Bab 38: Chapter 38: Mark of Territory I
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Chapter 38: Mark of Territory I
...........
X didn't halt for even a second, heading directly to his apartment, and taking a long shower before passing out... It was a very productive day.
It was a tiresome day, but in the end, X succeeded in whatever he had set out to do, one of which was spreading the word.
It's difficult to find someone in Japantown who hasn't heard of X's Clinic, and the word is even spreading to the entirety of Westbrook.
The traffic of The Clinic's site was ludicrously high, to the point that it crashed at some point.
That's likely due to the numerous people applying for free services.
It worked out well as the very next day, the Clinic welcomed an unusually high traffic of clients, something Chiyo wasn't used to.
Now, all X needed to do was elevate his reputation and establish his name as the best Ripperdoc of Japandown, then slowly rise from there.
The goal is to attract high-quality clients, of which there are plenty in Japantown.
In the course of the next week, several big clients stepped into his clinic.
For example, just a day ago, a former corporate security officer staggered in, her arms covered in faint green lines that pulse under her skin.
She explained that her veins were infused with "combat drugs" and self-releasing toxins by her corpo employer.
Now, years later, the system has malfunctioned, releasing minute doses of neurotoxin at random, leaving her in near-constant agony.
When X scanned her, he found her blood laced with a toxic cocktail intended to kill an intruder on contact.
But as her veins corrode, the poison leaked into her bloodstream, leaving her wracked with seizures, migraines, and numbness in her limbs.
To save her, X had to carefully extract and neutralize the venomous implants that line her arteries, balancing the risk of spreading toxins with the chance of a fatal reaction.
One wrong move and the toxins could flood her system, turning her own blood against her in seconds.
It was a dangerous process that would normally be taken care of by the corporation's doctors.
However, she was let go, and now no longer has that luxury.
It's safe to say that all of the improvements and programs X implemented were a success, beyond what Chiyo expected.
Business was booming. People were happy, especially the poor, looking forward to every Monday in case they got chosen... So why.
"Why?" X asked.
"Probably some street kid," Chiyo responded, "I don't think it will stop happening."
The two were standing before the walls of the clinic, walls that are supposed to be now squeaky clean... So why were they filled with subpar graffiti?
"Take over the clinic today. If there is anything of interest happening, contact me," X instructed, eyeing Chiyo step inside before turning his attention to the walls.
X stared at the garish scrawl splattered across what had been a pristine wall only days before.
The fresh coat of paint he'd applied was now overrun with lurid, neon tags: symbols, gang logos, and a crude depiction of a Tyger claw slashing through his clinic's name.
The sight pulled a grimace from his face; he'd worked hard to make this place stand out, to bring some eyes to Japantown's most pristine clinic.
X blinked as he laid eyes on the camera that was supposed to be suspended high above the door... It was broken.
Whoever did this must be very used to such things, remaining hidden. The recording that reached him before the camera broke also didn't show much because the perpetrator was in disguise.
Taking a slow breath, he knelt down, studying the lines and strokes with a practiced eye.
He'd seen this style before; it had a distinct roughness, like the work of someone tagging fast, with little care for detail.
Street punks, maybe some junior enforcers from one of the local gangs trying to make a name.
Tyger Claws? No, the symbol didn't have their usual sharp precision.
This wasn't the work of a seasoned street artist or even a gang member making a statement.
It was messy, fast, and brazen. Someone had tagged his clinic on purpose, and he intended to find out who.
Back in his home, X set up his cyberdeck, something he thought he'd first use for a Netrunning job.
Now, he was stuck tracing a troublemaker. The cyberdeck was old gen, not something you have installed to your neural network.
Even though it's old gen, one of excellent quality still cost X about a grand. It's what most Netrunners start with as it is the cheaper option.
X booted up his cyberdeck and jacked into his network, weaving through layers of surveillance feeds he'd quietly patched into.
He'd set up an intricate web of connections with nearby cameras, some legal, some… borrowed, pulling feeds from the surrounding blocks.
With a few strokes, he narrowed his search to the timestamped footage from last night and rewound until he saw movement outside the clinic door.
A slim figure wearing a hood and a mask, moving with nervous energy; crept into view, spray can in hand.
They hesitated, glancing over their shoulder before letting loose on the wall... Amateur.
Zooming in, X could make out a bright yellow logo on the back of the figure's hoodie; distinct, an odd mix of kanji and stylized flames.
