Then she turned around, stared at the orc corpses all over the corridor for a while, and then pondered, "These creatures are not suitable as food for the master. Indeed, the master's lunch today will be the fish I caught."
These words sent a chill down Hayden's spine. He certainly didn't want this out-of-control servant to one day roast a troll steak for him; that would be too terrifying.
Actually, although Angela said Hayden's selection process was inefficient, the work that Boss Todak could assign Hayden recently wasn't very profitable. The rewards for urban mercenaries are split 50/50 with the middleman, so Hayden only earned 1,500 after this job, not even 20% of the bill, and he only had five and a half days left to raise the money.
Fortunately, Hayden knew more than one middleman.
New Jersey is so big, and Hayden knows so many middlemen, he's bound to find a big job.
Right?
————————————————————————
Because Angela placed great importance on whether Hayden could eat healthy meals on time, Hayden rushed home after reporting the results to the Todak boss on her phone. As she had mentioned before, the main dish for lunch today was salmon she had caught in the open sea. The fish was lightly marinated, then pan-fried with butter, drizzled with lemon juice, and sprinkled with rose salt before being served to Hayden.
He'd barely taken a bite when Hayden felt the rich, fatty aroma of the fish spread through his mouth, instantly becoming completely captivated, the warm juices almost overflowing from his lips. How could such a flavor, capable of stimulating one's very life force, be created? Hayden simply couldn't comprehend it.
Angela watched him eat with satisfaction. Although she couldn't eat, and even if she did, she couldn't digest it, just seeing Hayden so happy made her feel as if she were eating herself.
However, no matter how blissful it is to eat at home, the heavy bills still need to be addressed.
Soon, all the middlemen Hayden knew in New Seattle replied to his messages, telling him that there were no jobs available that would allow Hayden to earn more than 10,000 federal gold coins by the end of the month.
Things are in trouble.
Being a mercenary in the city sounds glamorous, but most of the time you don't actually earn much money. Hayden's work is mostly no different from that of a regular private investigator: monitoring cheating spouses, catching deadbeats, finding missing people, and so on.
These jobs wouldn't earn him much money. After all, jobs that anyone can do will only earn him the same amount of money that anyone can earn.
But jobs involving theft, sabotage, infiltration, kidnapping, smuggling, bodyguarding, and even murder aren't available every day. In other words, not everyone can earn that kind of money. Hayden earned 1,500 Federation gold coins in half a day killing the orc leader Kakug, while a lower-class wage earner might only make 2,000 a month. Does being a mercenary sound like a good job?
Anyone with a modicum of sense knows that storming into a drug den and wiping out twenty-odd orc thugs, including a heavily modified orc leader, is no easy feat. How many people would you need? At least three or four skilled fighters, good equipment, and a significant amount of mana from start to finish. All of this costs money, and preparation time is required. Assuming three people work together, each would only earn five hundred gold coins. Considering the costs, they might not make much at all. And if you're unlucky, a mana arrow might fly from the orc kid's phone, hit you right in the eye, pierce your skull, and bang, you're dead.
On the other hand, the middlemen... they're not exactly saints either.
The dwarf boss, Todak, said Hayden was the best lone wolf mercenary in the Bay Area, but in reality, Hayden might also be the only lone wolf mercenary. Life isn't a game; most people only have one life. Lone wolf mercenaries usually die within a year of their debut, and most sane urban mercenaries work in small teams.
"Then why is the master a lone wolf mercenary?"
Angela asked curiously,
Why don't you choose to work in a team?
Hayden smiled slightly and replied, "Because I am a genius."
“I see, I understand now.” Angela nodded knowingly. “My master is a person without friends.”
Holy crap, how did her AI arrive at this conclusion?
"Don't talk nonsense. I have friends, but none of my friends are mercenaries."
Hayden immediately retorted.
"Please don't worry. No matter whether you have friends or not, no matter where you go, I will always be with you."
Angela responded with a gentle smile.
"Because I love you, and I want to help you achieve happiness."
She was truly skilled at smiling—the kind of genuine, warm smile. Ironically, she was just an out-of-control AI, a mechanical doll.
So even though Angela had said it twice already, Hayden still couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Why does this AI always have "I love you" on its lips?
"Ahem, let's get down to business." So he coughed awkwardly, clumsily changing the subject. "Middlemen actually prefer lone wolf mercenaries because it's easier to do business with one person than with a team. That's why I have a lot of connections throughout New Jersey; it's impossible for me to not find a good job. There's absolutely no need to worry."
Angela immediately clapped her hands.
Hayden had no idea what she was trying to say, so he took out his phone and started contacting other intermediaries he knew. He also wanted to take this opportunity to observe what Angela did when she had nothing to do, but he saw that after Angela finished washing the dishes, she actually took out a dream chip and began to disassemble it with great interest.
