The credit chip in this world functions similarly to a credit card. It can be inserted behind the ear for direct payment, making transactions seamless.
Lucy's platinum credit chip contained all her savings from years of work—her dreams condensed into a single item. If someone were to steal it, her already black-and-white world would collapse entirely.
Without hesitation, Lucy snatched the credit chip back and firmly pressed it into the card slot. She cursed under her breath, muttering, "You abominable thief! If you really stole this chip from me, I would fight you tooth and nail..."
David shrugged helplessly but maintained a confident demeanor. "Do you think I could cooperate with you if I really intended to steal from you?"
His words struck Lucy like a wake-up call. She froze, realizing the truth.
"I didn't even notice when this guy stole my chip, let alone when he returned it," she thought, her mind racing.
"Maybe he didn't touch me at all."
Scenes from earlier replayed in her mind—the moment David retrieved the scattered chips from the air with effortless precision. A thought crystallized: This guy has skills. If I were to work with him, maybe he really could deliver results...
Still, caution tugged at her. Lucy asked directly, "Why do you want to cooperate with me?"
David, unfazed, answered truthfully, "Because I'm short on money. And..." He paused briefly. "I lack a reliable shipping channel."
The latter point was his Achilles' heel.
David hadn't been in this cyberpunk world for long, and the only person he'd interacted with was Claude, a shady prosthetics doctor operating out of a dimly lit clinic in Little Chinatown. Claude was notorious for being as black-hearted as they came. Prosthetic materials valued at over 3,000 euros had been slashed to 800 euros, a ridiculous price. If David attempted to resell a significant number of chips, Claude would undoubtedly rob him blind.
No, he needed someone local and trustworthy, someone like Lucy.
Besides, David had learned about Lucy during his time on Blue Star. He admired her skills and charisma, which was another reason for approaching her.
In a place like Night City, trust was worth more than money.
If it had been anyone else, David wouldn't have risked cooperating so quickly.
Lucy, deep in thought, didn't respond immediately. She studied David, her sharp eyes trying to discern any flaws in his words.
The train hummed steadily as it sped along the tracks, the light flickering in the compartment as the two exchanged looks.
Finally, Lucy broke the silence. "My name is Lucy." She extended her hand.
David smiled faintly, reaching out to shake hers.
And just like that, the two sealed their tentative partnership.
"David? From Sakura Country?" Lucy asked, sitting back down beside him. Her tone was curious, her suspicion fading. "Your name sounds odd."
"I'm from the Dragon Kingdom, not Sakura Country," David replied earnestly. "Just call me David."
Lucy nodded thoughtfully.
David glanced at the stop sign overhead and stood up. "Alright, it's getting late. Shall we start working?"
"Wait!" Lucy called, her eyes narrowing. "You don't have a prosthetic communicator. How am I supposed to direct you during the job?"
Her point was valid. As a top-tier hacker, Lucy usually scanned chips with her prosthetic eye, identifying their manufacturer and targeting high-value items. She couldn't leave the choice of targets entirely to David—it wasn't her style.
Without proper communication, their partnership would fall apart.
David, however, didn't seem fazed. "Oh, that's not a problem," he said casually, tapping his temple. "A communicator is just a device that manipulates electromagnetic waves. It shouldn't be too hard to make it work at close range."
Lucy raised an eyebrow. "What are you planning to do? And how would you even connect?"
"Simple," David replied. "What's your communicator's frequency? I'll adjust mine to match it."
Lucy hesitated but eventually shared her number. "It's 29374..."
David closed his eyes, focusing intently. Within moments, he opened them again, a small smile on his lips. "Lucy, try answering a call."
"Answer a call? From who—"
A notification appeared in her prosthetic eye, displaying an incoming call with a string of garbled characters as the ID.
Instinctively, Lucy accepted it.
"Hey, can you hear me?"
David's voice rang clearly through her communicator, leaving Lucy stunned.
"What?! How did you do that?" she exclaimed, disbelief flashing in her eyes.
David's lips curled into a small, knowing smile. Without moving his mouth, his voice transmitted through the communicator again: "Don't forget—I'm from the Dragon Kingdom. Is it so strange that I know some mysterious Eastern magic?"
Lucy blinked, her shock giving way to begrudging admiration.
In a world where survival depended on wits and skill, David had just demonstrated why he wasn't someone to be underestimated.
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