Today was a relaxing Saturday, with no classes on the schedule and no pressing concerns—except for one: Lisa now had a shiny new car but no job to support it. She woke up unusually early, at 3:30 in the morning, feeling both excited and a bit anxious. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air as she made herself a quick meal of instant spaghetti from a box. While waiting for her coffee to finish brewing, she took out her phone and launched Portable Armory.

[You Have 2 New Messages]

"Who could this be?" Lisa wondered as she glanced at her phone.

[Burns]

"Hey, consider this a thank-you for your help last night. Why not treat yourself to something useful, something that'll benefit you when we're not working together anymore? You'll likely find this cash handy."

[Claim $5,000]

Lisa tapped the "Claim" button, feeling a mix of gratitude and curiosity. She then switched to the other unread message, this one from the enigmatic Mr. A. The reward he offered was even more generous, which made Lisa somewhat skeptical. She couldn't help but wonder: if the rewards were this substantial, what did that say about the complexity or risk of the mission itself?

[Needing A Gunman] [$25,000]

 "L, word on the street is that you're a reliable contractor, even though you're new in the game. I have no doubts about your skills, but I'd like to see them firsthand. I'll send the coordinates to your map and meet you there. Further details on rewards and meeting points are attached."

[Picture Attached]

[Confirm Job?]

Lisa pressed the button at the bottom of the screen, and a recorded message began to play. "Great, I'll meet you there," said a voice, distorted and electronically masked. Mr. A clearly didn't want to be recognized, but who could he be? Burns? He was the only other person in Cinderis the who knew about the existence of this app. Well, there was only one way to find out.

Sitting down at her kitchen table, Lisa took a few quick bites of her spaghetti and sipped her coffee while scrolling through the app's armory section. She only had a limited level of trust in Mr. A; for all she knew, this could be an ambush set up by the mafia. Better to be prepared for an intense gunfight just in case.

[Items & Logistics Department Interface] [Search: DT MDR] [Open Sell Menu]

[MDRx 7.62x51] [3,200$]

[MDRx 6.5] [3,000$]

[MDRx .300 BLK] [3,000$]

[MDRx 5.56x45] [2,800$]

For practicality and familiarity, Lisa opted for the 5.56x45 ammunition. Her M700, chambered in .300 Winchester Magnum, already provided more than adequate armor penetration. She didn't need overkill—just enough firepower to pierce light armor. Plus, she had reservations about her physical ability to lug around a heavy load of ammunition.

She proceeded to buy the ammo along with magazines for her rifle. Specifically, she picked up four quad-stack magazines, each holding sixty rounds of 5.56x45 M855A1. Her aim was to ensure her weapon could shoot through thin walls or metal sheets that might serve as cover. She was convinced this would come in handy. The total cost for the ammo and magazines came to $3,300, leaving her with $2,000 to spare. Coupled with her existing funds from Portable Armory, her total available capital amounted to $11,000. Not a bad sum, but still a far cry from her $3 million goal.

After completing her Loadout A, Lisa wrapped up her breakfast. She picked up her phone and launched MireWorld. A flash of light momentarily blinded her, vanishing as her clothing morphed into the gear from her Loadout A. The M700 rifle rested on her back, while the MDR dangled in front of her, secured by a one-point sling and an additional strap.

She stepped out of her apartment. The sky was still steeped in darkness; it was only 4 a.m. As she walked toward her car, Lisa found herself pondering why she had accepted Mr. A's offer. Was it solely for the money? She wasn't certain. During the civil war, if the PGC ordered her to eliminate a target, she'd do it without hesitation. Bomb a city? She’d carry out the command. Rescue someone behind enemy lines? She'd gladly undertake the mission. But now, she found herself in a different place, mentally. She had the freedom to question, and she was beginning to exercise it.

Sliding into her new Camry, Lisa was greeted by that distinct new-car smell. While it didn't have the luxurious vibe of Burns' BMW, it was certainly a step up from his battered Corolla. The engine purred to life, almost silent in its operation. Ah, must be the hybrid model, she mused.

Her eyes caught sight of a note resting on the passenger seat. Setting her M700 rifle next to it, she picked up the message.

"Lisa, I hope you enjoy your new ride. It may not be a luxury vehicle, but it should suffice as a worthy replacement for your old Camry. I've also opted for the armor package, designed to withstand up to 7.62x51mm M61 rounds. Since your app is linked, you should be able to tweak settings with ease. Enjoy, Lisa."

