In fact, mercenaries are the same, so Lin Miao sought out Gloria. If she, an ERO employee without any backing, can guarantee safety, it shows the mercenaries she trades with are quite honest. Might be worth contacting.
Gloria walked to the restroom, and as she cleaned her gloves in front of the mirror, she spoke slowly.
"Mann... He used to serve in the United States Special Forces. He retired before the Unification War because he was dissatisfied with his superior’s destructive policies toward local villages during the Central American conflict and came to Night City to form his own team and become a bounty hunter."
"I’ve known him for a while. He’s never failed to pay or used force to seize anything. I’ve heard he has quite a reputation in Rebirth Bar; many say he works efficiently."
Lin Miao knows this place is quite famous; even street vendors have heard of it. Mercenaries or intermediaries without some reputation can’t even get through the door.
The people who go there are renowned bounty hunters, often causing trouble for companies.
"I see..." Lin Miao didn’t expect Gloria to hold such a high opinion of this mercenary named Mann, especially since ordinary citizens rarely have a good impression of those who might draw guns and start street brawls at any moment—disrupting societal order.
And she knows quite a lot, which makes sense. If Gloria knew nothing about Mann, she probably wouldn’t dare to trade with him.
"Has he said where to meet?"
"Mann and his team usually hang around Japan Street. You should find him in the square in front of the H8 skyscraper. I’ll send you the information now."
Japan Street... H8... It’s right in front of him?
Coincidence or is it something else.....
Luckily, he called Gloria before getting into the car; otherwise, he’d have to drive back if he went too far.
Even though it’s already 10 PM, Japan Street remains bustling. In this city, only at night can you see its true face.
Following the stairs down to the plaza at the building’s base, and being connected to the underground shopping street, the area was crowded.
Amongst the moving heads, Lin Miao saw the bar in the center of the plaza, crowded with many people inside. The sounds of cheers and applause mixed with drunken clamor frequently emerged from inside, creating quite a lively atmosphere.
On the mini-ground formed by a few cars outside the bar
A skinny mercenary, who clearly underwent extensive modification surgery, displayed various ridiculous poses amidst the cars.
"Yo-ho~~ Look here~ I can do this~ and this~ and even this~~"
He held a bottle of champagne with his over-knee long arms, shaking it vigorously before threading it through his pants and positioning it between his legs. Then, he thrust his waist!
The cork, propelled by pressure, exploded from the bottle top, sending a jet of foam two meters long, comparable to visual art, even splashing on some of the spectators. But they were obviously regulars, familiar with his antics, and not angry—they laughed heartily instead.
One of the onlookers suddenly coaxed, "Pira, with such a large amount, did you install a hydraulic jet canister in your pants?"
The skinny mercenary leapt before him, face to face, pulling a long grimace, "What are you implying? Do you disrespect me?"
He then seized the other’s beer bottle, drained it in one gulp, placing it and the original champagne bottle below, swaggering like a clown in a silent comedy, laughing heartily.
"One’s not enough! It’s actually two! I’ve installed two lucky charms! I can keep this up all day~~"
The crowd erupted in laughter once more.
What is this? The resurrected Emperor Zhao Lie of Han performing crude dirty jokes arts in the new century?
Lin Miao could only sigh at what he saw, thinking Night City is just too free-spirited, you truly can find all sorts of abstract art here.
He diverted his attention, trying to spot his target amidst the crowd. According to Gloria’s information, the mercenary named Mann was a super-big guy—two meters twenty-three tall, you could see him from afar amidst the crowd.
The opponent was sitting under a tree by a flower bed outside the crowd. Even sitting down, Mann’s absurdly powerful build seemed like an indestructible mountain. And that signature blonde buzzcut, there was a clear space around him, clearly no one dared bother the big guy.
Lin Miao went to the bar to grab two beers, walked over, and handed a bottle to him.
The beer bottle, hefty in Lin Miao’s hand, looked like a miniature oral solution in Mann’s grasp. Even the act of unscrewing seemed to require great care to avoid crushing the whole bottle.
The blonde giant took a deep swig, glancing at the person beside him.
Business attire, sunglasses – outwardly resembling a corporate drone, but lacking the demeanor.
And those corporate types love flaunting badges on their clothes. Lin Miao didn’t have any; his suit was exaggeratedly rugged. Mann had never seen such grade attire on intermediaries, and those eyes lurking beneath the sunglasses gave Mann the impression of being watched by a beast. Definitely top quality from Pathfinder.
"Say what you’ve got."
Lin Miao didn’t mention Gloria’s referral; instead, he got straight to the point.
"I have a job, are you interested?"
"Time, place, target."
Mann was succinct with unfamiliar faces, getting straight to the specifics.
"Saturday, Evil Land, Night Wanderer. Might be tough; besides you, Adcardo and my team will be there too."
Mann frowned. The timing was slightly tricky, because an intermediary planned on assigning his team work for the weekend too. The task seemed Zeta Technology-related, stealing some items—small risk, minor reward, no guns needed if done efficiently.
An intermediary usually has a few reliable teams. Tasks are always first offered to them, and mercenaries can’t hang off the same tree; they’ll take jobs from other intermediaries too. Their relationship is very delicate.
If something goes wrong, companies target the mercenaries, not the intermediaries doing the dirty work.
If Mann declines this task, next time this intermediary might prioritize others, so he had to consider carefully.
Even if Mann knew Gloria referred him, he couldn’t agree easily.
"Complete the job and earn thirty thousand."
Mann: Want to agree so much!!!