The Mech Touch

odyguard approached.

Fe Nitaa passed on her concerns through her full-face helmet.
”There are observers staring at you from the surrounding buildings. ”

Ves pretended to scratch his cheek, thereby preventing his lips from being read.
”People are staring at me all the time.
Lucky and I are rather eye-catching. ”

”It ’s different, sir.
These aren ’t bystanders who are gawking at you because you look wealthy.
They ’ve been stationed in the vicinity of this area specifically to observe you from a distance.
From their methods, they ’re definitely trained. ”

”Are they spies? ”

”I ’m not certain at this time.
I ’m unable to determine whether they work for the government or for a smaller influence. ”

”How did you find them in the first place? ”

”I always keep my eyes out.
I take nothing for granted.
The excellent gear that you ’ve procured for me is indispensable.
It is evident that they have never fathomed that you would have invested so much money on personal equipment. ”

Ves smirked underneath his hand.
”The local Redwellers have been living under a severe economic depression for a long time.
It ’s no wonder they ’ve overlooked the capabilities of secure equipment. ”

”Regardless, the presence of so many observers is very concerning, sir.
I do not advise you to board your shuttle.
Even with the presence of the Battle Criers and the Dustravens, it only takes one attack to go through to disable your shuttle. ”

The shuttle they used carried a little bit of armor, but that did not give him a lot of comfort.
The planetary government already appropriated every armored shuttle on the planet a few years ago.

Ves and his group lingered at the headquarters a little.
Though the receptionists and guards obviously wanted them gone, they did not dare to shoo away a Journeyman.

Though no one appeared to have moved, one single entity was missing from their midst.

Lucky had quietly wandered as if he grew bored.

Half an hour went by as Ves discreetly discussed his security situation with Nitaa and Commander Cinnabar.

Due to the suspicion that any remote transmission might be intercepted, they did not dare to pass on any important messages to the Dustraven mechs patrolling above.

”Are the Dustravens involved, perhaps? ”

”I can ’t say.
Commander Meivin has changed a lot over the years. ” Cinnabar murmured.
”It won ’t do his mercenary prospects any good if he stabs his employer in the back.
However, if he has thrown in his lot with the Bloodwellers, then he may have decided to sacrifice everything in order to advance their cause. ”

”You ’re prepared against their betrayal, right? ”

”Sure did, boss.
On your orders, we brought down a lot more rifleman mechs than usual.
My men on the ground have also gone through numerous simulation battles against the Dustraven mechs.
All of our ranged mechs have brushed up their techniques targeted towards taking down quick and agile aerial mechs. ”

Ves nodded in satisfaction.
Despite his familiarity with Commander Meivin and the Dustravens, Commander Cinnabar did not take their friendliness for granted.

”Can we count on any reinforcements? ”

”We don ’t even know who to trust.
Every mercenary corps on Paisley I is pledged to one power or another. ”

The lack of options made him consider whether to turn to Mrs.
Linzif for help.
He was sure that she would demand a very big price, though.
She may even be a part of the same faction as the people who targeted him for some reason!

The exchange he just held with Mrs.
Linzif came back to the forefront of his mind.
Now that he thought about it, he found it rather weird that she began to talk about the need for patrons and the difficulty of surviving under adverse conditions.

Was she trying to pass on a warning to Ves?

If she did, then Ves would have preferred a clearer warning instead of the roundabout one he received!

”Damn woman. ” He muttered.

”What was that, sir? ”

”Ah, nothing. ” Ves rubbed his face.
”Can we turn to the government for help? ”

”I ’m not sure. ” Nitaa grumbled behind her helmet.
”If our hidden enemies have stationed an attack force nearby, then they may decide to launch their attack as soon as the planetary guard begins to mobilize. ”

The big variable right now was whether a hidden force of mechs was truly present.
If not, then the Battle Criers could fend off most threats by themselves.

As Ves, Nitaa and Commander Cinnabar continued to speculate, Lucky eventually returned.

”Meow. ”

”Really? ”

Meow meow. ”

”What is your cat saying? ” Nitaa asked, confused at how Ves was able to interpret the meows!

”Lucky managed to sneak up on one of the distant observers.
He then traced the signals the observer transmitted to another site, which housed a single occupant who is in touch with all of the observers.
You ’re right, Nitaa.
We are definitely being targeted right now. ”

Everyone quietly cursed.
Gavin, who had been left to the side, began to wring his hands in worry.
He wasn ’t cut out for this kind of dangerous business!

Meanwhile, Nitaa and Commander Cinnabar looked at Lucky in a very different light.
They misjudged the pretty mechanical cat! The artificial creature functioned more than a plaything to a wealthy mech designer!

”Meow. ”

”Oh.
Lucky did more than that.
He also traced the encrypted messages the coordinator transmitted to an underground parking zone not far away from here.
He encountered a dozen unmarked mechs! ”

”This! ”

Although a dozen mechs would not be enough to overcome the Battle Criers and the Dustravens, they didn ’t have to.
As long as they destroyed the shuttle while in transit, then that was enough for them to declare their mission a success!

The evidence they gathered pointed more and more towards a planned assassination attempt!

”It ’s been awhile since I ’ve landed in someone ’s crosshairs. ” Ves muttered before he slowly began to grin.
”Unfortunately for them, they ’ve lost the element of surprise! ”

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc..
), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.