Su Xiao inserted the chip into his laptop.
The contents appeared almost immediately.
It showed that Kirk had indeed taken a job from the Vortex Gang.
The Vortex Gang's main source of income was smuggling illegal drugs and Glitter.
They transported Glitter to the Badlands, sold it to the Random Blade Society, and then bought illegal drugs from the Random Blade Society—drugs that the Society had obtained from the corporations.
The Random Blade Society did not refer to any particular gang.
Rather, it was a collective name for bandits, criminals, and outcasts who had been expelled from Nomad families for causing trouble.
Kirk had hired a driver specifically to transport goods for the Vortex Gang.
Their task was simple: find a way to make Kirk screw up.
Su Xiao already had a Plan for that.
As long as the plan succeeded, Kirk would be guaranteed to suffer the consequences.
The only problem was that there were many roads from Watson District to the eastern Badlands.
Which route would Kirk's driver take?
They ate the Mexican noodle soup and tortilla chips Mrs. Wells had brought over and discussed the matter until midnight.
At last, Su Xiao found the blind spot.
They could simply ambush the driver along a road he had to take.
Since he was delivering Glitter to the eastern Badlands, he would inevitably pass through Santo Domingo.
And from Watson District to Santo Domingo, then to the border checkpoint in the east, there was only one main road.
As long as they set up an ambush along that road, they were certain to catch him.
Once the plan was finalized, the three of them finally went to sleep, sleeping until now.
Although Peppy was neither a relative nor a close friend of his,
he was Jack's friend.
If he could look after him, he should do his best to do so.
Besides, everyone had times when they fell on hard times.
Helping others also meant hoping to receive help from others when he himself hit rock bottom.
Su Xiao believed
that when he and Jack ran into trouble, Peppy would come help them too.
At the bar, Peppy was helping Mrs. Wells clean.
Once the bar opened for business, he would have to hide back in the garage.
Kirk had said he would not cause Peppy any trouble.
For the time being.
But Jack and V had no intention of helping Kirk either.
To be safe, it was still safer for Peppy to hide in the garage until the matter was resolved.
Su Xiao sought out Peppy.
He pulled him aside.
Then he secretly stuffed several hundred euros into his hand.
"Su, I'm really grateful, but I can't take this money. Besides, this much isn't enough to cover the interest on my debt."
"What are you thinking? This money isn't for paying off your debt. Get me some Glitter."
Peppy sucked in a sharp breath, his expression changing dramatically.
The way he looked at Su Xiao changed too.
"Su, what do you want that for? I'm telling you, you can't touch that stuff. Once you do, your whole life is over."
Su Xiao rolled his eyes.
When he was in kindergarten, he had already memorized the saying, "Never touch gambling, drugs, or prostitution."
He had been born and raised in a country where drug control was the strictest and drug education the most successful in the world—without exception.
Trying to lecture a Ceresian on the dangers of drugs? What gave you the courage, Liang Jingru?
"I know, of course. It's not for me. Don't ask questions—just go buy it."
As he spoke, he patted Peppy on the shoulder. "Don't worry. It'll only take a few days. Once those few days pass, Kirk won't be able to cause you trouble anymore."
Over the next few days, the regulars who visited the Wolf Bar noticed that the bartender had changed from a muscular man to a young man.
Most of them had no objections.
As long as someone was there to pour the drinks, that was all that mattered.
One morning a few days later, Peppy took a brand-new shoebox and handed it to Su Xiao.
Inside was exactly what Su Xiao had asked for.
Su Xiao told Peppy to wait in the garage for his good news.
Then he called V and Jack and drove to Santo Domingo.
Santo Domingo was one of the oldest districts in Night City.
It bordered Westbrook to the north, Heywood and Pacifica to the west, and the windblown Badlands to the east.
In towering megabuildings that reached into the clouds, tens of thousands of cramped apartments were packed together.
Although the dream of a suburban utopia built around detached homes could be seen throughout Night City,
few places made that dream look more absurd than Santo Domingo.
High-rises stood beside low houses, factories pressed up against power stations, and neighborhoods that should have been filled with pastoral charm—
urban planning that divided the city into different functional zones according to its service infrastructure had been completely reduced to a pipe dream.
Santo Domingo was like the backyard of your good-for-nothing cousin, littered with battered pickup trucks and moldy garden decorations.
This place looked different every day.
Because land was cheap, no matter how absurd a development plan was, it could still be launched, only to collapse cleanly and make way for the next attempt.
Santo Domingo was divided into River Valley and Coronado Farms.
In River Valley, the abandoned buildings of bankrupt factories dotted Santo Domingo's industrial heartland.
Unfortunately, that abandonment had also brought weeds that were nearly impossible to eradicate: low-level criminals and corruption.
But in the bedroom communities of Coronado Farms, white picket fences and neat green lawns surrounded spacious homes.
It possessed another kind of suffocating beauty.
Tree-lined streets wound through the area like streams through grasslands,
leading residents from the tranquility of the suburbs toward the factories and foundries of River Valley.
Chapter Twenty-One: This Is So Barbie Q'd
The three of them drove to the main road in River Valley.
After observing the area for a while, they finally decided on a location.
"Let's do it there."
In the direction Su Xiao pointed stood an unfinished building, one of the many abandoned construction projects and factory buildings in Santo Domingo. It offered an excellent view while looking ordinary enough not to attract attention.
Even if something unexpected happened, they could retreat from the rear in time.
"You two go ahead. I'll be there soon."
Su Xiao picked up a backpack, got out of the car, and walked onto the main road.
He took out the Glitter Peppy had bought from the backpack.
Then he took two shoes out of the backpack as well.
He stuffed the packet of Glitter into one of the shoes.
He tied the laces of the two shoes together.
Then he tossed the shoes onto the power line overhead.
Luck was on his side.
He succeeded on the first try.
After finishing, he went to join V and Jack.
In the abandoned unfinished building, black, foul water flowed across the floor, and trash filled the view in every direction.
Yet even in such harsh living conditions, there were still marginalized people who ranked below even the lowest class and had made this place their home.
They licked their wounds and endured hunger.
By the time Su Xiao reached the rooftop, V and Jack were already waiting there.
The moment Jack saw Su Xiao come up, he could not help asking, "What did you throw up there?"
On the way over, he had seen Su Xiao take something out of his backpack.
But because of his angle, he had not seen what it was.
Su Xiao did not hide it.
"Glitter."
"You're sure it's Glitter? Not a bomb?"
Jack froze.
He truly could not figure out what use that stuff could possibly have.
Su Xiao smiled but offered no further explanation.
The three of them continued lying in wait.
Before long, a truck appeared on the highway.
It was driving in from the direction of Westbrook.
The logo of the All Foods Factory was printed on the trailer.
The three of them immediately perked up.
"That's the one. What do we do?"
Su Xiao held Jack back. "Don't move. Leave it to me."
He set up the Ice Storm Sniper Rifle, steadily drew the truck into his scope, and tracked its movement.
His finger rested on the trigger, but he did not fire.
As the truck headed toward the eastern border checkpoint, Su Xiao remained completely still, as if he had fallen asleep.
Jack could not help growing anxious. "Su?"
V also watched Su Xiao nervously
.
But Su Xiao did not hear them.
He was wholly focused, as if the only thing left in the entire world was the truck inside his scope.
Finally, when the truck passed beneath the power line with the shoes hanging from it, Su Xiao pulled the trigger.
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