At dawn the next day, the deep roar of Delamain’s engine echoed along the road.
The car glided through the streets like a black dragon, then gracefully slowed down and came to a perfect stop in front of the villa.
Leon carried a bag over his shoulder.
He tossed it into the car and sat down in the back seat.
“Welcome to Delamain service, sir. It is a pleasure to see you again.”
“Take me to Jig-Jig Street in Westbrook.”
Leon leaned back in the seat, and the soft and comfortable cushions immediately eased the fatigue caused by waking up early.
“Of course, sir. I also notice that you seem somewhat tired. If you are not in a hurry, feel free to get some sleep. I will slow down the drive in order to provide you with the most comfortable rest possible and safely deliver you to your destination.”
“Thank you, Delamain.”
Leon had no reason to refuse such an offer.
“It is my honor to be of service to you, esteemed passenger,” the bald AI replied in his usual elegant and calm tone.
The car slowly moved away from the villa.
Its glossy black body was almost a status symbol in itself, while the specially reinforced doors and windows could easily withstand heavy machine gun fire.
Faced with a machine like this, no idiot on the street was crazy enough to provoke a Delamain taxi.
After Leon took a short nap and drove away the fatigue from waking up early, Delamain seemed to have timed the trip perfectly and arrived right at the entrance to Jig-Jig Street.
“Thank you for using Delamain service. I wish you a safe continuation of your journey.”
It was early morning, so only a few joytoys could be seen on the street.
They knew this was not the time when business flourished, so they did not pay much attention to passersby and did not even notice Leon watching them.
The street layout was almost completely the same as before, without any major changes.
Countless garbage bags were still piled up in the corners of side alleys, and Leon could easily recognize several places where he had once slept.
However, the joytoys standing on the street now were no longer the same people he remembered.
They were like weeds that constantly grew back.
One generation disappeared, and before long a new one replaced it.
Returning to such a familiar place inevitably awakened nostalgia in him.
Leon passed through the streets and finally arrived at the pachinko parlor he had not seen in years.
There were not many customers inside, so he walked straight in without attracting any special attention.
When he reached the elegant private room deep inside the parlor, Leon was slightly surprised to see a large bodyguard in a suit standing beside the entrance.
Looks like this old woman expanded her network of contacts and influence even further over the years.
No wonder she is one of the most important fixers in Westbrook in the game, Leon thought.
The game itself also contained certain information about Wakako Okada.
During her life, she had several husbands, and every one of them was a leader or high-ranking member of the Tyger Claws.
But all of them, without exception, died.
Only she remained alive.
Leon clearly remembered one description that suited her perfectly:
A scorpion that looks like a kind grandmother.
Without hesitation, he headed inside.
“Stop!”
The bodyguard extended a hand and stopped Leon.
“I have an appointment with Wakako. Don’t you recognize me?” Leon said coldly.
He showed not even the slightest trace of fear and directly returned the man’s gaze.
The bodyguard’s eyes carefully swept over Leon’s face and body.
He was obviously using advanced optical implants, because he soon accurately confirmed Leon’s identity.
“My apologies. You may go in.”
The bodyguard immediately stepped aside, and a much more polite expression appeared on his face.
The private room was separated from the main part of the parlor by only a wall, without any real wooden door.
At the entrance hung a curtain made of a string of transparent glass-like beads, obscuring the interior of the room.
Leon entered and immediately saw the old woman sitting behind the table.
She was still wearing a simple kimono, her white hair falling freely down her back, and her face retained a gentle and kind appearance.
Hot tea had already been prepared on the table.
The aroma of steam reached Leon’s nose, but it seemed to remain trapped only inside this elegant room.
Only one wall separated them from the noisy pachinko parlor.
And yet it felt as though they were two completely different worlds.
“It has been a long time, child.”
Wakako sat upright in her chair, with round reading glasses on her face and her hands resting calmly on her knees, giving the impression of a kind and gentle old woman.
But on her thin thighs, whose skin looked like dried tree bark, there was an extremely aggressive ukiyo-e tattoo, resembling a wild beast trapped inside a painting.
“It truly has been a long time, Grandma Wakako,” Leon replied, addressing her politely enough.
