Jinx's warning was stuck in my brain like a thorn.
"They won't play by the rules with you in the arena."
Of course I knew that.
When have those high-and-mighty nobles ever played by the rules with stray dogs like us, scrounging for scraps in the trash heaps?
The day after the match ended, I received a new message from Jinx. It wasn't through the encrypted channel we had used before, but a one-way, burn-after-reading instruction.
It contained only a time and a set of coordinates.
The coordinates pointed to an abandoned signal relay tower in the "Rust Belt" of Planet 7.
A face-to-face meet?
I sneered. This information broker sure has guts.
I slung the massive wrench engraved with a "G" onto my back and stepped out of my battered container. The acid rain had just stopped, and the air was thick with a pungent mix of metallic rust and ozone.
The signal tower stood like a giant, rusted bone, jutting out all alone from the peak of a trash mountain.
I climbed the spiraling external stairs step by step, each footfall clanging loudly as if announcing my arrival.
The platform at the top was deserted, with nothing but the whistling wind.
I scanned the area warily, my hand already gripping the wrench on my back.
"Relax, Mad Dog."
An electronically processed voice rang out from the platform's loudspeaker, tinged with a lazy, static hum.
Then, a holographic projection flickered into view before me.
It was a blurry figure in a hoodie, face hidden, lounging on a virtual chair with legs crossed.
Hiding in the dark and using a projection to talk?
Interesting.
"You're actually on time," the figure in the projection said.
"I hate wasting time," I replied coldly. "Did you call me here just to look at this ghost of yours?"
"Of course not." Jinx's projection chuckled, the sound distorted by electronic interference. "I'm here to give you something good."
The moment she finished speaking, my data terminal received an encrypted file.I opened it, and my pupils constricted instantly.
It was a detailed dossier on my next opponent.
It wasn't just run-of-the-mill intel like mech models or weapon loadouts—it even included every single modification record for his mech, the batch numbers of his energy cores, and the pilot's psych evals from the last three months!
"'Maze Hunter,' a master tactician," Jinx's voice drifted over. "He specializes in using complex terrain for ambushes. His signature move is dropping down on you from above just when you think you're safe. Oh, and he's claustrophobic. It's mild, but under extreme stress, he'll subconsciously avoid entering narrow dead ends."
This information... it was terrifyingly precise.
Just how deep did Jinx's intelligence network go?
"This stuff can't be cheap, can it?" I closed the screen and looked up at the blurry figure.
"For you, it's free," Jinx's projection said with a wave of her hand. "Consider it... a gift for taking out that Viscount."
Free?
Alarm bells started ringing in my head.
In the Rust Belt, nothing costs more than "free."
"What are you really after?" I asked bluntly.
"I want to talk about a much bigger deal," Jinx's tone turned serious. "Vex, you're a genius—a maniac who can turn scrap metal into a killing machine. But skill alone isn't enough."
Her projection leaned forward, as if to let me see the eyes beneath her hood.
"Your victory cost some underground betting rings a lot of money. I've heard that a bounty has been put out on you. Someone wants to make sure your 'Wrench' is 'accidentally' scrapped in the next match."
My heart sank.
Sure enough, trouble had found me.
"You think you're only facing opponents in the arena? No," Jinx sneered. "You're up against the referees, the technicians, and the hidden hands that can quietly install a backdoor in your mech to make your engine stall at the worst possible moment."
I'd thought about all of this, of course.
I just hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
"So?" I asked."So, you need an ally. An ally who can help you see all the dirty deals happening under the table." Jinx's projection stood up and spread her arms wide.
"Partner with me, Vex."
"I'll provide all the intel—everything on your opponents, plus warnings about any threats outside the arena. I'll tell you which referees have been bought and which technicians are compromised."
"In exchange, I want thirty percent of your prize money from every match."
Thirty percent!
This woman has a hell of an appetite!
I narrowed my eyes, staring hard at the projection.
"Why should I trust you?"
"Because of this." Jinx seemed to have anticipated the question.
She snapped her fingers, and another message popped up on my data terminal.
It was a map with a location marked on it.
"This is the exact real-world location of the physical server for your next match—that so-called virtual arena, 'Maze City'."
What?!
My heart gave a violent jolt!
"It's right here on Planet 7, less than fifty kilometers away." Jinx's voice held a hint of temptation. "I've sent you the external schematics of the server facility and the security patrol schedules. As for how to use this intel... well, that's up to a lunatic's imagination like yours."
I stared at the map, countless crazy ideas flashing through my mind in an instant.
The virtual arena's server... its physical location...
This...
This was practically serving my opponent's brain up on a platter for me to smash!
"Well?" Jinx's voice was brimming with confidence. "Is that enough 'good faith' for you?"
I looked at the projection, my mind racing as I weighed the pros and cons.
Jinx was right. The further I went, the more enemies I'd have, and the dirtier their tactics would get. If I kept fighting alone, sooner or later, I'd get screwed over in the dark.
I needed intel.
I needed someone to watch my back.
As for whether Jinx could be trusted...
In the Rust Belt, there was never absolute trust—only temporary, mutually beneficial interests.
"Thirty percent is too much." I countered; it was an instinct ingrained in my bones."No, hardly." Jinx immediately shot back. "You take seventy percent of the prize money, plus any loot you can scavenge from the arena. As for me, I only take cash. It's fair."
She paused, and the holographic projection suddenly flickered. The labels of several file folders flashed by in an instant.
My eyes snapped onto one of them!
It was a heavily encrypted folder, labeled—
"G.E. Project"
G.E. ...
Ghost Echo?!
My blood ran cold in an instant!
This Jinx... who the hell is she?! Why does she have a folder on the "Ghost Echo" project in her database?!
The image had flashed for only a split second—so fast it felt like a trick of the eye.
But my "Engineer's Eye" never makes a mistake!
I forced down the panic rising in my chest, careful not to reveal a trace of it.
This discovery was even more shocking—and terrifying—than the location of the server.
Jinx knew far more than I had imagined.
Partnering with her was like making a deal with the devil.
But if I refused, I probably wouldn't even know what hit me.
I took a deep breath of the freezing air, suppressing the turmoil inside me.
"Deal."
I squeezed the word out through gritted teeth.
The metal card used to contact Jinx seemed to burn in my hand. Its mission as a disposable contact tool was over, replaced by a partnership that was far more dangerous—and far more tempting.
"A wise choice." Jinx's projection sat back, looking satisfied. "Pleasure doing business with you, Vex. Don't let me down."
The projection flickered a few times and vanished.
The static from the loudspeaker cut out, too.
Once again, I was alone on the top of the tower, accompanied only by the howling wind.
I looked down at the server location marked on my data terminal, and the corners of my mouth curled up uncontrollably.
"Maze Hunter"?
Tactical Master?
You'd never see this coming.
Your next match won't be a battle of wits inside a virtual maze.
You'll be spending it praying...
That the wrench in my hand doesn't come smashing down on your fragile server.