Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System-Chapter 553: Not A Hotel
"That's… gonna be a little difficult," Harry said. "Can't promise you anything before I'm the boss."
"And why's that?" Dante asked.
"Because only the boss handles contact with them. I might be one level below him, but I got no idea who's supplying the miracle drug."
For a moment there, Dante almost convinced himself that the bad taste in his mouth came from the sour beer he drank earlier. Nevertheless, it was impossible to ignore the real reason. With everything considered, he had to make a choice, and that choice was bound to put more weight on his shoulders.
"Fine, got it. I will help you take out the competition. We can deal with the latter part once the time comes." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
"Great! That leaves one more thing." Harry said.
"There is more?" Dante checked his patience and saw that it was about to run out.
"It's related to your second request, actually," the skeletal shark shrugged, its smile revealing rows of uneven jagged teeth. "I'm guessing you aren't looking to make a deal with the drug dealer, right?"
"And what makes you say that?"
"Just a hunch. Feels like you will cause trouble the moment I get you on line with them." Harry shook his head. "However things may turn out, I would like an alternative if you decide to make an enemy of the drug dealer."
"Not sure I'm following." Dante frowned.
"It's simple. The drug dealer is Black Skull's backer— a very important person or organization. If you end up causing trouble with them, I would automatically be implicated, and losing their backing would be the best outcome. And that's where you come in," pointing at Him, the skeletal shark smiled again. "I will have you introduce me to a different backer. One who could stand on the same level as those people."
For a moment, Dante didn't know who he was referring to, then a spark illuminated his mind, his eyes widening. Sensing that, Harry went and made things clear, erasing any doubts he might have had.
"I want you to introduce me to Ghost."
~[ ]~
Dante wasn't too happy about the negotiations, but he couldn't deny that the deal was a good one. His goals would still be achieved, and he could always finish the job after that.
The only part that bothered him was that he would have to go easy on the bastards for the time being. He also had to put up a show to make it seem as if the conversation he had with Skull Face didn't go well.
"And that's how it is." He said.
A single, violet colored eye pierced him with a sharp glare. Rose said nothing, her arms crossed as she sat on the opposite sofa. She hadn't touched her tea at all, and her displeasure was clear in the frown she soon showed.
"Nothing has changed…" she eventually said.
"Nothing has changed." Dante held her gaze. "But…"
"I don't like it."
The two of them turned to the left, looking at the chestnut-haired boy sitting beside Dante.
"We don't, either."
Working with the enemy was bad enough, but this was Black Skull they were talking about. Even if it was to their benefit, the deal still felt disgusting.
"So, are you sure about this?" Finn asked.
"For now, we will continue to gather info and hold back on attacks," Dante said, glancing at Rose. "Of course, if we found any more doll houses, we will charge in right away."
"Then, I will continue my investigation," Rose said. "Black Skull's connection to elite circles has been weakened since Red Garden. I expect that they will try to reform it, seeing as it is one of their main sources of income."
"I will keep working on the tracker," Finn said. "We can't bet everything on what that guy said."
"Yeah, you do that," Dante said.
Diving into Harry's MLP should have been an opportunity to grab really important data or plant spyware, but turns out the bastard had precautions in place to prevent that from happening. Apparently, his MLP looked to be brand new, which obviously wasn't the case. The only explanation would be that he factory reset it before that meeting, and most likely, he had a backup somewhere.
"Well, with that settled, I will take my leave now." After discussing a few more things, Violet stood up. "I promised Ben that I would check on the kids this evening."
"Tell everyone I said hi," Dante said.
They saw their purple-haired friend off, then went back to doing their own thing. Finn had to go study with Suzuka, seeing as his entrance exams were approaching. After handling a few things related to his gang, Dante decided to take a break.
It would be more accurate to say he forced himself to take a break. Contrary to what he had believed, it turned out that he hadn't overcome his problem entirely. Today was an important day, so after a lot of struggle, he made it to the Bowl of Fortune.
"Hm? Oooooh! Look who's finally here!"
A blonde man's face lit up the moment their eyes met, and he raised his drink high.
"A bit late, aren't we?" Another man asked, adjusting his glasses and smiling wryly.
"Why bother showing up now, boy!? It's already 19:30!" Nobara roared at him from behind the counter.
"Sorry, I got caught up in a few things." Feeling his shoulders relax, Dante turned to the end of the counter, smiling as he spotted a dark-skinned man with white hair. "Officer Johansson. Congratulations on your discharge."
"Oh, thanks, kid," Jonah replied with a grin. "I would've liked to spend another week in there, though."
"C'mon, old man!" Ross said. "That was a hospital, not a hotel!"
"You haven't seen what those places are like," Glen said.
"They might as well be hotels!"
Standing at the entrance, Dante watched the familiar scene with a smile on his face. A warm feeling spread through his chest, only for a sharp pain to replace it a moment later. The urge to turn around and leave quickly overwhelmed him, but he managed to restrain it in the end. Walking over to his usual spot, he sat down and joined the others.
