barely keep up—, that genetic enhancement completely eliminates the most common issue with enhanced skeletons: progressive poisoning. You wouldn’t need supplements. Plus, it allows for normal development, meaning you could even…

He stopped for a second, as if processing what he had just said.

—You could even grow a few centimeters taller.

I blinked.

—Wait, wait a second… What do you mean I could grow?

—With the right process and the proper facilities, along with the material your skeleton is made of, you could stimulate growth to match natural development. You’d need a genetic study, but I believe you could gain at least five centimeters.

Strange. One of the things they told me when they installed my skeleton was that I wouldn’t grow anymore. The skeletal network update, once installed, was too difficult and dangerous for the minimal gain it provided.

—As you can see, boy, I’m giving you something of equivalent value. With this genetic enhancement, your body will finally be able to heal all the physical wounds you’ve accumulated so far… organically. Mental wounds, however, are another matter.

It sounded good.

Who am I kidding?

It sounded like a virgin orgy. Like a goddamn dog with two tails. Like your woman telling you she was pregnant… and the next day, she gets her period. Simply purrfect.

—Well, boy?

Eckhart was starting to grow impatient with my silence.

And just before answering, Melena’s image crossed my mind. I had promised that we would explore it at a later date, convinced him that we could go another time.

I won’t even bother apologizing. It would be unnecessary. I know I would do it again if given the chance.

—I accept.

—Good, boy. Any other pending business?

—Yes. There were unexpected expenses during the execution of your mission.

—I remember allocating ample funds for it, in addition to the payment you still have pending.

—Even so, it didn’t cover everything. I had to use one of these.

I pulled out one of my special bullets along with my revolver’s magnetic magazine. I only had four left. Using one was a huge loss—one I’d like to recover if possible.

—It’s complex, but not impossible. Fine. Based on your exceptional performance and my granddaughter’s evaluation, I will add this to your reward: an additional magnetic magazine along with a set of six bullets. Does this settle all debts and conclude our business?

It didn’t sound like a question, but I nodded anyway.

The old man made a gesture in the air, and a butler left the room. It didn’t take more than fifteen minutes for him to return with what had been promised.

I couldn’t help but wonder how the hell they had something like that in stock. These were military-grade supplies. Supposedly, only the central army could process this kind of shit.

Regardless, I handed over all the relevant information and data I had acquired.

I was about to leave when, to my surprise, Summer gave me a parting gift: the electronic signature of the fourth subject.

That bastard will pay dearly when I find him.

Unfortunately, it was just the signature. I couldn’t track him with this. It would only be useful if we both connected to the same electronic device at the same time, and with my current setup, my computing skills were practically nonexistent.

So, for now, this lead would have to stay on hold.

—Thank you very much for everything, Gröder.

—No need. I have been rewarded. Always remember what we talked about and never stop fighting.

I raised my fist.

Summer stared at it for a moment before clenching her own. I saw determination shine in her eyes before, with a small battle cry, she exclaimed:

—Fight until they fear me!

And she slammed her fist against mine.

The problem? I have a metal skeleton.

The pain on her face was immediate.

The whole room burst into laughter as she groaned in frustration. Furious, she stomped out. It was beautiful to finally see her acting like a child.

—Mr. Kailen, I will stay to discuss other matters with Mr. Eckhart-dono, so you may return alone. Your motorcycle has been brought here, and your payment will be delivered to your residence within the next 48 hours. Thank you for doing business with me. Do not hesitate to return.

And with that, I had finally wrapped up my business with Chitosane.

At last, I would receive my well-deserved reward.

At last, I could pay my long-overdue rent…

… My rent.

THE DAMN RENT!

I had been away for months.

Oh, shit.

I really hope that damn witch hasn’t sold my stuff.