"We can start anytime."
"Then, countdown. Three, two, one..."
The Braindance Headset suddenly erupted in a burst of white light.
Everything before him was a blinding white haze. He couldn't see a thing.
However, the white light came and went just as quickly.
When Su Xiao could finally see what was in front of him, he froze.
"Is this the moon?"
Above his head stretched a vast starry sky.
Beneath his feet was lunar soil.
Farther away, he could vaguely make out a moon-base city.
This wasn't Su Xiao's first time experiencing a braindance.
The braindances of 2077 were somewhat like a combination of movies and video games.
However, just as videos came in 4K and 360p, braindances also varied in quality.
High-quality braindances had high resolution, an immersive experience, and astonishing realism.
Low-quality braindances had poor resolution. Everything looked like a mosaic, making it impossible to see anything clearly.
As for the simulations of hearing and touch, they were even more of a mess.
The lunar braindance Su Xiao was in now was clearly of exceptional quality.
Not only was his vision clear, but the sun in space also radiated fierce light, allowing him to feel the intense light and heat with overwhelming realism.
He could feel the roughness of the moon's surface beneath his feet.
In theory, anyone moving around on the moon's surface would need to wear a spacesuit.
But Su Xiao was still wearing the same clothes he had on before entering the braindance.
Even so, he could breathe normally.
He felt no physical discomfort at all.
That was because this wasn't the real moon, after all.
It had been simulated by the braindance.
The two of them strolled across the moon.
They sped along in a lunar rover.
They gazed at the moon-base city in the distance.
Finally, they sat on the edge of a crater.
Lucy swung her legs contentedly.
She raised her head and gazed at the enormous Earth.
"This is the first time I've brought anyone else here."
"I'm honored."
"Aren't you curious why I brought you here?"
"All right. Why me?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm too lonely and alone, and needed someone to talk to. Or maybe it's because you saved me."
Lucy drew up her legs and wrapped her arms around her knees. "Speaking of that, I still haven't thanked you."
"You don't have to."
The air suddenly fell silent.
Neither of them spoke after that.
Lucy rested her face against her knees, while Su Xiao looked up at the enormous, beautiful planet before him—the Earth.
After a while, Lucy took the initiative to break the silence.
"Su."
Su Xiao turned to look at her. "Hmm?"
"I can more or less guess why you've been so good to me. You want to recruit me into your team, right?"
Su Xiao didn't deny it. "Yes. But if you're unwilling, I won't force you."
"No, I'd be happy to. You're a good person. I believe working under you will be better than working with the other mercenary teams in the city."
"It's just... You may have noticed that I'm hiding a lot of secrets. So don't ask me about them, all right? That's my only request."
Su Xiao nodded. "All right. I can promise you that. If you don't want to talk about them, I won't ask, and neither will anyone else."
"If you don't want to tell us, then in my eyes, you're simply another ordinary person struggling to survive in this city."
"Besides, I can make you another promise."
"I know you want to settle on the moon. I can guarantee that as long as you earn enough money, whenever you want to leave, you'll be free to go. I absolutely won't stop you."
"But when that time comes, you'll have to send me a postcard, in case I ever go looking for you."
Looking at Su Xiao's serious expression, Lucy felt as if something had poked her heart.
She didn't know why.
The feeling was warm and gentle.
She broke into a smile, one so radiant that it seemed capable of dimming the stars themselves. "I think we'll make good partners."
Infant-Like Sleep
A regular schedule and a healthy diet.
No smoking or drinking.
Going to bed early and rising early.
Sleeping like a baby.
Facing the rising sun, Su Xiao began his daily training.
Even with the system's existence, Su Xiao had never neglected his training.
Sweating before dawn had become as natural to him as breathing.
"Morning."
Lucy came out of the bedroom and ran a hand through her messy hair.
Su Xiao stopped moving and looked at her. "Did I wake you?"
"No. I usually get up around this time too."
Yesterday, he and Lucy had spent a long time in the braindance.
By the time they exited the braindance, it was already nighttime.
Since it was so late, and Lucy had persuaded him, he hadn't gone home. Instead, he had simply stayed at Lucy's place.
"What do you want to eat? Chinese food? Japanese? Or burgers and pizza?"
Lucy walked into the bathroom and closed the door.
Her voice came from inside. "Why don't we try Chinese food?"
"All right. We'll go out to eat later. By the way, didn't you say yesterday that you wanted to join our team? After breakfast, I'll take you to meet the others. The sooner you meet them, the sooner you'll get familiar with everyone."
At that moment, an unfamiliar call suddenly came in.
"Hey, Su. I'm Regina Jones, a fixer from Watson District."
So far, Su Xiao had only worked with Okada Wakako from Westbrook and Padre from Heywood.
He had heard of the fixer from Watson District.
But this was the first time she had contacted him.
"How did you find me? How did you know my name?"
"Night City's fixers aren't just competitors. Some of us are friends too." Regina paused on the other end of the phone. "Padre has nothing but praise for you."
Su Xiao knew the name Regina Jones.
She had once been a reporter who dared to pursue fair and honest journalism.
But she had changed later.
She had become a fixer who acted as a go-between for employers and mercenaries.
Although he didn't know the exact circumstances, Su Xiao could more or less guess why Regina had changed.
In Night City, a reporter's chances of surviving while remaining impartial were simply too low.
And even if they did remain impartial, the impact they could make was limited.
Most of the time, ordinary people weren't unaware of how corporations exploited them.
They had simply grown numb.
They no longer cared.
Night City needed more than just reporters. It also needed...
"Nice to meet you. But I'm guessing you didn't call just to say hello."
"As a matter of fact, I do have a job here that needs someone's help."
After Su Xiao and Lucy finished breakfast,
they headed to Wolf Bar to meet up with V and Jack.
"Let me introduce you. This is Lucy, the Electronic Warfare Specialist who just joined our team—or you could call her a hacker."
"This is my companion, V, and Jack Wells. They're both great people and reliable companions."
After hearing Su Xiao's introduction, Jack's eyes widened.
"An Electronic Warfare Specialist? Su, where did you dig up this talent?"
If there was one thing their team lacked most, it was undoubtedly a hacker capable of breaching corporate subnets and electronic devices.
V could moonlight as a hacker when necessary.
But for serious jobs, they still needed a proper hacker.
To use an imperfect analogy,
it was like the world of The Witcher 3. Though witchers knew how to use Signs, they weren't true mages.
They couldn't replace one.
In a fantasy world, an adventuring party had to have a mage. In the world of Cyberpunk 2077, a mercenary team likewise needed a hacker.
And a good hacker could be worth a dozen and a half amateurs.
"You can just call me Jack."
"I'm V. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise."
Lucy shook hands with the two men.
Neither V nor Jack had any objections to this new member who had just joined the team.
Su Xiao nodded.
He was glad they got along.
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