afterwards

"Nuo! I'm here to back you up!"

Rebecca rushed over, but what she saw left her a bit dazed.

It was all solved already?

"Clean up the battlefield, wipe all traces."

Chen Nuo checked the time as he spoke; only three minutes had passed, they still had plenty of time.

"You came just in time, I'll leave this side to you."

Chen Nuo spoke upon seeing Rebecca's arrival.

"What? Making me do this kind of work..."

Rebecca grumbled, but her movements were still very agile.

As for how to clean up the battlefield, it was nothing more than collecting weapons—Militech firearms were worth a lot—and simultaneously destroying information storage devices to avoid identity leaks.

The latter didn't need to trouble Rebecca; none of those who died at Chen Nuo's hands had intact heads, and their internal neural links had been blown apart as well.

"Copy that."

Maine's voice sounded simultaneously in the squad channel; he had also just finished his battle over there.

At the same time, Pilar had already driven to the battlefield. After Lucy retracted and prepped the drones, she pushed the door open and got out, looking at Chen Nuo with concern. She only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming he was unharmed.

"Lucy, open this van door, let me inspect the goods."

Chen Nuo walked to the tightly closed transport van door and spoke.

Hearing this, Lucy briskly took out her portable computer, plugged the connection cable into the interface, and began the intrusion and hacking work. After some time, the red warning light finally went out, and Chen Nuo pulled the van door open.

The storage box placed in the middle of the cargo area was his goal for this trip.

He stepped forward and opened it; the Sandevistan V had mentioned was inside, displayed quietly like an exquisite piece of industrial art, which made Chen Nuo secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

The Sandevistan is an operating system cybernetic implant, resembling a chip in appearance, which needs to be used with nervous system implants like the Kerenzikov.

V was indeed reliable; the intelligence provided was quite accurate.

"So this is that military-grade tenderloin? It looks no different from a regular Sandevistan."

Rebecca poked her head over, and as she spoke, she reached out to touch it, only to be lightly slapped away by Chen Nuo.

"It's a military-grade Sandevistan, not 'military-grade tenderloin'. I think you're just hungry."

"Eh, you even noticed that."

Rebecca was inexplicably a bit happy.

Chen Nuo rolled his eyes at her, closed the box, and handed it to Lucy, letting her seal and store it separately to prevent Militech people from tracking the built-in signal inside.

"Nothing else? Such a big van just to transport one box?"

Rebecca looked at the empty cargo area and couldn't help but scratch her head; her hope of making a windfall was dashed.

"Stop nagging, it's time to go."

Chen Nuo reached out and pressed down on the top of Rebecca's head, ruffling it a couple of times while he was at it.

"Damn! Don't touch my head! If I don't grow to 1.6 meters, it'll be all your fault!"

Rebecca bristled a bit; she was clearly older, so why did Chen Nuo always treat her like a child?

"No problem, I'll have Old Man Vik arrange a height enhancement surgery for you, guaranteed to make you taller than Pilar."

Chen Nuo said indifferently.

Rebecca stomped her feet in anger. If she were willing to give up her sexy little fleshy legs, wouldn't she have gotten her wish long ago?

"If everything is packed up, we can leave."

Chen Nuo glanced at Maine and the others, and after receiving an affirmative reply, he returned to the car.

Jackie picked Pilar up from the driver's seat and tossed him back to the rear; he also really liked this powerful car.

"Let me go! What are you doing to my wife?"

Pilar tried to resist, but his arms were no match for Jackie's thighs, and after being hit hard on the head by Rebecca, he lay back in his seat dizzily.

Chen Nuo ignored the antics of the few in front; he was communicating with V. The signal in the Badlands wasn't very good, and the voice was a bit laggy, but it couldn't hide V's current excitement.

"This job was done beautifully! I've already sent you the address, return to Night City immediately."

"Going back now."

Chen Nuo forwarded the address information to Jackie, who immediately stepped on the gas.

Ten-odd minutes later, Militech's support units arrived; all they could do was clean up the battlefield.

At the same time, Chen Nuo's group had already passed through Night City's security check. They only needed to flash an Arasaka transit permit to enter and exit Night City freely.

Jackie drove the vehicle to the underground parking lot below Corpo Plaza. V had been waiting there for a long time and pushed the door to get in as soon as he saw them arrive.

Chen Nuo took the box handed over by Lucy and passed it to V.

V also knew a bit of technology; one look was enough to confirm that this military cybernetic implant was the goods he wanted, and he couldn't help but praise.

