You're the Real Big Shot, Jack

Arasaka could remotely shut down the cyberware of any employee.

That was why, before defecting from Arasaka, Zank had found a tech expert to tamper with his implants.

The cyberware in his body had been modified to bypass the company's monitoring.

It could switch to offline mode without Arasaka noticing.

That was also why he had survived until now despite being hunted by his former colleagues.

But Arasaka was Arasaka. Its technology was far beyond what a ripperdoc running an underground clinic in Night City could match.

Although Zank's cyberware had not been remotely shut down, it had triggered other security measures.

That caused Zank, who already had mild Cyberpsychosis, to become a severe terminal case.

He had gone completely berserk.

That was why he stayed in that shack, whose abandonment had long since become impossible to determine, spending his days surrounded by garbage.

After driving for a while, the outline of a town appeared ahead.

But after thinking it over, Su Xiao did not drive into town.

He still could not let go of that job.

It had been his first job after crossing into this world.

Call it an obsession or persistence.

He was still somewhat unwilling to accept it.

Besides, he had always had a vague feeling.

Maybe he had not been stood up. Perhaps some other reason had caused him to miss the client.

Thinking this, he opened the car door.

"Get out."

The townsman looked dumbfounded. "What are you going to do?"

"Go find the sheriff first. I have something to take care of. I'll be there soon."

After sending the townsman out of the car, Su Xiao wrenched the steering wheel.

The SUV swung around and sped toward the broadcast communications tower on the outskirts.

Since the client wanted something transported to Night City.

That meant the other party should still be somewhere in the Badlands.

He needed to find a friend to help him.

Ten minutes later, Su Xiao climbed up the broadcast communications tower outside the town.

Standing atop the tower, he heard the wind howl past his ears.

The entire town lay exposed below.

In the distance stood Night City, the city countless people yearned for.

After admiring the view for a while, he opened the cover of the communications equipment and plugged the link cable that boosted the signal into his own radio.

After some adjustments, Su Xiao finally contacted the person he wanted to reach.

"Hey, McCoy."

"Su?" The voice from the other end of the radio sounded both surprised and delighted.

"McCoy, I had no idea you were going to leave me your family heirloom."

"I thought you wouldn't find it. That thing will be more useful with you than with me. Take good care of it." McCoy paused on the radio. "But I guess you contacted me for more than that, right?"

Su Xiao stopped beating around the bush. "I need your help."

"Su, you know the Badlands belong to the Nomads, right? Since you chose to leave the family, I can't help you anymore."

Su Xiao was speechless.

"Never thought someone with such an honest face could be this cowardly."

"I'd call it loyalty. Rules are rules. Without rules, nothing gets done. No chance."

McCoy paused, then continued, "If you were still with the Buckle Family, it wouldn't be a problem. You should learn from them and join the Serpent Nation like everyone else."

"I'll say the same thing again: joining the Serpent Nation won't end well. Sooner or later, they'll regret it."

"What about me? I'm in the Serpent Nation now too. Do you think I'll regret it?"

"I can't say." The wind high on the broadcast communications tower tousled Su Xiao's hair. "But if anything happens, you can come seek refuge with me. I'll protect you then."

"Then I'll be counting on you. Fine, just for the sake of that promise, tell me what you need help with."

"I need to find a client to unload some cargo, but I don't know where he is."

"Did you follow the agreed time and place?"

"Of course I did. The client may have left me a message. Can you check?"

"I can, but this will be the last time I help you. Tell me the client's name."

"Jack Wells."

There was silence on the other end of the radio for roughly half a minute.

"Huh, I actually have information on him. He's waiting for you at a farm. I'll send you the address now."

"Thanks, McCoy. I owe you two favors."

"You do owe me. Be careful not to get yourself killed. I don't want to attend your funeral."

After climbing down from the broadcast communications tower, Su Xiao went straight back to town to find the sheriff.

The sheriff still wore that same despicable look.

However, the townsman who had come to report ahead of him was not in the office.

There were only the two of them in the office now.

"I heard you already took care of that big problem?"

"That's right, so hurry up and pay me. You didn't want outsiders wandering around town, did you? Give me the money and I'll leave immediately."

The sheriff did not take out any money. Instead, he revealed an unsettling smile.

"Where's your family's camp?"

Su Xiao raised an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with what we're discussing?"

"Of course it does. I want you to leave as soon as possible. Go back to whichever camp you came from."

Su Xiao's brows furrowed.

He knew it would not be that simple.

He folded his arms across his chest. "Until I receive the payment I'm owed, I'm not going anywhere."

"Payment? I seem to recall that I already paid you."

Su Xiao's expression finally darkened.

He was easygoing, but that did not mean he was spineless or would meekly swallow every insult.

"Are you screwing with me?"

"Don't make wild accusations. I'm an honest man."

The sheriff seemed not to notice the look on Su Xiao's face and continued in that irritating manner.

"You didn't come straight here, did you? Before coming to me, you visited the broadcast communications tower, didn't you?"

"So what?"

"So what? The broadcast communications tower belongs to the town. Did you ask my permission before using it so casually?"

When Su Xiao fell silent, the sheriff assumed he had nothing to say.

"The fee for any outsider using the broadcast communications tower is five thousand euros per use. You're in luck, kid. Since you helped me deal with the trouble, we'll call it even."

"Now, if you understand, leave at once. Stop standing around and getting in my way."

Seeing that Su Xiao still stood there unmoved.

The sheriff's face suddenly turned ugly.

He rose from his seat.

He opened the holster at his waist.

His right hand pressed against the grip of his revolver.

"You know, I'm the sheriff here. I have the authority to execute any criminals causing trouble. The law gives me that power."

"Now, are you going to obediently get out, or should I shoot you dead and have someone dump you in a trash can?"

"Two choices. Pick one."

"But I suggest you use your brain. When I served with the Silver Shotgun, my fastest draw and shot was forty milliseconds."

"Forty milliseconds, huh?"

Su Xiao showed no fear.

Instead, his left hand rested on his sword scabbard.

The meaning was obvious.

Seeing Su Xiao's movement, the sheriff sneered disdainfully.

Beyond seven steps, the gun was faster. Within seven steps, the gun was both faster and more accurate.

"I already gave you a chance, stray dog. This is your choice, so don't blame me."

The sheriff leaned his upper body backward to make drawing and firing easier.

But a second before he pulled out his revolver.

He saw the long blade at Su Xiao's waist flying straight toward him.

It was far faster than the draw speed he took pride in.

Caught completely off guard, the sheriff was struck in the face by the hilt of Muramasa.

His entire body crashed through the office window, and he plunged headfirst into the trash can outside the building.

"I already gave you a chance, Sheriff. This is your choice, so don't blame me."

You're the Real Big Shot, Jack

"You call this a farm?"

After leaving the sheriff's office, Su Xiao drove out of town and found the farm McCoy had mentioned.

Still, Su Xiao could not help feeling that McCoy had some strange misunderstanding about what counted as a farm.

This was plainly just another shack commonly found throughout the Badlands.

The shack had been haphazardly assembled from sheet metal, plastic, wooden boards, and all kinds of other random materials.

A vehicle was parked behind the shack.

That meant someone was inside.

Su Xiao pulled out the car key and put it in his pocket.

Then, with one hand on Muramasa at his waist, he walked inside.

The shack looked awful from the outside, and the inside was no better.

It was impossible to tell how long it had been unoccupied. Cockroaches still crawled across the floor.