Back in the car, Lin Ke stowed his lighter and the remaining two face masks into his backpack.
He didn’t drive off immediately, instead sitting in the driver’s seat and unfolding the Night City postcard map he had bought for ten eurodollars.
Besides some introductory text about Night City, the postcard included a detailed map outlining the names and routes of the city’s districts and streets.
Looking at the map, Lin Ke located Santo Domingo in the bottom right corner and cross-referenced the surrounding buildings to pin down his general position.
He studied the routes in the area carefully.
Just as the female shopkeeper had said, if he wanted to go to Little China in Watson to buy things, no matter which route he took, he would have to detour across an entire district.
After mulling it over for a while without finding a better option, Lin Ke started the engine and picked the shortest route.
Drive from Martin Luther King Boulevard in Arroyo into Westbrook, cross Japantown via Charter Hill, and then take the highway over the bay straight into Little China in Watson.
A great plan on paper, but reality had other ideas.
Two hours later, Lin Ke was idling through the streets of Santo Domingo in his Mackinaw.
Or rather, he was stuck in this aging district, unable to leave.
Piles of trash and graffiti lined the streets.
Towering skyscrapers stood right next to squat hovels, and factories were packed tightly against power plants.
Teetering smokestacks, dilapidated megabuildings.
Faint gunshots echoing in the distance told him that public safety here was just as filthy, chaotic, and abysmal as the environment.
Comparison brought perspective.
Compared to other districts, Santo Domingo was less Night City’s oldest neighborhood and more its slum—a place built to churn out cheap labor for mega-factories.
The officers patrolling the streets of Santo Domingo wouldn’t bat an eye even if they saw a crime in progress.
Westbrook, on the other hand?
The moment he drove into Charter Hill, he was pulled over by the NCPD.
The NCPD officer’s reasoning was simple: his truck lacked authorization to enter inner Night City, and Lin Ke himself had no registered official identity—making him completely off the grid.
In the end, if that “kindhearted” officer hadn’t let him off on account of his young age and it being his first offense, Lin Ke’s first day in Night City probably would have been spent in a holding cell.
Though Lin Ke knew the real reason the cop was so agreeable was the 300 eurodollars he had quietly slipped into his hand.
Now Lin Ke needed to find a way to fix his identity issue.
However, the character connections from the game gave him no help in reality.
Right now, he had no phone, no cyberdeck, and no contact info.
He could only look for people the most primitive way.
After wandering the streets of Santo Domingo for over four hours until his eyes turned sore, he still hadn’t found Santo Domingo’s local fixer, El Capitan.
“Where the hell did that flashy guy go now?”
Lin Ke slammed his fist on the steering wheel in frustration.
It seemed going through a fixer wasn’t going to work for now.
That left only one final option.
Wait.
Dusk fell over the city.
The digital clock on the dashboard reached 18:00.
Sitting in the truck, Lin Ke ate the grilled fish from the other world with a grimace.
To swallow the terrible meat, he took a bite of fish followed immediately by a gulp of water, forcing it down with effort.
Overly sensitive enhanced taste wasn’t always a blessing.
It was a double dose of awful taste, since the Lin Ke in the Monster Hunter world was also eating dinner—specifically, freshly speared grilled fish.
Besides, with his improved constitution came a bigger appetite.
A single fish was no longer enough to fill his stomach.
Between two bodies, a single meal took four fish.
The dozens of fish in the pond wouldn’t last more than a few days.
Outside the vehicle, Lin Ke was parked at the base of Megabuilding H4 in Arroyo.
From where he parked, he had a clear view of the entrance to the underground parking garage and the building’s main doors.
Lin Ke was waiting for a beat-up yellow Galena G240, or a red-haired woman in a yellow jacket.
Since he had spotted Lucy this morning, he should be able to stake out another main character from Edgerunners outside her own home.
Waiting by the tree for the rabbit.
Yeah, foolproof plan.
Lin Ke needed to use this red-haired woman to solve both his identity and housing problems in one go.
“Hope she’s not working the overnight shift, or I’ll be pulling an all-nighter with her.”
Waiting was boring and painfully slow.
After finishing two pieces of Plain Grilled Fish, Lin Ke pulled the firearm from his beginner gift pack out of his backpack and began familiarizing himself with its operation.
Stance, toggling the safety, aiming, burst fire, single shots, reloading.
Images rehearsed rapidly in Lin Ke’s mind.
Eventually, he stripped the Copperhead rifle down into its component parts right inside the car and reassembled it with fluid, practiced speed.
