Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System-Chapter 543: Bad Luck.

"Now that’s some good news," Krueger said, his skull tattoo distorting as he grinned. "I can get some of the next batch, right?"

"What need do you have for that?" Harry asked.

"Insurance. Wouldn’t hurt to have one more card up my sleeve."

"I don’t know about that." All eyes turned to Michael, who winced from the sudden attention. "I have seen the test results, and I agree that they show promise, but..." He shifted his gaze to the boss. "The results are random, and the side effects are too much. If we lost a pawn every time a pill is swallowed, is there any real benefit to the drug?"

"That’s why we’re keeping it as a last resort," Jason said. "Only those who’re in a life or death situation will take the pill, and if they survive, they get to take it again."

"I remember hearing that you have used it yourself," Michael said.

"I have been one of the lucky few," Jason replied.

"So? You aren’t going to say anything about the kind of power you got?"

"I would rather not."

Silence hung in the air, and after a while, Fisher sighed.

"The randomness of the gained power is indeed a problem, but it is worth the risk. Even if only one of every ten obtains a useful ability, it will be worth the sacrifice."

"And it’s not as if the failures will be worthless," Jason said. "They can still achieve the objective that forced them to take the drug within the time limit, so long as their psyche is still intact.

"I totally agree," Krueger nodded. "For that reason, I volunteer to handle the next round of testing."

"You’re far too eager about this," Michael said. "What do you need Genomes for, anyway? Aren’t you supposed to handle your work covertly?"

"The cops have been employing more of them heroes as of late. Who knows when we might get caught next time?" Turning to Jason, Krueger smirked. "Thanks to a certain someone not doing his job properly, we now have the BEO on our backs as well."

They ended up circling back to the first topic, and Jason couldn’t help but be annoyed.

"As if you could have done any better in my situation."

"I wouldn’t have caused the deaths of so many important clients, that’s for sure." Krueger scuffed.

"And you wouldn’t have established a connection with that person either," Jason shot back. "Remind me again, who was it that made the deal that gave us the drug you’re so eager to get your hands on?"

"Cut it out," Michael said. "Nothing can be done about bad luck."

"Bad luck? don’t you-"

Krueger was about to retort, but Michael raised his voice, cutting him off.

"More importantly, have you decided what you’re going to do about the stolen merchandise?"

"Why do I have to deal with this?" Grumbling under his breath, Krueger then sighed. "I have already tracked them down. As it turned out, Los Aros is involved in this mess as well."

"The Tenebrosans?" Jason asked

"Just what we needed," Harry said. "Don’t they have their own shops in Joystreet?"

"Maybe we should steal some of their merchandise, too?" Krueger suggested.

"No," Michael shook his head. "We can’t afford to fight another war. Not right now."

"Are you saying we should let them get away with it?"

"For now," Michael said. "We should focus on getting our stuff back. We can think about crushing them once the Daggers are off our backs."

"Fine," Krueger clicked his tongue. "I already have a plan. It will be over by the end of the week."

"Let’s hope that someone doesn’t end up losing more until then," Harry said, glancing at Jason.

If he was looking for an argument, then he wasn’t going to get it. Jason simply closed his eyes, having nothing to say. As frustrating as it was, he understood where the others were coming from.

After that big mess in Red Hill, the noose has been tightening around their necks. The attacks on some of their shops only made things worse, and with the Daggers having also ramped up the pressure, it didn’t look like they were going to get the chance to breathe any time soon.

Jason knew that he couldn’t be faulted for what happened—Nothing he could have done would have changed the outcome. Even then, the frustration refused to leave him, and he found himself looking for ways to rectify the problems they were facing.

"Ghost..."

When Fisher muttered the word, his four lieutenants turned to look at him. His lips had long since fallen, and his teeth were still visible, even when he closed his mouth to think.

"That is the name given to the monster who caused Red Garden. A slippery bastard not even the world’s strongest could catch," he said after a while. "They say he’s a hero killer with quite the record."

"A hero... killer?" Jason muttered.

"Do not speak of this to anyone," Fisher said. "And proceed with caution. If that monster showed again, prioritize informing the authorities. There is no need for us to clash with something of that nature."

"Unders-"

Just as he was about to reply, a notification flashed in front of Jason, and his face scrunched up in disgust.

"Oh, looks like some bad new have just arrived," Krueger grinned.

Jason fixed him with a glare, then turned to their boss.

"Boss, may I request permission to leave?"

"You may."

No one asked why he was in a sudden rush to leave, and neither did Jason inform them. It wouldn’t be long before the news reached them anyway, so there was no point in telling them.

Black Skull had been at war for the last couple of months, and things had escalated once more. The enemy he had been keeping an eye on had just made their move, and from what he had been told, they were being quite aggressive. He had to go back now and handle them himself; otherwise, the fire would continue to spread.

"Inferno, huh?"