He ran the symbol through a few gang databases he'd built over time but came up blank; it was more likely the mark of a small-time local crew or wannabe street artists trying to make a name.
He set the footage aside and moved to his next step.
Calling in a favor from one of the street vendors near the alleyway, he accessed data from a hacked vending machine positioned within view of his clinic.
Most people didn't know, but the machines kept logs of every sale and even had rudimentary security footage to identify potential shoplifters.
The security gave him clearer footage, but certainly not enough to directly determine the target.
Indirectly, however, shouldn't be too hard. X summarized the target's appearance, mostly clothes and mannerisms, height, and weight.
X made some calls, lots of calls. Every stall owner he made friends with, he called and told them of the situation and discreetly ask customers about the clinic, just to fish for odd answers.
Most importantly, he sent them the information he had about the perpetrator and offered a reward for their help.
X then walked out while waiting for a call. He wasn't just about to waste time waiting.
He walked to the cheery blossom market right as it started raining. He had worn a coat but brought no umbrella.
He didn't bother going back but just stood at one of the entrances to the market.
Some stalls on this side have direct sight to the clinic. X wanted to see if the perpetrator would go back to the scene, can he resist the urge?
X walked around the market, scrutinizing every area that has a line of sight to the clinic.
He walked up a staircase by the corner, going upstairs to the walkways above.
He leaned on the low wall, and watched from above, for minutes and minutes, scanning everyone going about with his cyber eye.
The minutes turned to hours til something ticked X's line of sight, his eyes narrowing as he stood straight.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
VQuintessence
VQuintessence Make sure to check my Patre.on out if you want to support me and want to read advanced chapters: Patre.on.com/VQuintessence
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Bab 39: Chapter 39: Mark of Territory II
Make sure to check my Patre.on out if you want to support me and want to read advanced chapters: Patre.on.com/VQuintessence
[22 Chapters in Advance on Patre.on]
Chapter 39: Mark of Territory II
...........
The minutes turned to hours til something ticked X's line of sight, his eyes narrowing as he stood straight.
X walked down the staircase, calmly walking toward one of the stalls, and took a seat, "Boss, give me the usual, jambalaya please."
"Right away!" The stall owner nodded before asking, "Found the troublemakers?"
"Nope," X shook his head.
"Honestly, don't expect much. Those street ganks are like cockroaches, difficult to squash, and they're endless," The stall owner advised.
"It's alright. Suppose I can't find them on my own. I will just ask Wakako. It should be easy for her to find them and their families," X replied with a faint smile.
"..." Right beside X sat a man who seemed to be in his late twenties, wearing shorts and a sleeveless shirt, somewhat dirty.
It was raining yet X noted that many dress like that, without a care in the world.
The rain masked the man's gulp of nervousness as he kept his head down, gulping down his bowl of ramen.
"Hahaha, good joke... You wouldn't go so fat tho, right?" The stall owner laughed it off.
"Of course not. He must be one of the people angry and jealous they didn't experience my free service, so they retaliated stupidly."
"There must be something wrong with them, so I will just make it worse... I will make their life a living hell." X somewhat calmly pledged.
"I see," Although the stall owner was surprised by X's unusual cruelty, he soon realized what he wanted to do, "You want to send a message... To use the perpetrator as an example."
X acknowledged with a slight nod, "Yeah, exactly. I heard about a very special kind of braindances... It shows you your family and loved ones."
He smirked as he added, "It shows them to you in hell, being tortured, then dying again and again; right before your eyes."
That turned darker than it already was, "They use it to turn people insane, forcing them to live through it for days to weeks til they completely lose it... Tell me, should I use it on him?" X eerily questioned.
Silence. The atmosphere was dreadfully silent, the depressing rain not making it any better.
The man beside X must've felt it, sweating profusely, although he tried to hide it by keeping his head down.
However, the man's trembling hands couldn't be hidden. He couldn't finish his ramen, not with those hands shaking.
Just who the fuck did he fuck with? And for such a petty reason too. X seemed to him like a monster, like, what the fuck is wrong with him?
He couldn't help but lift his head ever so slightly, glancing sideways. It's a natural urge, especially due to the monstrous words that came out of X's mouth.
It was only a glance, but it sent a chill down the man's spine, his mind buzzing in horror.
Strands of golden hair were close, too close. That was no doubt X's hair inches away from him, meaning he was very close.
Wide Inky abyssal eyes were what faced him from the corner of his eyes, causing him to freeze.
He was close, too close, and he didn't feel it all, no more than a few inches from him, dissecting his expression with his deep vast eyes.