Where did she get this stuff—ah, yes, she must have picked it up from that poison kiln. Hayden casually blew most of it up with magic before leaving, but he certainly didn't have the patience to carefully examine every inch of the walls and floors.
“I see. We just need to disassemble this circuit and reconnect it like this… Ah, please don’t worry, Master.”
Sensing Hayden's gaze, Angela turned around and said with a smile,
"I have removed the protective spells inside it and stopped the data transmission, so it will not cause any problems."
She'd thought of everything, so what could Hayden say? He could only continue busying himself with his own network of contacts.
So soon, Hayden learned bad news from an acquaintance.
Bad news that left him almost speechless.
"Actually, the security situation in New Seattle has improved a lot in the past few days. So the mercenaries have less work to do lately."
The person who told him the news was a woman with a gentle expression who looked to be in her twenties.
The phone projected her image, but even from the blurry background on her side, it was clear she had activated security measures and taken appropriate precautions against eavesdropping and spying. Her 3D image showed her in a neat uniform with braided brown hair, looking like an ordinary company employee.
She was indeed a salesperson for a human resources company, but she also worked part-time as a middleman for freelance work. If a mercenary made fun of her for being a salesperson, they'd likely be dead somewhere.
"The security situation has improved a lot? What's going on?"
Hayden found her words strange, because New Seattle's public safety had never been good. In today's world, where everything is controlled by large corporations, it's common knowledge that public utilities are ultimately outsourced to businesses. The mayor and city council of New Seattle had long ago outsourced police work to large corporations.
"As you know, Mr. Hayden, the real ruler of New Seattle is the Mitra Information Group, so the city's security is also contracted out to the Mitra Group."
The saleswoman explained patiently.
“Yesterday, the daughter of a senior executive in the business department of Mitra Information Group got married. To save face for that executive, Mitra Group will naturally try to make New Jersey look safer, at least outside the slums. So, mercenaries have less work to do lately.”
what?
……ah.
Depend on!
Then Hayden understood.
Adam! My old classmate! How could you possibly drag me into this marriage?!
006: Doing business relies on friends
"Don't worry, Mr. Hayden, important people have bad memories. This situation will only last a week or two at most. High-paying, direct combat jobs will soon be back on the market."
That's what the saleswoman said.
On average, jobs that require direct combat pay about three times more than those that only involve protection or escort, and also take less time, which is why she said that.
But Hayden must earn at least 10,000 gold coins within five days.
For a moment, Hayden seriously considered whether he should borrow money to pay off his debts.
As long as the interest rate wasn't too high, he was fully confident he could quickly earn back the money once the market recovered. However, Hayden really disliked borrowing money from acquaintances. Borrowing from a bank was fine—that was business; but having to borrow from friends made him very unhappy.
Therefore, he needs another way.
"Improving public order? I just razed a drug den selling Dreamchips in the Bay Area this morning! Recently, there have even been addicted kids in schools selling Dreamchips. What kind of improvement in public order is that?"
With debt looming large, even Hayden finally panicked.
"You could give me ten orders to kill drug dealers, that would be fine too!"
Hayden and the saleswoman actually had a fairly good relationship. Although they weren't exactly close friends, they at least respected each other to some extent; otherwise, the saleswoman wouldn't have offered 3D video communication—it was, after all, just her side job, and 3D video was easier for hackers to access than text messages or voice calls.
Words are magic, gestures are magic, and even eye contact is magic. 3D video can achieve all of these interactions. And regardless of ancient or modern times, the law of sympathy is the foundation of magical principles. Unless you have complete confidence in your phone's firewall, most people wouldn't casually initiate 3D video communication with unfamiliar people, lest they be hacked using sympathetic magic.
Was the saleswoman particularly trusting of Hayden, or was she particularly confident in herself? Probably both. Because even when she heard Hayden complaining like that, she only showed a slightly troubled expression: "As you said, there have indeed been more Dream Chip dealers in the city center lately. But Mr. Hayden, drug dealers who have people paying to kill them aren't like leeks that grow in the ground."
She sighed, rummaged through her files for a while, and finally pulled up a case: "Mr. Hayden, I have an investigation I recently got my hands on. You can get a commission of 10,000 gold coins, but I'm afraid it will be difficult to complete it before the end of the month."
"You know the rules; once you know the details of the job, it's not easy to back out. So... what do you think?"
Would Hayden really say no?
So the saleswoman then explained the details in detail:
"A client wants to hire a mercenary to investigate the family situation of a mid-level manager at the Seattle branch of Mitra Information Group, to find out if there is any infidelity between the spouses, and to bring back relevant evidence. You will receive a commission of 10,000 gold coins upon completion."
Oh dear, isn't this just a typical infidelity investigation? It's just that Hayden has never done this kind of work for the upper class before, and the commission this time is incredibly high. Truly befitting an order from the upper class.
"What's so difficult about that? Watch me finish this in three days."
So he accepted the order without hesitation.
The saleswoman didn't dawdle; she immediately sent over the detailed job information and ended the call.
