IC: Oriental Opportunities, Avoiding death in Hong Kong Options

[sabs]

[18 February 2072, 8:30 PM Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kon]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(3) = Johnny Cash | Wuxing Corporate Citizen

<<Oy, Chummers. Got some information for you. Li Shen Chang runs a "Luck Consolidation and Specialty Gardening Services" business. Man is seriously hard to find drek about. He says he was raised and trained in a small tibetan monastery, but he got out before the storms. If that's true, man's frag'old. Any of you magic types have an idea why a Shaman or maybe a spirit would say he smells like 'sulfur'? That make any sense? Messing with him might seriously suck. >>

Speaking from the commlink's speaker on the table. "Sure, Ting-Ting, sweets.. I'll get right on that."

[Seth]

[18 February 2072,8:30 PM Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | SIN = Dr Yang

<< Sulphur is of course mainly associated with volcanoes, rotting (as in eggs), gunpowder and hence fireworks. I believe that there are Caucasians myths associating hell with "lakes of brimstone (sulphur) and fire". Sulphur is also mythologically a method to kill dragons: interesting since Li Shen Chang also known as "smooth dragon smith". The sulphur is perhaps something innocuous: he makes firecrackers to scare away ghosts and evil spirits, but perhaps its more unpleasant.

I must say that the omens around this little adventure of ours are not positive, so I am more motivated to accepting an unpleasant reason.>>

[Mickle5125]

[18 February 2072, 7:35 PM, Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(4) = Zhao Shang | no-name street performer

"Bribes, maybe not, but there are other ways to gain compliance..." Max replied. "The chance to study him in person would be most helpful. Luck consolidation and Gardening implies that it really is a Geomancy technique, given what we've discovered so far. I'd like to know just how much initiate levels he has attained. Additionally, knowing his aura would allow us to identify him later and learn his habits."

[Thanee]

18 February 2072, 7:35 PM, Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting | PAN = Passive | SIN = Xiao Ling

"Just remember, these things work both ways..."

[Kim]

18 February 2072, 8:40 PM, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Yuki Kondo

“Just one thing, but it’s not an option now. Besides, I thought we were just here to take a look if it was accessible to guests. Not sure if we should go there if it is, but we’re not dressed for a stroll through the park.” Hope noticed the troubled look forming on Dante’s face, so he adds: “Don’t worry; the others will come up with a plan to circumvent any magical obstacles soon enough. We should focus on the mundane part.”

[phlapjack77]

18 February 2072, 8:40 PM, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 1 autosofts: Covert Ops, Facial Recog
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Adaptability, Visual Spotter
iBall: Weapon Watcher, Clearsight

"Ok. We don't want to alert the target, so we definitely shouldn't take any risks in approaching it, if we're not sure of the magical security. I'll send a drone to the end of the road where the private property starts, to see if we can get some intel on who comes and goes. I guess all we can do in the meanwhile is wait for the team to report in."

[Mickle5125]

[18 February 2072, 7:37 PM, Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(4) = Zhao Shang | no-name street performer

"True..." Max said, sipping at his tea. "We'd just have to make sure that whoever is there studying his aura is not magically involved in the final mission. Nothing links that individual to the act, and it shouldn't be a problem..."

[Edana]

18 February 2072, 8:45 PM, Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
As the conversation ranges over various approaches to the task at hand, interspersed with breaks to partake of a bit of karaoke to maintain their cover, Ting-Ting reminds Fractal to check up on the ownership of the property. Turning his attention from probing the property's node, he begins a search for this information. It doesn't take long for him to find out that the owner really is a local corporation, Zhuóyuè Shēngwù Jìshù, a small but successful biotech research group. Most of the investments associated with the company lead back to various lawyers' offices within Hong Kong, but if there are any ties to Wuxing or the Triads, they are exceptionally well hidden. One unusual set of investments stick out from the rest, as they seems to dead end in a group of drops in Vladivostok that appear to have a sort of circular ownership of each other and represents a near 15% ownership of ZSJ.

18 February 2072, 8:45 PM, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
Sending his drone up the road to check out the visible portions of the property, Dante and Hope discuss the mundane approaches while watching some fireworks over the sea from the overlook. After a several minutes, the drone returns with an affirmation that Mr. Lee's overall maps look correct. A large security wall surrounds the property, which contains a well maintained lawn and a few trees. It appears that the outer section of the wall has a dead zone of about 5 meters of cleared space surrounding the entire thing, as well as quite a few camera emplacements that are easily visible.

