[TN: Good morning mother fuckers I'm back, did you guys miss me, don't worry I brought back gifts I'm posting 3 chapters for yall today.]
When it was time to settle the bill, Leo was relieved he hadn't borrowed too much this time.
The cooling fins and exoskeleton parts were pricey but not unreasonably so.
So what if his debt had increased by another 50,000?
What's another 1.61 million in debt, anyway?
Leo didn't care too much about money; it's not like he owed two billion. He wasn't worried at all.
Jackie's own upgrades had cost over 300,000, but to be honest, without Leo handling the most expensive part, he wouldn't even have been able to find a way to undergo such surgery.
Then there was V, who also spent over 300,000, with the most costly part being the free mantis blade provided by Leo.
The expense of the nanomachine operating table wasn't on Leo's bill; they split the 600,000 costs, each paying 300,000.
Jackie had less than 50,000 left on hand—but for most people, that's still a small fortune.
As for V, she was still the wealthiest, with around 600,000 in her account.
"No need to save money, Sis believes in your earning power," V advised Leo earnestly.
Leo replied helplessly, "I'm not skimping. If you're feeling generous, how about wiping out my debt?"
"In your dreams."
The three of them were sitting in the El Coyote Cojo, ready for another little meeting.
Recently, the bar has been getting more popular. Valentino gang members and those hoping to join often came here for drinks, looking at Jackie with admiration.
Some would even drop by during the day, even when the bar wasn't open.
Jackie was thoroughly enjoying this, sitting by the window with a serious expression that Leo found rather odd.
"Jackie, you could relax a bit, you know."
"No need. This is just who I am."
His voice was even more low-pitched than usual, making Leo wonder if he'd secretly installed a voice modulator.
"Alright, then let's discuss our next steps—Netwatch has given us a job."
"Who?!"
Jackie broke character instantly, joining V in sounding surprised.
Leo quickly put a finger to his lips. "Guys, keep it down! Act normal!"
"Oh." The two's voices lowered in unison, and they asked together, "Are we netwatch agents now?"
Leo clarified, "It's just a gig. For now, it's simple: stir up some trouble for the Tyger Claws station at the Cloudtop. We can also score some sex doll chips in the process."
Jackie nodded. "Got it. Temporary job, mixing business with pleasure. What exactly do we do, and what's the pay?"
"In short, it's a crackdown. There's a freak in the Tyger Claws named Jotaro Shobo. As long as we investigate areas related to him, we can enforce some justice while planting hacking software here and there.
[TN: funny fact my translation machine keeps on giving me Jotaro Kujo the protagonist of Jo Jo instead of Jotaro Shobo lol]
"As for payment, it's a small amount, so you two might not be interested, but there's also…"
"Hold up," V interjected, "Who says we're not interested? How much?"
"It's unlikely to be more than 100,000. The real perk is safe internet access, hacking tech, and mixing business with pleasure."
V asked this just for comparison.
Since she joined up with Leo, she hadn't done a regular job in a long time.
She had so much cash on hand that she sometimes wondered if she was dreaming, or if inflation had taken hold.
"This much?" V clicked her tongue. "The best-paying job I ever had under Padre only earned me one or two thousand eurodollars. What about you, Jackie?"
"Uh…gang work. Talking money just kills the vibe."
"Alright, enough reminiscing. My view is, we can do the job. It's not a lot of money, but the risk isn't too high, and we can get some side tasks done."
Leo added, "That's it for now. I'm heading into cyberspace to prep; go back and wait for word."
"Waiting again?" V leaned back, stretching. "I've got all these new upgrades with no outlet; it's frustrating."
"Well, watch out. Cyberpsychosis usually starts this way."
"Really?"
"I'm guessing."
"Get out."
Jackie glanced at the empty bar and his mom, busy prepping to open up, and suddenly asked, "Leo, I've been meaning to ask… Are we drawing too much attention? Could it bring trouble here?"
It was a fair concern.
Typically, corporations don't operate that way—they're very direct about their targets. If they want you, they won't take your family hostage but will come straight for you.
It's not a matter of honor but rather a strategic choice. In this crazy world, emotions are rarely reliable, so corporations don't bother trying to bind their opponents emotionally.
Over fifty years ago, a narcissist thought Arasaka kidnapped his girlfriend to get to him, but in reality, Arasaka just wanted her.
But Jackie and Mama Welles genuinely cared about each other.
And with network monitoring now reaching out, it's hard to say whether a corporation might one day target Mama Welles.
This isn't New York, after all. Leo, Jackie, and V were all criminals. If a corporation did want to act, no one would care about the fate of a criminal's family; nothing would stop them.
The Valentino gangsters who came to drink could handle minor threats, but corporations were another story.
"It's a legitimate concern. My suggestion: use the remaining funds to buy some turrets and set them up around the bar."
Leo sighed, realizing the difficulty of the situation, then continued, "Honestly, the best option is to send Mama Welles out of the city. She'd be safer with the Aldecaldos."
Jackie nodded silently. "I'll try to convince her."
"Tell her the Aldecaldos are a big family too. They'll love El Coyote beer—and they're about to get wealthy."
"Hah, she won't care about the Aldecaldos' wealth."
"You need money to keep drinking. Let her think it over, and… there's also Misty."
Jackie scratched his head. "It's not like she and I are that close."
"Oh, come on. It's obvious she's into you."
V looked intrigued. "You're a relationship expert, Leo? Who would've thought?"
"You don't have to be an expert to see it."
Leo grinned at Jackie, who glanced at Leo, and V looked at Leo as well.
Leo seemed a bit puzzled, Jackie looked at V, and V looked back at Jackie.
An awkward silence filled the air.
Then Jackie looked out the window and whistled; V rolled her eyes and sighed.
Leo: "?"
[TN:lol Leo is so dense]
[Respected Logistics: Your package has been delivered.]
"Meeting adjourned!"
Bryce needed Leo to work on something, offering advanced hacker training in return.
This was knowledge you couldn't find at Arasaka Academy.
In 2077, computer technology was tightly regulated. Freelance netrunners had to share survival skills on heavily disguised forums.
But the highest technology always remained in the hands of the big corporations.
When the Black Wall went up, the Netwatch monitoring team gained absolute control over hacking technology. Other companies followed, establishing an even stricter digital environment.
Young hacking prodigies often found themselves recruited by corporations to break through their limits.
Society was like a pyramid with only a narrow path linking its layers, and many people would go to extreme lengths to access it, selling their bodies or even souls.
It was the bait the devil left behind to tempt.
Leo was on Netwatch's watchlist. He could jump on that path anytime, and he knew it.
But he wasn't interested in climbing the corporate ladder step-by-step.
He just needed to understand the bricks that built the pyramid.
Leo completed his modifications to the fixed-access pod, put away his tools, donned his black outfit, opened the cooling fins, and lay inside.
"Advanced network technology of 2077."
This time, he was entering cyberspace legitimately.
[Welcome to the Netwatch Monitoring Hub]
[Entering Cyberspace]