Chapter Twenty-Five: Why Only Thirty Percent? / Chapter Twenty-Six: Tactical Goggles, Activate! I Saw You Waste Your Ultimate

A Nomad's modified car passed through the border checkpoint north of Night City.

"Is here all right, little girl?"

The white-haired girl nodded and climbed out of the modified car. "This is fine, thank you. How much is the fare?"

McCoy waved his hand.

"No fare. We had business in the city anyway. We just happened to see you on the road and gave you a lift. It was no trouble. Take care of yourself, little girl. Night City isn't what you think. It's a city that eats people."

McCoy assumed that the white-haired girl had come to Night City because she wanted to pursue the American dream.

But he had no idea that the white-haired girl had her own troubles.

Compared to the place where she had lived before, Night City might actually be safer—at least until the Arasaka people came looking for her.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Why Only Thirty Percent?

Back at the Wolf Bar.

They first drove the car into the garage.

Then the three of them went into the bar to get something to eat.

In a corner on the second floor of the bar, the three of them ate and chatted.

V bit on his straw and came up with an idea.

"Su, I have a suggestion. You don't actually need to open a gun shop yourself. You could work with the priest."

"Since you need the priest to help you find materials and parts anyway, why not make it a complete arrangement and have him handle the sales for you as well?"

"Although you might have to give the priest a larger share of the profits, it would save you a lot of troublesome work. What do you think?"

Jack, sitting beside them, agreed. "That's a good suggestion. And the priest is a pretty reliable middleman. At least in all the years I've known him, I've never seen him abandon or betray anyone—provided you don't betray him first."

"Can you ask him for me now?"

"Give me a moment. I'll call him right away."

Jack put down his Mexican chicken wrap.

A gleam lit up in his eyes.

It did not take long before Jack ended the call.

"The priest agreed, but he has a proposal."

"What proposal? Let's hear it."

"After each Tech Weapon is sold, first deduct the cost of the materials and parts. Then split the remaining money thirty-seventy."

Su Xiao had not said anything yet when V said in disappointment, "Why only thirty percent?"

The price of Tech Weapons was higher than that of Kinetic Weapons.

Much higher.

But with only thirty percent of the split, wasn't that a little low?

Based on what V knew about the priest, he shouldn't have been that kind of person.

"V, you misunderstood me. Thirty percent goes to the priest, and Su gets seventy," Jack said with a wide grin. The priest valued Su Xiao highly, and as his brother, Jack also felt proud. "The priest said it was just to make friends."

"By the way, I almost forgot to ask. About how many Tech Weapons can you assemble in a day?"

Su Xiao did not answer immediately. Instead, he began to ponder.

The complexity of Tech Weapons far exceeded that of Kinetic Weapons.

Night City still had quite a few gunsmiths who could repair and assemble Kinetic Weapons.

But those who could work on Tech Weapons were practically nonexistent.

Otherwise, the various gangs would have abandoned Kinetic Weapons long ago and switched entirely to Tech Weapons.

As for Smart Weapons, those were on another level entirely.

Just look at the manufacturers capable of producing Smart Weapons. Every one of them was a top-tier presence.

The structure of Tech Weapons was more complicated than that of Kinetic Weapons.

Their manufacturing speed was slower as well.

Su Xiao considered it. He could guarantee two hours of work a day.

He could probably make around five.

"Five? I remember seeing that even the cheapest Tech Weapon in a gun shop costs twenty thousand. You can make five a day? Wouldn't that mean..."

Jack's eyes went wide.

No wonder the old saying went that comparing people could drive one mad, while comparing goods could make one throw them away.

For small-time mercenaries like them, who were unknown to the world, a single job only paid a few thousand euros.

And that had to be split three ways.

But Su Xiao was different.

He could earn that much in a single day.

He did not even need to fight for his life. He could simply lie back comfortably and make money.

Seeing that Su Xiao and Jack had reached an agreement,

V, who had just returned from the bathroom, sat down again and looked at Su Xiao.