"As expected of Militech's most cutting-edge cybernetic implant achievement."

"As long as it's fine."

"The money will be transferred to you later. Now I have to head back to the company. As for the intelligence you want, you'll have to give me a bit more time."

V said somewhat apologetically.

"No problem."

Chen Nuo expressed understanding; after all, V had just joined the Counter-Intelligence Department.

After a brief exchange, V left with the box. Rebecca glanced at his back and said with her arms crossed.

"Corpo rats really are all so stuck-up."

"Rebecca, V is my friend."

Chen Nuo looked up at Rebecca and gave a reminder, saying nothing more after that.

After all, V's attitude toward Maine's crew couldn't be called unfriendly; it could only be said that he completely ignored them.

This was actually normal; the corporate side usually didn't communicate directly with Edgerunners. There had to be a Fixer in between to facilitate a clean cut if anything went wrong.

Of course, there were other reasons as well.

In short, when facing Edgerunners, V did have that high-and-mighty corporate air in his bones; what Rebecca said wasn't wrong.

However, an old hand like Maine didn't care about V's attitude; he was even a bit surprised that he could actually meet someone from the corporation.

"I'll stop talking, alright?"

Rebecca curled her lip and turned her face toward the window.

At this moment, V's commission was successfully credited—a full one million Eddies. Chen Nuo's eyes lit up.

This money couldn't possibly have come out of V's own pocket; it was operational funds he applied for from his department. He probably kept a bit for himself privately, but the bulk was definitely given to Chen Nuo.

According to normal procedures, after this money passed through several hands, it would finally reach the Edgerunners' hands. By then, it definitely wouldn't be this amount; it would be good if even a third remained.

As expected, without a Fixer taking a cut, this commission was instantly much larger.

Wait, did I just become the Fixer?

Chen Nuo considered the role he played in this; it seemed his identity positioning had shifted slightly, but that wasn't important anymore. He split the money equally among everyone.

"Whoa, so much!!"

Rebecca jumped up from her seat, her original negative emotions swept away, replaced only by the joy of a bountiful harvest.

One must know that in the past, when Maine's crew went on a job, the entire team's total earnings might not be as much as one person's share this time, and it certainly wouldn't follow an equal split rule.

After all, Rebecca's contribution to the team couldn't possibly be equal to Maine's; an equal split would actually be unfair.

"Would this be a bit against the rules?"

Maine frowned; he considered things more deeply.

"Everyone takes the same risks, so there's nothing against the rules. Besides, I was the lead for this operation, so how the earnings are distributed is my decision. You guys just take the money and be happy."

Chen Nuo waved his hand to end the topic and continued.

"Alright, everyone disperse. I'm going to enjoy my time for two."

"Tsk—"

Hearing this, Rebecca's happiness was instantly halved.

"Don't! Everyone, let's go for a drink!"

Jackie was someone who liked a crowd; it was rare for so many friends to be together.

"Jackie's absolutely right."

Maine winked at Jackie, and the two bumped fists in a tacit understanding. Both were big guys, and their personalities seemed quite compatible.

Chen Nuo didn't speak, looking at Lucy.

"Then let's go together."

Lucy smiled sweetly and made the decision.

"Woohoo! Afterlife Bar, here we go!"

Pilar shouted impatiently, urging Jackie to step on the gas... Inside the Arasaka Corporation building, V was reporting his work results to Jenkins. The research department had already received the prototype and was conducting various tests and research.

"I really didn't misjudge you, V."

Jenkins was visibly excited. Corporate executives like him rarely showed their emotions, which showed what kind of profit this Sandevistan would bring.

Arasaka Corporation's development had long since stagnated over the years, and its stock market value had been continuously dropping. Its originally leading smart weapon field had been caught up by the newcomer Kang Tao, and its market share was severely affected.

In other weapon fields, it had never been a match for Militech. Only in the chip field did it still maintain a world-leading level.

Jenkins didn't expect a single Sandevistan prototype to bring any major technological breakthrough to the company, but at least they wouldn't fall into too much of a passive position in the upcoming market competition.

Even if they did, it wouldn't be the Counter-Intelligence Department's problem.

Especially when other departments were doing nothing, it would highlight the value of his own department even more, at least allowing him to regain some say in the company.

V accepted Jenkins' praise with a calm heart.

He knew very well that if the operation had failed, the leader in front of him wouldn't be saying these things. He probably would have been pushed out to take the blame long ago.

