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Chapter 364c
🕑 Added 2025-08-27 15:04:57 +0000 UTCChapter 364c
2-in-1-chapter
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Maiko Maeda. This woman was Cloud’s number two.
If she felt sympathy for the weak, she would never have climbed to the position of second-in-command.
To convince her, Leo could think of no method other than offering her something profitable.
Still, since Judy had said she would handle the talking, there was no harm in letting her try her own approach first.
“Should we just go in now?” he asked.
The balcony where the two were meeting was actually just outside Maiko Maeda’s office.
“I didn’t call ahead,” Judy replied, “so we’ll need to use a little trick to get the door open. Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”
She walked over to the electrical panel in the corner and began tinkering with it.
Seeing how smoothly she worked, Leo couldn’t help but ask, “You seem pretty familiar with this. Been here a lot?”
“Well, I used to work here,” Judy said without looking up, “helping them optimize behavioral chip routines, refining performance, that sort of thing.”
Soon enough, the office door clicked and slid open under Judy’s hand.
Inside was an office styled in a classic decor.
A woman sat behind a desk, looking at the two who entered with a mixture of surprise and disdain.
“Judy Alvarez. I was going to say it’s good to see you—but I don’t like to lie. And I especially don’t like uninvited guests. You know that.”
Judy walked up to Maiko’s desk without sitting down, crossing her arms across her chest.
“Right. And I know exactly why you don’t like it.”
Maiko made no move to offer Judy a seat.
She didn’t even stand. She simply remained seated and looked up at her.
“I thought you hit rock bottom when you joined the Mox. But apparently, your descent wasn’t over yet.”
Then Maiko turned her gaze toward Leo and added in a biting tone, “Aurora PMC’s director, right? I’ve seen the company you keep—your barbarian darling and that netrunner shadowing your every step. Quite the crew you’ve assembled.”
She let out a quiet, disdainful scoff. “This little office probably doesn’t live up to the standards of your high-class mercenary harem.”
Leo frowned. “I don’t appreciate sarcasm. Judy’s the one with something to say to you. I’m just here to listen—don’t mind me.”
He believed he had made his stance perfectly clear. But Maiko continued.
“If that’s so, then why are you here? Without you, maybe Judy would have had better luck.”
She had barely finished her sentence when her vision blurred.
In the next instant, Leo had crossed the space between them in a flash, now standing right in front of her.
He clamped a hand around her throat and lifted her from her chair.
Maiko instantly found it hard to breathe. Her windpipe was compressed by his fingers, and she struggled violently—but it was no use.
“Leo?!”
Judy gasped.
“Put her down! Are you trying to kill her?”
Leo’s expression remained cold. “I’ll put her down. But she better learn how to speak to people.”
Judy had said Maiko was the second-in-command at Cloud, that even the so-called manager was just a puppet under her control.
But so what if she was second-in-command?
Even if she were the top boss at Cloud, Leo wouldn’t care.
At the end of the day, she was just a madam running a brothel.
Even Arasaka’s Hanako didn’t speak with such a tone—what made Maiko think she had that right?
He gradually tightened his grip until Maiko was nearly unable to breathe, and only then did he suddenly release her.
She collapsed to the floor, coughing violently.
“Kh—cough! Cough!”
Maiko clutched her throat, choking for air. When she looked up at Leo again, there was visible fear and wariness in her eyes.
“You…”
She could guess why Leo had come with Judy. Clearly, they needed something from her.
That was why she had chosen to act so dismissive.
If it had been someone from Militech—say, Meredith Stout—or a senior executive from Arasaka, she would never have dared put on such an act.
But Leo was different.
He used to be a merc. And now, all of a sudden, he was running a private military company.
For someone like Maiko, who had invested years climbing her way to second-in-command at a club, only to be surpassed by someone like Leo seemingly overnight, it sparked deep resentment.
That was why she’d resorted to sarcasm and veiled insults.
What she hadn’t expected was that Leo would react with immediate violence.
Now she saw him in a different light.
Still holding her throat, she turned her head away.
Leo didn’t say anything in response. But in his mind, he’d already marked her down.
If Cloud was to be freed, there was no way it could be properly managed by Cloud’s own leadership.
The best outcome would be to hand it over to the Mox.
Suzie Q had already proven she could run Lizzie’s Bar like clockwork—she could certainly take over Cloud as well.
In that case, Maiko had no place there.
There was no need to keep her around.
If she had shown a better attitude, Leo wouldn’t have minded putting in a word to Suzie—maybe have her stay on as a floor manager or something.
But with that attitude…
She was done.
For now, though, Judy’s plan still required Maiko’s cooperation.
So Leo buried his killing intent for the time being.