[Seth]

[18 February 2072,8:45 PM Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | SIN = Dr Yang

"I see you say 15% owned by companies in Vladivostok. I am unfamiliar with the Vory, but perhaps it is incumbent upon us to see if they have an interest in this place. Is there any chance I can see the pictures from the drone as I would like to see if there is anywhere that I can overview the plant that we can move."

<<Shen Li, A thousand apologies for disturbing this most auspicious day. May the heavenly blessing rain down upon you in this coming year. I have heard a disturbing hint, it is perhaps nothing, but I felt your sage advice and august guidance would add to the matter at hand. What are the Red Poles thoughts about the Vory, and are you aware of any of their operations near here? .... >>

[Thanee]

18 February 2072, 7:38 PM, Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting | PAN = Passive | SIN = Xiao Ling

Thinking about the answer, Max gave her, Ting-Ting replies after a moment of thought.

"This would limit our options during the actual run considerably, don't you think? I really am not sure, whether it is a good idea to meet him directly, in order to gather information about him."

[Mickle5125]

[18 February 2072, 7:39 PM, Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(4) = Zhao Shang | no-name street performer

"It's an option we shouldn't dismiss out of hand, but also one we shouldn't use right away" Max said, setting down his cup of tea as he settles back into his chair and starts thinking.

[18 February 2072, 8:45 PM, Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(4) = Zhao Shang | no-name street performer

Several half formed ideas later, Max yawns. "Have we found this guy's home yet? If not, I think it's time for me to go to bed and see what we can find tomorrow..."

[Edana]

18 February 2072, 8:55 PM, Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
It doesn't take long for Shen Li to return a quick response, brief and to the point. <@Dr. Yang: The Vory? Dishonorable and mercenary, but they are an eminently practical bunch. They'll deal with you with one hand while preparing to slit your throat with the other. There's no love lost between them and us, but they know better than to be too open about it in this city. To date they've mostly confined themselves to the port and Evo's holdings, but I wouldn't be surprised if they have presences outside those areas. If you're to have dealings with them, try to watch your back. --Shen Li>

[phlapjack77]

18 February 2072, 10:15 PM, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 1 autosofts: Covert Ops, Facial Recog
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Adaptability, Visual Spotter
iBall: Weapon Watcher, Clearsight

Dante reclined back in his seat and pulled up an AR window for his book, Journey to the West. Keeping a second AR window open showing him the feed from his dragonfly, he kicked back and popped the top on a beer. Offering one to Hope, he settled in to wait.

[Kim]

18 February 2072, 10:15 PM, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Yuki Kondo

Hope wasn’t sure about the offered beer. “If we’re going to do this tonight, shouldn’t we keep our heads clear? I’m not sure what the plan is, but if we don’t want to look like guests we might as well change into something less perceptible.”

[sabs]

[18 February 2072, 10:30 PM Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kon]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(3) = Johnny Cash | Wuxing Corporate Citizen

Fractal looked about the node, and double checked everything. He was satisfied with his findings, the exploit would work to get him inside. <<Alright Chummers, lets see how serious them bad boys are.>> Fractal double checked his biofeedback, and slid into the node using his exploit. The first thing he did once inside was activate his Analytic program suite to get a better feel for the node. One virtual eye kept on the IC running discreetly in the background, waiting to see if it would notice him.

[Edana]

18 February 2072, 10:23 PM, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
As Dante and Hope spend some time discreetly watching the roadway to the property while trying to blend in with the people at the overlook watching fireworks, a dark SUV with tinted windows drives past, obviously on the way to the house. Dante's drone catches a final glimpse as the vehicle disappears behind the security wall of the compound.

18 February 2072, 10:30 PM Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
Finally finding a small security hole he can exploit, Fractal enters the node he has found. No alerts appear to have been issued, and the small fly hiding on a tree doesn't seem to notice his intrusion, so it looks like he has gotten in safely for the time being. It doesn't look like anyone else is currently active on the system, as the only programs currently running are the system's analysis and the IC.

Looking around, the area has been sculpted to resemble a large park area, with footpaths leading to 3 buildings. One appears to be a small shack, resembling a toolshed. The second looks to be a squat tower with several spotlights arrayed on its upper reaches. The final building is reminiscent of a single-story office building.

