Chapter 199: Tygers At Odds
"Wakako wants to meet?" Rebecca asks while not rising her head from her current project.
"Yeah, a big job apparently. Got some intel about the Tyger Claw boss and she wants us to help deal with it."
It'd been a busy week, but not for them. The city had been abuzz ever since Night Corp released Biotechnica classified documents revealing their human experiments, rape, torture, and the numerous other crimes committed in that facility.
The fact that 'Zombie' had been the one to reveal this after being chased through the city by Biotechnica AVs had only increased his notoriety, sure, Rebecca was pissed that she didn't get any credit, but Ori would rather that than get a target on her back.
By now most people in the city had heard his name at least once, and while people didn't rank him on the 'top ten strongest', he was definitely an honourable mention. They'd been completely buried in gig offers since then, which was nice as it allowed them to be very picky.
The drastic rise in fame brought many things, people had started calling him a revolutionary due to his 'war on corruption', his actions against Biotechnica and the Tyger Claws only emphasised this. They'd even start spray painting his name and depictions of stylized 'zombies' around the place.
He'd almost shit himself laughing when an art channel showcased a graffiti piece painted on the back of the Biotechnica building. If that wasn't a kick in the balls for those assholes he didn't know what was.
He hadn't heard what Night Corp was doing against them, but he was pretty confident they'd gain the rights of the Protein Farms outside the city soon enough. With Joanne Koch on the run, it was as if they were already admitting their guilt.
The rise of the 'Zombie' brand had also altered preexisting gigs, such as the offer from Colt to design weapons under the name. They'd gone for a direct payment to an offer for a piece of the pie. Ten percent of earnings would go straight into Ori's pocket.
He couldn't reject a score like that, especially with how profitable it would probably be with the hype surrounding him. He'd gone to visit with Rebecca and met a man called Stanley Bright, the Lead Designer in charge of the project.
Needless to say, he and Rebecca quickly hit it off as soon as he showed her the equipment, and it didn't take long after that for Ori to start pitching ideas.
If he was going to be involved in something like this, he didn't want to sell shit. He wanted it to be high-tier, professional and specialized. Something he'd personally use. This basically meant one thing, Stopping Power.
Fire rate, reloading, stability, accuracy, all that stuff was fine and dandy, but if the thing couldn't break through the enemy's armour it was worse than useless. Thus, every piece in the lineup would be designed to break through at minimum steel plates, or thin titanium plates...
A lot of ideas had been thrown around, but he'd left that to Stanley and Rebecca, knowing that he was only good at shooting guns, not creating them.
Aside from that, he'd also put Quentin on the task of figuring out if Bastiano Loggagia was full of shit or not. Who else to find out but a former Corpo like Quentin?
Shaking his head, he returns to the subject at hand, "She's put a team together and we're on it. Unless you don't feel like blasting some Tygers?"
Rebecca's head shoots up from her desk, "You're dumb if you think that! Are we leaving now?"
"Nah, maybe in a few hours."
"You asshole!"
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"Who the fuck are you?" one of Wakako's 'Grey Tyger Claws' growls as Ori, Rebecca, and a recently healed Sasha step up to the meeting place. Despite the guy's hostility, it was clear by the way he kept glances at the massive LMG Ori was holding he was secretly shitting his pants.
"Haah?" Rebecca bristles, grabbing the guy by his collar, bringing him down, and pointing her Thermite Launcher in his face. "You got something to say, punk!?"
The door behind the guard opens, revealing a masked man wearing completely black clothes with a katana at his side. "Enough, Wakako-sama is waiting for you." he all but commands.
Rebecca releases the guard and allows her Cyberware to retract, spitting on the floor at his feet, "Whatever,"
The armed stranger leads them to a large conference room with a large table in the centre, Wakako was already sitting at it, along with a dozen other people, most covered in Tyger Claw tats. There were more like the swordsman however, garbed completely in black with demon masks, none of Ori's crew was sure who they were or why they were here... If Wakako allowed them in they had to be trustworthy though.
"Ah, Zombie, just on time." the elderly Fixer nods at him.
"Wait, this is 'Zombie'? Some punk-ass kid with his girlfriends?" one of the Tygers sneers.
"The fuck?" Rebecca snaps.
"You talking to me?" Ori crooks a brow and squares up. "Didn't know Wakako hired loud-mouthes for this, meat shield?"
"Hitoshi, sit, you're embarrassing yourself." Wakako states before focussing on Ori, "New look?"
Ori shrugs and shifts his LMG to the side, showing his black Cybernetic arm, "Just a bit, how about we cut to it though?"
She nods and gestures for the trio to take a seat, Hitoshi sending a side-eyed glare at him. After a moment, she rests her elbows on the table and lets a tight grin show, "It's time. Taki Kazo, the dishonourable wretch he is, was earlier seen entering a newly established Doll House, one almost entirely composed of, our members... He wishes to make a statement. You will give our rebuttal." she almost growls, individually locking eyes with everyone present. "Rescue who you can, but your first and foremost duty is bringing me Taki Kazo's head."
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