Chapter 50 - A77oo0Gun
Jin was always the same.
And being the same meant that he had a personality where pros and cons coexisted.
The advantage was that he was naturally action-oriented and intuitive, handling things swiftly and decisively like a born headbutting dinosaur.
The downside, however, was that the shock from his headbutts made him somewhat blunt and unaware of certain things in life.
This wasn't stupidity, though.
Stupidity was just being less intelligent, but Jin had simply become a little bit simpler.
His mindset was like someone maintaining a mild concussion—he didn't overthink!
His life was already dizzy enough!
Take yesterday, for instance.
Gavellus Zahad.
He was the head of the Zahad family, a colossal figure who could merge nature with lightning.
And somehow, he had taken an interest in Jin.
This was genuinely a world-shaking event for Lost City.
After all, wasn't Zahad the family whispering about a lack of a proper successor?
Since the youngest son, who had been the leading candidate for the position, excommunicated himself, there had been ongoing struggles in the family regarding the transition of power.
Now, the head of the family, Gavellus, was showing interest in an offshoot branch?
It was hidden from the public, but there was certainly room for the city to get loud about this situation.
If you asked Jin directly, however, he would just blink and say something like:
"Who's Gavellus?"
To Jin, Gavellus was nothing more than some old man searching for his missing son.
There were a few peculiarities—like the fact that he had a lot of bodyguards and reminded him of his late grandfather—but beyond that, there was nothing that really stood out.
In Jin's mind, Gavellus and Lokan were two people living on opposite sides of the world, with no real link between them.
So, Jin wasn't thinking much about it.
Even now, as he lay on his bed, staring at his device, he wasn't too concerned.
It was early morning—an awkward time between waking up and falling back asleep.
On his screen, the news feed was filled with the latest topics from the city.
Jin's thumb flicked up and down as he skimmed through them.
Honestly, there was no excitement in it for him.
There were stories like a famous singer risking everything to perform in the 40s district, or how a boxer who committed suicide had his brain transplanted into a cybernetic body and brought back to life.
But these stories didn't faze Jin in the slightest.
To be honest, he was more curious about news from his hometown, things he could no longer know, like: Which team won the 2023 League of Legends World Championship?
"...Could it be... Jingdong? Did you guys succeed in the Gold Road? No way... But you were ranked number one in power rankings, right? Who could stop them... Ugh."
Before he even realized it, Jin was imagining the worst-case scenario.
He shook his head to dismiss the thought.
Forget it.
No conclusions would come from worrying about it.
He quickly scattered his thoughts and turned his attention back to his device.
Swipe, swipe—
His thumb halted when it landed on a familiar place name.
[Mute Town, conflict escalating, severe damage to transportation and infrastructure... humanitarian aid now unavoidable.]
[The new military faction TB and its leader, Taha—who are they?]
[If isolation continues for too long, unforeseen issues may arise...]
Jin remembered the time he had worked with the resistance group, planting bombs in a factory.
He carefully read the article.
In short, it was reporting that the civil war in Mute Town was intensifying.
At the bottom of the article was a picture.
A massive, towering figure of a beast stood on top of a crushed tank.
The lion-like face with its white mane gazed straight into the camera, its fierce, glowing eyes glaring with the predatory intensity of a wild beast.
"...Is that Taha? He looks pretty intense."
Jin muttered to himself, then turned off the device.
He briefly hoped for a positive outcome for the resistance group, even though he wasn't directly involved anymore.
***
Ding—
After taking a quick shower and enjoying a hearty breakfast, Jin arrived at Anekdote.
It was 11:28 AM.
Khalifa had asked him to come by before noon, so he had plenty of time to spare.
As Jin opened the door to the shop, his first thought was, I'll chat with Po since I'm early.
But what was this?
Sitting at the long table, Po was engaged in conversation with a bulky figure.
At this hour, anyone sitting in Anekdote was likely a solo agent, so Jin decided not to interrupt and sat at a table a little farther away.
Noticing Jin's arrival, Po silently greeted him with a glance.
The large figure across from Po then spoke.
"Think about it carefully. This might not be a bad offer for you guys."
"I'll consider it," Po replied.
"Good, kid," the bulky man nodded and then gulped down the water that was on the table.
Afterward, he pushed his chair back, as if he had finished his business, and stood up with his heavy body... Jin tilted his head.
What's going on?
Why is he coming toward me?
It wasn't long before the bulky man, who Jin thought was about to leave, suddenly started walking toward him with purposeful strides, his right hand slipping into his coat.
The moment the man put his hand into his coat...
In South Downtown, that meant one thing: Gun.
Jin instinctively reached for his Gravis.
The man closed the remaining distance and took two steps forward—click!
Jin aimed the barrel of his Gravis directly at him.
"Whoa, whoa. Calm down, calm down," the bulky man said, raising both hands near his ears as if to show he wasn't armed.
He whistled and then flicked his fingers.
Jin's eyes briefly shifted, and he noticed a small white paper wedged between the man's index and middle fingers.
Then came the words.
"It's a business card, my friend."
Jin stopped pointing his Gravis, but didn't apologize.
In this world, the one who created the misunderstanding was the one who was at fault.
"A business card?" Jin asked, snatching the paper from the bulky man's hand.
He read the printed text:
[D'Andre Linker Agency]
What? He wasn't a solo agent?
Jin blinked, surprised, and looked up at the man again.
"You're a linker?" Jin asked.
"Yeah, what did you think I was?" The man chuckled.
"If you're interested, reach out. By the way, unlike Khalifa..."
"Unlike what? You're saying you're willing to do dirty work?"
