As the sun set in the west, it finally completed its journey for the day. The brilliant light gradually faded, as though its nature had shif
As the sun set in the west, it finally completed its journey for the day. The brilliant light gradually faded, as though its nature had shifted from generous to miserly, leaving behind only a faint golden afterglow to decorate the world. Soon, even this last trace of light would be devoured by the night, like a vampire, marking the arrival of the black night, with a bright silver moon hanging in the sky.
North Kawahiro lay down faithfully on the rooftop, using his sniper scope to observe the movements of the factory area in the distance.
On the open space outside the factory, it seemed the evening had come, and many scavengers began covering empty iron barrels with fuel, lighting them to use as heating.
Groups of people gathered together, chatting casually, with occasional loud laughter. A radio was turned on, and people were singing and dancing along to the music.
Even with the aid of hearing enhancers, North Kawahiro couldn't clearly hear what was going on from several blocks away.
Everything felt so peaceful. This abandoned factory, with the presence of the scavengers, had come alive with human warmth, their laughter filling the air, yet beneath it all, the shadows remained silent and unnoticed.
After a while, it seemed North Kawahiro was getting a little tired from lying on the ground. He stretched and moved around a bit.
He wasn't a professional soldier, and using the Cat Demon sniper rifle was somewhat taxing for him. He couldn't lie in position for hours like a professional sniper, nor could he always make a perfect headshot with every pull of the trigger.
But it didn't matter. Besides not being a soldier, he wasn't exactly a model citizen either.
So, when it was time to pull the trigger, he wouldn't hesitate. The tungsten-tipped bullets in the chamber would randomly hit the enemy's lower body, chest, or arms.
It would be an excruciating experience, with the high-velocity bullets capable of burning the skin. The victim would only wail in agony, wishing they had died on the spot.
Outside the factory, everything was quiet. The North Industrial Area was not as prosperous as the other districts. After dark, it was unlikely anyone would still be lingering on the streets.
"Lin-kun, has your backup arrived?" North Kawahiro glanced away from the scope and looked at Lin Mo.
The young man casually found a clean spot to sit.
This rooftop only had a low wall. Lin Mo turned his head to gaze at the dimly lit factory area in the distance, leaving North Kawahiro with only a clean, handsome profile.
The evening wind blew, causing his hair to flutter, and the white wolf's scarlet eyes on his jacket became even more striking. His gaze was distant and profound.
"They're here just in time," the young man said with a slight smile, as if waiting for something.
With his words, North Kawahiro stood up, following Lin Mo's line of sight to a place where bright headlights appeared.
Two cars in total: a black Emperor 720 and a purple Goodra 66 640 TS.
"Is it them? Lin-kun, how did you get this squad to help us?" North Kawahiro's eyes narrowed, his voice filled with surprise.
It was the same edge-dweller squad he had seen the previous week in the evening.
The Emperor 720 and Goodra sports cars were the two vehicles he'd seen that night, and he remembered them clearly.
If he wasn't mistaken, this should be a six-person squad, and Lin Mo had seemed to be having a good conversation with them back then.
He thought that after that night, he and this group wouldn't cross paths again, but now it turned out Lin Mo had called in them as backup.
"How else? I asked Hogako," Lin Mo said, his lips curving into a light smile.
"I don't doubt your charm, Lin-kun, but a team of edge-dwellers wouldn't just help us out of nowhere," North Kawahiro said, his face full of confusion.
As edge-dwellers, people living on the edge of death, anyone who managed to survive in the profession wouldn't be foolish enough to have any illusions about it.
What seemed like an easy, ordinary mission could easily hide lethal traps that ordinary people could never anticipate. Every mission was essentially a gamble with one's life.
If you could bring edge-dwellers in and promise enough reward for them to come with you, then great. It meant they trusted you enough to risk their lives for you.
But if you could do it again and get them to come help for free, without asking for anything in return, then congratulations. Those people must love you deeply.
In a sense, they were like your parents. Only parents would be willing to risk their lives for you without asking for anything in return.
North Kawahiro didn't doubt Lin Mo's charm, but surely, no matter how charming someone was, it couldn't make people who had only met you once, bow down and serve you.
"It's simple. I paid them," Lin Mo said, turning his head and glancing at North Kawahiro with a helpless look.
