Note: Hello everyone,
I saw that some people were worried, in the comments on chapter 34, about a possible presence of Chinese nationalism. Rest assured: I make edits to remove that kind of passage whenever it appears. For chapter 34 in particular, I don't consider the passage in question to be nationalist; that's why I left it as is.
Second bit of news: I've launched a Patreon where you'll find 7 bonus chapters (I might raise it to 10 or 15).
This is my first time doing this, so everything is still experimental and subject to change.
There are two tiers that give the same number of bonus chapters; I chose this so those who want to support more can do so without paywalling content behind a pricier tier.
If you decide to subscribe, I won't raise your subscription price along the way.
Of course, subscribing isn't mandatory: I'll keep publishing the chapters here.
Your feedback is welcome to help adjust the tiers and the content.
Url: https://www.p-atreon.com/AstartesTL
Thank you all for your support, and happy reading!
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Vik looked up with a resigned expression. "Couldn't you have called ahead? Not possible this morning, already got surgeries scheduled."
"So, niño, what brings you here?"
Jackie Welles smiled and stepped aside, making way for the kid.
Meanwhile, Mercer eyed him up and down. "Alex Mercer. You can call me A. What else would I be here for? Surgery. Valentinos?" He glanced at the two figures behind Jackie.
Valentinos members weren't particularly distinctive. First, they wore clothes that fit the street-kid style. Second, they loved all kinds of flashy gold jewelry or religious symbols like crosses and tattoos. Generally, the most common were tattoos related to various religious beliefs.
The two men behind Jackie looked at Mercer and spoke impatiently, "Niño, your surgery's been rescheduled. Whatever toy you wanna install, come back this afternoon."
Inside, Viktor didn't even bother looking up, knowing full well Jackie would handle it.
"Wanting to install a big cannon doesn't require a doctor this good. My schedule's tight too. Get in line or find another place, mano," Mercer retorted bluntly, staring expressionlessly at the two gang members.
Jackie turned around directly. "Hey, we agreed, no causing trouble for me. Show some respect at Vik's place."
Jackie's words made the two punks visibly annoyed, but they just clicked their tongues and glared fiercely at Mercer, as if trying to scare him into crying.
Mercer merely scoffed, not even bothering to look at them, and walked over to the vending machine by the door to buy a cola.
Jackie studied Mercer for a moment but didn't say anything to him. Instead, he turned to Viktor. "We'll come back this afternoon, then, Vik."
"Yeah, better keep your people in check. Don't mess with that kid unless you want your heads smoking. Don't say I didn't warn you," Viktor said calmly.
Jackie instinctively activated his cybereye and scanned Mercer. Mercer glanced back and simply opened his permissions to let Jackie see his name.
A full set of high-end Arasaka gear, standard netrunner configuration, made Jackie whistle in admiration; a single Arasaka monowire was worth more than his life.
"Damn, niño, your gear is seriously impressive," Jackie praised cheerfully.
Mercer smiled back at him. "You're alright, big guy. If you ever need a netrunner's help, give me a call."
He sent Jackie a friend request via comms. Jackie quickly accepted, laughing heartily. "That's great! Come by El Coyote Cojo sometime, my mom runs it. The fries are amazing, and we've got Mexican food. My treat."
"Inviting a kid to a bar? Really, big guy?" A woman's voice chimed in. Panam walked over from a building across the alley, her hand resting sternly on the grip of her holstered pistol. By the door behind her, a young girl with smoky eye makeup was watching the scene with concern, none other than Misty, who would later captivate Jackie.
As expected, Jackie glanced at Misty a few extra times, but he wasn't particularly enthusiastic at the moment, merely nodding in acknowledgment.
He still had a girlfriend from the Valentinos, and their relationship was relatively stable.
"Whew~!"
One of the thugs instinctively whistled, winking excitedly at Panam:
"Chica, this kid's no good, but you definitely are. How about grabbing a couple drinks with us this afternoon? You're hot!"
"Drink my ass, dumbass. Don't start trouble."
Panam cursed without hesitation, her gaze icy as she sized up the group. "Mercer, what's their deal?"
