“So what are your plans for the future?
Will this tech bring you danger?” Vik asked, a tinge of concern on his face.
“Maybe.
That’s why I chose to lay low first.
As for plans, I’ll take it one step at a time.
Make money off the boosters first.
You need capital before you’re qualified to wrestle with the megacorps.”
“Are you sure you’ve thought this through?
The corps are deeply rooted.
Sprouting up and growing tall under their thumb isn’t going to be easy.
One person’s strength is limited—you could lose your life over this.”
The megacorps controlled the world like an inescapable shadow overhead.
Even a legend like Johnny Silverhand could only manage to blow up Arasaka Tower—nothing more.
It failed to damage their foundation in the slightest, as proven by the towering Arasaka Tower standing in Night City today.
Sensing Vik’s genuine concern, Loki gave a faint smile.
“Don’t worry, I won’t die that easily.
Besides, I’m not doing this alone.
Don’t I have you?
You’ll help me, right?”
“Heh, you kid.
If you ever really need me, of course I’ll help.
But I’m getting old—fighting and killing isn’t for me anymore.”
Hearing that Loki was eyeing him, Vik let out a helpless laugh.
Still, if Loki ever truly needed him, he wouldn’t refuse.
For Vik to transition from a legendary boxer to a ripperdoc, he obviously possessed extraordinary talent.
Even a corporate titan like Biotechnica had extended an olive branch, offering lucrative terms in hopes of recruiting him.
Vik simply had no desire to work for megacorps and preferred a quiet life, so he had ignored their offer.
If Vik joined Loki’s team in the future to oversee tech R&D, it would be a massive asset.
Loki was naturally unwilling to let such talent slip away.
“With those words, my mind’s at ease.
Come on, here’s to a bright future.”
Clinking their energy drinks together like booze, Loki and Vik chatted for a while longer.
Once his stamina was mostly restored, Loki said goodbye to Vik.
Leaving the clinic, Loki pulled out a vial of Kinetic Booster Mark I on his walk home.
He tossed it twice in his palm before uncapping the syringe and injecting it straight into his arm.
*Whew, this stuff is incredible.*
Feeling his condition rapidly recover, Loki quickened his pace toward his apartment.
Back in his apartment, after taking a shower, Loki sat down at his computer terminal to check the ripperdoc clinic distribution and order details.
By now, most of the clinics had sent in their second round of orders.
This time, both the number of ordering clinics and the order quantities had seen a massive jump.
The total transaction amount reached a staggering €200,000—a crucial sum for Loki.
After compiling the clinic locations, booster order quantities, and payment details into a shard, Loki opened his contact list and placed a call.
…
Northside Industrial Area.
Longshore North.
Inside an apartment, Rebecca had just finished her shower and was drying her hair with a towel.
Unlike her usual twin-tail style, her long hair draped loosely over her shoulders, giving her a soft, adorable look.
Of course, that was purely an illusion.
*Buzz…*
As the call chime rang in Rebecca’s ear, her focus shifted to her comms interface.
“Huh?
Who’s calling at this hour?
That ripperdoc?
What’s he calling me for?”
Rebecca was a bit puzzled, but she took the call anyway.
“Hey, you’re Doctor L from Japantown, right?
What do you want?”
“Miss Rebecca, are you free right now?
Is it convenient for you to head over to El Coyote Cojo in The Glen?”
Loki’s voice came through the line.
“Huh?
No way!
Who knew a polite, quiet ripperdoc like you would be into someone like me?
But man, your move is pretty pathetic.
Asking a girl out to a bar on your first try isn’t very smart.
Or are you no different from those brainless idiots who think with their crotch?”
Rebecca’s teasing banter came at him like a rapid combo, completely silencing Loki on the other end.
Nearby, Pilar, who was listening to music while engrossed in technical research, suddenly felt like someone was talking bad about him.
He paused his music and looked around.
“Rebecca, did you just say my name?”
“No.
Piss off.”
“Oh.”
Pilar scratched his head in confusion.
Finding no answers, he turned his music back on and went back to his work.
On the other end of the line, Loki remained silent for a moment before speaking up.
“Rebecca, you’ve got the wrong idea.
I just have a commission I’d like to hire you for, and I wanted to meet at El Coyote Cojo to go over the details.”
“Huh?
A commission for me?
Why me?
Maine’s the crew leader.
You should be talking to him.”
Rebecca knew she had misjudged him, but she was still curious.
“I’m not too clear on your crew’s dynamic, but this job isn’t complicated.
It doesn’t require a lot of hands.”
“Hmm…
Alright then.
El Coyote Cojo, right?
I’ll be over in a bit.”
After thinking it over, Rebecca decided to check out what the job was about.
Rebecca wasn’t a core member of Maine’s crew yet; she usually handled simpler assignments—acting as a decoy, creating distractions, buying time, and the like.
At this point, she was basically the crew’s mascot.
Right now, firing Maine’s shotgun would send her flying backward from the recoil—a far cry from her future self, who would spray wild fire with Guts, a weapon with four times the recoil of a standard shotgun.
It was only after her brother, followed by Maine and Dorio, lost their lives that she underwent a transformation, getting heavy cyberware modifications and stepping up as a core fighter alongside David.
Now that someone was offering her a solo job, and with no work on her plate for the next few days, she was naturally eager to earn some extra cash.
After drying her hair, she tied it back into her signature twin tails, put on her black jacket, and set off for El Coyote Cojo.
Meanwhile, back at his apartment…
Hanging up the call, Loki couldn’t help rubbing his temples with a mild headache.
While he had intended to build a rapport with Rebecca through this commission, being mistaken for a creep trying to pick up a girl at a bar was still pretty embarrassing.
…
The Glen.
El Coyote Cojo.
In a reserved private booth on the second floor…
Loki sipped his drink with his feet kicked up on the table, waiting for Rebecca to arrive.
The booth door swung open.
The person who walked in wasn’t Rebecca, but Jackie Welles.
“L!
I just got here, and Pepe told me you were up here.
How come you didn’t drop me a line?”
Jackie sauntered in, sat down right beside Loki, casually grabbed a glass off the table, and chugged it down.
Loki hadn’t expected Jackie to show up, but thinking about it, it made sense—coming to El Coyote Cojo was like coming home for Jackie.
Loki had come here tonight to discuss a job with Rebecca, so he naturally hadn’t informed Jackie.
“Jackie, I made plans to meet someone else today to discuss some business, so I didn’t reach out.
Next time, drinks are on me.”
“Ah, gotcha!
I was wondering why you’d be grabbing a drink without your brother.”
Just then, the door pushed open once more, and Rebecca walked in.