Lucy

Viktor transferred the payment to Chen Nuo. The price of ten thousand Eurodollars seemed a bit unworthy of thirty-two Scavengers' lives, but it was already the greatest sincerity he could show.

Viktor's small cybernetic clinic had only recently gotten on the right track, and its monthly earnings were limited; he also always liked to give credit to the poor people who came for treatment.

To be honest, Chen Nuo was a bit surprised he could even produce ten thousand; he estimated Viktor had dug into his old savings from his boxing days.

Chen Nuo naturally wouldn't complain about the amount, nor would he refuse it, especially since he had already obtained the reward he truly wanted.

Later, he could also make a small profit by taking the weapons and firearms obtained from the Scavengers to a scrap recycler.

Chen Nuo split all the money in two, keeping one half for himself and transferring the other to Lucy.

With money in hand, it was naturally time to spend some.

Following Lucy's request, Chen Nuo bought plenty of food and went to her home to celebrate their first operation together.

"I guess we're accomplices now, aren't we?"

Lucy arched her eyebrows, holding a cold drink in her hand as she made a clinking gesture.

"I suppose so."

Chen Nuo raised his own cup to clink it, but Lucy, unsatisfied with the answer, pulled her hand back.

"What do you mean 'I suppose so'?"

"I still have one thing to do. Once it's finished, how about we start being partners then?"

"What thing?"

"My father died mysteriously; I have to figure it out."

Chen Nuo had never forgotten this matter.

Although his father rarely made it home throughout the year, he was considered quite responsible by Night City standards.

Previously, because his cheat wasn't online yet, Chen Nuo lacked the ability to handle this and could only choose to endure, but things were different now.

Lucy went silent. She knew Chen Nuo's father came from Arasaka; her eyes flickered, and the air suddenly grew quiet.

If it were anything else, Lucy might not have hesitated, but Arasaka was different—it was a nightmare that still haunted her to this day.

Unlike the vast majority of Cyberpunks in Night City, Lucy's childhood life could be described as quite beautiful.

Her father was also a member of Arasaka Corporation and a veteran of the Fourth Corporate War, while her mother was a member of a senior Netrunner group.

After the two united, they settled in an independent community established by Arasaka Corporation, owning a villa and a garden.

Lucy lived in this seemingly happy family for many years; however, once she revealed her talent as a Netrunner, the situation changed.

When Lucy was seven years old, out of curiosity, she hacked into her father's computer and saw the 'great achievements' he had made during the Fourth Corporate War; her original worldview collapsed in an instant.

Lucy became rebellious from then on and began to immerse herself more and more in the network world to escape her 'perfect' family.

However, even those days couldn't last for long.

When Arasaka's network department prepared to develop the 'Old Net' to recover lost or sealed information and knowledge, they needed a batch of 'miners' to expend. Lucy's father, that most loyal dog of the corporation, offered up his own daughter without hesitation.

One must know that after that god of Netrunners, Bartmoss, released his Bartmoss R.A.B.I.D.S. virus, leading to the DataKrash of the Old Net, the originally non-aggressive AIs all turned into rabid dogs—the Rogue AIs that people speak of with terror today.

Later, finding the 'Old Net' unrepairable, NetWatch could only erect the 'Blackwall' to isolate the Rogue AIs that occupied the vast majority of the network.

At that point, the concept of the Internet completely became history in textbooks, and the world returned to the era of LANs.

And what Lucy and the others had to do was cross the Blackwall and go deep into the Old Net to salvage valuable information.

During this process, once discovered by a Rogue AI, the only ending waiting for them was basically having their brains fried.

This was also why Lucy resisted using a netrunning chair; as soon as she lay on it, she felt as if she could smell the scent of her companions' scorched brains beside her.

Chen Nuo naturally understood all this and knew Lucy's fear of Arasaka, so he didn't intend to drag her into it.

"Don't worry, I'll come find you once I've settled it."

Chen Nuo said comfortingly.

"Can you even do it without me?"

Lucy suddenly looked up and spoke.

"What?"

"You aren't even a Netrunner. Without my help, I bet you wouldn't even know which way the Arasaka gates face. How do you expect to investigate your father's death?"

Lucy tossed her hair, her tone carrying a hint of mockery.

"Hey, that's going too far. I've actually been inside the Arasaka gates before, okay?"

Chen Nuo retorted, but aside from that, he had to admit Lucy was right. In Night City, if you wanted to get anything done, you really couldn't do without a Netrunner's help, especially when facing a corporation.

But in the end, it was because he hadn't worked hard enough. If only some ruthless carry from the Pure White Space would show up, you'd see Chen Nuo bring a Cyber Divinity down upon Arasaka Corporation.

"Let me say this upfront: I can help you, but I'm going to charge extra."

Lucy found a suitable reason for her decision.

Chen Nuo scooted his butt forward, leaning on the edge of the sofa and reaching upward to close the distance with Lucy, asking with a raised eyebrow.

