Cyberpunk: Starting in 2071

Chapter 52 Because of Kindness (1.15 Million Views, Requesting Monthly Tickets)
V wasn't lying—this waitress was indeed very beautiful, with an Asian face, and she looked gentle and kind, perfectly fitting the Asian aesthetic for a pretty girl.

Upon seeing Mercer and his group appear, the waitress, who was being harassed by several large animal gang members, breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ran over.

"Hello, what would you like to eat?"

The waitress felt incredibly unlucky. Usually, the only people who came here were members of the Tiger Claw Gang. Even if they teased her, they usually only got the upper hand verbally.

But these rough, big animal gang members, probably because of all the medication they've been given, have swollen cerebellum. They almost touched her just now!
"I heard your grilled chicken skewers are pretty good?" V licked her lips; with Mercer treating, she wouldn't be polite.

"Of course! Our chicken skewers are 99% real meat!"

The waiter smiled and said, "How about the chicken skewer set meal? One per person, plus a serving of our signature miso soup with fried rice."

"Come on! Give me some more tempura," V said generously.

Mercer didn't care about the money, claiming it was 99% real meat. But when you look at the price, it's 38 euros for a meat skewer set. What kind of meat could that be?
As long as it's not a doxxing, it's fine.

Since an animal-borne plague in Night City in 2051, Night City has eradicated all birds since 2061, leaving no way to eat real chicken except through smuggling.

"Okay, one tempura set meal too."

This restaurant is one of the few places where you eat first and pay later. After the waiter took our order, he wanted to find a place to hide.

"V, take this chip."

Mercer leaned back in his chair and placed a chip on the table: "You'll need it for your mission tonight."

“Tell me in detail.” V’s expression turned serious, while Qiwei, sitting beside her, looked slightly embarrassed. “Should I leave a little room for a bit?”

"No need. If it were something that truly needed to be kept secret, I wouldn't be saying it here."

Mercer said casually, "It's a very simple request. Tonight at 11 p.m., sneak into the underground server room of the city hall, insert this chip into the server, upload the program, and then you can leave."

I will provide you with specific action plans, structural diagrams of the buildings, and real-time online assistance.

After 10 p.m., the entire city hall has only one fixed security system. In your area on the first floor, there are at most three security guards patrolling.

Occasionally, there may be people working overtime, but they are all concentrated in the office area on the second floor and above, rather than the business processing area on the first floor.

The server room is located on the third basement level. Normally, only one network security specialist is responsible for inspecting and managing the entire third basement level. This specialist leaves work at 3:3 PM sharp every day and never works overtime unless there are special circumstances.

The rest of the security measures are handled by professional hackers in the building via the internet; I'll make sure they can't see anything.

I can handle the security camera and elevator access. All you have to do is arrive at the back door of the city hall at 11:00 AM, wait for me to unlock the door, and then take the maintenance elevator directly into the machine room.

The chip upload will be completed in a maximum of 10 seconds. Then you can exit the same way you came. As long as you don't get detected, the mission is complete.

After Mercer finished speaking, V blinked and asked, "Is it really that simple?"

"It's that simple."

Mercer said meaningfully, "The data and information I obtained from Roger should be fine. However, if something unexpected happens, such as being discovered..."
You can leave directly then; there's no need for a direct assault. Safety first. I'll think of another way.

The total compensation is five thousand euros—what do you think?

“No problem!” Although V was still a little nervous, he agreed without hesitation.

Five thousand euros!
That's five thousand euros!

Being a mercenary definitely pays much better than hanging out on the streets! Hanging out with those Valottino gang thugs all day, I barely have enough to eat in a month, while as a mercenary, I can earn several thousand euros per mission.
That's enough for several months' rent! That's fantastic!
Mercer looked at V, who was now beaming with excitement, and didn't know what to say. "V, you're so cheap."

Just after Mercer finished speaking, a loud bang suddenly came from not far away. He subconsciously reached for his holster with his right hand and grabbed the Qianxin in his hand.

The loud bang came from none other than the animal gang that Mercer and V had noticed before opening the door.

At that moment, a burly man slammed his fist on the table and stood up. At the same time, the other three burly men from the animal gang also stood up in unison and, without saying a word, surrounded the waitress who was about to serve food to Mercer's table.

"Where's our food? We haven't received all of our orders yet. Who are you going to serve?"