But wasn't this exactly the law of survival within the corporation? V had long since grown accustomed to it.

"I've already raised your corporate clearance level, and the benefits in all aspects will follow. Keep up the good work; I'm still short of a deputy by my side."

Jenkins was qualified as a leader; he didn't just paint pretty pictures, he also gave enough money.

After V expressed his thanks and showed his loyalty, he left the office. Compared to benefits and treatment, what he valued was his clearance level, which represented his power within the company.

This way, investigating the cause of Chen Nuo's father's death would be easier.

V had a feeling that Chen Nuo would be his greatest aid for future promotion within the company, or even his final fallback, so he naturally cared more about his affairs... In a private booth at the Afterlife Bar, Pilar, the team's atmosphere-maker, was standing on the table, performing acrobatics with his gibbon-like cybernetic arms.

It was a bit crude, but it did liven up the atmosphere.

Jackie was arm-wrestling with Dorio. Both sides were somewhat evenly matched, unable to determine a winner for a while. Maine was watching the fun from the side, really wanting to join in, but his Gorilla Arms were clearly a violation of the rules.

Of those present, only Chen Nuo could compete with Maine in arm strength.

However, Chen Nuo didn't have the inclination; he was resting his head on Lucy's soft thighs, enjoying her ear-cleaning service.

A natural body is still better after all. Someone like Maine definitely wouldn't be able to experience this feeling; his head would probably sound like striking iron if tapped.

Rebecca bit her straw, squatted in front of Chen Nuo, and tilted her head to align her gaze with his.

"What?"

Chen Nuo asked helplessly.

"I want to try too, move aside and let me lie down."

As Rebecca spoke, she was about to pull Chen Nuo up, but she was flipped over by him instead, followed by a kick to her backside that sent her sprawling onto the sofa.

Trying to take advantage of my girl? You must be tired of living.

But truth be told, Rebecca's butt was indeed very bouncy, definitely still original parts.

"Nuo! I'm going to fight you!!"

Feeling greatly humiliated, Rebecca lunged forward again, but she still couldn't escape the fate of being suppressed; Chen Nuo held her down with one hand so she couldn't move.

At this moment, someone walked in, interrupting the lively atmosphere.

"BT, right? Rogue wants to see you."

Chen Nuo sat up and looked at the man in front of him, recognizing him as Rogue's bodyguard.

"See me? She sure knows how to pick a time."

Chen Nuo muttered. Seeing Jackie and the others' excited looks, he knew what they were thinking right now.

True, that was the Queen of the Afterlife, a living legend.

For Chen Nuo, how could chatting with an older auntie be better than cuddling with his own sweet and soft Lucy?

But if he wanted to make a living in the Edgerunner business, he still had to give Rogue some face.

Chen Nuo stretched grandly and said with his head tilted.

"Lead the way."

Rogue's bodyguard walked ahead expressionlessly and pushed open a booth deep in the bar. Rogue was sitting inside alone.

This was also the first time Chen Nuo had met this Queen of the Afterlife.

How should he put it? If Rogue were ten years younger, she would definitely be a very great woman, but now, she was indeed getting on in years.

"BT, that job you did for Arasaka was very beautiful."

Rogue said, taking the initiative.

Chen Nuo wasn't surprised that Rogue could guess this. She could be said to be the most well-informed person in Night City; even in the Badlands, she had her network of connections. But that didn't mean he had to admit it.

"Which job? I haven't done any work for Arasaka."

To put it bluntly, even if Militech found out later that this case was done by Chen Nuo's group, they basically wouldn't trouble them.

Ultimately, the one who robbed Militech was Arasaka; Chen Nuo and the others were just the blades used for the job.

Bothering with a blade would be a loss of face for Militech; even if they wanted to settle the score, they would usually go directly for Arasaka Corporation.

Maybe Militech would even think Chen Nuo, this blade, was quite useful later and spend money to hire him too.

But if Chen Nuo admitted it, or if the matter was publicized, then the nature of the situation would be different.

"Quite cautious, that's good. People who are too flashy don't live long in Night City."

Rogue didn't care about Chen Nuo's answer; on the contrary, she appreciated him a bit more.

"If there's something, just say it. A big shot like you wouldn't call me here just for small talk when you have nothing to do."

Chen Nuo sat down, finished the drink on the table, put it back upside down, and asked straightforwardly.

"There's a hit job, are you interested?"

"If there's money, I'm interested."

"The reward will definitely satisfy you."

"I'll send you the commission details later. I won't disturb you now."

"OK."