He shot Judy a glance, signaling that it was time for her to speak.
Judy gave a bitter smile.
She hadn’t expected things to escalate this way.
Before coming here, she had imagined a hundred possible outcomes.
But not this one.
Now that they were here, though, she had no choice but to continue.
“Maiko… do you know what happened to Evelyn?”
Maiko answered, “I didn’t know at the time it happened. I only found out afterward. But don’t expect me to feel sorry for her. Sure, Cloud’s network defenses were flawed—but she brought it on herself. That much is undeniable.”
She paused, then added, “But go ahead. What is it you’re trying to say?”
“I want to liberate Cloud—take it back from the Tyger Claws.”
Maiko Maeda shook her head.
“That’s impossible. Clearly, you don’t understand the Tyger Claws at all. Judy, if you came here just to say this, then I have to say—you’ve really disappointed me.”
“Before I call security, the two of you should leave.”
“Maiko,” Judy said.
But Maiko didn’t bother responding. She turned back to her desk, pressed a button on her communicator, and said, “Security, report to my office immediately.”
Seeing that Maiko had called for guards, Judy had no choice but to give up.
The two of them left the office and exited the megatower where Cloud was located.
Judy’s car was parked on the roadside.
Once Leo got into the passenger seat, Judy slammed the steering wheel with frustration.
“She didn’t even give me a chance to explain.”
“Judy, you were trying to use Evelyn’s situation to stir her sympathy, but to me, Maiko Maeda doesn’t seem like someone who has much sympathy to begin with.”
Back in the office, Maiko had lied.
Leo didn’t need a lie detector to tell.
She had claimed she only learned about Evelyn’s situation after the fact—that she hadn’t known anything at the time.
That was impossible.
As Cloud’s second-in-command, Maiko couldn’t possibly have been unaware of what was happening inside.
And there was no way she didn’t know what kind of person Woodman was.
Judy might buy her story, but Leo didn’t.
To him, Maiko was no different from the suits in the megacorps.
Always chasing more power, always looking to climb higher.
So Judy trying to move her with Evelyn’s story was never realistic.
“You said earlier that without her, the plan couldn’t move forward. Now that she’s unwilling, have you figured out what to do next?”
“We’ll need to make something big happen before we approach her again.”
“You’re still not giving up?”
To Leo, Judy’s entire plan was full of holes.
She wasn’t involving the Mox, had no detailed operation, and still wanted to drive the Tyger Claws out of Cloud.
If Evelyn weren’t still alive and in need of care, Leo might’ve suspected that Judy was trying to get herself killed.
“Of course I’m not giving up. We need her. She’s the only one who understands how Cloud operates and how to deal with the Tyger Claws.”
Since he’d already agreed to help Judy, Leo wasn’t going to back out halfway.
But it was also obvious Judy held some kind of soft spot for Maiko. Leo thought for a moment, then said,
“Alright. But Judy, even if your plan works, even if Maiko takes over, I’d advise you not to place too much hope in her.”
“She’s not necessarily going to be any better than the one she replaces.”
Judy didn’t respond directly. She just nodded quickly.
“I got it… Let’s split up for now. I’ll contact you once I figure something out.”
When Judy finally got in touch with Leo again, it was a full day later.
But Leo hadn’t been idle during that time.
He’d spent the day collecting intelligence on the Tyger Claws from Wakako and Rogue.
“Judy, figured out a plan yet?”
“Of course. Come to my place tonight. I need to go over a few things with Tom and Roxanne first. They’re the people I mentioned—the ones I know from inside Cloud.”
She paused, then added, “Maiko will be there too—probably.”
Leo was a little surprised.
He hadn’t expected Judy to actually convince Maiko.
Either Judy’s persuasion was on the level of a full-blown anime protagonist, or Maiko had sensed there was something to gain.
“You contacted her again after that day? How did you get her to agree?”
“Oh, it’s a whole story. I’ll tell you tonight. Also—what kind of pizza do you like?”
“Vegetarian combo. Artichoke and avocado. Add some zucchini. Gotta keep it healthy.”
“You worry about your health with a body like that?” Judy said, then immediately paused.
“…Sorry, didn’t catch that,” Leo replied.
There was a slight silence on the other end before Judy cleared her throat, her voice a touch more composed.
“Classy choice. Alright, I’ll see you tonight.”
Just as Judy was about to hang up, Leo suddenly said—
Comments
Striker
There is but it wasn't in the collection for some reason. Should be there now, just reload the app/website: Tnx for letting me know!
Rhydec
Is there no chapter 363?
Striker
That ls fair
TOS SOT
Ngl this arc felt unneeded. Ik u just translating but I still feel like I need to complain.
