Although North Kawahiro knew Lin Mo was no ordinary person, hearing him say "I have so much money I can't spend it all" still made him feel
Although North Kawahiro knew Lin Mo was no ordinary person, hearing him say "I have so much money I can't spend it all" still made him feel the disparity in the world.
It made sense, though. Anyone who could sit in a top-tier car like the Stone Sword... Lin Mo's background was beyond anything I could guess.
North Kawahiro sighed. What he couldn't understand was why someone like Lin Mo, born into privilege, would choose the path of an edge-dweller. Did his family know about this?
What was even harder to accept was his talent. He had wealth, looks, talent, strength, and a ruthless streak that could kill without blinking... and he's only 16.
Sometimes, North Kawahiro couldn't help but wonder if fate had made a mistake by creating such a monster.
This kind of prodigy, if they didn't fall halfway, would inevitably rise to the top of Night City, shaking it to its core.
As for whether they'd become a legendary figure buried in a grave or one alive in the present, that would be determined by fate.
"We're on the same team. You can borrow money from me to improve yourself. I'd be happy to help. You don't want to stay at the bottom forever, do you?" Lin Mo said with a smile.
North Kawahiro smiled, feeling relieved. What Lin Mo said made sense, but he still couldn't help but ask the most critical question:
"Aren't you worried I might take the money and run?"
"I don't really want to say this, but please don't compare your annual income with my pocket money," Lin Mo said flatly.
North Kawahiro laughed heartily, not offended by Lin Mo's words.
"Well, next time I get the chance, I'll borrow money from you. But don't regret it when that happens."
"If you want to borrow money to buy a house or a sports car, I might feel a little guilty," Lin Mo teased.
North Kawahiro waved his hand. "That's not it…"
Lin Mo smiled and didn't continue the conversation.
As they continued chatting, they unknowingly reached the parking area.
This time, North Kawahiro drove again. Under his command, the Stone Sword weaved through the gaps between other vehicles, like a sharp blade. Almost no car dared to compete with such a speed machine, pushing the boundaries of the law with its engine power.
North Kawahiro seemed to have regained his old driving skills. After all, he was once a group leader in the Tiger Claw gang, and he had driven fast cars before.
If the Stone Sword was like a lightning bolt in Lin Mo's hands, in North Kawahiro's hands, it moved like a nimble fish darting through water.
Although the speed didn't reach the car's maximum, the flashing streetlights outside made it clear how fast they were going. At this speed, Lin Mo didn't feel a bit of delay.
North Kawahiro always seemed to find the perfect timing to dodge ahead of other vehicles and continued on his way, looking relaxed as though there was still some room to spare.
As for the traffic lights and rules?
Sorry, for edge-dwellers, those things hardly existed. Moreover, with the lack of police forces in Night City, there was no room for traffic cops.
"Sanwa Inn, do you know where it is?" Lin Mo suddenly whispered to North Kawahiro, not wanting to disturb him while driving.
Even though he didn't feel any issue when driving himself, sitting in the passenger seat made Lin Mo oddly uneasy about the speed.
He wasn't worried about his own safety, but rather about the innocent people around him.
When Rayfield developed the Stone Sword, they surely considered the safety of the reckless drivers pushing the car to its limits.
The body of the Stone Sword was made from the latest composite metals and synthetic crystals, keeping the vehicle light while providing the hardness of military-grade armor!
Colliding with other vehicles? The unlucky ones would be the other drivers. The Stone Sword driver would be just fine.
"Sanwa Inn, I did some research while you were getting your surgery. It's an old inn located in the North Industrial Area, catering mostly to out-of-town workers," North Kawahiro explained, his eyes still on the road.
"That girl is really bold, going to a place like the North Industrial Area."
Lin Mo's expression became more worried. He didn't feel confident about rescuing her.
The North Industrial Area in Watson District had once been a prosperous place.
But since the Arasaka Corporation took over and crushed the local gangs with their overwhelming power, the area had fallen into decay.
The workers here were just scraping by in the few factories that hadn't shut down.
The Vortex gang was the biggest group in this area. Their presence had made it so dangerous that the NCPD had classified the area as a "high-risk zone," even stating that they wouldn't waste police resources managing the security there.
"Who knows? Young people always have fantasies about the world, thinking they're the exception. They throw caution to the wind in pursuit of temptation. I've seen it all before," North Kawahiro commented indifferently.
Everyone has that moment of hope, to believe they're the exception, even if it's a slight delusion.
Lin Mo stayed silent for a while, seemingly recalling something, and then finally spoke as if reciting a distant elegy:
"When you're a child, you believe in war fantasies, thinking others will die but you won't... then, when you get badly hurt for the first time, that illusion disappears."
North Kawahiro raised an eyebrow. "Have you read For Whom the Bell Tolls?"
"A little," Lin Mo replied.