A burly man with a menacing face grinned and reached out to touch her waist. The waitress could only smile apologetically and quickly dodge, saying, "I'm so sorry, I'll urge the kitchen to hurry up."

"Fine, I don't really like Japanese food anyway, but..."

The big guy grinned lewdly, and the other animals around him chuckled and moved closer, trapping her in the middle with no way to move forward or backward.

"Japanese girls are quite nice."

After the big guy finished speaking, he laughed loudly and pointed to the seats, saying, "Come on, have a drink with us brothers, and I'll give you a tip later."

"We don't offer hostess services. You can go to an izakaya in the Kabuki district, near the Umibozu Street."

The waitress forced a smile, but the animal gang members were already getting very impatient.

"Damn, is it this hard to get you to have a couple of drinks? I just want you to have a few drinks with me today, can you do me that?"

A bald man with a fierce look on his face reached out and pulled her into his arms.

V simply clicked her tongue and glanced at it before looking away. If Mercer and Qiwei hadn't been there, she might have taken action directly.

But now, she didn't want to cause trouble for Mercer. He was a fragile hacker; if he were grazed by a stray bullet, he might be dead.

Qi Wei remained expressionless and completely unconcerned.

Before meeting Mercer, no one had ever helped her, not even once, so how could she suddenly be overflowing with kindness at this time?
"boss"

The waiter turned his head helplessly to look behind the bar, but the owner pretended not to see him and then disappeared back into the kitchen behind the bar.

Then, the light in the waitress's eyes almost disappeared, leaving only tears welling up in her eyes. She forced a smile, and faced with the animal gang's pulling and tugging, she could only let them pull her towards her seat, her face somewhat pale.

"Whoosh."

A throwing knife suddenly swept through the air and pierced the head of one of the animal gang members.

The animal dazedly touched the back of its head, only to find its hand covered in blood. Then, its eyes rolled back and it collapsed to the ground.

Upon closer inspection, everyone realized that it wasn't a throwing knife at all, but just a very ordinary dinner knife.

"Ha, I've wanted to ask you idiots for a long time, why are you called the Animal Gang?"
All the little animals are so cute, I could hold them all day long.
As for you, all I want to do when I see you is kill you all!

A bunch of beasts. Die!

All you could see was a girl with green pigtails, youthful features, but dressed provocatively. As she cursed, she leaped onto the table.

Rebecca stood on the table, angrily raising a thermos, and threw it with all her might while cursing.

The moment the throwing knife was thrown, V realized something was wrong and, without saying a word, pulled Qiwei, who had little experience in gunfights, under the table.

At the same time, she looked at Mercer with a sullen face: "Did I really say something unlucky?"

"Judging from experience and the current situation, yes." Mercer deftly raised the letter of humility.

V sighed: "You want to get involved?"

“Of course.” Mercer began to pull the trigger.

"Why? Is it because the girl is pretty, or the waitress?" V complained, but his hands didn't slow down. He took out his pistol, turned around, and aimed.

"Because I'm kind."

Mercer released the charged trigger without expression.

Two tungsten-tipped bullets pierced the air, and V's pistol roared loudly.

Mercer's conversation with V almost perfectly mirrored Rebecca's action of stepping onto the table to speak.

Just as Mercer and V made their move, Rebecca threw her thermos cup with all her might the moment she uttered her last word, and it pierced the eye socket of an animal gang member who was turning his head to look at her.

The electromagnetically driven tungsten-tipped bullet pierced through the head of an animal, while the V-caliber pistol blew the animal's skull open like a balloon.

The animal gang member whose eye socket was hit by the thermos cup thrown by Rebecca suffered a complete eye socket collapse—the thermos cup was embedded firmly in his eye socket, and the broken bone fragments directly shattered his brain, which was not covered by muscle.

V whistled: "Not bad, little sister."

Although she felt that if it were her, she could smash that guy's head with a thermos, Rebecca's physique was so strong that she could only be described as having superhuman strength.

Rebecca stood on the table, hands on her hips, laughing loudly: "Haha! Sister, you're not bad either."

Pila was right across from her, covering her face in pain. She glanced at the time and immediately urged, "Alright, Rebecca, we have to go. If we delay another three or five minutes, we'll really be late."

He could tell at a glance that V and Mercer were both ruthless characters.

V needs no introduction; the modified pistol is visibly violent, yet when she fires a shot, her wrist only twitches slightly, demonstrating her strength.