Impressive!
If he had possessed talent like this in school, top universities would have been a breeze!
By 21:00, nightlife in the other districts was just getting started.
But in Santo Domingo, factory workers dragging themselves back after fifteen-hour shifts walked like walking corpses into their cramped, oppressive hovels.
They grabbed a quick bite and collapsed into bed.
Exploited by corporate bosses in reality, these working stiffs could only hope for a bright future in their dreams.
23:50.
Midnight drew near.
Under the dim, yellow glow of the streetlights, Lin Ke’s target finally arrived.
An unmistakably battered yellow compact sedan.
[Galena G240] Quality: Poor Description: An “antique” car out of production for twenty years.
Front-wheel drive, a puny 86 horsepower, curb weight 2,255 kg.
PS: Prior to 2034, this model enjoyed lasting popularity among fans thanks to the hit punk rock track “Banging Gina in a Galena.”
*Screeech—*
A black Mackinaw surged out from the side, blocking the entrance to the underground parking garage.
Gloria Martinez slammed on the brakes.
The antique car, older than she was, shuddered to a halt in a violent shudder.
“Who is this?
Looking for trouble in the middle of the night?”
Gloria unholstered a pistol from her lower back and racked the slide.
As a woman who frequently returned home late at night alone, she needed a way to defend herself.
That was classic Night City etiquette: when something feels off, pull a gun first.
[Gloria Martinez] Age: 33 Identity: Emergency Medical Technician at Medical Center?
Contractor?
Cyberware Coverage: 9% Description: Her sole dream is for her son to stand at the top of Arasaka Tower one day.
PS: Tense state.
May draw and fire at any moment.
Exercise caution.
“Well, looks like I spooked the red-haired lady.”
Lin Ke pushed open his car door and stepped out, raising both hands to signal no ill intent as he walked slowly toward the front of the Galena G240.
Looking through the windshield under the interior dome light, Lin Ke caught a clear view of Gloria’s features.
Just like in the anime, her sharp facial structure gave her a valiant, spirited look, but the determination between her brows couldn’t hide the deep exhaustion buried in her eyes.
Next to her right eye sat a red, diamond-shaped cybernetic implant resembling a beauty mark, adding a peculiar charm.
Her burgundy hair was tied into a ponytail falling over her chest, exuding a strong aura of a gentle mother and wife.
Visibly, Gloria’s complexion was poor—her skin was pale without any healthy flush, and her hair was rough and lusterless, a dull dark red.
Clearly, the overwork from long daily hours combined with her harsh living conditions had severely degraded her organic body’s health.
“Don’t be nervous, ma’am.
I just need a favor,” Lin Ke said in a gentle tone.
“Please leave immediately.
I’m just a working woman.
I don’t have the ability to help anyone.”
Gloria didn’t open her car door.
She just stared through the window at the stranger blocking her way home, answering him coldly.
“No, you can help me.
Please contact Mann for me.
I have a gig I want to hand off to him.” Lin Ke’s words caused Gloria to freeze in momentary shock.
Nobody was supposed to know about her connection to Mann.
Doubt raced through Gloria’s mind, but she still denied it:
“I don’t know who Mann is.
You have the wrong person.”
“Ms.
Martinez, there’s no need to deny it.
After all, you frequently pick up unclaimed cyberware and guns to sell to him.
I assume you have his contact info.”
Lin Ke had no intention of resolving Ms.
Martinez’s confusion, but his words pierced straight through her deepest, darkest secret.
Gloria stared panicked at the stranger outside the vehicle, her heart in turmoil.
How did this person know she was taking weapons and implants from dead bodies?!
The secret she thought was buried deepest was casually laid bare by a complete stranger.
*Looting the dead is explicitly illegal under Night City law.
If this man contacts the NCPD…
what happens to David?*
Gloria didn’t dare think any further.
Her right hand gripped the pistol grip tightly, index finger already resting on the trigger.
Lin Ke saw that Gloria was in a dangerous state of mind.
He had acted too rashly and spooked her, so he quickly tried to smooth things over.
“Ma’am, please put the gun down.
Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about this.
I genuinely just want your help.
Besides, there are surveillance cameras here; even if you shoot…”
“Enough!
Don’t say another word.
If you want to find Mann, I’ll help,” Gloria cut him off loudly.
“Wonderful, ma’am.
Then for this gig, you can act as our fixer.
Rest assured, the job is simple and completely safe.”