Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System
Chapter 196: Fresh Blood.

Chapter 196: Fresh Blood.

Dante didn’t hold back and let smugness ooze from his smirk. Seeing Ghost Mode for the first time caused the others to crash. Even Rose had to straighten, lifting her head off his shoulder and brushing her hair aside so she could look at the projection with both eyes.

"Erasing the presence of certain individuals is possible. " Finn said. "However, that is only limited to the security footage and other aspects of the hotel’s security system. Since Blue Ember employs a large number of staff and security personnel, you would still be at risk of being discovered."

"No... " Closing his eyes, Mr. Pike shook his head. "It is still incredible..."

"I can’t believe this." Kirk was still in shock. "I thought only a few... Wait, did you say you can do the same for other parts of the security system?"

"Y-yes!" Finn answered.

"The heat sensors?"

"Yes."

"Motion sensors, too?"

"I mean, it’s an integral part of the security cameras, so..."

"What about sound and vibration?"

A hint of frustration made its way to the boy’s expression.

"All of it. As long as it’s managed directly by Ember, I can block and erase any information captured by the various types of sensors scattered around the entire building."

"That’s... insane..."

There was no better way to describe it. Dante had always known that Ghost Mode was one of the most powerful tools in his arsenal, and because of that, he was sure the others would lose their minds about getting the chance to make use of it.

Very few Divers were capable of achieving something on that level, and most of the time, it’s limited to the visual aspect of a security system, and sometimes the motion sensors. Having a perfect cloaking was almost unheard of, and getting to enjoy it was bound to remove a lot of obstacles during the heist.

Standing from his chair, Mr. Pike walked over to Finn then motioned for the door.

"Mr. Ward, could you please wait downstairs for some time? We would like to discuss a few things before deciding whether to request your services or not."

Tension returned to the boy, and he turned to look at Dante, eyes full of concern. Keeping his expression neutral, Dante composed a quick message and sent it to him.

[Dante: Don’t worry. Leave the rest to me.]

Not saying anything in response, Finn grasped the strap of his gym bag and walked to the door with hasty steps. He made sure to wear a frown that showed his displeasure about being dismissed like a kid while the adults were having a private talk, though it was unclear whether he was truly upset or not.

The lights came on once the door closed, and Mr. Pike turned to Viktor.

"Viktor, my friend, if you had such a talent working under you, why not put him to use much earlier?"

Viktor continued to stare at the projection in silence. After a while, he closed his eyes and exhaled.

"What are you saying, Mr. Pike. Did you forget what happened to Greg?" He paused for a few seconds. "I only met him the other day. This is the first time I’m hearing of the true extent of his abilities."

"Fresh blood?" Kirk raised an eyebrow. "That’s hard to believe."

"Well, he isn’t exactly fresh," Dante said. "He was with the Daggers for years. I’m sure you can imagine the rest."

After some probing, Dante was finally able to pry some secrets out of the boy, including why he wants to kill Jaguar. That was a story for Finn to tell, however, so he elected to leave the details out.

"The Daggers..." Rose grew pale, the sudden change prompting her to hold her hand to her mouth. "I knew they’re sick bastards, but to do this to a child..."

"He has a lot to offer, that’s for sure." Folding his arms, Kirk went back to leaning on the wall. "The question is whether we can trust him or not."

"You are the one who introduced him." Viktor turned to Dante. "Can you truly vouch for him?"

"Of course," Dante said. "I wouldn’t have brought him here otherwise."

Of course he would vouch for him. Volcan was the one doing most of the job, after all. There is no need to worry about the brat screwing up when it really matters, though Dante was still concerned that he might once again rush to complete his revenge.

[And now that he knows how to use Ghost Mode, locating him is going to be much more difficult.] Said Volcan.

’For a genius Diver, he sure does a lot of stupid things.’

"That settles it, then." Said Viktor. "The boy will take Greg’s place, and he’ll get his cut as well."

"Isn’t twenty mil a little too much?" Dante said. "He’s still a kid, you know..."

"I’ll create a trust fund for it, and future payments as well. He’ll get to access them once he’s of age."

"Huh... That’s a pretty good idea."

Dante lied as easily as he breathed, but on the inside, he was already panicking. The plan was for him to get a big cut from the boy’s pay, since his resident AI was going to be doing most of the work. Sadly, it seems that the fixer had caught on to it and decided to make sure he doesn’t get a bonus.

"I think we need to slow down and reconsider." Said Rose. "This is a child we’re talking about. Are you sure you want to involve him in something so dangerous when our last Diver was recently murdered?"

Gone was her soft, playful tone. She had already let go of Dante’s arm and was glaring at the fixer, her expression a mix of anger and disapproval. In the few times they have met, this was his first time seeing her get serious. Looking at her from the side, Dante felt a shiver roll over his body.

"There is danger, sure, but I believe it’s not as significant." Said Viktor. "The boy has already infiltrated Blue Ember’s central processor and has its AI under his control. You could say he has already done most of what is expected of his role, and since he’s able to do the rest remotely, his safety can be ensured."