Mercer, on the other hand, is a pure tech warrior. His cybernetic body is so realistic that even scanning can't detect it; just by looking at the workmanship, you can tell it's a high-quality product from a major company.

What's the rush?

Rebecca snorted, but excitedly ran to the side of an animal she had killed and picked up the shotgun from the ground.

"Wow, this thing looks awesome. I'm going to go back and dye it green too! This time, Pila, you're not going to sell it!"

Rebecca, annoyed, turned to Pila and said, "By the way, where's your gun? Why were you just standing there watching?"

Pila looked a little embarrassed, but in front of so many people, he actually blurted it out: "Uh, I just couldn't resist the other day, so I sold it and got Liz's Mewtwo for a good time."

That's some fucking genius.

V showed a disdainful expression, while Mercer was somewhat amazed.

Rebecca scratched her head in frustration:
"Do you even understand the situation?! You think we should go find Wakako for work? What terrible thing happened to me in my past life that I have to be stuck with a jerk like you?!"

Rebecca cursed a few times in exasperation, then turned to look at the beautiful waitress who was still crouching in a pool of blood, trembling all over: "Get up, it's alright now."

"How could nothing be wrong?!"

The waiter suddenly broke down.

She pushed Rebecca's hand away, crying as she said, "This is really the end. So many people have died, and I'm going to lose my job!"

you."

The waiter was about to say something, but then she saw Mercer's hockey mask with the letter A on it, stuck to her face.

"Say thank you, Brother A, Sister V, Rebecca."

"Wh-what?" The waiter was taken aback.

“I said, please say thank you.” Mercer repeated each word carefully: “Say thank you, Brother A, Sister V, Rebecca.”

"Thank you, Brother A, Sister V, Rebecca."

The waiter's lips moved as he uttered those words.

“Very good.” Mercer then reached out and wiped the blood from her face, his tone calm: “You can find another job, but once you lose your principles, you can never get them back.”

If you drink with the Animal Gang today, the Tiger Claw Gang will come looking for you tomorrow.

If you've sided with the animal gang, how can you not side with the local bully, the tiger claw gang?
Your reputation has reached V's ears, so who knows, maybe even the Sixth Street gang or the Valentino gang.
Do you have to accompany me every time?
And then what? Become a puppet?

Mercer's words made the waiter tremble helplessly and lower his head: "Then, what can I do! I need to live, I need to pay rent. Without this job, I'll end up like all those sex dolls!"

"Then there's no way."

Mercer calmly wiped the blood off her face, then casually pulled out a tissue from the table, wiped his hands, and tossed the tissue onto the animal gang's corpse.

"That's just how the world is. You can only try your best to save yourself first. If you're lucky, someone will help you. If you're unlucky, how bad can things get?"

I've helped you out this time, you should thank me. If you feel like you can't go on living, then go ahead and do whatever you like, I recommend the Ritz.
The women over there are quite reliable to their own people.

It'll save you from going through all the trouble in this restaurant. If you like being a sex doll, wouldn't it be better to go straight to the top? You'll earn even more.

"Do good people deserve to have guns pointed at them? You have the temper to lash out at a little girl, why didn't you fight those animal gang members earlier?"

After Mercer finished speaking, he glanced at the restaurant, which was now empty as soon as the firing began, and then tapped on the table: "Boss, the bill."

"You, you didn't get any food, so it's free." The owner hid in the kitchen, not daring to show his face.

Mercer shrugged: "Oh, I see. You're actually a pretty nice person then~"

No, you're welcome.

The boss just hoped Mercer would stop talking to him—the guy's sarcastic manner made it seem like he might shoot him at any moment.

Mercer pursed his lips and turned his head, only to see Rebecca staring straight at him.

"You know me? How do you know my name?"

Her tone was somewhat curious.

Mercer didn't hide anything, simply offering a reason: "I did indeed meet you by some coincidence, Rebecca, Pila, the children of the legendary mercenary Sunrise Daddy."

Mercer's words caused a slight change in the expressions of the group of people.

"Holy crap! Sunrise Daddy?" V's expression changed instantly, and he exclaimed in surprise, "That was a legend of Night City a few years ago! I even saw him on Haywood Street when I was a kid!"

He drove a super cool convertible sports car, killing people as he drove. Three cars from the Vortex Gang were chasing him, but he managed to kill them all without getting hurt while driving the convertible!

