Starting From Night City

But looking at Jack and V, you could tell how unreliable Kirk was.

Not to mention V almost got into trouble, all because of Kirk.

Could someone like that still be dealt with?

"No, I didn't agree..." V glanced at Jack, whose expression had darkened. "At least not then."

Su Xiao saw the meaning behind V's words. "But if Kirk calls you, you'll still go?"

V's expression was helpless. "Peppy didn't say how much he owed, and Kirk didn't say either, but we probably can't come up with that much."

Jack cut in. "Even if we could, we can't let Kirk profit from it. If he gets a taste of it, he'll just screw someone else over again."

Jack downed the drink in his glass in one go and placed the glass heavily back on the table.

"Peppy, oh Peppy, you..." He sighed.

One wrong step, and every step after is wrong.

If Peppy had just asked him for a loan from the start, none of this would have happened.

Even if he couldn't repay it, it wouldn't have mattered.

As a friend, Jack wasn't someone who would haggle over every little thing.

But why did he have to go to that guy Kirk?

Jack's head ached.

Kirk was a black hole; working with him was worse than eating shit.

But if they didn't work with him, Peppy's situation couldn't be resolved.

Annoyed! Irritated!

"Is there no other way?"

Jack shook his head.

Kirk was a scoundrel, but he followed the rules of the street.

As long as he didn't forcibly pressure Peppy to borrow money, no one could do anything about Kirk, at least not morally.

This was the so-called "thieves also have their code."

Some might think that those who operate on the streets have no right to talk about codes.

But that was the reality.

Gangs, as unofficial powers, had to establish certain rules for their own legitimacy and order.

This was how gangs could be maintained and grow.

At least, that's how it appeared on the surface.

Su Xiao wiped his glass, a smile on his face.

"Perhaps, if we change our perspective, we can find a way out."

Jack was stunned at first, then his eyes lit up.

"Su, do you have a way?"

"If we can't solve the problem, then we solve the person who brought up the problem."

"Elaborate."

"Kirk is both an intermediary and a loan shark. We can find a breakthrough from him. Guys like him, who constantly dance on the edge of legality, always have something we can use against them."

Jack's face lit up with joy.

"You guys drink first, I'm going to make a few calls."

With that, he downed the rest of the wine in his glass and got up to leave.

Only Su Xiao and V remained.

V cupped her hands around her glass, her fingers gently stroking it. "Have you known Jack for a long time?"

"No, not long."

Since they had nothing else to do, Su Xiao told V about how he met Jack.

V was surprised.

"That guy at customs was actually fooled by you?"

Su Xiao smiled. "The Serpent Nation has a big background and a loud reputation. If you want to mess with them, you have to weigh it carefully. He's just a border guard, not even a formal employee of the Corporation."

"But you're not part of the Serpent Nation."

"Indeed, but he doesn't know that, does he?"

They chatted for a while, and before long, Jack returned.

His brows were filled with unconcealed joy.

"I heard about it. I didn't expect that scumbag's business reach was quite extensive."

Jack looked around.

There weren't many customers today. The first floor was deserted; everyone had gone upstairs.

Even the nearest customer was several tables away.

Only then did he relax and whisper, "Su, you were right. Kirk has other ventures... Guess what? He's connected to the Vortex Gang's cybernetic freaks."

"Vortex Gang?" V was surprised. "Aren't they a gang that hangs around the Watson District?"

"That's right."

"Those guys who modify their bodies until they're like machines, what kind of work do they need someone like Kirk for?"

Jack scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "I don't know about that. They didn't get the specifics."

"This is all we have, and it's not enough. It would be great if we knew what they were really up to," V said with regret.

Su Xiao pondered, "Perhaps I have a way to figure out what kind of shady dealings Kirk has with the Vortex Gang."

The Watson District was once the beating heart of Night City.

When the nuclear explosion in 2023 cast disaster upon the center of Night City, the adjacent Watson District became Noah's Ark. Citizens, deeply wounded but not giving up hope, flocked here for refuge.

By the 2050s, Watson District began to become marginalized and declined.

It originally had rows of skyscrapers, nightclubs, corporate towers, and even top-tier medical centers.

Until the financial crisis destroyed it all.

Now, Watson District is the poorest area in Night City, with the Vortex Gang and the Tiger Claws Gang dominating its run-down alleys.

Within the Watson District, the most bustling sub-district is none other than the "Kabuki District."

It's a maze of dazzling, chaotic alleys.

Not far from the old medical center, its name signifies its long Japanese heritage.

Despite being notoriously crowded, dirty, and full of scammers.

But if you're keen on haggling and treasure hunting, this is the place to be.

Tiger Claws Gang members, armed with katanas, clubs, and firearms, are seen everywhere.

Scavengers, living amongst the trash and hiding in corners, eye everyone on the street with greedy gazes.

There might be newcomers to Night City who don't know what Scavengers do.

To put it simply in one sentence—

They harvest organs without anesthesia.

Night.

An SUV parked next to a neon light pole.

The three people inside stared intently at the small building hidden in the narrow alley.

Half an hour later, Kirk emerged from the building.

He first cautiously scanned his surroundings, then walked away along the sidewalk.

After his figure had long since disappeared into the crowd, Jack reiterated.

"Third floor, Room 302."

"I got it."

V nodded, opened the door, got out of the car, and walked towards the building Kirk had exited.

Su Xiao and Jack continued to keep watch outside.

Ten minutes later, after a tense but uneventful period, V returned to the car, waving a chip in his hand.

"Done."

Su Xiao nodded, started the car, and drove away.

Chapter 20: I and the Drug Trade Are Unforgiving Enemies

"Hello, Night City!"

"I am your Stanley, and our City of Dreams is starting another long day."

"I love this city like you love your mom."

"Back in the day, she threw you at the orphanage doorstep. Now she runs into you on the street asking for a smoke."

"Every day, a hundred or so new people arrive here, but only half of them can last a year, and that's if it's a good year!"

"Why are they so eager to come to Night City?"

"Isn't it to become street samurai like Morgan Blackhand or Whelan Old Snake?"

"There's a saying, remember it."

"It's 'starve the timid, stuff the bold.'"

"It's a shame, though. Fame fears the man, just like pigs fear fattening. The more intensely you live, the shorter your life."

"And that's not even counting someone blowing the top of your head off with a gun."

"The legends of Night City, do you know where they all gather?"

"In the graveyard!"

"In our neck of the woods, heroes aren't judged by their birth, but by whether they can carve out their own path."

"This is Night City, this is the City of Dreams."

Listening to Stanley's booming voice from the cash register, Su Xiao opened his eyes.

Beside him, Jack slept soundly, and V on the sofa also had her eyes tightly shut, lost in dreams.

Three people were crammed into the small garage.

It was impossible for it not to be crowded and stuffy.

Because V was a woman, Su Xiao and Jack had given the only sofa to her.

The two big men slept on the floor together.

Su Xiao stretched out with a big yawn.

He needed to find an apartment quickly; they couldn't keep squeezing in here.

But first, he had to deal with the mess at hand.

Last night, as soon as they got back to the garage, V took out the chip.

She had copied everything she found on Kirk's laptop onto the chip.