KK had come to negotiate—but also to make a statement. Some people didn't understand the difference. And that's why she was dead. "Karl…" No
KK had come to negotiate—but also to make a statement.
Some people didn't understand the difference. And that's why she was dead.
"Karl…"
Noticing the woman beside him collapse, Hansen's eyes instantly turned dangerous. "You kill someone in front of me?"
As Hansen spoke and the Militech representative's body fell forward, landing with a heavy thud on the glass table, the guards surrounding him—the elite Phantom Dogs—snapped out of their daze.
Someone had dared to kill in Hansen's presence. What came next didn't need to be said.
Four Phantom Dog guards stood behind Hansen's couch. Each of them was equipped with Sandevistan and Kerenzikov augmentations—elite-level gear that made them lightning-fast in emergencies.
They were fast. Just not fast enough.
The moment the four moved, intending to subdue the Arasaka team no matter what, three new figures appeared at their sides.
"Easy now, friends of the Phantom Dogs," Jack said, resting his hands on the shoulders of two of the guards. Thanks to his berserker-type cyberware, just that gesture was enough to lock their bodies down. V and Oliver each took down one of the others.
In a blink—barely a second—Hansen's elite guards were completely subdued by Karl's crew.
Only then did the sound of rushing motion reach Kenichi Hoya's ears, transmitted through his auditory implants.
"This…"
Kenichi blinked.
It had all happened too fast. From the moment Karl struck to the moment Jack and the others neutralized the guards—it had barely been two seconds.
He was still processing the death of the Militech rep when Karl's team had already handled Hansen's security.
Too much, too fast.
He had been thinking about what price Arasaka should offer to outbid Militech. But before he could make a move, Karl had solved the problem for him. Now, instead of trying to respond, he was watching Karl already handle the consequences: neutralizing Hansen's guards.
Negotiation? Forget it.
Kenichi remembered what his uncle had once told him—"When dealing with those people, ignore their unpredictable ways. Your rational mind won't be able to understand them."
Ignore it, huh?
Fine. Ignore it.
Kenichi came to a conclusion:
Let Karl handle it. However he wants.
After all this, what else could he do?
While Kenichi processed everything in silence, Karl and Hansen didn't move. Neither flinched—Karl as his allies subdued the guards, Hansen as his own men were restrained.
Time passed.
As the Militech rep's lifeforce slowly faded, Karl finally responded to the question Hansen had asked moments earlier.
"I killed someone in front of you?"
Karl echoed the words as if genuinely puzzled. He casually flicked his wrist, retrieving the small knife that had pierced the woman's neck.
"You say the strangest things, Mr. Hansen."
He twirled the blade—completely clean, not a drop of blood on it.
"I just took care of a rat. A squeaky little rodent making noise during a business conversation. You know how uncomfortable that can be."
"A rat?"
Hansen's gaze shifted slightly to the lifeless Militech body beside him. And now, he was in a truly awkward position.
His plan had been solid: exploit the Arasaka-Militech rivalry, pit them against each other, and sit comfortably while the bids came in.
But now, with Militech's representative dead, the situation had become far more complicated.
With one party gone, Hansen was left with only three options:
Pause negotiations and wait for a replacement Militech rep—impossible. Arasaka would never accept such humiliation.
Make the deal with Arasaka immediately—but doing so after Militech's death would appear biased, drawing suspicion and hostility from both Militech and other corps.
Kill the Arasaka reps to appease Militech—again, not only difficult, but it would just flip the issue around.
And Hansen knew it.
His mind was racing, trying to find a path that preserved his neutrality—his most important asset.
Dogtown was his private kingdom. He didn't want to go crawling back to a megacorp after enjoying life as a king. But Karl's move had shattered his balance. He hadn't anticipated a negotiation where the rep would simply stab the competition.
Sure, assassinations were common—but usually before the meeting, or away from the table. Not like this. Not face-to-face, right in the room.
He needed to act fast.
What to do?
Karl clearly didn't plan to attack further. His team only restrained the guards—they hadn't killed anyone else. He still wanted the deal. But how was Hansen supposed to proceed?
Aside from caving to Arasaka, what option was left?
Wait.
Karl. Arasaka.
Hansen, ever the cunning warlord who built Dogtown from the ground up, suddenly realized something crucial—something easily overlooked until now.
Karl was just a hired negotiator.
Not a full-time Arasaka officer.
Officially, the person handling the deal was Kenichi Hoya—that's why Militech's rep had addressed him directly.
So what did that mean?
It meant Karl… could be Hansen.
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