Wow, I still remember that scene! I idolized him when I was a kid.

After V finished speaking, he paused, looking puzzled. "But... wasn't that guy dead a long time ago? I remember we haven't heard from him for about ten years."

"They're dead, their bank accounts have been hacked, their family's assets have been stolen by debt collectors, and most of their cronies are kicking them while they're down. Only these two unfortunate kids are left."
Don't let her short stature fool you, she must be at least fifteen or sixteen years old. I really don't know how she and her brother have managed to get through these past ten years.

"That little girl is so pitiful."

Mercer said.

"You know my dad!?" Rebecca froze on the spot, then her breathing suddenly became heavy, and her expression became very complicated, with tension, expectation, hatred, and sadness.
"Do you know what happened back then? How did you find out about him? How did he die? Who stole his money?"

Rebecca bombarded him with questions, and even Pila, who had been in a hurry to leave, suddenly stopped and stared intently at Mercer.

"I don't know. Some people say he had an accident while doing business with Arasaka, while others say he was shot in the back. I just looked into it as an opportunity."

Mercer's tone was relaxed, but Rebecca's expression suddenly turned fierce. She walked straight towards Mercer, gripping her shotgun tightly in her hand.
"impossible!

You were just casually asking around, so how did you know we were his children? And how could you recognize me at a glance?

"Where did you get to know us? You must know something! Tell me! Who are you?!"

"Rebecca!" Pila thought to herself, "Oh no!"—Rebecca was a good girl, and a capable one, but she was just too emotional.

He knew that sooner or later she would get into big trouble because of this emotional outburst!

However, before Pila could grab Rebecca...

V's actions were faster and more direct, pressing the gun directly to her head: "A said she didn't know, so she doesn't know. Are you a dog? You're not that old, but you change your tune pretty quickly, huh?"

He knows a lot of people. If you feel there's a problem, then calm down now and think it over again.

With a gun pointed at her head, Rebecca instinctively turned her head sharply. The instant she released the shotgun from her hand, she grabbed V's hands, trying to disarm her.

Despite Rebecca's young age and somewhat thin limbs, the power and speed she unleashed at that moment surprised even V.

but.
Surprised as he was, V merely sneered, pulled his hand back, and then swung it sharply, smashing the butt of the gun into Rebecca's temple.

In terms of reaction speed and strength, she has never met an opponent since she was a child!
Pila only saw a flash before his eyes, and Rebecca tilted to one side. He immediately reached for his lower back, but found nothing.

Grass.
I forgot again. I should have known better than to sell the gun and go see Mewtwo at Liz.
"Don't move, buddy. Your sister's acting stupid, but I think you're pretty smart."

V pointed a gun at Pira's head without hesitation, stepped on the dazed Rebecca, and easily subdued both of them by himself.

Pila's slender fingers twitched as she tried to reach for the fork on the table behind her, but V just sneered, "If you dare pick it up, I'll shove it into your head!"

Pila could only quickly raise her hand: "Sister, I was wrong! Rebecca, she's just anxious. Please don't take it to heart. She's only fifteen years old. You don't have to argue with a child, do you?"

Mercer looked at Rebecca, who was being trampled by V, dizzy but still grimacing and looking fierce, and shook his head, saying:

"Kindness is met with ingratitude. Kid? That approach doesn't work on me."

They're younger than each other, huh? Mercer isn't going to put up with these two siblings.

He really liked Rebecca, but
This doesn't mean Rebecca can act recklessly based on his good impression of her, such as trying to point a gun at him.

V glared fiercely at Rebecca, watching her struggle while still yawning at him, and smiled disdainfully:
"You're bold, but not very capable. Next time, make sure you know who you're talking to."

If it weren't for the fact that you were trying to take my gun instead of pointing a shotgun at me, I would have punched two holes in you just now.

"If all you do is fight, you won't live past eighteen."

Rebecca used all her strength to push away the foot that was pressing down on her, flipped herself up, shook her head, and then gritted her teeth, glaring angrily: "Again!"

Without saying a word, Pila punched her, almost knocking Rebecca over, showing how desperate he was this time.

Rebecca turned to look at Pila, finally calming down. Then, she lowered her head, clenched her hands tightly, and remained silent.

