Chapter 72

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Gloria sat in front of the cyber mirror, tweezing her eyebrows for some light grooming.

She had applied a modest amount of makeup today as she was determined to look for a new job.

Having had enough sleep over the past few days, the weariness around her eyes had somewhat dissipated.

Putting down the tweezers, Gloria patted her face in front of the mirror and then tried to muster a smile.

She'd been waiting at home for days for a piece of news that never came, deciding it was more urgent to look for work first.

The little money she had saved was now all gone, paid to Arasaka Academy to compensate for the damage caused by David.

Rent, utilities, clothing, food, and transportation - there were still so many expenses to cover.

After resigning from the public medical center, she didn't have much time left to transition.

Gloria took a yellow cyber jacket from the coat rack and noticed its cuffs and collar had become worn and faded.

The jacket was durable and could easily serve as everyday workwear once the previous employer's logo was removed.

She smoothed out the wrinkles, threw it over her shoulders, slid her slender, pale hands through the sleeves, and shook it out - it still fit loosely and comfortably.

"It's old, but it's fine as long as it's handy for work."

After getting dressed, Gloria was about to leave but suddenly received a message.

She rotated her cyber-eye lens to view it.

Mr. Tang?

Her breathing tightened slightly as she clicked to open it.

"Mr. Tang wants to visit me again?"

She hadn't expected Tang Yu, with whom she hadn't been in touch for days, to suddenly request a meeting, and at her house no less.

The troubling part was he would arrive in half an hour.

This caught Gloria off guard, causing her to instantly retract the step she'd taken toward the door.

Turning around, she saw the disorder in her home: the table, couch, and floor were all a mess.

Her personal clothes had just been taken from the dryer and were scattered in her bedroom.

She felt a bit panicked.

Gloria held her forehead, pondering for a moment, deciding that replying to Tang Yu was the priority.

"Received, I'm at home waiting..."

As the words appeared, she felt something was amiss, somehow off.

She quickly erased them and sent only two words.

"Received"

After replying, Gloria hurried back to her room to clean and organize, taking advantage of the little time left.

The last time Tang Yu had visited, she'd been unprepared due to David being ill.

Now, with David at the academy and not having dismissed school yet, the place was a mess while she was alone - it would be embarrassing for visitors to see.

Gloria didn't want to leave a bad impression on Tang Yu.

Especially since after what Yu had agreed to, she increasingly felt unbalanced in his presence.

A company executive, her savior, and perhaps even her future financier.

The stark inequality of their statuses made her, usually strong and independent, soften her demeanor.

With her mind in turmoil, she stuffed her clothes haphazardly into the closet and shut her bedroom door.

She rushed to clear the trash in the living room, quickly wiped the couch and table clean, then stood in front of the cyber mirror again to check her appearance, confirming she looked presentable.

She opened the door and went downstairs to welcome the imminent guest.

Standing at the foot of the skyscraper, Gloria looked up and down the road periodically.

Several Arasaka Corporation cars passed in front of her but continued on without stopping.

Suddenly, on the far right side of the road, she spotted a somewhat familiar figure - dressed in a full black suit, his steps firm, sticking out in the street culture of Santo Domingo.

The street culture was rampant throughout Santo Domingo, and it was rare to see a corporate employee in a suit walking the streets.

As the figure drew closer, Gloria confirmed that it was indeed Tang Yu. Unlike the previous meeting, he wore black-framed glasses today, adding a touch of intellectual charm. Gloria waved her hand, signaling her location to the approaching person.

Seeing the fiery red ponytail and the bright yellow jacket, Tang Yu recognized it was Gloria waving at him.

The two quickly met up.

Gloria, a bit embarrassed, explained with a smile, "Mr. Tang, today was rather sudden, and there isn't much at home to offer you."

"If you don't mind, we can go out to talk somewhere else."

Tang Yu, having been here alone before, knew the way around and headed straight towards the skyscraper.

"There's no need for spending, I came here on official business."

"David hasn't finished school yet, has he?"

Gloria nodded, "David has lunch at the academy cafeteria and won't be back until school ends in the afternoon."

"Alright, this matter is urgent, let's handle the official business first."

They returned to the apartment, and Tang Yu noticed that little had changed since his last visit.

He sat down on the couch and turned his head to see Gloria taking out wine glasses from a cupboard.

"Let's skip the drinks and get down to business."

Gloria, hearing this, hurriedly put the glasses back and closed the cupboard door before taking a seat on the opposite couch.

Tang Yu directly took out a micro-separator chip and handed it over to her.

Gloria rose slightly to accept it with both hands, trying to be as polite as possible, and felt a bit more at ease seeing that he was acting as usual.

"Please check the contents of the chip."

Gloria inserted the micro-chip into her neural slot, and her cyber-eye displayed the relevant information.

[Name: Raleigh Hein]

[Identity: Member of the Valentinos gang]

[Details: Went missing eight days ago, last seen in Watson District...]

After quickly reading the chip, Gloria's expression became serious.

"A member of the Valentinos, last seen in Watson District. If out of contact, it could be a malicious kidnapping. Could it be related to the Maelstrom gang?"

Tang Yu clarified, "All possibilities you mentioned are correct, and the task is to locate Raleigh Hein."

"The Valentinos have been looking for him for days, through both net hacking and physical searches, yet no clues were found."

"This matter is delicate, and I prefer not to get involved. It's up to you to find a solution."

With that, Tang Yu transferred 30,000 Eurodollars to Gloria from his electronic account.

Gloria, accepting the funds, realized that her role as a 'middleman' was beginning just like that.

Simple, clear, and direct.

She quickly recovered from her surprise, "Understood. Is there a time limit?"

"As soon as possible. We need to know whether he's alive or dead."

Tang Yu could have easily used Arasaka Corporation's resources to investigate the matter.

However, entrusting Gloria with this task was his way of giving her an opportunity to prove herself and thereby qualify to become a real 'middleman.'

Furthermore, using the company's resources would leave a paper trail.

This was a private favor asked for by Jackie, and Tang Yu did not want to attract the attention of certain individuals in the company.

Therefore, entrusting the task to Gloria was just right.

After receiving the assignment and the funding, Gloria assured him she would do her utmost to fulfill the commission.

Tang Yu knew Gloria had certain connections, and through her guise as a paramedic at the public medical center, she trafficked in cybernetics and met people like Maine, other cyberpunks.

But a real 'middleman' required recognition from the power brokers in the underworld, and if Gloria wanted to officially make her mark, she needed their acceptance.

For her debut, Tang Yu had to ensure that she carried the presence befitting a middleman.