[sabs]

[18 February 2072, 10:30:31 PM Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kon]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(3) = Johnny Cash | Wuxing Corporate Citizen

Making a snap decision, Fractal heads to the shack, as he does so he mentally activates his Reality Filters, hoping to change the scenery into something a bit more conducive to hackery, and shenanigans.

[phlapjack77]

18 February 2072, 10:23 PM, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 1 autosofts: Facial Recog
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
iBall: Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

Shrugging his shoulders at the rejected beer offer, Dante took another sip. Typical Japanese, never could hold their liquor.

He wasn't sure what Hope was talking about when he mentioned what the plan was for tonight. Dante was pretty sure that tonight was surveillance only, since they didn't want to tip their hand too soon. Easing down into his seat, he tried to ignore it and maybe get back to reading his book.

He startled up when the feed from his drone sent him the images of the dark SUV. Cursing under his breath at missing a chance to send the drone in attached to the vehicle, he quickly reconfigured the software loadout and sent new instructions.

<<Dragon2@Dante: If another vehicle approaches, secret yourself on it and enter the compound. Stay hidden. Maintain silence. Gather as much information as possible. Report to me only when you have left the compound.>>

Filling Hope in on the goings-on, Dante decided that maybe tonight wouldn't be a wasted effort after all. And if the SUV left while they were still doing surveillance, maybe a little tailing of the vehicle would be in order...

[Mickle5125]

[18 February 2072, 10:30 PM, Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(4) = Zhao Shang | no-name street performer

Max yawns again and sends a message to Fractal. <<@Fractal [Max] Yo! Were you able to find addresses for either our Honorable Guardener's home or his place of business?>>

[Thanee]

18 February 2072, 10:30 PM, Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting | PAN = Passive | SIN = Xiao Ling

< [Ting-Ting] As it looks like, the gardener will be the main obstacle for making this happen, right? Maybe we should consider another option here, that is, scrap the bonus and do the whole thing on short notice, after the gardener has been doing his weekly duties. That, of course, fully depends on whether we find a good way to deal with him for the next few days, or not. >

[Kim]

18 February 2072, 10:30 PM, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Yuki Kondo

Hope was sure their employer thought this was a pretty tough assignment, which was only possible or at least easier during the celebrations. The plans he was thinking about didn’t include this at all, so was he missing something or did Mr. Lee fail to mention the reason. In the passing car could be one of the first guests arriving. If they were going to celebrate in the garden, there would be no dogs, watchers, drones and maybe guards to worry about and the guests could even be blocking the plants from the view of the cameras.

[Seth]

[18 February 2072,10:30 PM Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | SIN = Dr Yang

"Well Fractal that seems to have worked well. An auspicious beginning to our mission, in that my services were not required. May this humble one enquire as to whether there are any dedicated programs watching the plants, and further is there an electronic dossier on our esteemed potential adversary Li Shen Chang ."

[Edana]

18 February 2072, 10:30 PM Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
Heading towards the shack, Fractal enables his reality filter, hoping to override the local metaphor with something a bit more familiar. The system's own programming seems to be very heavily ingrained and offers significant resistance to this action. Even so, as he approaches the building it becomes clear that it is a portal to another node within the system, and an image of a heavy padlock securing the door to the shed indicates that this probably isn't going to be a stroll in the metaphorical park.

18 February 2072, 10:29 PM, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
Several minutes pass after the SUV enters the private property, and then it reappears, exiting from the gate in the security wall, and heading back down the road that leads to the main roadway.

[phlapjack77]

18 February 2072, 10:29 PM, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 1 autosofts: Facial Recog
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
iBall: Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

Dante quickly tossed his empty can out the window. Starting the engine, he turned to Hope and grinned.

"Looks like we've got some action."

[Edana]

18 February 2072, 10:30 PM Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
With a bit of luck and sheer determination, Fractal manages to override the node's sculpting with his own reality filter, giving him a clearer idea of what's actually there. It appears that this node contains a few data files, but is mostly intended as a chokepoint for access to the other nodes that were represented by the buildings he saw. Scanning his initial target it becomes clear that it is something the creator of this network considers important, as it is encrypted and has even stronger security than the node he's currently on. Two icons that look like soldiers appear to be patrolling the node, while a third appearing as a small van bristling with antennas sits in the center of the area.