“I never imagined that the little child I once knew would grow into such a tall and handsome young man. If only my useless sons had even half your looks, this old woman could die in peace.”
Handsome looks…
so he could use them as an advantage when meeting women in high corporate positions…
Leon, of course, immediately understood what she was getting at.
Although cyberware and cosmetic procedures were everyday things now, naturally attractive looks still represented a rare advantage.
“Thank you for the compliment, Grandma Wakako,” Leon replied modestly.
Wakako reached out and placed a cup of tea in front of him.
As if she were simply having an ordinary family conversation, she asked:
“How is your sister?”
“Meeting her was the best thing that ever happened to me in my life. I’m truly happy that she took me in,” Leon replied.
“Then I’m glad.”
Wakako smiled faintly.
“When I heard that someone from the Tyger Claws had once gone to cause trouble for your sister, I was quite angry. But what surprised me most was you. So young, yet you managed to defeat an adult man. Truly impressive for a child.”
“I was lucky. Actually, I wanted to ask you, Grandma Wakako… what happened in the end with that incident?”
Leon took a sip of tea as he asked the question.
“Nothing special. The man who started everything found out that his plan had failed because of one little child and became so ashamed that a few days later he committed suicide. A fool like that was only wasting air.”
Wakako still smiled like a kind grandmother.
If this story spread, probably not even the last stray dog on the street would believe her…
No, wait.
Dogs were practically extinct in Night City.
Leon simply smiled.
Then, no longer wanting to waste time, he got straight to the point.
“By the way, did you finish what I asked you to do?”
“Look at how impatient you are. Don’t you want to chat with your grandmother a little longer?”
With the same smile, Wakako pulled a shard out from under the table.
“All the information is here.”
“The netrunner’s name is Sasha?”
Wakako paused for a moment.
“Child… how did you know that?”
Leon only smiled without explaining and inserted the shard into the port beneath his earlobe.
He had to admit that this method of exchanging information really was incredibly convenient.
Text data, sound, and even video could be stored on a shard.
The other person only had to insert it into the corresponding port, and the neural processor would automatically load the content.
A stream of information immediately appeared before Leon’s eyes:
the netrunner’s name, age, assessment of her abilities, as well as a record of the communication between her and Wakako.
Leon quickly looked through everything.
“What do you think? Not bad, right?” Wakako said.
“An experienced netrunner, well-known enough and capable of taking jobs for clients from Afterlife circles. She is very skilled, is not tied to any major organization, and most often works with a smaller, independent team.”
Then she added:
“By the way, that team also has an excellent job completion rate. They are still relatively new on the scene. If you ever need them, I can connect you.”
Leon had just finished reviewing the contents of the shard and returned it to the table when her last sentence caught his attention.
“Grandma, if you’re already trying to sell me your contacts, you at least have to give me a few details, right?”
“You’re smarter than before,” Wakako noted, then continued:
“The team leader is named Maine. An experienced merc, he usually goes in first and takes on the hardest part of the fight.”
“Then there is Dorio, his right hand.”
“Sasha Yakovleva is their netrunner.”
“Pilar handles the tech stuff.”
“Rebecca is excellent with firearms.”
“And when they need a driver, they occasionally hire a nomad named Falco.”
“A fairly standard team composition.”
Leon nodded.
“Looks like their boss knows how to choose people.”
“If you want to hire them, you can come through me. But it won’t be cheap.”
Wakako looked at him kindly.
“By the way, don’t forget to pay the rest.”
“Of course. Why would I try to cheat you of all people, Grandma?”
Leon’s eyes glowed faintly as he transferred the remaining amount to Wakako.
“If you have something to discuss with that netrunner, go outside. There are too many people and too much noise here after all.”
Wakako smiled.
“And if you feel like playing pachinko, feel free to try. I can personally give you a thousand balls.”
“I really do have something I need to discuss with her. See you later, Grandma.”
Leon stood up and left the private room.
When he stepped outside, he called the number Wakako had given him.
“Hello?”
The call connected.
From the other side of the communicator came a melodious, sweet female voice.
Leon instantly thought of the soft meowing of a kitten, gentle, soft, and pleasant enough that it seemed to lightly scratch somewhere deep inside a person’s chest.