She knew that once again, she had let her emotions get the better of her, not only making a mess of things but also getting herself into trouble with a tough opponent. Luckily, the other side didn't go all out.

But she quickly turned her head and stared at Mercer: "Tell me, tell me what really happened back then."

After Rebecca finished speaking, she realized she was asking for a favor, so she hurriedly added, "Just tell me! I'll do anything you want! Please! I really... really want to know!" "I can ask for you, but I really don't know the details. The reason I know you two is just a coincidence."

Mercer remained calm and didn't move an inch. When Rebecca's expression changed, he even had time to gesture to Qiwei, who was hiding in her seat, not to be nervous.

He knew that mentioning Sunrise Daddy's name would attract Rebecca's attention, but he didn't expect the girl to be so reckless—truly a newborn calf unafraid of tigers.

"Rebecca, I advise you to calm down and think about how to talk to me again."

Mercer's tone was gentle, and he seemed to have no emotional fluctuations. Although the mask was a bit scary, the gaze from his blue eyes finally calmed Rebecca down.

Once Rebecca had calmed down a bit, Mercer spoke slowly and deliberately:

"This doesn't sound like the attitude of someone asking for a favor. I helped you deal with the animal gang and even showed you kindness, but you want to pull a gun on me."

I don't owe you anything. You can't be arrogant and aggressive towards me just because I'm kind.

If you want my help, you have to say, "Please, Brother A, help me."

V is a bit hard to hold back, is it really because of your kindness?
She looked at Rebecca's pretty face, which was pure and lovely yet somewhat rebellious, and didn't even bother to say anything to her.

Rebecca lowered her head, like a child who had made a mistake, and bowed deeply: "I'm sorry, I was just too excited. As long as you can find out about Dad, I'll keep my word!"

I'll do whatever you want me to do, I'll even risk my life for you and sleep with you! I've never had a boyfriend before, which is probably a rare find in Night City, right?
Or... or you can have money, just name your amount, and my brother and I can save it up.

Please, Brother A!

Why didn't you just do this earlier?

V snorted and put away her pistol—but she didn't find anything wrong with Mercer knowing Rebecca.

Mercer knew her. Before meeting Mercer, V wasn't doing much better than Rebecca, but Mercer took the initiative to call her and ask her to do something.

I just don't know how Mercer did it. Didn't he just arrive in Night City? How could he know even the street thugs so well? It's terrifying.
The waiters and manager are now completely silent.

Seeing her sincere attitude and urgent tone, Mercer slowly began to speak:

"Alright, if you're nicer, I'll ask around for you. It's just a favor. I'll find out as much as I can. But to be honest, being a fringe figure and still being called a legend is quite something."
It's normal for them to die.

It might not be as complicated as you think.

After Mercer finished speaking, Rebecca shook her head firmly and said, "Impossible! Dad said it was just a small job! He's so capable, how could he fail on such a simple task?"

"Who gave him the mission in the first place?" Mercer asked.

“Wakako’s father was her most skilled mercenary back then,” Rebecca said, glancing at Pila.

"Wakako is a reliable person. She doesn't like to sell out her mercenaries, and she generally doesn't have problems with missions. Are you two working for Wakako right now?"

Mercer pressed on with his questions.

Rebecca glanced at her brother with disdain and said, "No, it's my brother who's thinking that if we go to Wakako, she'll definitely help us and give us work to do."

"Uh, I heard that Wakako is quite sentimental. My dad had a good relationship with her back then, and it was because of a commission she made that he got into trouble."
My dad usually calls her Aunt Hegezi.

So I think it shouldn't be a problem to ask her to give us a chance.

It was all agreed that she would release a batch of jobs before 10 o'clock, and we would arrive on time at 10 o'clock to get one.

After Pila finished speaking, she looked at the clock in the shop with an increasingly bitter expression: "But we've already lost five minutes, there's no way we can make it in time even if we die."

"It's a small matter. If you're really capable, the middleman will be begging you to do it. If you're an incompetent mercenary, you'll just be picking up trash to eat no matter where you go."

Mercer's assessment was spot on—look at V in the game, where does he need to go looking for work? Clients are practically begging him to do it, it's definitely not because V is cheap.

"Didn't you ask Wakako about her own father?" Mercer asked curiously.

"I asked. The only thing they said was that if a mercenary messes up a job and dies, it's considered kind of the client not to hold him responsible."