Khalifa's sharp voice interrupted the bulky man's words as she approached with her usual clicking heels.
"Get out, D'Andre. Don't start any trouble."
The man, now referred to as D'Andre, retorted quickly.
"Hey, calling it 'trouble' is unfair. I didn't slip any cash under the table, I just said, 'If you're interested, let me know.'"
"That's still trouble. Why are you trying to do business in my place?"
"What's wrong with that? Is this some sort of sanctuary? Come on, you're protecting a solo agent, huh? Want to hug and nurture him until he becomes a star?"
"Who knows?" Khalifa replied coldly.
"Let's have a little fun, huh?"
The voices—one sharp, one cold—were alternating as Jin scratched his cheek in confusion.
What are they doing?
He hadn't said a word, but these two were already having a verbal brawl.
Should he intervene?
Hmm, not really.
These two linkers were arguing over him, which was actually a sign of respect—he didn't mind letting them continue.
Go ahead, keep at it.
So Jin folded his arms and nodded along, leaving the matter to Po, who was sitting nearby.
Po finally spoke up.
"Both of you, calm down."
With that simple remark, both linkers shut up.
Actually, only D'Andre stopped talking, since it was Khalifa who had spoken last.
In terms of a physical confrontation, it was like being the one to take a hit while someone else stepped in to break it up.
"Why me, damn it!" D'Andre muttered, but realizing it wasn't worth escalating, he chose to exit the situation with a final remark.
"See you later, Jin!"
And with that, he walked out.
D'Andre, as though making a point of showing his awareness of Jin, waved one last time before leaving with a loud, "See you later, Jin!"
Khalifa, watching him leave, furrowed her brows in irritation.
"...That's how he leaves?" she muttered, her tone clearly displeased.
Jin, on the other hand, found the situation rather amusing and chuckled softly.
"Who's that guy?"
"D'Andre? He's a linker. He's known for turning over contracts quickly, but the problem is that he achieves this by grinding his solo agents into the ground without rest. Most of the solos working with him are desperate for money. D'Andre exploits that," Kalifa explained.
"Ah, I see," Jin nodded thoughtfully, then added, "So I should stay away from him?"
Khalifa shot him a look. "Exactly. He's trouble. It's better not to get tangled up with him. He'll just wear you out."
Jin didn't respond right away.
He just tucked the business card he'd gotten from D'Andre into his pants pocket.
You never know where things might go in this line of work...
After the storm had passed, Khalifa finally explained why she called Jin over.
"The client wants to meet you in person," she said.
"Me? Why?" Jin asked, confusion written across his face.
"Probably because they want to see the person they're going to hire with their own eyes. It's rare, but it happens," Kalifa shrugged.
"You don't know who they are?"
"Nope. They didn't say. They just want to talk to you, and it's odd for a client to make a request like this. I wouldn't send you unless I had a reason to trust you. If the whole point is just a conversation, I suggested they do it here, at the shop."
Jin thought for a moment. "But what if they don't like me and the deal falls through? I'd just end up wasting my time."
"You don't need to worry about that. If they back out, they'll still pay a portion of the deposit. That money will go to you."
At that, Jin's face brightened.
Well, at least I won't be walking away empty-handed.
Khalifa nodded before adding, "Speaking of money, don't forget to grab the payment for the job you did with the broker back at King's Groom. You didn't forget, did you?"
"Oh, right!" Jin muttered to himself, realizing that he'd totally forgotten about the credits Natasha had given him earlier.
Guess I would've just let that slide if she hadn't reminded me.
As he nodded along, he suddenly heard the sound of the shop door opening—ding!
At that exact moment, all eyes—Jin, Kalifa, and Po—shifted to the entrance.
A man in a sharp suit stepped into the shop, his polished appearance making him stick out like a sore thumb in Downtown.
His well-groomed hair and the briefcase in his hand only made him seem even more out of place.
Kalifa addressed him directly.
"Are you A77oo0Gun?"
"That's me. I introduced myself under that ID," the man replied.
"Come on in. Jin, you too."
With a subtle gesture, Khalifa led both men to a private room at the back of the shop.
"Drink? Alcohol or coffee?"
The man, sitting across from Jin at a small table, glanced up.
"Water's fine."
Kalifa nodded, and the conversation continued as she left the room.
Jin found himself staring at the man, who was now looking at him... but with an unsettling focus that dropped lower and lower.
What was he staring at?
His gaze was so direct that it made Jin feel awkward, as if the man was sizing him up in a way that didn't sit right.
Jin instinctively crossed his legs to block his lower body from the man's piercing stare.
The uncomfortable silence weighed heavily in the air, and just as Jin felt he was about to burst from the tension, the door opened.
Po entered, bringing in water and cola, and set them down on the table with a brief nod before leaving again.
Jin shot him a desperate look, silently pleading for help, but Po was oblivious to the situation.
As soon as the door shut, the man spoke.
"You're doing well, I see. That's good to know."
Jin, still trying to understand what was going on, asked,
"What's that supposed to mean?"
The man slipped his hand into his coat pocket.
"I should introduce myself before we go any further."
Another one?
Jin thought, but before he could finish his thought, the man slid a black business card across the table.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Wonder Douglas, the sales manager at Ruger & Dolman."
Jin's brow furrowed.
The name sounded familiar... and then it clicked.
Without thinking, he instinctively placed his hand on the side of his waist where his Gravis 707 was tucked.
Wonder Douglas, still smiling smoothly, said,
"That's right. We're the manufacturers of the Gravis 707."
Jin's eyes widened in recognition.
So, this guy was linked to the very weapon he carried.