The man was frozen, almost literally. He didn't feel like he could move, struck static out of dread.
He only felt more fear the more he looked into X's eyes, so close by; allowing him to see the coldness within.
X's expression was unnaturally void, his eyes unblinking as he coldly muttered, "Why?"
The man couldn't respond, his brain malfunctioning as he felt the temperature around him go down.
"I am disappointed. I had thought you to be someone with a mission... No, just a nobody with a malfunctioning kidney and a brain." X remarked in a chilly tone.
The man's skin was yellowish, and his eyes also had a similar tint to them. That and all the other symptoms and signs of cyberware allowed X to determine the man's condition.
X got most of that information from scanning him with his cyber eye. He even determined his weight and height, almost exactly the same as the perpetrator, well within the margin of error.
The man's brain, on the other hand, was natural. He was born with a naturally malfunctioning brain.
It was only instinct that allowed the man to move, ever so slightly, opening his mouth to yell, "S-Sta..."
He could scream, his rising cry interrupted by a quick jab to his jaw, "Aghh," The low grunt, however, was due to the needle stabbing into his chest, followed by a knife sliding through his chest.
It was quick, swift, and mostly silent, leaving the man in disbelief, confused at the turn of events.
However, he could do nothing but fall forward. X was kind enough to gently catch his head and help him rest on the counter, seeming as if he was asleep.
The Synthetic coagulant injection from the needle will accelerate the blood clotting process, almost completely blocking the wound from bleeding.
X didn't want to be of much inconvenience to the stall owner, leaving blood everywhere.
The stall owner seemingly saw nothing, fully focused on preparing X's meal... He saw everything, but he kept his head down.
"Hello, yeah. I need your cleaning services. Trash type: nobody. Location: Cheery Blossom Market, stall number 104... Thank you." X made a strange call.
He then made another call, "Lady Wakako, it's been a while... Yeah, I need you to spread the word. Someone vandalized my property. Now, he's gone."
"I don't want any more troublemakers around there anymore, so exaggerate. Include his family too."
"Say the Tygers did it. Anything to keep annoyance off my back... Of course, I will be sending you your fee right away. Oh? Oh, I will be there soon."
Just as X completes gigs requested by others, he can also make gigs of his own for others to complete, and some people specialize in propaganda and spreading information.
X enjoyed his meal, ignoring the two individuals that soon arrived and took the body of the sleeping man beside him, and no one gave a shit.
He stood up and made his way to Jig-Jig Street, soon arriving at Wakako's office, though he had to wait a while because she was in the middle of a meeting.
He wasn't kept waiting for long as he went into her office, finding a shard waiting for him to slot in.
"Take it," Wakako calmly instructed.
X raised a brow as he took the shard to his hand before slotting it into his phone. He scrolled through the Data within, information about a target. It was a gig.
"Militech?" X frowned as he took out the shard.
"It's a big. Considering your last glorious exploits, I'd thought you'd be interested," Wakako nodded with a faint smile.
"My last exploits were a result of opportunities presenting themselves to me. I see no opportunity in facing Militech." X disapproved.
"Then create the opportunity, just as you created your opportunities before," Wakako encouraged, "No risk. No reward."
X contemplated her words, flipping the shard in his hand as he debated the risks and rewards in his mind, "No."
Wakako stayed silent for a while, not reacting much to his refusal, "Keep the shard. If the opportunity presents itself, take the gig. If you get the Data I want, I will be in your debt."
Wakako saw something in X that made her believe he could do it, a nigh impossible gig. Opportunities just seem to present themselves to X, way more than they should.
That's maybe why Wakako tried her luck, pushing to him a gig targetting Militech, That in itself makes it difficult.
The gig, however, targets a special kind of Data, well-protected Data making the operation nigh impossible.
It's after all Militech, Militech International Armaments; one of the largest, most powerful corporations in the world.
Known mainly in the NUSA for their support of the federal government, they provide both manpower and arms to the regime, including weapons and specialist military gear.
Militech's contract for the NUSA is controversial in some political circles; Militech has been accused of attempting to create a monopoly.
The clear connections between former Militech CEO and current NUSA president Rosalind Myers and the corporation's board have only exacerbated corporate and diplomatic tensions.
It's thus clear why acting against them is not a wise idea. Therefore, when X went back home, he put the shard aside, clasping his hands together, and with a frown; contemplated his next course of action.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA
VQuintessence
VQuintessence
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