I also emailed Wakako, and she said it was because our father hadn't done a good job in business and had messed it up.

Pira's expression was also somewhat gloomy, but unlike his sister, he was not naive. He thought Mercer's words made a lot of sense—in Night City, how many legends are long-lived?
If you choose to work as a "marginalized traveler," you should be prepared to lose everything.

Mercer nodded: "Alright, when I contact Wakako later, I'll ask about the details. It's a small favor, so I don't need to pay you, because I'm kind."

"Ha," V couldn't stand it anymore. He turned to look at Qi Wei and said to her in a speechless tone, "See? What did I tell you? He probably saved you because you're pretty."

Qiwei's expression was strange. She felt that Mercer shouldn't be that kind of person, right?
"You're talking nonsense!" Mercer gave her the middle finger without any politeness. "I'm a great philanthropist! Damn it, I don't know anyone in Night City who's more philanthropic than me!"

V nodded, smiling and not refuting, "Yes, yes, Qiwei would definitely agree with you."

"Idiot." Mercer rolled his eyes, glared at her hatefully, and thought that V would ruin his reputation sooner or later.

He's still a child! Where did this talk of him being a lecher come from!

"Alright, it's too late for you two to go and get work from Kako now."

We just happened to be in the Japanese neighborhood, and I had already told her I wanted to meet up. Since we've bumped into each other, let's go say hello to Wakako together.

After finishing his sentence, Mercer paused, then added, "But I think it's hopeless for you two to get a commission from her."

Even I can see how unreliable you two are right now.

She's a young girl, quite skilled, but not very bright; she goes crazy when she gets emotional.

One of them seems calm and collected, but lacks skill and has his brain controlled by his cerebellum. He even sells his food to buy Mewtwo.
"If you go to Wakako's place, the two of you will probably only be doing errands and odd jobs at most."

Pila said helplessly, "I know, but we still have to find a way to survive, otherwise we don't even know where to find food for tomorrow."

"How did you two survive to be so old?" V was genuinely curious.

Seeing the resentment in Rebecca's eyes, she shrugged and said, "You're like me. Although you lost your parents when you were young, you're still a girl from Haywood."

With the help of our neighbors, the Valentino gang wouldn't bully us local kids. We could go to church every day and even get a meal at a neighbor's house.

You were only five or six years old when your fathers had that accident, right?

"At first, my dad and a few friends helped out, but not long after, that kind uncle died. Then it was just selling things and whatever else could be sold."

Occasionally, I would help people sell goods, such as sunglasses and other items. At the time, people saw that we were young, and quite a few people bought from us.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to make do."

Pila spoke first, then sighed, "It gets troublesome when you get a little older, especially in the years after my uncle died. There were human traffickers, cleaners, and madmen from the Vortex Gang."
Fortunately, Rebecca and I both inherited our dad's good physique, especially Rebecca. Don't let her small size fool you, most people are no match for her.

After we stole two guns and took down a few street cleaners, no one on the street dared to bully us kids anymore.

I'll steal, cheat, and do any job that pays. I also know some trades, like assembling guns.

V couldn't help but show a bit of sympathy. She looked at Rebecca and didn't hold her thoughtless actions against her anymore—what a pitiful child. It seems that your sister V is a kind person after all.

Mercer simply nodded, then said, "So you're planning to switch careers and become a fringe traveler? You can't keep up with your previous job?"

"The main problem is that you can't make any money at all."

Rebecca glared angrily at Pila: "That idiot has money, so he either buys junk or he goes on buying super dream toys."

I finally managed to save up some money, but before I could even pay the rent, this idiot ruined his hand last month and almost lost his arm.

I could only find him a doctor, and as a result, my savings were wiped out again.

"Just hanging around on the streets is pointless. Being a fringe person can make some big money, at least you won't have to live on the streets. Pila, you really sold all your guns just to go to Liz and see Mewtwo for some fun?"

Rebecca got angrier and angrier as she talked.

The thought that Pila insisted on having a meal before going to see Wakako under these circumstances, which led to all of this and caused her to miss Wakako's request, made Rebecca want to shoot Pila.

V and Mercer both glanced at Pilaf, while Pikachu scratched his head awkwardly: "Ha! Life's so tough, all I can do is rely on Mewtwo for some relief."

"Living on the street?" V asked, arms crossed in front of him.

