Chapter 368: Chapter 368
Chapter 368
2-in-1-Chapter
----------------
Several days later, Judy finally called.
"Leo, Maiko called. She wants to meet beneath the Cloud supertower before sundown. You’ll be there, right?"
"Of course."
After hanging up, Leo set out for the meeting location while calling both Susie and Wakako Okada, telling them to get ready.
By the time Leo arrived at the base of the supertower, both Susie and Wakako had replied.
Mox reinforcements were en route.
Wakako’s nine sons were also mobilizing their people. The moment the leaders of the Masafusa-gumi and Hanakami-gumi met with an unfortunate accident at Cloud, they would act—dividing and absorbing their territories.
.............
......
.
The supertower where Cloud was located was structurally identical to the one V had once lived in.
Every floor, every open space, had been converted into marketplaces. In these supertowers, a single building functioned like a small village.
Many net-dwellers had lived inside these buildings for fifteen or twenty years, never once stepping outside into the real world.
In one corner of this tower’s marketplace, Leo found Judy, Tom, and Roxanne waiting, fully prepared.
Roxanne, who had previously said she needed time to think, now stood at the ready.
Now that she had appeared here, it meant she had made up her mind.
It seemed she had ultimately decided to go through with it.
"So, you’ve changed your mind."
"I’ve thought it through, over and over. You were right. The most rational thing to do is either crush them where it hurts, or let the gun do the talking."
"Nervous, Tom?"
"You noticed?"
"First time doing something like this—just think of it as your old line of work. The steps are different, but you’re good at this kind of thing. Besides, we’re not going in alone."
The three of them were caught off guard.
"Backup? What backup?"
"The Mox girls are already on their way. You’ll go in with them."
None of the Mox had Judy’s behavioral override chip installed—but that didn’t mean they were harmless.
"You convinced Susie Q? What did you offer her in return?"
Unlike Tom and Roxanne, who were visibly excited and uplifted, Judy felt a mix of relief and anxiety.
Judy’s emotions were mixed.
On the one hand, the help from the Mox would significantly improve their chances of success in seizing control of Cloud. On the other hand, she didn’t have nearly enough resources to pay Susie Q back.
As if reading her thoughts, Leo gave a small smile.
"Relax. I’ve already taken care of the payment. You don’t need to worry about it."
Judy was overwhelmed with gratitude and didn’t know what to say.
"Save the thank yous for after we succeed," Leo said, glancing around but not seeing Maiko Maeda anywhere. "Where’s Maiko? Wasn’t she supposed to lead us to Sato Hiromi?"
Hearing that, Judy collected herself quickly.
"Maiko’s with Sato Hiromi, along with two of the Tyger Claws upper ranks. She handed me the floor plan for the megatower. Follow this path and you’ll reach the penthouse suite."
"Alright, let’s move. Tom, Roxanne, once the Mox arrive, guide them in."
Leo and Judy entered the elevator and rode it to the third floor.
The third floor was a maintenance level.
Three technicians were working there.
Without alerting them, Leo swiftly knocked all three unconscious.
Then, he took out a neural disruptor and inserted it into each of their neural ports. Even if they woke up, they wouldn’t be able to move.
Judy stepped up to the control panel.
"Leave the Cloud security and Tyger Claws to Tom, Roxanne, and the Mox girls. You need to reach the penthouse and take care of Sato Hiromi."
"Damn it—they’ve upgraded their network security. I can’t break through the system anymore."
"Sorry, but you’re on your own. That maintenance elevator over there can take you straight up, but be careful. Triggering the security system will bring hell down on you."
The maintenance elevator was different from the one they had just used. This one went directly to the 55th floor—the rooftop of the megatower.
As the elevator doors slid open, the rooftop came into full view.
"The Mox girls just arrived," Judy’s voice came through the comms. "Tom and Roxanne are leading them in now."
Leo responded with a quick, "Copy."
He climbed down from the rooftop ladder, arriving at Sato Hiromi’s luxury penthouse.
There was a garden outside, set up to resemble an actual botanical terrace.
Leo had no time to admire it.
He crept up behind a guard stationed outside and silently snapped his neck.
If the techs could be considered innocent, these guards certainly weren’t. Line up ten of them, and you’d still miss a few guilty ones.
After eliminating the guards without making a sound, Leo stepped into the second floor of the penthouse.
It was a reception room with an impressive view—the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked megatower H11 across the gap, and below, the sprawling city stretched endlessly.
Maiko Maeda stood by the window, a cigarette between her lips.
On the expensive couch behind her sat three corporate elites in tailored suits. Each wore a braindance wreath, fully immersed in their sensory experiences. Beside each man, a doll attended them.
When Leo entered, the dolls didn’t panic. They understood something big was about to happen, and discreetly left the room.
"As a company CEO, I expected your field skills to be lacking. But I was wrong. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised—you’re a mercenary at heart. You got in here without triggering a single alarm."
Leo ignored her sarcasm.
He activated his tactical optics and scanned the three seated men.
Aside from one, who was clearly Maiko’s direct superior—Sato Hiromi—the other two were Masafusa Marcus and Hanakami Jun.
They were the leaders of the Masafusa and Hanakami factions—true power players behind Cloud.
"That’s our target: Sato Hiromi," Maiko said, exhaling smoke. "You might be curious who the other two are. Those are his superiors. And in a few minutes, they’ll watch him die soaked in his own piss."
"What are they watching? They look totally absorbed."
"A demo for Cloud’s next-gen top-tier dolls. Premium design, tight screening. Best of the best. Meant to replace Evelyn. Hopefully the girl puts on a good show."
That single line revealed Maiko’s coldness and detachment once again.
Judy might still hold illusions about her, but Leo had already seen through it—Maiko was no different from Sato Hiromi.
Both treated dolls as tools to climb the ladder and generate profit.
And this further solidified Leo’s conviction: Cloud must never fall into Maiko Maeda’s hands.
Judy’s shocked voice came through the comms.
"Maiko... what the hell are you trying to do?"
Leo had long suspected Maiko had a different agenda. With the Tyger Claw brass and Hiromi lost in braindance, he had no reason to act immediately.
Feigning surprise, he said,
"So this is what you meant when you talked about ’pressuring Hiromi into reforming Cloud’? You’re doing it... in front of Tyger Claw executives?"
"I know the Tyger Claws. To them, power means dominance. Brutality. This is the only way."
Leo folded his arms across his chest.
"So you weren’t planning to scare Hiromi. Your real goal is to replace him. Wake the Tyger Claw brass from their braindance, let them see me here, and they’ll immediately know Hiromi’s lost control."
"And that’s your chance to step up, right?"
Maiko sneered, "Exactly. Too bad, Leo—you figured it out too late."
"Not too late. What makes you so sure I won’t stop you?"
Maiko stood there with a smug expression, full of confidence.
"You won’t. Because once this starts, there’s no turning back."
"I don’t know how you got the Mox to join this plan, but great—originally, I was worried Tom and Roxanne wouldn’t be enough."
"With the Mox here, Cloud is already under full control. Now the Tyger Claw higher-ups will see clearly just how incompetent Hiromi really is."
The more she spoke, the more energized she became—as if unloading every emotion she’d held in for years.
And in truth, that was exactly the case.
She had been second-in-command for years—for what?
To one day replace Sato Hiromi.
Now that moment had come, and she could hardly contain her excitement.
As for Leo?
Maiko didn’t believe he could stop her.
Sure, she had switched sides midway.
But so what?
Without her, could the dolls at Cloud have pulled this off alone?
They wouldn’t have lived to see the next sunrise.
That’s how Maiko saw it.