Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 758, page 172: Damn, it's this thing.
Seeing the man in the suit seemingly trying to build a relationship at the banquet, Akechi wasn't surprised.

Aside from business people and celebrities invited to entertain the guests, most people who come to Hansen's banquet are there for the networking opportunities. In this context, it's perfectly normal to strike up a conversation with a stranger and see if they can offer any additional opportunities or potential collaborations.

Mingzhi calmly accepted the other party's invitation. He took Xizi's arm and walked slowly forward. He took a glass of water from a passing waiter's tray and raised his glass to the man in the suit, saying, "Nice to meet you, I am Mingzhi."

"Just call me Joe." When the man in the suit heard the name, which had a distinctly Japanese feel, a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes, followed by a knowing smile: "Looks like a friend who doesn't mind the atmosphere."

In this huge banquet hall, the Tiger Claw Gang members were all gathered on the other side. The man in front of them, who called himself "Mingzhi," was obviously not one of them. Since he was not a member of the Tiger Claw Gang, yet had such a typical Japanese name, he was most likely a representative sent by a Japanese company.

Joe's eyes brightened slightly.

At this sensitive time—with tensions between Arasaka and New America on the brink of war, and President Myers' plane having just crashed in Dogtown—the fact that a Japanese company representative dares to swagger into such an event suggests that his background is definitely extraordinary.

For a food merchant whose identity is merely 'legitimate' and who occasionally dabbles in 'special' routes, regardless of which company Mingzhi represents, if he shows a willingness to engage in conversation, then it's worth continuing the discussion.

Who knows, some people in the company might want to try some fresh, imported food sometime.

“Jade”.

After Joe introduced himself, Jade also introduced himself to Mingzhi. However, Jade was unsure if it was just his imagination, but he clearly had no memory of Mingzhi's face and was certain that he had never heard of a person named Mingzhi before. Yet, the other person gave him a sense of familiarity.

This sense of familiarity was particularly strong, as if Jed had seen or known Akechi before.

Jade's grades weren't bad when he was studying at the community school. However, he followed in his father's footsteps and chose the lucrative career of food smuggling. He knew of a feeling called déjà vu, which is that even though you have never experienced or seen something, you suddenly feel a sense of familiarity when you come into contact with it, as if this kind of thing has happened before or you have encountered it yourself.

Jade wasn't sure if he had a sense of déjà vu when he saw Mingzhi, but he felt a signal in his heart that went against his reason.

This wisdom made him feel close to her.

Even though the other person was supposed to be a company representative, a position where it was absolutely impossible for a good person to be there, he unexpectedly felt that "this guy might be alright".

Jade's fingertips unconsciously rubbed the rim of the wine glass he was holding, the cool touch bringing him slightly more awake.

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind—could Mingzhi's unusual affability be the result of some kind of advanced corporate training? Like the relaxed feeling deliberately created by top negotiation experts, or the feigned friendliness displayed by company special agents after special training.

He squinted and looked at Mingzhi again.

Having spent so many years navigating the Night City undercover, Jed had witnessed far too many elaborate disguises. Some corporate agents could make you feel within five minutes that "this person is someone you could entrust your life to," and their training manual called this "affinity implantation." He'd heard that some government officials were also experts in this art.
No matter how Jade viewed Mingzhi, his heart told him that Mingzhi was a good person. Even though the other party hadn't shown anything, just standing there gave Jade a sense of security that felt strangely familiar.

If this is some kind of training, then it's really impressive; it's comparable to Karl's level.

Just as the name Karl flashed through Jade's mind, a thought suddenly popped into his head, and that thought grew rapidly. But before the thought could fully emerge, Mingzhi spoke up.

He smiled and said, "I overheard you talking about KK earlier. Did no one see KK at the banquet? I thought KK wouldn't refuse a banquet of this caliber."

"Perhaps, as I just said, Hansen doesn't have the right to make KK come every time."

Joe shrugged, but he was clearly interested in the topic of KK that was being discussed, especially since he had previously claimed to be a KK fan in his conversation with Jade.

Logically, upon learning that Mingzhi might be a representative of a company, he should try to build a relationship with him to see if he could advance his business. However, as a fan, he simply couldn't resist talking about 'KK'.

Joe glanced around to make sure no one else was approaching to join the conversation, then lowered his voice and said, "Seeing that you're also interested in KK, whether you're one of those star-struck guys in the company or looking to get information—" He made a gesture with his hand, "I'll make an exception and tell you, according to the latest analysis from our fan club, KK has very likely recently gotten an awesome weapon from the Tsunami Design Bureau."

As he spoke, Joe's pupils dilated slightly with excitement: "We've all speculated that the weapon was definitely designed by the Tsunami Design Bureau specifically for KK. When he returns to the battlefield with his new equipment, it will absolutely cause an uproar throughout Night City. At that time, no matter what Morgan Black Hand is like, no matter if he's dead or alive, and no matter what Adam's Hammer is, KK will be the King of Mercenaries, the King of Night City!"

Is it really that exaggerated?

Mingzhi is now more or less feeling that one fan is worth ten haters. This Joe is really arrogant. Morgan Blackhand and Adam Hammer sound less important to him than a single KK.

"Why is it impossible? Our fan club has analyzed it with various data and evidence, comparing it with the action records of legends like Morgan Blackhand. KK only took two years to become famous. Could Morgan Blackhand and other legends do that? If you ask me, even if Morgan Blackhand came back from the dead and Adam Hammer attacked together, KK could still send Morgan Blackhand back to his grave and beat Adam Hammer back to the factory for repairs!"

"This"

Mingzhi, who had been maintaining a composed expression, finally couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth: "Data analysis, huh?"

"Yes, according to our analysis, the data is reasonable and verifiable, and it's even supported by Mewtwo."

As if a fan wanted to prove how awesome their idol was, Joe carefully took out a tightly packaged Mewtwo from his pocket and finally opened it to show it to Jade, Akechi, and Xizi who was peeking out from the side.

The cover of Mewtwo clearly displayed those words.

Cyber ​​Psychosis Series Collection

Depend on.

It's this thing.

(End of this chapter)