"Here, this is your share."
"That much?"
Su Xiao took it and felt the thickness of the bills. He was a little surprised.
Jack had given him far more than the freight fee they had originally agreed on.
"That was payment for outsiders. But now, I've got a better idea."
"What?"
"How about we team up and work together?"
"..."
When Su Xiao remained silent, Jack rubbed his nose.
"Ahem, I'll be honest with you. I originally had no intention of paying you at all. I planned to make a run for it the moment we crossed the border, but... you're a pretty honest guy."
Su Xiao: "..."
Damn, I don't even know what to say.
Jackie, why do I feel like you're the more honest one?
"By the way, let me ask you something. Have you figured out what you want to do in Night City?"
"Why are you asking?" Su Xiao raised an eyebrow.
Jack didn't hide anything and spoke frankly.
"Because I figure you're broke and unemployed."
"You can't get by in Night City without someone watching your back."
"But don't worry. I'll help you find work. Whatever it is, it'll at least put food on the table."
"When trouble comes, it's important to have someone who'll stand up for you. Like family. Maybe you can find a few people like that in this city too."
Jack's words were both reasonable and sincere.
Su Xiao felt a little moved. "Thanks, Jack."
Jack waved his hand. "Forget it. It's nothing. We get along, and it'd be a waste not to work together. Partners."
Jack held out his palm, signaling for Su Xiao to give him a high five.
Su Xiao understood.
The two slapped their palms together with force.
"Later, I'll take you to meet Old Wei, the best damn ripperdoc in Night City. Have him install a few cyberware implants for you. Ordinary people can't survive in Night City without them."
Su Xiao was just about to say that he had no intention of getting cyberware when Jack shook his head at him.
"Hey, hold on. I'm getting a call."
People of the Same Path
At the same time.
Somewhere in Santo Domingo.
Several people dressed like mercenaries and a sharply dressed man in a formal suit had gathered inside this unfinished building.
In the corner of the room sat a middle-aged man in an equally immaculate suit, his head covered by a hood.
The suited man nodded at Mann.
Mann stepped forward and yanked the hood off the middle-aged man's head.
When the middle-aged man saw the scene before him, he was scared out of his wits and kept begging for mercy.
"If it weren't for me, you would've been optimized by the company and become one of the talents sent out into society. And now you hired the Animal Gang to kill me?"
"W-Wait! I had no choice! I'm already forty. If I miss this opportunity, I'll never be able to climb any higher in my life."
"That's it?"
"Your parents died young, and you have no one to worry about. I have a wife and children to support. I can't stay where I am. You know what the competition inside the company is like. If you don't climb higher, someone else will step on you and push you down. Sacrifice one person for the happiness of my whole family. If you were me, what would you choose?"
"All this over a damn promotion? I thought you found out I'd slept with your wife."
The moment he said that, the entire room fell silent.
The expression on the middle-aged man's face shifted from fear, to confusion, and then to fury.
"You slept with my wife?! You bastard—"
Bang! Bang!
Two gunshots rang out.
Two bullet holes appeared in the middle-aged man's forehead, thin wisps of smoke curling from them.
His body went limp and collapsed to the ground.
Blood pooled beneath him.
"Nice work. I've paid the intermediary. They'll send your payment later."
The suited man didn't spare Mann and the others another glance before driving away.
Looking at the corpse on the ground, its eyes still wide open, Dorio rubbed her nose.
"What a messed-up circle."
Mann put his hands behind his head.
"Corp Dogs are like that. Either they're screwing someone else or someone's screwing them. That's why I never wanted to join the company."
Dorio joked, "You couldn't get in even if you wanted to. I heard they require even hotel doormen to have college degrees. Do you even have an elementary school diploma?"
"Shut up!"
Mann's embarrassed fury made everyone burst into laughter, filling the place with a cheerful atmosphere.
Nearby, Rebecca tugged on Sasha, who had remained silent the entire time. "Hey, Sasha, want to go get a drink together later?"
Sasha flashed a sunny smile.
"Sure."
Heywood, Wolf Bar.
Jack finished his call soon after.
He looked at Su Xiao with both surprise and delight.
"Su, you really are my lucky star."
Su Xiao: ???
"I originally planned to introduce you to Old Wei today, but it looks like that'll have to wait. Su, I wish I'd met you sooner."
Su Xiao was confused. "What happened?"
"I just landed us a huge job. A major score."
"What kind of job?"
Jack didn't answer. Instead, he scanned the surroundings.
As though he were searching for something.
His gaze finally settled on the laptop tucked beneath Su Xiao's arm.
"Let me borrow your computer."
"Here."
Su Xiao took out the laptop and handed it over.
It had been obtained for free anyway, so he wouldn't feel bad even if Jack broke it.
Jack placed the computer on the table, turned it on, and went online.
After a series of operations, he turned the laptop screen around so Su Xiao could see it more clearly.
Displayed on the screen was a futuristic supercar.
Various specifications were listed beneath the picture.
Name: Rayfield "AERONDIGHT S9 GUINEVERE" (Rayfield AERONDIGHT S9 GUINEVERE) Production period: 2075–2077 Powertrain: Rear-wheel drive Horsepower: 950 Curb weight: 4052 Manufacturer: Rayfield
After reading the information, Su Xiao nodded. "This car is pretty good. Are you planning to buy it?"
Jack's face instantly flushed red, veins bulging across his forehead as he hurriedly said,
"You're kidding! Su! Do you know how much this car costs?!"
"It's equivalent to fifty-two times the average lifetime income of a Night City citizen!"
"This is a supercar produced by Rayfield, Britain's top vehicle manufacturer."
"They're renowned for their superb sports cars and customized luxury sedans. These models are designed with both comfort and speed in mind."
"To many people, Rayfield is synonymous with wealth, and there's a reason for that."
"The price of Rayfield's 'AERONDIGHT' has already surpassed the GDP of many island nations."
"Of course, this British-made super-luxury car offers extraordinary performance, ensuring that every penny you spend is worth it."
"The engine beneath the hood comes from a prestigious lineage, making it more than capable of competing with any professional race car. The interior feels like the penthouse suite of a five-star hotel."
"If that still isn't enough to tempt you, the AERONDIGHT doesn't have a single window."
"With crystal-ball technology, the outside environment is displayed in real time inside the car. This not only fully protects the driver's privacy but also gives passengers an astonishing travel experience."
Jack suddenly stopped talking.
He realized that Su Xiao had been staring at him the entire time.
He subconsciously wiped his face with the back of his hand.
"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
"No. It's just... the way you rattled on, you sounded like a car salesman."
Jack chuckled.
"You think those words don't sound like something a poor kid living in a garage next to a bar could say?"
Su Xiao neither confirmed nor denied it.
"Who hasn't dreamed of riding in a supercar and living in a mansion? Even a toad dreams of eating swan meat, let alone a person. I just happened to look at luxury-car advertisements whenever I had nothing else to do."
"Fine. Then the huge job and major score you mentioned... don't tell me you want us to sell this car all over Night City?"
"How could that be?" Jack held up two fingers. "First, Night City has plenty of rich people. And there are only four of these supercars in the entire city. It's the most luxurious of the luxury cars—you can't buy one even if you have the money."
"Second, although Night City has plenty of rich people, it has even more poor people. We have no way to reach the rich, while the poor can't afford it. What future would we have as salesmen?"
Su Xiao asked in confusion, "Then what's this huge job you're talking about...?"
"The intermediary who just called me wants me to get this car. He's willing to pay this much."
As he spoke, Jack held up several fingers.
Before you continue