cooperate

Not long after Chen Nuo saved Sasha, Maine and his crew drove to Corpo Plaza, arriving just in time to pick them up.

In the back of the van, Chen Nuo was performing surgery on Sasha, removing the bullets from her body and suturing her wounds.

Although it was his first time practicing for real, Chen Nuo had already experienced it several times in Braindances. Combined with his learning ability, he quickly replicated about seventy to eighty percent of the high-level surgical skills from the Braindances.

Moreover, Sasha was equipped with a Pain Editor, so she didn't even need sedatives; she was even in the mood to comfort Rebecca nearby.

Maine, who was driving, had a grim expression. He wasn't angry about Sasha's failed mission, but rather shaken by the fear of almost losing a team member, muttering incessantly.

"I told you we should have brought another Netrunner for support. Luckily Nuo was there this time, or you would've been turned into a meat pancake!"

"From that height, it probably wouldn't have been that bad..."

Sasha responded in a low voice, sounding slightly guilty.

She had always been very confident in her hacking skills, so she had rejected Maine's idea of adding another Netrunner. If she had truly died this time, she feared Maine would have been consumed by regret and self-blame.

In fact, Sasha's crisis wasn't due to a lack of personal ability, but she didn't want to talk to anyone about the specific reason; it was the deepest scar in her heart.

"Stop talking and just take your lecture quietly."

Chen Nuo reached out and closed Sasha's mouth for Maine. He finished suturing the last wound, admired his handiwork for a moment, and then covered Sasha with his coat.

Sasha didn't say a word, her eyes fixed on Chen Nuo's face as she watched his every move.

Maine wanted to continue scolding her, but after being glared at by Dorio in the passenger seat, he could only grumble unwillingly.

"Stop at the intersection ahead, I need to head back."

Chen Nuo glanced out the window, confirmed his current location, and spoke to Maine.

"Going back this late? Just stay at my place. I haven't had a chance to properly thank you yet."

Maine suggested upon hearing this.

"No thanks, I have a girl waiting for me at home."

If Chen Nuo didn't return, Lucy would wait for him until dawn.

Even if her text was just a simple few words of inquiry, Chen Nuo knew Lucy was definitely curled up on the sofa right now, TV on, her wide eyes staring at the closed door.

Sasha's eyes flickered for a moment, but she quickly returned to normal.

So what if he had a girl? She didn't mind.

Maine glanced at the rearview mirror. Being observant, he noticed the momentary shift in atmosphere, but he didn't take it to heart. Young people's business should be handled by young people.

The car stopped at the roadside. As Chen Nuo pushed the door open to step out, his clothes were tugged. Looking down, he saw Sasha's fair hand had been gripping him and she had forgotten to let go.

Noticing Chen Nuo's gaze, Sasha realized what she was doing and hurriedly pulled her hand back, burying half her face in the coat. A hint of shyness flashed in her bright eyes.

"Get some rest, Miss Kitty."

"Mm."

Sasha responded softly.

As the car started up again, Rebecca leaned halfway out the window and waved vigorously at Chen Nuo.

"Thanks, Pancake Guy!"

"You..."

Chen Nuo pointed his index finger forcefully at Rebecca; he strongly suspected she was doing it on purpose.

Late at night, the city rail was still running, even busier than during the day.

The seats were filled with low-level corporate employees who had just finished overtime.

Based on their working hours, they probably slept less than four hours a day, relying entirely on stimulants to keep going.

And he heard they had to pay for those stimulants out of their own pockets.

Among the major corporations, only Kang Tao was slightly more humane, purchasing Trauma Team Gold memberships for every employee.

Even so, the number of employees who died at their desks every year wasn't much lower than at other companies.

However, looking at Night City's employment rate, having a job to provide for a family was already good enough; there was no room to be picky.

Here, a classic line was perfectly validated.

"If you won't do it, plenty of others will."

Since everyone was selling their lives anyway, at least selling it to a corporation earned more. If there was a choice, being a corporate dog was more worthwhile and meant living longer.

Chen Nuo returned to Corpo Plaza.

The commotion Sasha caused at the Biotechnica headquarters was quite significant; the ground floor was surrounded by NCPD officers.

But ultimately, only some security robots were destroyed, and there were no human casualties.

In Biotechnica's eyes, this was just a bold petty thief.

This matter could be seen as big, since it offended the corporation's dignity, but it could also be seen as small, as only some data was stolen.

Its essence was still an act of corporate warfare.

Now it depended on how capable the Fixer who provided the contract was. If they couldn't suppress this matter, Sasha would likely have to hide for a while since she had shown her face, which was a bit troublesome.

As for the research data Sasha stole and uploaded to the news channel, the moment the upload was complete, it was detected by Biotechnica's PR department.

It was just her bad luck.

The station Sasha uploaded to had a partnership with Biotechnica; she had walked right into the line of fire.

But even if she had chosen another station, the final result would likely have been the same—it was just a matter of how much Biotechnica had to pay to bury it.

This veteran netrunner still retained a sliver of innocence and passion in her heart; fortunately, her impulsiveness didn't cost her life.

The NCPD in the plaza noticed Chen Nuo passing by, but most didn't even think about getting out of their cars, let alone checking his ID.

Being dragged out for overtime in the middle of the night was miserable enough; it was better to avoid trouble if possible.

What if they actually found a problem?

Chen Nuo returned to the apartment. The surveillance at the door confirmed his identity and opened the main gate.

The elevator ran smoothly, delivering Chen Nuo to his floor.

As soon as Chen Nuo opened the door, a cool, soft figure threw herself into his arms.

"I haven't showered yet..."

Before Chen Nuo could finish, his body stiffened. Lucy was leaning against his chest, her delicate nostrils catching the scent lingering on him.

