"I don't think Lin Chao's strength is anything new. He's had it for some time. Since he hasn't shown any hostility toward us, there's no need to panic."
The speaker was a tall, thin old man. Although slightly balding, his sharp features and composed demeanor made it clear he was still very capable.
Xu Shiming let out a bitter smile. "Mr. Wu, wasn't Lin Chao's last 'friendly call' to us warning enough?"
The old man, Wu, shook his head. "I think he was simply warning us not to cross the line like Militech did."
"I can't agree with that," Xu Shiming replied, finally shaking his head.
Hearing this, Wu's face hardened. "Xu Shiming! Have your wings really grown this hard?"
"When you were still a soldier under my command, you didn't dare talk back like this."
"Haha… General Wu," said Minister Zhao, Kang Tao's longtime chairman, with a kindly smile. "Xiao Xu is the acting head of Kang Tao now. Let him speak freely."
He added with a nod, "I've interacted with Lin Chao during a recent call. He's emotionally volatile and unpredictable. We should tread carefully."
At that moment, Huo Yuan, who had been silent the entire meeting, finally spoke.
"Minister Zhao, it's precisely because Lin Chao is unpredictable that we need to prepare ourselves. We can't afford to be caught off guard."
"I don't think that's necessary at all," Ling Xiaohan interjected, shaking her head.
"I've interacted with Lin Chao many times and have come to understand his character a bit."
The six other members turned their attention to her.
Despite Ling Xiaohan holding one of the lower ranks among them, when it came to Lin Chao, she was the most experienced by far.
"Lin Chao has many people around him—friends. But I think you all know that with his level of power, none of them are actually necessary."
"He can handle everything on his own. If he can't, there's nothing his friends can do either."
The others nodded.
They had all read the intel on Lin Chao's circle:
Two decent mercenaries from Night City. Thanks to Lin Chao's upgrades, they had decent prosthetics and were barely breaking into international territory.
A fugitive being hunted by Arasaka—not much stronger than the mercs.
A small armed gang operating on the city's outskirts. Well-equipped, but nothing major.
A former boxing champion, now an underground prosthetic surgeon.
And a small-time local boss in Night City, along with a psychic house madam—rumored to be the girlfriend of one of the mercs.
Frankly, none of them had the credentials to even stand next to Lin Chao, let alone partner with him.
And yet, Lin Chao still brought them along, every time.
He shared commissions equally. Never withheld a thing.
"From that alone, you can tell—Lin Chao is someone who values loyalty and relationships."
"You might not believe it, but the man who blew up Militech's HQ gets up early every morning to cook for his girlfriend."
"He goes shopping with her and Huohuo on the weekends—carrying bags, even."
Ling Xiaohan smiled.
"A man like that… if we give him a bit of trust, he might just repay us with something more valuable in return."
Xu Shiming nodded earnestly.
After hearing her speak, he even felt an urge to meet Lin Chao in person.
As a former soldier, he held deep respect for people who still valued honor and relationships in this chaotic world.
The room fell silent.
If Lin Chao really was as Ling Xiaohan described, maybe he wasn't the threat they feared.
After a pause, General Wu finally offered, "Then how about this—we inform Huohuo and let her decide."
"As a researcher in the biotech division, she understands the risks better than anyone. And she knows Lin Chao best."
"Let her choose whether to stay, or when to leave."
"General Wu, I'm not sure that's wise," Ling Xiaohan replied, looking uneasy.
"Huohuo is smart, but… she's still just a child. Isn't it a bit too much to place such a heavy decision on her?"
Seeing her hesitation, General Wu didn't press further. Instead, he turned to the group.
"What do the rest of you think? How about a vote?"
The others nodded in agreement.
Swish—
Counting Ling Xiaohan, there were seven members. The other six all raised their hands in favor.
Clearly, the majority supported his idea.
Minister Zhao finally added, "Xiaohan, don't stress about it. Let Huohuo decide freely."
"We old-timers will shoulder the consequences."
"Exactly," agreed the square-faced elder who typically sided with Minister Zhao.
"If something goes wrong, we'll step in. No one will dare lay a finger on her."
"Hahaha!" General Wu laughed. "With you as her grandfather, who'd even dare to blame her?"
After wrapping up official matters, the group chatted briefly before logging off.
Ling Xiaohan sighed as she pulled up her communication console.
"I can only hope… she makes the right decision."
The next morning.
Takemura arrived at the villa just as Lin Chao, V, and Lin Huohuo were preparing breakfast.
"My apologies for bothering you again…"
"Enough!" Lin Chao cut him off, rolling his eyes. "Just admit you came for breakfast. I even made extra, knowing you'd show up."
He wasn't wrong.
"Ah, thank you very much, Lin," Takemura said, settling in.
As they ate, the four of them discussed the upcoming Coaster Festival.
"Wait… you're going to hijack Michiko Arasaka's float at the festival?" Lin Huohuo asked in disbelief, staring at Lin Chao.
Why was this guy always up to something outrageous?
But Lin Chao didn't even look at her. Calmly, he replied, "Hijacking? Don't exaggerate."
To him, hijacking Michiko Arasaka wasn't a big deal.
Only someone who had already blown up Militech HQ could say something like that with a straight face.
Takemura finished the last bite of his egg pancake before continuing:
"Lin, for safety, I suggest we bring V, Jack, and Miss Huohuo with us for this mission."
"The more support we have, the better."
"All of them?" Lin Chao muttered, rubbing his chin.
According to the original plan and the defense map provided by Yorinobu, they'd be useful mainly for eliminating the sniper and netrunner.
Except… Oda, who originally guarded the netrunner, was now in the hospital.
And Michiko might have replaced him with a different bodyguard altogether.
That changed things. It added risk.