After discussing business, everyone went their separate ways.
Since there was no trouble involving Relic, Alex Carter couldn't stay at Judy's place like V did in the original storyline.
More importantly, with V watching him closely, he couldn't exactly fake an excuse to stick around.
As they headed downstairs, Alex, V, Jackie, and Liana Forrest noticed Roxanne, Tom, and Maiko Maeda standing nearby, staring at the Excalibur hovercar parked in front of the building.
In fact, even Jackie — who had just stepped outside — froze in surprise when he saw the luxurious vehicle.
"Damn... what kind of big shot rolls into a dump like this?" Jackie muttered.
Then, as if something clicked in his mind, his eyes shifted toward Liana.
The little princess of Kang Tao's American branch — this hovercar had to be hers.
And sure enough, to confirm his suspicions, Liana's pupils flashed faintly as the Excalibur's hatch smoothly opened, revealing its lavish interior.
"Jackie, we'll head back now. Be careful on your way home."
"Bye, Jackie!"
With that, the three of them climbed into the hovercar.
As for Roxanne, Tom, and Maiko Maeda, Alex and V didn't bother acknowledging them — and neither did Liana.
Vwoom...
The vector engine ignited, sending out a soft blue flame as the Excalibur soared into the sky and disappeared from view.
Watching the hovercar fade into the distance, Maiko Maeda felt a sudden chill run down her spine.
That hovercar... belongs to those three?
No, something didn't add up.
Alex and V seemed like decent mercenaries, and Jackie — who just rode around on a motorcycle — wasn't exactly high-class either.
They didn't seem powerful enough to have ties to someone driving a car like that.
That meant the hovercar had to belong to the young girl, Liana.
Her custom-made designer clothes — the kind you'd rarely see, even among Yorinobu Arasaka's elite — and her distinct air of refinement confirmed it.
Thinking back to their encounter at Judy's place earlier, Maiko Maeda suddenly felt grateful she had resisted the urge to insult Alex.
Had she crossed the line back there, she might not have survived the night.
"Hmph... just stay out of my way. As for that hacker, Alex Carter... well, he won't get off so easy."
A cold glint flashed in Maiko's eyes.
The way Alex had threatened her days ago still lingered in her mind.
Did he really think he could just walk away after that?
No way.
For the next few days, Alex found himself with some rare downtime.
Aside from sneaking out occasionally to visit Panam, most of his time was spent practicing with a sword in the newly converted training room at the villa.
With his enhanced physical abilities, firearms no longer allowed him to fully exploit his potential in combat.
As for melee weapons, although Alex had some experience with them in his previous life, it was far from mastery.
Technically speaking, both Oda and Takemura were far more skilled than he was.
Of course, the main reason Alex spent so much time in the training room was simple —
He didn't want to go downstairs and run into Liana Forrest.
Smart, pretty... and non-stop talking.
If only she didn't have such a mouth.
Fortunately, her tendency to go to bed early spared Alex and V's "evening activities" from much disruption.
During this time, Alex made an interesting discovery — Shockwave, his AI car, had successfully mimicked the Excalibur's system.
Taking advantage of Liana's deep sleep one night, Alex instructed Shockwave to hack into the Excalibur's system and clone its functions.
With the job complete, Alex felt satisfied.
He was already beginning to form some new plans regarding Kang Tao's operations...
Finally, on the fourth day, Judy's call came through.
Early the next morning, after the three of them had prepared for the mission, they climbed into the now-altered Excalibur.
Alex had already relocated the Excalibur's unique components and copied its critical systems — ensuring there were no issues.
Liana, of course, remained blissfully unaware.
To avoid drawing too much attention to the hovercar, Alex and V exited the vehicle near their destination while Liana remained inside, waiting for updates.
This mission was different from the original game timeline.
With Alex and Jackie now involved, the plan had shifted.
In the original storyline, V and Judy would have infiltrated the Netwatch maintenance layer, eliminated the guards, and severed the building's external communications.
Meanwhile, V would ascend to the rooftop via a separate elevator and ambush Hiromi Sato and the Tyger Claws boss.
But this time, things were going to play out a little differently...
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Advance chapter in PATREON
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