No way, I don't remember Lucy having any cyberware for enhanced smell. Could this be the legendary woman's intuition?

Lucy looked up slightly, her eyes shining as she stared at Chen Nuo.

Giving you a chance to explain yourself.

"It's like this, I saved a cat falling from a building..."

Chen Nuo could only explain the whole sequence of events.

With Lucy's sensitive personality, not being honest would undoubtedly plant a thorn in their relationship.

Tsk, another 'hero saving the beauty' story.

Lucy felt a pang of annoyance.

As a 'beauty' who had been saved before, she naturally knew what kind of emotions such an act could plant.

However, Lucy didn't say much and let it go directly.

In Night City, every moment spent with a loved one needed to be cherished; there was no extra time to waste.

Lucy dragged Chen Nuo into the bathroom.

The best way to keep a man from thinking about other women was to drain him dry.

The method was sound, but unfortunately, Lucy overestimated her own ability... Chen Nuo received a message from Jackie; V had returned to Night City and agreed to meet and talk with him.

The location was set at the Lizzy Bar.

Jackie was a regular here and was well-acquainted with many of the girls.

Before the appointed time, Chen Nuo and Lucy arrived at the Lizzy Bar early.

"Good evening, Rita."

Chen Nuo greeted Rita at the door; she was dressed the same as always.

"Good my ass, I just kicked out a few idiots."

Rita swore, then turned to see Lucy beside Chen Nuo and said with a grin.

"So you have a woman. If Katie finds out, she'll probably be sad for a while."

"Don't start trouble for me!"

Chen Nuo's fist tightened instantly. Just because he had rejected Rita's requests a few times, did she have to be so petty?

With the measly commission she offered, rejecting her was only natural.

Thinking she could order the famous BT around for a few thousand credits? Keep dreaming. Didn't she know his starting price was now fifty thousand?

Seeing that Lucy didn't take the bait made Rita a bit annoyed. She clicked her tongue, stepped aside, and said perfunctorily,

"Welcome to the Lizzy Bar."

Only after they entered the bar did Lucy ask.

"Who is Katie?"

"A poor but brave person. I'll tell you the details later."

The two arrived at the reserved booth. Jackie had arrived even earlier and was already sitting there drinking.

Although he hadn't called a girl for himself, he had set up a holographic dance projection.

Seeing Lucy with Chen Nuo, Jackie hurriedly turned off the hologram and shrunk his neck like a child who had done something wrong.

"Lucy, please don't tell Misty. I was just a bit bored waiting."

"I didn't expect you to be this kind of person! I'm reporting you to Misty right now."

Before Lucy could speak, Chen Nuo took a righteous stand, looking just like a roommate who had caught you doing something embarrassing.

"Nuo!"

"Hmm?"

"Big brother!"

"Good boy, big brother will suppress his conscience for you this once."

Chen Nuo smiled with satisfaction, reached out to ruffle Jackie's prickly short hair, and sat down on the sofa. Lucy naturally leaned into his arms.

After the brief playfulness, Jackie got down to business.

"V will be here soon."

As he spoke, the booth door was pushed open, and a man in a sharp suit walked in. He looked like a corporate elite—it was the V Jackie had mentioned.

"Am I not late?"

V took off his jacket and casually unbuttoned a few shirt buttons. His aura became a bit more relaxed, not as meticulous and machine-like as he had appeared at first glance.

"Just in time, my brother."

Jackie stepped forward and gave V a warm hug. Although they hadn't seen each other for a long time, their bond from their youth hadn't changed at all.

"This is Chen Nuo. Although we haven't known each other for long, I can guarantee he is someone you can trust, just as I trust you."

Jackie said seriously. These words carried significant weight.

V's expression shifted slightly as he turned to look at Chen Nuo.

"Hello, V."

"Hello, Chen Nuo."

It was a simple greeting, but with Jackie in the middle, the relationship between the two progressed quickly.

V was about the same age as Jackie, nearly thirty. He had clean-cut short hair and few cyberware, but the ones he had were high-end corporate models in standard Arasaka style.

To be highly valued by Jenkins at this age showed his abilities were extraordinary.

However, due to working in a corporation for a long time, V's personality had inevitably been somewhat assimilated by that almost cold-blooded corporate efficiency. If it weren't for Jackie, he probably wouldn't even have had the interest to exchange pleasantries.

"Let's keep it short, V. I need your help."

Chen Nuo understood the working style of corporate employees and went straight to the point.

V's hand holding the glass paused. He set it down and said,

"Investigating your father's cause of death?"

"Exactly."

Chen Nuo wasn't surprised that V had investigated his background. It would have been more problematic if he hadn't.

"If this is a request between friends, I can provide help for Jackie's sake."

"It's a request, but it's also a cooperation."

Chen Nuo looked into V's eyes and continued.

"To gain a firm foothold in the corporation, you need street power. Jenkins can't help you much with that, but we can."

V fell silent. He had been happy when he received the promotion transfer, but once he actually returned to the corporation, he realized how dangerous the situation he faced was.

Just as Chen Nuo said, Jenkins was completely at a disadvantage in his corporate struggle with Abernathy.

Never mind providing much help; Jenkins had brought V back specifically hoping he could break the deadlock.

If he couldn't do it, being fired would be the best-case scenario.

Under these circumstances, there was a big question mark over how much corporate power V could actually mobilize.

"I received word that Militech has developed a new Sandevistan and is preparing to send it to Night City for experimental testing."

V spoke slowly.

"What do you want?"

"I want you to help me get the prototype of this Sandevistan."

"No problem."

Chen Nuo raised his glass. Seeing this, V raised his own, and the two clinked glasses and drank.