North Kawahiro nodded, not pressing the issue, and continued:
"By the way, I don't think our opponents are from the Vortex gang. Those madmen aren't into human trafficking."
"Scavengers?" Lin Mo coldly suggested another possibility.
"Looks like it," North Kawahiro confirmed.
"Well, that makes it easier for me," Lin Mo said with a smirk.
...
North Industrial Area.
The car stopped near the Sanwa Inn, and just beside it was an abandoned industrial lot.
After getting out of the car, Lin Mo and North Kawahiro approached the inn but didn't rush to enter.
On the first floor outside the inn, North Kawahiro pressed against the wall, his eyes slightly narrowed. His auditory enhancer was fully powered to listen for any sounds coming from inside.
"Did you hear anything strange?" Lin Mo asked after a while.
"No, it seems they're not here. I didn't hear anything," North Kawahiro replied quietly.
"No surprise there," Lin Mo said without being surprised.
Such small inns were often disguises, and the owner probably didn't even know their place was being used for fraudulent activities.
Of course, it was also possible that the owner was in on it.
So, the gang of scavengers was likely using a different hideout.
"Shall we start looking around? If there are enough of them, we should be able to find a higher vantage point," Lin Mo suggested.
"No need, wait here for a bit, Lin-kun."
North Kawahiro said, slightly apologetic, before turning and walking into the inn with an emotionless face.
What happened inside the inn next, Lin Mo didn't know, but he only heard a few muffled thuds.
Hmm... The sound was nice, seems like a good hit.
Soon, North Kawahiro walked out of the inn, his tone light as he spoke:
"Found him. This owner really knows a lot. I used a few methods to get everything out of him."
Lin Mo furrowed his brows, a bit concerned: "What if he tipped them off?"
He could feel the knife at his waist itching for action.
"Don't worry. I knocked him out, tied him up tight, and when I left, I checked the room records. Nobody's checked in today. I locked the doors. He'll stay in there for the night," North Kawahiro said calmly.
"That's good," Lin Mo said.
...
According to the information from the innkeeper, North Kawahiro finally led Lin Mo to the top floor of a high-rise.
From here, they could look down at an abandoned factory area.
There were three factory buildings in the area, surrounded by regular prefab houses, a truck parking lot, cargo stacking areas, and a central open space—everything you'd expect from an industrial site.
Unfortunately, Lin Mo didn't see any trucks or workers, nor did he hear the rumbling sound of machines at work.
All he saw was a group of people on the open space, doing something—setting up benches, lighting a fire, with a few cars playing upbeat music. People were moving boxes of beer and food from the buildings.
"It's the scavengers, I won't be wrong," North Kawahiro said, pulling out a Cat Demon sniper rifle and observing the factory from the scope.
Lin Mo shifted his gaze to the factory area.
It was a bit far, but he could vaguely see the clothes worn by the people there.
Many of them were wearing cheap, plastic-feeling coats with lots of pockets.
While the scavengers didn't have obvious gang colors or uniforms like the Tiger Claw or Vortex gangs, they were still despised by many. If they had the ability to make it, who would want to stay in this line of work?
So, the people at the bottom of Night City usually wore inexpensive, practical clothes—clothes that could easily be disposed of if they got stained with blood during a "hunt."
"But there's quite a lot of them..." Lin Mo muttered.
The figures on the open ground were numerous. It looked like they were celebrating something.
Considering today was Sunday, Lin Mo guessed they might be celebrating a fruitful week of work.
"There are at least fifty scavengers just standing outside. Who knows how many more might be inside. A gang this size isn't just about luring people in and then flaying them. Their plans are far more sinister."
There were so many of them. The two of them alone wouldn't be able to take them all on, especially not knowing what hidden cards they might have.
A gang of scavengers that could gather this many people—North Kawahiro didn't think they'd just be doing simple "skinning and cyberware extraction."
"Lin-kun, we're going to have a hard time dealing with so many of them. Looks like we'll need to find a way to infiltrate," North Kawahiro said, taking his eyes off the scope and turning to Lin Mo.
Then his eyes widened slightly, looking surprised.
Because Lin Mo was now staring at him, eyes glowing as if he was making a phone call.
"Lin-kun, who are you calling?" North Kawahiro asked.
"Hogako," Lin Mo replied.
"Not planning to save them anymore?" North Kawahiro pondered.
After all, before they set out, Hogako had mentioned there were two objectives: one was to rescue the person safely, and the other was to find out what was going on and report the information to her.
Although completing the secondary objective wouldn't yield much reward, at least it was safe.
Looks like Lin-kun is a cautious person, never fights without preparation.
Indeed, those who understand the times are the true elites!
North Kawahiro sincerely admired Lin Mo's ability to calmly analyze the differences between the enemies and themselves at all times.
"No, the person needs to be saved," Lin Mo said.
"Then what's the phone call for..." North Kawahiro seemed confused.
"To call for a fight!"
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