Pila nodded: "My dad left behind a car, but all the parts have been sold off long ago. Now it's just a shell. We left it in an alley and sleep in the car at night, even though it's a convertible and doesn't keep out the rain."
But at least there's a mat.

"Tsk tsk." Mercer shook his head, but didn't say anything more. In this city, things worse than those of the brother and sister often happened.

Like Qiwei, her expression was very calm at this moment. No matter how bad Rebecca's situation was, at least she wasn't sold twice.

However, seeing this kind of thing happen still made Mercer feel a little uncomfortable.

Fourteen or fifteen-year-old kids are forced to commit murder for money, and everyone seems to take it all for granted. What a messed up world.

"Let's go somewhere else and talk. I reckon the boss has already called the police. If we delay any longer, the NCPD will probably be here soon."

Mercer spoke, and the others had no objections. Rebecca, preoccupied, lowered her head, picked up her shotgun, and subconsciously followed Mercer outside.

"You stared at me for a while as soon as you came in, just because you recognized me as Old Man Sunrise's child? I... I always felt like you knew me very well."

Rebecca couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering her.

“I do know you, and I know many people in this city. As for the reason, you can consider it an accident.”

After Mercer finished speaking, Rebecca knew she wouldn't get any specific details out of him. Although she was a bit impulsive and emotional, she wasn't stupid.

During her conversation with Mercer, she could vaguely sense his goodwill. Although she didn't know where this goodwill came from, which child on the street who didn't know to seize the opportunity?

"Hey A, are you the middleman? Or a fringe player? Are those two people working for you?"

Rebecca asked cautiously.

"Currently, I have a cooperative relationship with V. I assign her tasks, and she gets paid to perform them. However, I think she is quite capable, and I want to bring her into my team to work together."

You can probably tell that I'm a hacker, new here, and I'm short of skilled people who can do fieldwork.

The tasks involved are nothing more than chores like murder, robbery, and theft.

After Mercer finished speaking, Rebecca's mind immediately started working.

What he meant was...
"Me! I mean, what do you think of me? I'm not bad at fighting either. The only reason I got pinned to the ground by that V was because I hadn't eaten properly for days."
Wait until I'm full, then I'll fight her. Who knows who will win or lose!
Do you have any other jobs? My brother and I can do anything!

Rebecca immediately started promoting herself, even forgetting about her father for the time being.

There was nothing she could do; having missed meeting Wakako, she was truly penniless—if she couldn't earn any money today, she would have to figure out where to get food next.

Mercer glanced at Rebecca, then at V.

V was a little confused: "Why are you looking at me?"

"What do you think of her abilities?" Mercer asked.

"Tsk, not bad, she's got some guts. She's a bit worse than me, but she's still pretty good. But what she said about being able to fight me after a full meal is pure bullshit. I could crush her with one hand."

V loves to tell the truth.

It's truly unbelievable that someone could smash a person's skull with a thermos from a distance of six or seven meters, especially considering Rebecca's thin arms and legs.

But compared to her... hey.

Rebecca opened her mouth, feeling resentful, but she held back for now; it was job hunting time.

Mercer pondered. It was certainly a good thing that Rebecca was taking the initiative to seek employment. Wasn't that exactly what he was thinking when he started talking to Rebecca?

Rebecca and Pila are currently experiencing a low point in their lives, just like V.

To get them to work for him wholeheartedly, all he has to give is a little money and some sincerity.

Rebecca and V are both rare good people in Night City. Although they may have some flaws in their personalities and their so-called goodness is relative, they are both people who can get what they want from each other.

Therefore, Mercer simply gave a very sincere reply.

"How do you want to work with me? Like V, starting with some paid jobs, or do you want to join the team directly?"

As soon as Mercer said this, not only Rebecca and Pila, but even V and Qiwei subconsciously perked up their ears.

Rebecca was taken aback at first, then looked puzzled: "Is there anything different?"

"We're just friends, we do things for money. If a friend needs help, it's a favor if I help, and it's no big deal if I don't."

When I take on jobs, I pay according to your status and position. To put it bluntly, whether you're a high-level professional or a VIP, paying three to five thousand euros per job is already considered a premium.

Mercer's words made Rebecca's eyes light up: "V works for you, and you pay him three to five thousand euros a time?"

“I know you guys do odd jobs on the street, earning at most a thousand or so yuan a time, but working for me is definitely riskier than the jobs you find on the street, so I will pay you accordingly more.”