North Kawahiro was momentarily stunned, then had another thought.
The reward for this mission was only 30,000 euros if they saved the person completely.
If it was just to investigate the situation, the reward would be at most 5,000 euros.
How much did Lin Mo promise to make this squad come to help?
He asked this question.
Lin Mo smiled, his tone casual:
"Not much, just 80,000 euros."
North Kawahiro: ...
"Lin-kun, since we're already a team, I feel like I have a responsibility to..."
North Kawahiro paused, thinking about how to phrase it politely, then continued:
"I have a responsibility to advise you. Even if you're wealthy, you can't just waste money like that."
It was too extravagant. A single mission only earned a few thousand, yet their boss didn't bat an eye and just spent ten times the amount.
Is this the life of the rich?
"No, to me, that 80,000 is money well spent," Lin Mo said with a carefree smile.
"Hogako probably didn't know that there would be dozens of scavengers here. 30,000 euros wouldn't be enough to get rid of so many people and rescue the target. Just thinking about it is impossible, so her original plan was to rescue them if possible, and if not, just bring the intel back."
"We could've brought the intel back, but that wasn't the plan I had in mind. The noise we make here isn't enough. To make it big, you need to spend big."
"But we're not even making a profit."
North Kawahiro still seemed conflicted.
Though it wasn't his money, being in the same squad, he felt a bit of regret for Lin Mo, as if he had seen his old friend being scammed by strangers.
"No, making money was never my primary goal. What I want is reputation, connections, and combat experience," Lin Mo said, looking at North Kawahiro meaningfully.
North Kawahiro sighed:
"Spending money to get people to complete an extremely difficult mission will indeed boost your reputation in the edge-dweller community. But Lin-kun, you have to understand that this is likely to give you the reputation of a 'rich fool'—a reputation that won't last. Also, relationships built on money aren't solid in the long run."
Lin Mo finally stood up, brushing the dust off his pants, a cheerful smile on his face:
"Reputation doesn't matter to me, as long as it gets me into the Next Life bar. If people think I'm just a big fool with too much money, then all the better. It means my disguise is working."
"Kawahiro, you should know, even though we haven't known each other long, this young face has brought me quite a bit of benefit."
North Kawahiro raised an eyebrow, finally understanding what Lin Mo meant.
Indeed, as Lin Mo said, because of his youthful and innocent appearance, even members of the Tiger Claw gang had underestimated him, only to be caught off guard later.
This young man had fooled everyone with his naïve appearance, and beneath the mask was the fierce aura of a lion.
A lion always knows the right moment to strike.
Suddenly, North Kawahiro had a realization.
"Lin-kun, are you planning to recruit them for your own use?"
Although North Kawahiro hadn't fully understood the concept of buying loyalty, his experience in the Tiger Claw gang made him sharp enough to catch on to Lin Mo's intentions.
Lin Mo looked at North Kawahiro in surprise, then, seeing his purpose exposed, he paused for a moment and decided not to hide it anymore.
"Yeah, that's the plan. They're an excellent team, and I don't pass up on excellent people."
"As the saying goes, 'If you swing the hoe well, no corner is too hard to dig up!'"
With that, Lin Mo didn't elaborate further, turning to head for the stairs.
His eyes gleamed with orange-yellow light, seemingly making a call to the edge-dweller squad.
North Kawahiro followed slowly, deep in thought.
...
...
PS: This chapter is done. I should be on the new book rankings soon. The exposure is decreasing, so I'm aiming for some follow-ups. Let's see if I can get into the second round of recommendations.
Tuesday follows are very important, so I decided to add an extra chapter for the first time—three chapters in total, can't add more... (feeling so tired, seriously).
Please follow along, I beg you.
-
-
-
🧠 My Cyberpunk 2077 Simulator
📢 System Booting… Welcome, Chooms! 📢
My Cyberpunk 2077 Simulator is now live with 20+ chapters ahead on Patreon! 💻🔥Dive deeper into Night City, level up faster, and stay ahead of the game with exclusive early access! 🧠⚙️
🔗 Join here: www.patreon.com/c/MrMagnus
👤 Patreon name: SrMagnus
Thank you for your support, and remember—chrome up, never back down. 🌆💥