"Su, I noticed you don't even have Neural Slots. You haven't installed any cyberware or undergone any bodily modifications?"

Hearing V's words, Su Xiao subconsciously touched the back of his head.

Although the Buckle Family's gunsmiths were mediocre, their ripperdocs were truly exceptional.

The gunshot wounds he had suffered when he first arrived in this world had completely healed.

Not even a scar remained.

Su Xiao shook his head. "Sorry, I don't like that feeling."

V and Jack exchanged glances.

"But without even the most basic Neural Slots, that'll be troublesome."

In 2077, cyberware had long since become an everyday sight, just like smartphones.

Even the poorest people would find a way to install at least a first-generation implant.

Although the latest implants had already advanced to the fourth generation,

the first generation had long since become completely obsolete.

Even so, for those struggling to afford food and clothing, first-generation implants

were still a highly cost-effective option.

As for pure humans like Su Xiao, who resisted cybernetic modification, they existed as well.

They were the cyber-monks who sought the path to spiritual ascension.

The monks believed that the reason for the Cyberpsychosis troubling society as a whole

actually originated from the loss of flesh and blood.

The human soul and flesh complemented each other. Neither could be lacking.

The soul needed the nourishment and care of flesh.

If the body gradually became cybernetic, it would cause the soul to suffer until it slid into the abyss of madness.

That was how Cyberpsychosis was born.

"How about I go buy a phone tomorrow?"

"Why buy a phone? If you really don't want to install implants, I can get you a pair of AR Glasses instead."

The AR Glasses of this era could be considered miniature phones.

Making holographic calls and sending messages were merely their most basic functions.

Money transfers, sending red packets, and other features had long since been implemented as well.

They also came with Neural Slots and personal connection lines.

As long as you had a pair of AR Glasses, the difficulties you encountered in daily life could be solved even without installing implants.

Some people might ask: If that's the case, why did so many people still install implants instead of simply using AR Glasses?

The answer was simple.

The price of AR Glasses was far from attractive.

A pair cost tens of thousands of euros.

That was already comparable to basic Military-grade cyberware.

And their only purpose was to replace the most basic implants.

With such poor value for money,

they were somewhat like putting a Herman Miller ergonomic chair costing over ten thousand alongside a Baoyou ergonomic chair costing two or three thousand and an ordinary rattan chair, then asking people to choose.

Most people would choose one of the latter two.

It was not that Herman Miller chairs were bad. It was just that the high price was right there, making the barrier to entry far too high.

With ten thousand euros to spend, many people would choose to build a new computer or buy a phone rather than spend it on a chair.

That was why AR Glasses were out of reach for the lower classes.

Of course, AR Glasses had never been aimed at the lower classes in the first place.

They were simply toys for the rich.

Over the next few days, the three of them did not take on any more jobs.

Jack focused on handling Su Xiao's affairs, running around and taking care of everything.

V handled logistics.

Whenever Su Xiao and Jack were hungry or thirsty, he always brought them delicious, plentiful food and drinks.

Su Xiao, meanwhile, worked in the garage, using the tools, parts, and materials delivered by the priest's men to manufacture Tech Weapons.

Just as V and Jack had said,

the priest was a very reliable middleman.

He settled Su Xiao's share every day as promised and never delayed payment.

After the priest learned from Jack that Su Xiao needed a pair of AR Glasses,

he simply had his men bring them along when they delivered the materials and parts.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Tactical Goggles, Activate! I Saw You Waste Your Ultimate

The AR Glasses were entirely silver-white and exuded a strong sense of technology.

As soon as he got them, Su Xiao impatiently put them on.

"Beep beep beep—beep beep beep—"

A phone ringing sound that only Su Xiao could hear rang out.

A small window popped up in his field of vision.

The caller ID read Jack Wells.

After he answered, Jack's voice came clearly through the earpiece.

"Hey, Su, how do you like the priest's little toy?"

"Not bad. It's pretty good."

He could barely feel their weight resting on the bridge of his nose.