However, instead of you fooling around on the streets, I will investigate the risks for you beforehand, provide you with technical support from behind the scenes, and arrange an action plan as thoroughly as possible.
To put it bluntly, I'm basically a middleman.

After Mercer finished speaking, he paused for a moment before continuing, "But if you want to work with me, it's not that simple. You have to officially join my team."

"If I have any big jobs, we'll discuss them together. Besides the money we earn, which will be distributed according to our work, I'll also give you loans to upgrade your weapons and cybernetic equipment, and find you a place to stay."

From now on, we'll all stay together, sharing both prosperity and adversity.

But now that I've joined, it's like I'm going to stick with my buddies all the way.

I will treat you all as my family, as my brothers and sisters. I will treat you with sincerity. In this respect, I think no other big brother in Night City can do better than me.

But I also feel that I have done everything I could to reach this point.

So if any of you betray me after joining, I will definitely take revenge.

Anyone who chickens out and gets off the bus halfway through will lose even the chance to be friends.

Mercer looked at the group of people in front of him with a meaningful expression and said, "I'm not in a hurry for your answers. You can do some odd jobs for me first, and then decide whether you want to join us once you get to know me better."

But let me make this clear from the start—once you've made a choice, don't go back on it.

Upon hearing this, Rebecca and Pila were both speechless for a moment, while V scratched her head, looking troubled. She was genuinely interested, but she still felt she lacked the right opportunity to make a decision.

On the contrary, Qi Wei
She suddenly looked up: "Can I...can I work with you too? I mean, officially join the team."

Mercer tilted his head, looked at her, and laughed: "Then...would you betray me?"

"Mercer, you are the first person I have ever met who is willing to help me."

Qi Wei gave a self-deprecating laugh: "I don't know."
But I think, if we absolutely have to find someone to try it out one last time...
Besides you, I can't think of anyone else.

“If you betray me, I’ll take you with me to hell, but if you consider me a true brother,” Mercer said with a smile, extending his hand. Qiwei was taken aback, then hesitantly reached out and shook his hand.

"I will make sure you don't just disappear without a trace before I die," he promised, laughing as he said, "Qiwei, welcome to the Fire Seed Squad."

The Fire Seed Squad?

Qiwei carefully considered the nameless emotion welling up inside her, and finally made up her mind: "I once made up my mind never to trust anyone again."
But Mercer, because you are the only person in my life who is willing to lend me a hand.

Therefore, I believe you!

As soon as she said those words, Qiwei felt a sudden sense of relief.

She released her grip on Mercer's hand, turned and got into V's car, lit a cigarette, and gave a smile that seemed both relieved and liberated.

"Aren't you leaving yet? I can hear sirens."

"Walk."

Mercer waved his hand and said, "Since we're already here, let's go see Wakako first. Pira, go to V's car and give her directions."

Rebecca got into Mercer's passenger seat without really understanding what was going on.

It wasn't until the car started moving that Rebecca realized she hadn't given Mercer a definite answer yet.

Mercer looked at her sitting in the passenger seat, looking like she was about to burst into flames and asked with amusement, "What's wrong with you?"

"I"

Rebecca thought for a moment, then suddenly asked a question that seemed somewhat unrelated.

"Why did you help me fight the animal gang just now?"

"Because I'm kind."

Mercer laughed heartily: "What, are you the only one allowed to do good deeds? Or do you think that idiot V was telling the truth, and that I only like you because you're cute?"

Rebecca was silent for a moment, then whispered, "If I still can't help myself and do things that might cause trouble, like today, when I saw those animal gangs and just attacked them because I didn't like them, then what will happen?"
What would you think?

Mercer turned his head, his eyes behind the mask smiling: "I'd probably think, what a good girl, Rebecca."

Rebecca clenched her fist, but then slowly relaxed it: "I'll do some odd jobs for you first, and see if you're really reliable."

"As long as you're not lying and genuinely want to help me, then I'll officially join you, and from now on you'll be my big brother!"

"Alright, as a token of my sincerity, I'll go and ask Kako about your father for you. But you have to promise me you'll stay calm."

After Mercer finished speaking, Rebecca immediately nodded vigorously: "I promise!"

The sirens arrived late.

Meanwhile, Mercer's car was already heading towards the twisty street where Wakako's office was located.

(End of this chapter)