Arthur was very satisfied with this job; this mode of working and the so-called middleman were both excellent, saving a lot of trouble.
However, Arthur's seasoned experience also allowed him to see the problems within it. If the middleman's intelligence had issues, or even just lacked a crucial piece of information, it would put the mercenaries in extreme danger.
But then again, any intelligence work is bound to have problems.
Next, Arthur decided to visit Viktor. The data on that separated chip was complex, and Viktor was a professional in that area.
Standing on the aerial train heading to Chinatown in Watson, Arthur felt a pang of nostalgia for his old companions.
But now, the things that carried people were no longer lovely horses; he heard they had become a luxury for the rich.
Just as he was gazing out the window, lost in thought, an unusual sensation came from behind him.
His arm shot out behind him with lightning speed, grabbing a wrist that was attempting to approach him.
Arthur's first impression was that it was very slender; it must be a woman.
"What do you want?"
The wrist tentatively tried to pull back, but after sensing Arthur's strength, it gave up.
Turning his head, the first thing that caught Arthur's eye was a head of pinkish-white hair.
The girl had a delicate face, combining Western dimensionality with Asian refinement.
With her hand caught by the man, Lucy wasn't as afraid initially. She knew her looks could easily get her out of trouble.
But when she saw the man's eyes, her heart tightened again—
Within those blue eyes, it was as if a red world was hidden, a world full of death.
Anything that fell into it would be captured and become a helpless prey.
"I... just...
Sir, there's a bug on your back."
She instinctively averted her gaze, looking at the man's hat.
Hmm—it's quite retro.
"A bug? Are you referring to yourself, little girl?"
He touched the two chip slots on the back of his neck with his other hand; there was nothing there to begin with.
Then he reached into his pocket; the cyberpsychosis chip was still safely nestled there.
Seeing that nothing was missing, Arthur was about to release her hand.
But just then, in the rear of the carriage, a young man with a short, spiky haircut appeared in Arthur's peripheral vision.
When he saw Arthur holding the girl's wrist, a look of tension instantly appeared on his face.
The next moment, he rushed towards Arthur with inhuman speed.
It was known that Arthur's eyes could capture the flapping wings of an eagle, yet the other party's speed, in his eyes, was barely discernible.
Instinctively reaching out, Arthur, with extreme focus, blocked the other party's path.
Thanks to the other party's obvious immaturity, he pressed his hand against the other's throat, preventing him from coming any closer.
Looking at the young man struggling in his grip, Arthur's brows furrowed deeply.
As a top-tier gunman, he understood that feeling of heightened concentration, of being superior to ordinary people.
The other party didn't seem to be in that kind of state.
"Your speed? What's going on?"
he asked in his hoarse voice.
"What's going on with you? How can you see my movements?"
Ever since installing Sandevistan, his unique rapid-speed domain had made him extremely confident, but today, this man had actually reached out and grabbed him.
At high speed, when others were almost paused, the other party was almost no different from a normal person.
"Kid, your neck is still in my hand, so I ask first, understood?"
Perhaps seeing the other party's brash appearance, Arthur's patience improved a bit, and he didn't directly punch him before asking.
"I have implants...
Can you let go of me first?"
Watching the other party flail his limbs wildly, it seemed these were just two petty thieves.
This reminded Arthur of his unpleasant experiences in Saint Denis.
Freeing a hand, he smacked the back of the other's head hard, and only then did Arthur release him.
"Scram."
Looking at the two young people in front of him, Arthur, on a whim, ruffled the young man's head.
The other party's stubborn hair pointed straight up, he truly didn't know why hair could stand up like that.
"You, how could you keep up with me?"
Perhaps sensing that Arthur had no ill intent, the young man didn't leave immediately; instead, he looked at Arthur with a searching expression.
The naivety and innocence in his eyes were impossible to hide.
"Decades of practice, plus a bit of talent."
Of course, the most important part was the latter.
This sentence was Arthur's internal addition.
"But, you don't look that old."
The other party mumbled.
Indeed, Arthur currently looked no different from a young man in his early twenties.
He lifted his leg and gave the kid a kick on the butt, making him stumble.
Arthur's hoarse voice became impatient.
"Why so much nonsense? Hurry up and scram."
"Then, what's your name?"
Clutching his butt, the young man, however, seemed oblivious to the mood.
Perhaps finding the guy somewhat likable, Arthur told him his name.
"Arthur Morgan."
"Your name is really cool, you must be an Edgerunner too.
Oh, my name is David Martinez, can I get your contact info?"
After he spoke, a new contact request appeared in front of Arthur.
He accepted the request, and just then, the train stopped in Chinatown. Arthur didn't get entangled with the two youngsters anymore and got off the train directly.
"This chip itself isn't cheap, not to mention the data recorded on it is very valuable."
Viktor's clinic was as dark as ever, and under the dim blue light, he was examining the data extracted from the chip.
The chip lay on one side, with several reading cables attached to it.
"That guy's cybernetic enhancements exceeded eighty percent; no wonder he went crazy."
Arthur leaned against the wall, looking at the scrolling data on the screen that he couldn't understand, and asked helplessly,
"What use could this thing have?"
"The chip records the entire cybernetic execution status of that cyberpsycho. Oh, look here, his name is James Willis. The news reported him; he killed over thirty people in City Center a dozen days ago.
He's probably an experimental subject for some corporation, and that company must be in a panic right now."
Viktor seemed very busy, his gaze sweeping back and forth over the data in front of him.
"So, the corporation needs it? Can you contact a buyer?"
Looking at the dense small text on the screen, Arthur's head ached. He really couldn't imagine what use it could be, and if it could be exchanged for money, that would be perfect.
"I want it!
The data here comes from the most advanced cyberware, even internal corporate goods, it's very helpful to me."
Arthur stroked his chin, showing no hesitation.
"If you want it, it's yours. After all, I have no connections and I don't understand it."
"It'll cover your debt."
Even if that thing was valuable, it certainly wasn't worth that much. Arthur was naturally not someone who took advantage, and he directly refused.
"Viktor, let's not mix friendship with money. I don't have a habit of not paying my debts."
"Alright."
Saying that, Viktor paused the data display, turned around, and patted Arthur's shoulder.
"You don't understand, this data is really valuable. How about this, you just owe me twenty thousand more, and the rest is covered by the chip."
Seeing Arthur about to object, Viktor punched him hard in the chest.
"Don't be wishy-washy, it's settled."
"Okay, but Viktor, one more thing, I need to find a place to live. Do you have any recommendations?"
Viktor tilted his head, thought for a moment, and said,
"I guess you're still short on cash, so why not find a place in Watson to stay?"
Arthur was a cowboy who had lived in the wilderness for over twenty years, so he naturally wouldn't care about living conditions. He said indifferently,
"Convenient is good, nothing else."
"Chinatown - Super Skyscraper - Atrium, that place is good, mainly because it's comfortable to live in. You can go check it out."
Arthur knew that place; it was Night City's "wall" used to separate the North City Industrial District, so it was built very high.
The price wasn't expensive, so it was a good place suitable for Arthur.
"I'll go try my luck. See you, Viktor."
Out of the clinic, he could see that row of tall buildings, and Arthur headed straight there.
There were many vacancies in the Atrium's buildings, all small single-person apartments, but they were fully equipped, even having dedicated rooms for weapons.
It was clear that the security here was very relaxed.