Cyberpunk: Starting in 2071

Chapter 36 Jack and Misty
Old Wei looked up, his face showing helplessness: "Why didn't you give us a heads-up? This morning won't work; there's already a surgery scheduled."

"Oh, Nio (kid), what brings you here?"

Jack Wells smiled and stepped aside, making way for the child.

Mercer stared at him, looking him up and down. "Alex Mercer, you can call me A. What else are you doing here, performing surgery? One of Valentino's gang members?"

He sized up the two guys behind Jack.

The characteristics of the Valentino gang are not very obvious. First of all, they wear clothes that fit the style of street kids.

Secondly, this group of people really likes all kinds of sparkly gold jewelry, or religious symbols like crosses or tattoos.

Generally speaking, the most common tattoos are those related to various religious beliefs.

The two men behind Jack saw Mercer and said impatiently, "Nio, your surgery has been rescheduled. If you want to bring any toys, come back this afternoon."

Victor inside didn't even look up, too lazy to bother with him, because he knew Jack would handle it.

"You don't need such a good doctor if you want to get a big gun. My schedule is also tight. Let's wait in line or go somewhere else, Mano (brother)."

Mercer retorted without hesitation, staring blankly at the two gang members.

Jack turned around and said, "Hey, it's a deal, don't cause me any trouble, and be polite to Old Wei."

Jack's words displeased the two thugs, but they only clicked their tongues and glared fiercely at Mercer, as if trying to scare him into tears.

Mercer just scoffed, not even bothering to look at it again, and simply walked to the vending machine by the door and bought a bottle of Coke.

Jack sized up Mercer for a moment, then turned to look at Victor without saying much, saying only, "Then we'll come back this afternoon, old Victor."

"Well, you'd better keep an eye on your people and don't cause trouble for that kid unless you're out of your mind. Don't blame me for not warning you."

Victor spoke calmly.

Jack instinctively activated his prosthetic eye and glanced at Mercer. Mercer glanced at him and then simply granted him access to see the name.

All high-end Arasaka products, standard hacker equipment, made Jack click his tongue in amazement—one Arasaka monomolecule line was enough to buy his life.

"Damn, Nio, the stuff you're carrying is really something."

Jack chuckled and praised him, while Mercer smiled back at him: "You're a good guy, big guy. If you need any help from a hacker, you can give me a call."

He sent Jack a friend request via messaging, which Jack quickly accepted, laughing as he said:

"That's great! I'll have the chance to go to Wild Wolf Bar, which my mom owns."

The fries there are absolutely amazing, and they also have Mexican food. Come on over, it's on me.

"You're really something, big guy, trying to get kids to go to bars."

A woman's voice rang out, and Panan, with an unfriendly expression, put his hand on the handle of the pistol at his waist and walked over from the building on the other side of the alley.

Behind her, by the door, a young girl with smoky makeup was watching this scene with concern. She was none other than Misty, who had the future Jack completely infatuated with.

As expected, Jack glanced at Misty a few more times, but he wasn't particularly enthusiastic at the moment, simply nodding as a greeting.

He still has a girlfriend from the Valentino gang, and their relationship is quite stable.

"Phew~!"

One of the thugs subconsciously whistled and winked excitedly at Panan:
"Chica (sister), this kid's no good, but you definitely are. How about grabbing a couple of drinks with the buddies this afternoon? You're really hot!"

"Drink your mother's head, you idiot, don't cause trouble."

Panan spoke fluently, his eyes coldly surveying the group: "Mercer, what are they doing?"

Jack was exasperated. He was trying to ease the tension, but these two idiots behind him just couldn't shut up for a moment.

Sure enough, these words completely ignited their anger. They put their hands on the gun handles and blurted out, "You bitch, you've got some nerve!"

Mercer sighed at that moment.

Then, Jack watched helplessly as the two brothers, before they could even finish speaking, suddenly screamed and convulsed, collapsing to the ground.

At the same time, Panan pointed his gun at his head.

