Whoever lost it, someone else buys it.

As long as the item shows up on the market, it's a tie of relationships.

These things only hold value for a small group of people. What John can do now is find an intermediary to resell it, ask for a fee and a commission. Don't expect to get rich overnight.

[Contact - Oulos Grenada (Voice Call)]

The other end of the call was very noisy.

A large social event was underway.

As Oulos moved away from the crowd, the mix of music and chatter faded, and the sound of her high heels striking the ground became increasingly crisp.

[Life is quite fulfilling, huh~ I thought you'd cherish your free time to visit the club, but didn't expect you'd go carjacking. First, it was the spiritual leader Du Remon, then Nova Knight Palmer. Rumor has it you're deliberately targeting the Rift Party...]

"Just a coincidence of the job, whoever dies is just unlucky."

John spoke lightly, but his attitude was very cautious.

He switched his cybernetic eye to night vision mode and closely watched the movements around the warehouse, fearing an ambush. Only after confirming there was no danger did he continue.

"I just want that armored truck. The money from the auction house's goods sales will be split 70-30. Are you willing to help? It's a sure money-making deal."

Oulos let out an exaggerated sigh, didn't reply immediately, but instead asked a very sensitive question.

[Who issued the job?]

If it was someone else asking, John would definitely keep it secret.

Oulos had helped John many times, without concern for cost, even saved his life, and they shared the goal of uncovering the truth behind all kinds of "coincidences."

John felt that if she betrayed him, it would just be "repaying a debt."

"Barry Kit, a lieutenant colonel in Eden City."

[I know him, he's in charge of Sakura Cross Street and often deals with the Owl Town gang, right? Here's a free tip, darling, don't head to Sakura Cross Street recently, there's big action by the eastern people.]

"Raqi Industry is in a mess, right? I know, the intel that messed up their PR department was escorted by me personally."

A reporter named Pierre came to John's mind, wondering if the guy had secured a spot on the TV station.

[There will be no more mention of Raqi Industry in Eden City from now on. They sent someone over from their Asian Headquarters to manage the mess, consolidating all business under the Raqi Group.]

Oulos lowered her voice, her tone rising, making it easy to imagine her standing on the edge of the banquet, smiling as she made the call.

"Is he dangerous?"

John had a bad relationship with the Owl Town gang.

[My intuition tells me, yes, so don't provoke the Owl Town gang recently to avoid being used by the eastern people to demonstrate.]

"Alright, then, what about the armored truck?"

John lived on the edge.

Whoever brought the fight to his door would be dealt with first, and the armored truck issue was more urgent now.

[Sorry, darling, I'm very busy.]

Oulos refused to help John clean up.

But she provided some information and ideas.

The auction house already knew about John's hijacking of the armored truck.

They had two ways to solve the problem.

First, hire a hitman to eliminate John. Given the situation, they surely knew the Eden City lieutenant colonel was backing John, so the management would first try to negotiate with Barry.

This would put John in a passive position.

The outcome depended entirely on Barry's attitude.

The auction house's second solution was to find an intermediary, pay money to buy the items back.

John could offload the items upfront, selling stolen goods was a lucrative deal. Getting the intermediary to the table to share the risk would incline Barry and the auction house towards a peaceful resolution.

"I know who to call now, there's one more thing."

John wanted Oulos to help collect a bounty from the EPCD.

[Did someone tip you off? Correct, jumping through intermediaries is a wise choice, but I want a 35 percent cut.]

Oulos came to Eden City with a goal.

She didn't plan on rooting herself in the city, lacking many branch channels and connections, making the handling of small affairs more costly.

[The price is high, but reach out to me if you have no other choice.]

The call ended quickly.

Oulos exuded a busy and excited aura of hunting.

"Alright, let me see..."

John had only dealt with three intermediaries in total, one of whom had been gutted and dumped in a drainage ditch.

[Contact - Raphael (Voice Call)]

[Glad you chose to call me, John.]

A male voice came through the call.

"F*ck, what the hell?"

John thought he had mistakenly dialed the Sex Doll Club as earlier he suddenly felt like a muscular man was squeezing his throat or as if a drunken "beauty" approached him in a dimly lit setting.

[It's okay, John, it's me.]

Raphael laughed and reassured John.

[Sorry, you're too adept, making me forget you're a newbie. Some things were unclear, remote borrowing of an employee's body isn't about distrust, it's just a long-standing habit of mine.]

"I thought 'the intermediary knows everything' was scary enough, whoever pisses you off is destined to be scared shitless."

John inexplicably found it unsettling.

[Just like mercenaries' guns and Mantis Blades, in the end, they're just tools for survival. Let's talk business, I guess you have an armored truck to deal with.]

John wasn't too surprised she guessed his intentions, but before he could speak, a contact file appeared on the edge of his vision.

Raphael sent files to John's mailbox, then matched it with the continually expanding photos and logos to explain.

This armored truck belonged to the [Vodkova Auction House], containing memory chips, corporate secrets, and privacy files in storage boxes. Randomly opening one reveals dirty little secrets.

The auction house's management tried to concoct a "realistic" enough heist to cover up abnormal cash flows and fake auctions.

This brainless bunch botched it, leading to an accidental police homicide, pressure from Barry, the robber's death...

[Now the client is pressing management to be responsible, wishing they could sell them to Ghouls for a few illegal films.]

"Wow, that's even a good idea."

John sneered sarcastically.

"If idiots and scumbags could match up on their own and cancel each other out, Eden City would be better off."

[You're right, but company dogs aren't entirely stupid; they still know to pay for their lives, so we have business to discuss.]

Raphael neither quoted a price from start to finish, yet seemed confident John would let her handle the deal.

And so it was.

She had demonstrated her grasp of the situation, thus having the capital to mediate and make money.

"Alright, I'll give you the address, and one more thing."

John also inquired about collecting the bounty.

[Not bad, you're growing fast; a bounty account is a ticket for a street mercenary to step onto the elite stage.]

Raphael handled business proficiently.

[Normally I charge 15 percent, but since you're on good terms with Ryan, I'll only take 10 percent. You can ask around and compare. I guarantee this is the best offer in Eden City.]

"Deal."

John didn't doubt her.

As a senior intermediary operating mercenaries, she could even influence the market rate for bounty collection.

Raphael remotely logged into John's account.

[After you take down any notable person, just send the evidence to the corresponding virtual address, and the bounty will be in the account within six hours, of course, after deducting the commission percentage.]

The driver from Kaufuglanton was on the way to the port.

John took this opportunity, with Raphael's help, to upload the photo of the armored truck robber's takedown for the first time, and the counterpart expedited the process, resulting in a swift remittance to his account.

The Rift Party's bounty was priced higher than the first Ghouls trafficker submission, but not by much; the difficulty had multiplied several times, no wonder Ryan said you couldn't judge strength by bounty alone.

It's a pity the bald knife man's body got kicked away before he could take a picture, missing out on some money.

The transaction went smoothly.

Raphael would use the goods to blackmail the auction house for a substantial ransom, the amount depending on her capability, and how much to give the mercenaries was a black box operation in the industry, all based on the intermediary's credibility and personality.

John would take the money and give 70 percent to Barry.

This was the agreed part.

The remaining commission still had to be paid to Raphael for dealing with the armored truck, including removing the tracker and company systems, overall repair and maintenance, replacing parts, and upgrading armor and adjusting internal space as per John's requirements.

This was a costly but necessary expense.

It might be the sentimentality of a veteran driver or perhaps an OCD.

The high-end transportation vehicle John risked his life to get back, he always wanted it in optimal condition to work for him.

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