Jackie was exasperated. Here he was trying to defuse the tension, and these two idiots behind him just couldn't keep quiet.
Sure enough, her words ignited their tempers. They reached for their gun grips and started cursing, "You bitch, we gave you face—"
But Mercer chose that moment to sigh.
Then Jackie watched as his two comrades, mid-sentence, suddenly cried out in pain, convulsed, and collapsed to the ground.
At the same time, Panam's gun was aimed squarely at his head.
Jackie shook his head in frustration, glancing at his buddies clutching their heads and howling:
"I told you to be polite... Whatever. Chica, that's enough. We're not here to cause trouble."
Mercer nodded too. "Panam, let it go. I'm starving."
"Yeah." Panam looked curiously at the two still twitching on the ground. "Damn, netrunners are that powerful?"
"That's because I'm good. Any other amateur would've taken seconds just to breach them."
Mercer turned and added, "Don't worry, it's just their cyberware acting up, some neural headaches. Go see Vik this afternoon for repairs, and you'll be fine by tonight."
Jackie nodded helplessly. "Guess they picked the wrong day... But, niño, that was some serious skills. I've never seen a netrunner who could take someone down just by drawing a gun."
"Mhm, now you have."
Mercer patted his sturdy arm without hesitation. "You've got the makings of a good merc. If you ever get tired of gang life, give me a call. I'll take you to Afterlife for drinks, guarantee you a proper time."
"Whoa, niño, Afterlife?"
Jackie's eyes lit up—even though he'd joined the Valentinos, deep down, he'd always preferred the idea of being a merc.
The kind of legendary Edgerunner who took down corps and gangs, fought through bullet storms with his crew, and made the whole city tremble at the sound of his name!
And Afterlife was a bar only the top-tier merc "legends" could enter!
"Interested? Want me to take you there tonight?" Mercer couldn't help but laugh. This Jackie was exactly like the one in the game.
"Hell yeah, I'm interested... but nah, I'll pass.
That place... it only means something if you earn your way in."
Jackie glanced at his subordinates, who were now recovering, clutching their heads under Panam's gunpoint, and sighed. "Alright, we'll head out for now. We'll be back this afternoon."
"Get going already. The door's always open, and your stink is drifting in." Viktor's displeased voice came through. "Take your friends and get lost. Don't bother my clients, Jackie."
"I know, Vik. They're just, uh, new to the scene, you get it."
Jackie bent down, grabbing one of the lackeys under each arm and hoisting them up. "Stop embarrassing yourselves, let's go."
The two thugs still looked resentful, but one glance from Mercer sent a shiver down their spines.
They'd genuinely never seen a netrunner this badass.
In their minds, netrunners were all supposed to be holed up in some safe spot, useless without a cable plugged into their heads.
Who'd ever heard of one who could nearly knock you out just by glaring?
Panam spat in the direction of the retreating thugs.
—--
"Alright, let's go in and eat while it's hot.
Couldn't find any of that roujiamo or whatever messy bun thing you mentioned. Just some gyoza, sold by a Japanese guy.
I tried a few before buying it for you. Tastes decent enough."
"Oh, and this is Misty."
Panam gestured to the quiet girl beside her, Misty, who now looked about eighteen or nineteen, her naturally delicate features not quite hidden under heavy smoky makeup.
Misty smiled. "Hello, Mercer. Nice to meet you. Panam just mentioned you know me?"
"Mhm, looked you up while checking on old Vik. You do tarot readings? Give me one later when I'm done with my stuff."
Misty's smile widened at Mercer's suggestion. "Sure! For a new friend, I'll do this one for free."
"Deal then."
Mercer waved and headed inside with Panam, munching on gyoza while waiting for Vik to finish up.
Called meat, but felt more like tofu. Seasoning was decent, though. He finished a large portion, downed a cola, caught some boxing on the TV, and by then, Vik was done prepping.
He lay back on the bed, closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, even his eyeballs had been replaced.
One of them, still connected to neural signals but not yet fitted into the socket, gave him a weird, almost creepy, view of his own perspective.
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Bonus chapter @600 power stones.