She hadn't anticipated this. Sure, the car was armored, but at its core, it remained a modest Camry. Still, the upgrades had to have set someone back more than $20,000. Shaking her head, she wondered if Burns had gotten a hefty payout from that job where he had been riddled with bullets by the mafia. Dismissing the thought, she shifted into drive and headed toward the location indicated on the map.

▬▬▬

Sitting in her car, Lisa couldn't shake a feeling of unease, despite being in an open street with a clear line of sight for miles around. She had parked her Camry between two towering skyscrapers, connected by skybridges. In the real world, this area would be choked with traffic, but here in MireWorld, it was eerily quiet, with just a car or two drifting by every few minutes. Foot traffic was sparse as well—nothing like the bustling crowds of the physical realm. All she could do now was wait for Mr. A.

[Incoming Call from A]

"Yes?" Lisa picked up the phone.

"Are you in the Camry?" Mr. A inquired.

"Yes."

Just then, a knock sounded on her car window. She looked over to see a man heavily clad in tactical armor, gripping a PKP machine gun and sporting a ballistic helmet. His face was covered with a balaclava, much like hers, except he was also wearing glasses. After a persistent knock, Lisa rolled down the window.

"May I come in?" he asked.

"Who are you?"

"A."

Lisa unlocked the door, and the man clambered into the car, setting his bulky frame down before closing the door. From a small backpack, he pulled out a tablet displaying a blueprint of a building—presumably the one she was parked beside.

"I need to retrieve data from a foreign national tied to a shell company owned by the mafia," Mr. A began. "Expect heavy resistance, including at least a two-star threat level from the local response team. Think you can handle it?"

"Whoa, slow down a minute," Lisa interjected, taken aback by the flood of heavy terms like 'foreign national,' 'shell company,' and 'the mafia.' "What's in this for me? And who exactly are we going up against here? The com-block?"

"Not quite. More like the Pan-Pacific Union," Mr. A replied.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Relax. If you're concerned about real-world repercussions, there won't be any," he reassured her.

"Are you certain?" Lisa questioned.

"For your average John, yes, the impact would be negligible," he responded.

"And what makes you think I'm just an 'average Jane?'" Lisa shot back.

Lisa couldn't help but consider the gravity of their task. Her military and Internal Security Bureau background had taught her that tangling with foreign elements often had far-reaching consequences. It wasn't something to be taken lightly, but Mr. A seemed to be aware of her skill set.

"Fair point," A acknowledged, "You've proven to be more effective than Burns in many ways, and let's be frank—this team doesn't need two hackers."

"So, what's my role in this?" Lisa finally queried.

"Cover my back," A replied succinctly.

He leaned back in the seat of the Camry, the tablet's bluish glow softly illuminating the interior and casting an intriguing shadow over his face. "We're after a file," A began to elaborate, "A very specific one, in the CEO's office on the 57th floor of this building. It contains all sorts of information—transactions, contacts, business dealings—the lifeblood of this company."

Lisa's eyebrows furrowed as she contemplated the situation. "Wait, are we basically swiping confidential business reports for investors or something?"

Mr. A chuckled softly, "It might seem that way, but no. This file is far from ordinary. It's encrypted, continually purged and filled with dummy data. The real content is periodically updated and stored on an offline computer, exclusively accessible in the CEO's personal office."

Rubbing her temple, Lisa sighed. "This is starting to sound like something out of a Hollywood heist film."

"Life has a funny way of mirroring fiction," A said, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips. "So here's the plan: we infiltrate the building and neutralize anyone who gets in our way. I've got a communications jammer in my backpack that should buy us some time. Once we get to the 57th floor, you'll use your skills to unlock the CEO's office, and then I'll handle extracting the file. Once we have what we need, we brace for chaos. Simple, right?"

Lisa gave him a skeptical look. "You make it sound so straightforward, but I have my doubts." She eyed the general-purpose machine gun A had brought along—a far cry from a stealthy weapon. In fact, it was the antithesis of subtlety. Her thoughts also drifted to their getaway plans. Whose vehicle would they use for the escape? Her Camry wouldn't stand a chance against the more rugged vehicles that law enforcement agencies tended to use.

"Don't worry, I've got the escape covered," A reassured her.

"I sure hope you're right," Lisa responded, her voice tinged with apprehension.

"Excellent. Let's get to work, then," A said, his tone shifting to one of determination.