Ha, already in heaven (referring to being smeared on the wall by a nuclear bomb)
And the day nuclear fusion is born, I fear it’s also the day the Fifth Corporate War begins
Fifty eternal years have passed, and in the end, it wasn’t the technology that blocked humanity, but humanity itself blocking its own path, how ridiculous....
Lucy looked at Lin Miao. They had only known each other for a day, but she had roughly figured out his temperament. Whenever this man’s gaze turned serious, he was definitely thinking about important matters, and it could be at any time, even the virtual reality experience couldn’t interrupt him.
She tossed the drink in her hand to Lin Miao, complaining
"You’re such a boring person, always with that grim face even when you should be relaxing."
"Who told my dreams to be so out of reach, I can’t not work hard..." Lin Miao chuckled, then looked at the drink pouch in his hand. There were clear teeth marks from Lucy on the straw, and... it seemed to be that Coca-Cola flavored Mr. Brave, so he solemnly returned the drink pouch to Lucy’s hand.
"Sorry, I have a cleanliness issue."
Having just had a blast and ready to sit next to Lin Miao to rest, Lucy was stunned by this remark, frozen in place, thinking she had misheard.
A nameless anger burned in her chest. She originally wanted to stop the virtual dream immediately and kick him out, but then she heard Lin Miao stand up, patting his pants, and seriously said
"Alright, I’m very grateful you brought me to use the virtual dream for the first time, it was an amazing experience, but I have important things to do, so I can’t waste time here, unfortunately, this is where it ends."
Then he disconnected on his own. Lucy felt an incredible mix of shock and frustration, like she hadn’t even had a chance to punch before he dodged and countered in anticipation.
This was the first time in her life she had been rejected by someone.
Yet Lin Miao’s strike hadn’t ended. Just as she followed out of the virtual dream, she received a transfer notification.
A somewhat dazed Lucy instinctively accepted the transfer, 4000 Euros credited.
That was equivalent to half a month’s earnings for her.
She heard Lin Miao’s voice getting farther away; he had obviously taken off the virtual dream headset and walked to the door.
"This is a deposit, I’ll notify you before the task, Miss Lucy, thank you for your hospitality today, it was truly an unprecedented experience, Miss Lucy, no need to see me out, bye-bye."
Then there was the sound of the door closing, leaving Lucy alone in the empty room again.
She suddenly felt like he had messed around with her and left, throwing money on his way out, but the person was already gone, and she had nowhere to vent her full anger. She rolled over, grabbed a pillow from the bed and wanted to throw it at the door but lowered her hand halfway.
There’s no concept of a deposit for mercenaries in Night City; payment is always after the task, just in case of failure or if the mercenary takes the money and runs.
Unless the cooperation is very close, or it’s with someone familiar.
And she only knew Lin Miao for a day, yet he dared to fork out a 4000 deposit for her, which was almost the full payment for some small jobs.
Looking at the money, Lucy punched the pillow until she was tired and sleepy, then hugged the pillow and lay on the bed, falling into a deep sleep.
Leaving Lucy’s home, Lin Miao felt better compared to when he returned from the Evil Land, both mentally and physically satisfied. It was indeed the right place to come.
Glancing at the time, it was already ten o’clock. He had stayed in Lucy’s room for about two and a half hours. In the virtual dream, he hadn’t even noticed the time passing; now considering the time, Gloria should be getting off work soon.
Thinking of having to deal with so many people throughout the day and possibly having to contact the Wanderer the next day, he felt exhausted.
Really, wanting to climb up, from any aspect, required him to expend so much energy.
Gloria’s voice sounded somewhat tired. Large enterprises often forced employees to work overtime not because they truly needed them to create any benefit, but due to various considerations, they had to keep their employees busy, and small companies like ERO had their employees often more exhausted than those in big corporations.
"Nothing, just completed an emergency surgery, phew.... the injured survived."
Gloria took off the blood-stained gloves, somewhat relieved because if that person hadn’t survived, his prosthetic body would most likely be dismantled, and the body thrown into the Pacific Ocean.
She actually hated this job but had no choice but to continue for David’s tuition.
"As for the Bounty Hunter you were looking for, Mr. Lin, I’ve already found candidates for you, but Mann requests a face-to-face meeting."
Gloria felt a bit troubled because she didn’t understand why Lin Miao would come to her for something . He should logically have gone to an intermediary who would arrange a suitable mercenary for the task.
"Face-to-face meeting? Sure."
Lin Miao responded immediately.
"But, what I want to know, Gloria, is your opinion of these mercenaries you’ve arranged."
Why didn’t he go to an intermediary?
This bunch of bastards are hyenas that eat you alive and don’t spit out the bones, he couldn’t trust them.
If Lin Miao told them about the Night Wanderer, who knows if these intermediaries would suddenly turn against him and interfere. After all, tens of thousands worth of business was enough for them to take that risk, and matters outside Night City wouldn’t concern them much.