Starting From Night City

In other words, once the goods cross the border, they'll be "lost."

Some of the goods are still there, but the intended recipient is gone;

Some of the goods are gone, but the intended recipient is still there.

It's more or less the same idea.

But if you want the goods to be lost, this piece of paper alone isn't enough.

You need something that everyone likes.

"Also, where's the chip with the money?"

"Here."

Su Xiao tucked the credit chip into the customs declaration.

When the border guard asked him to come in for questioning, he told Jack to stay in the car.

Don't turn off the car, just in case they need to make a quick getaway.

He got out of the car and entered the border control building.

First, he stored his weapons at the service desk.

Then, following the staff's instructions, he headed to Room Two.

The room wasn't large.

A table and two chairs already took up most of the space.

A border guard sat in the room. Seeing him enter, the guard gestured to the chair opposite him. "Please, have a seat."

The light from above shone down, illuminating only the tabletop and the border guard sitting in front of it.

The atmosphere was heavy and tense.

"Documents."

After Su Xiao sat down, the border guard spoke in a cold tone.

Su Xiao didn't waste any words.

He took out the customs declaration Jack had given him, confirmed the credit chip was tucked inside, and then placed it on the table, slowly pushing it over.

The border guard was an old hand; he understood with just one look.

He pulled out a document from under a paperweight in the ashtray and covered the credit chip inside the customs declaration.

Then, he picked up the customs declaration.

He glanced at it casually.

He didn't even look that closely.

He'd been in this line of work for many years; he knew it like the back of his hand.

Some things could be checked, and some things couldn't.

Otherwise, if something was actually found, it wouldn't be good for anyone.

"The paperwork is fine. Welcome to Night City."

The border guard's tone was clearly different from before; it had softened considerably, and a hint of a friendly smile appeared on his cybernetically enhanced face.

"Thank you, and have a pleasant day, sir."

As Su Xiao stood up to leave, he suddenly heard the border guard ask out of the blue.

"Oh, right... which Nomad family are you running for?"

What did this question have to do with the current situation?

Su Xiao frowned.

He had been about to reply that he didn't work for any family anymore.

But when he saw the guard's face, hidden under the brim of his hat and unlit by the light, he suddenly fell silent.

And instinctively became alert.

"Do I have to answer that question? It's not part of the standard procedure."

"No, it's not. This is more... a personal curiosity of mine," the guard said, lightly tapping his fingers on the tabletop. "Of course, I'll understand if you'd rather not say."

Su Xiao blurted out, "There's nothing to hide. I'm with the Serpent Nation."

The border guard paused. "What did you say?"

"The Serpent Nation. This vehicle, these goods, this contract – they all belong to the Serpent Nation."

As he spoke, Su Xiao placed the Serpent Nation emblem he had torn from the clothes of a dead Serpent Nation warrior onto the table.

"The Serpent Nation, is it?" The border guard lit a cigarette.

Others might not know yet.

But people like them, who often deal with Nomads, know the Nomads inside and out.

Although Su Xiao showed the Serpent Nation's insignia, the guard's face still showed clear disbelief.

"The Serpent Nation is one of your seven major Nomad clans, how could they entrust such important cargo to a greenhorn like you, who's all talk and no action?"

Anything worth marking on a customs declaration with L.O.A. isn't simple cargo.

It's at least worth five figures in Eurodollars.

He had a phone right there.

If he could confirm that the Nomad in front of him was alone, he could immediately call the company and have them intercept the shipment.

Su Xiao suddenly smiled.

He placed his hands on the table, looking down at the guard from above.

"You know, in Kang Tao's homeland, there's a saying:"

"--You can't judge a person by their appearance, just as you can't measure the sea with a bucket."

"I may not have a beard, but how do you know I'm unreliable?"

In the dimly lit room, the atmosphere was silent.

Only the cigarette in the guard's hand produced wisps of smoke.

After a long pause, the border guard leaned back in his chair.

"You're an interesting person to talk to. Fine, you can go. Your assistant is waiting for you in the car. Don't forget to take your personal belongings."

Su Xiao said no more, picked up the customs declaration and the Serpent Nation insignia, and walked out.

The border guard's expression shifted several times.

He picked up the phone on his desk, intending to call Military Technology several times.

But in the end, he quietly put the phone down.

Even though he was sure Su Xiao was smuggling something valuable.

If he reported it to Military Technology, he would definitely get a substantial commission.

But the problem was, he couldn't confirm whether Su Xiao truly had the Serpent Nation backing him.

If it were a lone wolf among the Nomads, or some weak family, it would be one thing.

But the Serpent Nation was a behemoth even among the Nomads.

Of course, no behemoth could stand against the company.

But if the Serpent Nation couldn't deal with the company, crushing an ant like him would be too easy.

To put it bluntly, even if he were in mortal danger, Military Technology wouldn't send someone to protect him 24/7.

He was just a small border guard, just a dispensable number in the company's eyes.

In the end, the border guard did not make the call.

Compared to his life, this small amount of extra cash wasn't worth it.

When Su Xiao came out of Room Two, the staff at the service desk outside were chatting amongst themselves.

"Those punks still think Night City is paradise."

"What can you do? Young people are just naive."

There were people sitting on chairs.

With no place to sit, some could only stand.

They were all outsiders who had come from other places, wanting to enter Night City, make a name for themselves, and strike it rich.

Su Xiao picked up the stored weapons from the service desk.

He walked out of the border control building.

He saw Jack leaning against his car.

As soon as he saw Su Xiao emerge, Jack eagerly asked, "What's going on in there?"

PS: There will be another chapter later.

Chapter 11: Loli!

Su Xiao pulled open the car door. "I'll tell you in a moment, let's get out of here first."

"Yeah, hurry."

Jack agreed wholeheartedly.

The two got into the car and drove out of the border checkpoint.

On the road behind the checkpoint, there were roadblocks on both sides, making it impassable.

They could only keep driving along the road.

After driving a certain distance, seeing that they were getting further and further away from the checkpoint.

Jack couldn't help but ask again.

"What exactly is going on in there? Tell me about it?"

"It was similar to a routine check, but the person asked a question that, under normal circumstances, he shouldn't have asked."

"What question?"

"He asked which Nomad clan I belonged to."

Jack was a native of Heywood. He didn't even do "delivery" jobs often, let alone understand Nomad affairs.

"So, how did you answer?"

"I said Serpent Nation."

"Are you from the Serpent Nation?"

"No."

Jack had a look of utter disbelief.

"Will there be any trouble?"

Su Xiao took out his weapons, checked them one by one, confirmed they were in working order, and placed them where they could be used at any time.

"Drive on, Jack, just keep driving."