Jack turned his head speechlessly to look at his brother, who was clutching his head and howling in pain.
“I told you to be polite. Forget it, Chica, that’s enough. We’re not here to cause trouble.” Mercer nodded as well: “Panan, let’s go, I’m starving.”

"Hmm." Panan looked at the two people still twitching on the ground with some surprise: "Wow, are hackers that good?"

"That's because my buddy is good. If it were some other noob, it would take several seconds to hack in."

Mercer said, turning his head to say, "Don't worry, it's just that the prosthetic body is out of control and you have a bit of a headache. I'll have Old Wei fix it this afternoon, and you'll be fine by tonight."

Jack nodded and said helplessly, "They're just unlucky today. Nio, you're really good at this. I've never seen a hacker who can hack someone just by drawing a gun."

"Hmm, now you see."

Mercer patted his strong arm without any politeness: "You're good material to be a mercenary. If you ever don't want to be in a gang anymore, just give me a call, and I'll treat you to a couple of drinks at the Next Life. I'll make sure everything is taken care of for you."

"Holy crap, Mano, next life?"

Jack's eyes shone—although he had joined the Valentino gang, to be honest, he actually preferred being a mercenary.

He's the kind of legendary outlaw who kills companies and gangs, his brothers can go through gunfire without hindrance, and the whole city trembles at the mere mention of his name!

And the Laisheng Bar is a place only the top mercenary 'big brothers' can go!

"Interested? How about I take you out for some fun tonight?" Mercer couldn't help but laugh; this Jack was exactly like the one in the game.

"That would definitely interest me. But I'll pass."

It's only meaningful to get into that place if you can get in on your own merit.

As Jack spoke, he looked at his underlings on the ground who had recovered and were now clutching their heads while Panan pointed a gun at them, and sighed, "Alright, let's go first, we'll come back this afternoon."

"Hurry up and go, the door's been open the whole time, and the stench's been wafting in."

Victor's disgruntled voice rang out: "Take your friend away and don't cause trouble for my guest, Jack."

"I know, Lao Wei and the others are actually a bit, well, new to the business, you know."

Jack bent down, grabbed one of his underlings in each hand, and lifted him up: "Don't embarrass yourself, let's go."

The two thugs still seemed a bit resentful, but a glance from Mercer sent a shiver down their spines.

I've never seen such an awesome hacker before.

In their minds, aren't hackers all guys who hide in safe places and don't know what to do unless their brains are plugged in?

That's ridiculous! You can make someone half-dead just by glaring at them.

Panan spat at the departing figures of the two thugs:

"Alright, go inside and eat it while it's hot."

I couldn't find any of the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) or other random things you mentioned. All I found was a plate of fried dumplings, and they were sold by a Japanese vendor.
I ate a few bites myself before buying it for you; it tastes alright.

"Oh, right, this is Misty."

Panan pointed to Misty, who had been quiet beside him—Misty looked to be only eighteen or nineteen years old, and the heavy smoky makeup couldn't hide her delicate features.

Misty smiled. "Hello, Mercer, nice to meet you. Panan just said you know me?"

"Hmm, I checked while I was looking into Lao Wei. You know tarot card reading? I'll give it a try when I'm done with my work."

Mercer's suggestion made Misty smile even more: "Great! As a new friend, I'll show you this time for free."

"Then it's settled."

Mercer waved and led Panan into the house, where they ate fried dumplings while waiting for Old Vie to finish his work.

The pan-fried dumplings made by the Japanese were alright, but the texture of the filling was hard to judge.

It was supposed to be minced meat, but it tasted more like tofu. The seasoning was alright though. He ate a large portion, drank a glass of cola, watched the boxing match on TV, and that was the end of Old Wei's preparations.

He lay down on the bed, closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, even his eyeballs had been replaced with new ones.

One of the lenses was connected to nerve signals but hadn't been inserted into the eye socket yet. Looking at myself from my own perspective felt rather strange and a little creepy.

(End of this chapter)