If it were another team, Peter wouldn't have bothered to get involved.
But the Mann team was different. They often hung out and had drinks together, and both Sasha and Rebecca were part of the crew. He couldn't just stand by and watch them walk into the fire.
"Peter, it might already be too late," Sasha said, her expression complicated. "Mann accepted Faraday's mission yesterday, and we're supposed to act tonight."
Peter frowned and thought for a moment. Then he said, "After you kidnap Tanaka, just extract his brain data. If anything happens or you need help, contact me directly."
He considered the situation again. David was already part of his team, and most of the top fixers in Night City knew Peter was responsible for what happened at the Cyan Biotech Building. Faraday likely knew too. If he had even a shred of intelligence, he wouldn't dare provoke Peter. After all, Peter hadn't gone out of his way to hide his involvement with the Whirlpool Gang or the Tiger Claw Gang.
Anyone who was paying attention would've also known Peter was behind the attack on the Empire State Mall and the complete wipeout of the Voodoo Boys the day before.
So if Faraday still chose to mess with him, then Peter was more than ready to let him experience the most painful way to die.
After all, the way Faraday died in the anime version wasn't satisfying enough.
"Alright," Sasha nodded. "I'll call if something comes up."
After the conversation, Peter headed to his newly acquired laboratory, bringing his Sword in the Stone with him. The lab wasn't far from his North Oak home—only about two kilometers away.
The building's high-tech exterior pleased Peter. It looked sleek and state-of-the-art. At the entrance, Xu Xinyue was already waiting, sweat clinging to her forehead. When she saw Peter step out of his sports car, she quickly composed herself and greeted him with a professional smile.
"Mr. Peter."
Peter didn't waste any time. "Here's your Yinglong manufacturing blueprint," he said, handing her a rolled-up set of schematics. "The payment? Just leave it in my car."
Then, gesturing toward the Sword in the Stone behind her, he added, "Now, give me a tour of this place."
Xu Xinyue nodded and led him into the facility. As she spoke, she explained the features of the lab.
It truly lived up to the reputation of being operated by one of the world's top companies. The lab was filled with cutting-edge experimental equipment and had a complete manufacturing workshop. Everything was streamlined, efficient, and top-tier.
"Mr. Peter, the special steel and synthetic skin materials you requested have already been prepared," Xu Xinyue informed him.
"Good," Peter replied with a nod. "I also need to purchase a few things from Kang Tao. I've already sent the list—just let me know the total cost."
Xu Xinyue took note, then hesitated before continuing. "Mr. Peter, if you're free tonight, would you do us the honor of coming to Ember? President Ling would like to invite you to dinner."
That caught Peter off guard. "Me? A mercenary? Having dinner with the American director of Kang Tao? That's flattering, but no thanks. I'm not fond of eating out."
He smirked. "If Ms. Ling Xiaohan wants to discuss business, she's welcome to come to my house. I'm a damn good cook, if I say so myself."
"This… I'll pass the message along," Xu Xinyue replied awkwardly.
Peter gave her a playful look. "Honestly, I liked your rebellious attitude more than this corporate polish."
Xu Xinyue nearly pulled out her pistol on the spot but restrained herself. She knew she wasn't strong enough to take Peter on, not even close.
"Mr. Peter, you're quite the joker," she said with a forced smile. "Since you're satisfied with the lab, I'll take my leave."
She turned and left with the Kang Tao personnel.
After she was gone, Johnny materialized next to Peter with a grin. "Damn, kid. You almost pissed off that pretty girl. That's not like you."
Peter rolled his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"Usually when you see a hot girl, you're way more charming. But this one… you went straight for the jugular. You sure you wanna resurrect yourself as a cyborg?"
Peter shrugged. "Maybe. I'm kinda curious what it feels like to have solid footing again."
Johnny looked around the lab with a mix of awe and anticipation.
---
Later That Night
"Sasha, are you saying Peter actually told you that?" Mann asked, his brow furrowed.
"Yeah," Sasha confirmed. "Peter suggested we cut ties with Faraday after this mission. He believes Faraday's involved with military tech now."
Mann's face darkened. "It's too late. We're in too deep. We can't just walk away."
He glanced at Tanaka, who was bound and unconscious in the corner.
"Why not?" Rebecca asked, confused. "We were only hired to kidnap this corpo. We've done that. We didn't even trigger any alarms. We can hand him over to Faraday and leave the area. Peter even said he'd hook us up with better contacts."
Mann sighed. "Faraday's already paid us—part of the reward came in earlier today, and he promised more after we extract the data from Tanaka. But here's the thing—he wants us to go deeper. He expects us to perform a deep neural scan, extract confidential data about prosthetic technology, and deliver it."
He looked frustrated. "We can't just walk away now. The money's in our accounts. We either finish the job or risk being hunted down."
"So what do we do?" Rebecca asked.
"We use the deep-link interface. Sasha, if you're not comfortable, we can call Qiwei. She's got skills. She can do it."
Qiwei was a newer member of their network—a skilled hacker, not quite on Sasha's level, but competent.
Sasha hesitated, then nodded. "Let Qiwei handle the main dive. I'll stay as backup. I haven't done many deep links, but I'll be ready in case anything goes wrong."
She didn't want to abandon the team, even if Peter's warning echoed in her mind.
---