She was like a fluttering butterfly, dancing an elegant waltz through the crowd.
Every time she struck, her timing was impeccable, her movements swift and decisive.
Even when someone noticed the girl approaching, they were only drawn to the fragrance and beauty surrounding her, overlooking her little tricks.
Selling these chips after passing them along would be enough to survive in Night City.
She had never expected it to be this easy.
Lucy had even considered whether she should simply make a living this way during her time in Night City.
It was easy, low-risk, and paid quickly.
That was until her eyes happened to catch sight of the young man in the front carriage of this section.
Her gaze shifted away at once, as if it had been scalded.
"Impossible. How could he be here?"
Lucy's mind descended into chaos.
Then she carefully looked over again.
The young man who had once helped her really was inside the carriage. He had his back to her and was gazing out the window.
He seemed not to have noticed her presence.
Lucy quickly retreated into the crowd.
She felt as guilty as a thief caught in the act.
Her breathing suddenly became unnatural.
An uncomfortable feeling welled up inside her.
For some reason, she was inexplicably afraid of being seen by Su Xiao.
More than anything, she feared Su Xiao finding out what she was doing now.
Fortunately, Su Xiao seemed not to have seen her.
That was the only good news.
Lucy abandoned the front carriage without hesitation.
Even though there were more Corp Dogs in this carriage than in the two behind it.
She returned to the rearmost carriage and tried her best to hide herself among the crowd.
When the train arrived at the station, she got off immediately.
She planned to wait for the next train and continue working.
Before she could catch her breath, Su Xiao's voice sounded behind her.
"What a coincidence. We meet again."
Lucy's whole body tensed.
She forced out an unnatural smile.
"Yeah, what a coincidence. You take the maglev too? I thought you only knew how to drive."
"The rain's too heavy today, and it's hard to see the road. Taking the maglev is safer... By the way, have you eaten?"
"Huh?"
The sudden change of subject left Lucy stunned.
It took several seconds, and another question from Su Xiao, before she came back to her senses.
She shook her head.
"I haven't eaten either. How about we eat together?"
The place they had gotten off was conveniently not far from the pizza shop they had visited last time.
They did not even need to call a taxi. It only took a few minutes to walk there.
Although the sky was still pouring rain, the entire route was lined with high-rises.
Walking beneath the eaves kept them from getting wet.
Su Xiao walked ahead.
Lucy followed behind him.
Several times, Lucy wanted to ask whether Su Xiao had noticed her on the train.
But every time the words reached her lips, she swallowed them back down.
She did not dare ask.
She was afraid of receiving an answer she did not want to hear.
The two of them entered the pizza shop.
They ordered the same things as last time.
Su Xiao had left a very generous tip before. Though he had only visited once, it had left a deep impression on the owner.
The owner dismissed the servers and personally attended to them.
Rain pattered softly against the windows outside.
"You're so generous. What do you do for work? Are you a company employee?"
Lucy blinked curiously. "No, that's not right. Even company employees only look glamorous on the surface. Or are you actually the young master of a wealthy family?"
"Wrong answer. I'm neither a Young Master nor a Corp Dog."
"Then what do you do?"
"I'm a mercenary." Su Xiao picked up his Ice Cola and took a sip. "I take people's money and solve their problems."
Su Xiao set down the cola.
"If you don't mind, may I ask why you came to Night City? You clearly don't know anyone here."
When they had parted last time, Su Xiao had already learned that Lucy's full name was Kushinada Lucy.
She was a typical Japanese mixed-blood.
"Sorry."
Lucy lowered her head.
Seeing her like this, Su Xiao did not press her. "I understand. Everyone has their own secrets. It's fine if you don't want to tell me."
There were priorities in saving the dying and healing the wounded; there were different degrees of urgency in practicing medicine to save the world.
A Delamain Taxi stopped beneath the apartment building in Japantown.
"Then I'll be going. Contact me if anything comes up."
"Mm."
Lucy did not enter the apartment building.
Instead, she folded her arms across her chest.
Her fingers lightly gripped her arms, gradually tightening without her realizing it.
She could tell.
Su Xiao was a good person.
He treated her well too.
And his kindness came without conditions.
But...
Lucy still could not lower the defenses around her heart.
Her past experiences made it impossible for her to trust anyone easily.
Nor could she casually reveal her secrets.
Just as Lucy was struggling and hesitating.
A violent roar suddenly rang out from the sky.
She instinctively raised her head.
She saw an AV trailing thick smoke plummet rapidly. The Trauma Team insignia was painted across its hull.
Lucy stood there blankly.
It was as though her mind had crashed.
The approaching Trauma Team AV was reflected in her pupils.
The shadow beneath her feet rapidly expanded.
At that critical moment, Su Xiao charged out from the side, grabbed her, and tackled her into the apartment building.
A thunderous boom rang out.
The AV slammed nose-first into the apartment building, sending soil and stones raining down.
Its wings scraped and smashed against the building before breaking off.
The AV tore through the apartment building, then crashed onto the street with a teeth-grating screech.
Sparks flew like lightning as the force of inertia dragged it across the ground, grinding out countless sparks.
It was dragged for dozens of meters before finally coming to a stop.
The civilians on the street were very experienced.
They quickly abandoned their cars and ran.
They were not only afraid of anyone bold enough to attack Trauma Team personnel.
They were just as afraid of Trauma Team themselves.
Although Trauma Team was a medical rescue organization, only the wealthy could afford its services.
Therefore, unless you were a client, it was best not to approach Trauma Team recklessly.
Otherwise, the mild outcome was taking a shot from a stun gun;
the severe outcome was very likely having an entire magazine emptied into you.
As the saying went, true experts could be found among the people.
Night City's citizens had long since composed a couplet for Trauma Team.
The first line: There are priorities in saving the dying and healing the wounded;
The second line: There are different degrees of urgency in practicing medicine to save the world;
The horizontal scroll: Without money, screw off.
Before long, the street held nothing but empty cars and the crash-landed Trauma Team AV.
Bang!
The vehicle door was kicked open.
Several surviving members of Trauma Team struggled out of the AV.
Two team members dispersed around the perimeter with disciplined efficiency, maintaining their vigilance.
The female medic stared at the wound in the captain's abdomen, her eyes filled with shock.
"Oh my God, you're bleeding."
"Forget about me. Check whether the client is all right first."
The female medic took out a Pneumatic Syringe and, without giving him a chance to refuse, shoved it into the captain's hand.
Then she turned and crawled back into the AV.
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