With the job secured, Hayden felt his debt situation had improved considerably, and happily opened the documents on his phone.
"Let me see the target... Deputy Manager of the New Seattle Business Unit at Mitra Information Group? A lowly corporate dog... His name is Adam Smith Apsara... Huh?"
Hayden's college classmate, his good buddy who was laughing and chatting with him at the wedding banquet yesterday, is now featured in the infidelity investigation materials.
"???"
Hayden rubbed his eyes before he fully understood what was going on.
This coincidence is too unbelievable. His income was affected by Adam's wedding yesterday, and now he's suddenly been offered a job investigating Adam's marital status?
After Hayden gave it some serious thought, he quickly realized that although investigating his friend's marital and family situation seemed a bit awkward, it wasn't something he couldn't do.
That's just how this line of work is. As long as the employer pays, they'll do the legwork. Sometimes they play the good guy, sometimes they become the bad guy; that's just the job of a freelance mercenary.
Besides, Hayden was genuinely curious about his best friend's marital and family situation. They seemed quite loving at yesterday's wedding, but what was the reality?
According to the rules of the trade, mercenaries shouldn't know their employer's identity. Otherwise, Hayden would have been quite interested in finding out who the employer was—maybe it was Adam himself or his wife!
"Not bad, thinking about it carefully, isn't this job quite interesting?"
Hayden couldn't help but grin mischievously at this thought.
Angela, having finished studying the dream chip she had retrieved, happened to come over and bring Hayden a cup of hot cocoa. Hayden took a sip, savoring the sweet taste, and then seized the opportunity to ask, "Angela, what do you think of this job?"
He also wanted to test as many things as possible to see how Angela's AI would react to different situations.
However, after thinking for a moment, Angela gave a somewhat strange answer: "As far as I know, marriage is a contract between husband and wife, both physically and spiritually. In that case, shouldn't investigating the state of this contract between husband and wife be a very normal, even solemn, task?"
"What kind of tradition are you talking about?" Hayden retorted. "If people still took sex so seriously these days, how could I not find a girlfriend?"
The term "virgin" refers to a man who harbors fantasies about virgins. If Hayden hadn't been a virgin enthusiast, he might have actually gone and found a two-timing woman.
But so what? What's wrong with having beautiful dreams? Anyway, he just can't accept a girl who's like instant noodles—something that can be enjoyed immediately after being soaked for three minutes.
But Angela found his words even stranger: "If that's the case, why would anyone commission such an investigation?"
Good question. Hayden was momentarily stumped by Angela's question. Why, in this era where sexual activity is so commonplace, do taboos still exist in marriage and even romantic relationships? Why are there still certain lines that cannot be crossed? Why do many couples still expect their spouses to be faithful? And why can't Hayden find a girlfriend?
If Adam could hear their conversation, he would probably complain, "Why are there still super unicorn men like Hayden in this era?" But as a virgin, Hayden just wanted his future wife to be a virgin too!
"Ahem, let's get back to the main topic. The most important thing now is how to get the work at hand done."
Ultimately, Hayden decided not to bring up the issue for now.
“I see, I understand.” Angela’s reaction was also very obedient, or at least she seemed obedient. “How is this kind of work usually done? Do you need to find a clean pool of water and look at the reflection on the surface to tell fortunes?”
she asked curiously.
"No need, these ancient prophetic magic spells are too unreliable."
Hayden waved his hand.
The world has a long history of divination, fortune-telling, and other forms of magic that use omens to explore the unknown. Even today, with most ancient magic obsolete, these forms of divination still have a considerable following. Hayden himself experimented with a few techniques, such as interpreting tarot cards, or putting twenty sticks engraved with runes in a bag and randomly drawing five and throwing them on the ground.
Even someone like Hayden, who studies ancient magic, wouldn't consider these divination methods as a regular option. It's like how he certainly wouldn't use a wish-granting spell to create Angela's AI if he weren't drunk.
Times have changed. The most powerful intelligence magic in modern times is the internet!
"The simplest way, of course, would be to hack into Adam and his wife's phones and spy on them. But to be honest, my hacking skills are only third-rate. It's not difficult to hack into the phones of street thugs and corporate slaves, but if I try to do that to mid-level managers in large companies, I'll get brain-damaged by anti-intrusion software if I'm unlucky."
"The most traditional method is, of course, to track and monitor, but where do we find that much time now?"
Hayden picked up his phone again as he finished speaking.
Adam and his wife just got married yesterday. What if they decide to stay quiet for the next five or six days and not cause any trouble? Wouldn't Hayden be stuck with the bills?
So the quickest and simplest way is to ask someone you know who might know the relevant information.
So, does Hayden have some high-society friends in the Mitra Information Group who can directly inquire about such things?
of course not.
Apart from his classmates.
After the phone rang five times, the face of a green-haired elf woman finally appeared on the screen.
"...What is it, Hayden? I'm very tired right now."