"Lucy, you're being so good to me, have you fallen for me?"

"..."

Lucy's face gradually began to turn red, as if scorched by Chen Nuo's burning gaze. Seeing Chen Nuo constantly closing in, her mind went blank, and she had no idea what to do.

Don't be fooled by how mature Lucy seems; in reality, she's a complete rookie when it comes to relationships.

After escaping from the Arasaka base, Lucy wandered through various cities until she was saved by Chen Nuo that night; only then did her drifting heart find peace for the first time.

It wasn't until Chen Nuo asked just now that Lucy suddenly realized this point she hadn't noticed before.

Before Lucy could speak, Chen Nuo reached out and pressed his hand on top of Lucy's head, gently stroking it.

"Well, I've fallen for you a bit, anyway."

"..."

Lucy felt her heart beating more powerfully than ever before. The biological information in her cyber-eyes was also displaying data fluctuations she had never seen, making it hard for her to understand.

As if by physical instinct, Lucy slowly closed her eyes and slightly tilted her smooth chin up.

There's a saying that goes: when a girl closes her eyes, she's sending you an invitation.

This was a knowledge point Chen Nuo happened to have learned.

The moment their lips touched, it was as gentle as a feather, yet like an electric current causing ripples deep within the soul.

In Night City, there are no living legends.

But there's another half to that sentence: only love that never fades away.

With an uncertain tomorrow, the best choice is to enjoy the present and cherish every emotion gained.

"Lucy."

"What is it?"

"There's a question I've always wanted to ask."

"What?"

"These of yours... they should be the real deal, right?"

No sooner had the words fallen than the sound of Chen Nuo falling off the bed rang out.

"That kick was so vicious, don't you want your future happiness anymore!"

"If it's broken, I'll install a new one for you!"

"What could possibly compare to my original equipment? You don't know how to cherish it."

Chen Nuo picked up a pillow and was about to walk toward the sofa, but his leg was hooked by the arch of Lucy's foot.

"What?"

"Practice is the only way to test the truth."

"You're right, I need to test it thoroughly again."

Chen Nuo nodded in deep agreement. After his many personal verifications, it was confirmed: Lucy indeed hadn't faked anything; she was truly a broad-minded and firm girl... In the Pure White Space, Titan Chen Nuo grabbed Cyber Chen Nuo by the neck and shook him violently.

"You bastard! I'm out there fighting for my life on an alien planet, and here you are testing 'truth' with Lucy! Do you have any shame toward us?!"

"Aren't I just you, and aren't you just me?"

Cyber Chen Nuo struggled to explain. After contacting Titan Chen Nuo, he had synchronized his experiences of the past few days and could indeed empathize with his feelings.

Games are not reality.

Titan Chen Nuo's life on the enemy-occupied planet was quite difficult; he not only had to face the IMC's encirclement but also the harsh alien environment.

His days were lived in utter misery.

At least Cyber Chen Nuo had synthetic meat to eat every day; Titan Chen Nuo truly could only eat dirt.

titan batteries that could be found in a few hours in the game took Titan Chen Nuo several days to gather.

But he didn't dare return to BT's side immediately; that place had long since become a trap set specifically for him.

The IMC had deployed a large number of troops in the vicinity, just waiting for Titan Chen Nuo, this temporary Pilot, to walk into the net.

By then, let alone piloting BT to break out of the encirclement, Titan Chen Nuo estimated he would be shot full of holes before even touching BT.

The game plot didn't play out like this!

Titan Chen Nuo now hoped more than anyone that a powerhouse would descend for him to cling to, but before that, he had to survive first, which was already extremely difficult.

If not for the Power of Three Nuos added to him, Titan Chen Nuo would have kicked the bucket long ago.

Benefiting from Cyber Chen Nuo's technical knowledge, he could solve logistical supply difficulties by dismantling IMC weapons; meanwhile, Ghoul Chen Nuo's memories filled Titan Chen Nuo's weakest point—close combat—causing panic among the IMC on the savage alien planet.

Titan Chen Nuo hadn't yet realized what kind of terrifying slaughter he had created on this planet; he always thought he was the one being hunted and was merely forced to fight back.

But soldiers in reality don't just respawn out of thin air. The IMC's forces on this alien planet were limited, and their morale was certainly not constant.

It was also thanks to Titan Chen Nuo's hard work that Cyber Chen Nuo and Ghoul Chen Nuo simultaneously gained these precious combat experiences, while their memories also eased Titan Chen Nuo's mental pressure.

As for Ghoul Chen Nuo, his life was much simpler. In the world he was in, besides the existence of Ghouls, everything else was no different from an ordinary world.

Even the number of people dying at the hands of Ghouls every day wasn't as many as those killed in car accidents.

Compared to the other two versions of himself, Ghoul Chen Nuo was quite comfortable. Besides daily exercise and training, whenever he was free, he would go tease the twin classmates in his class.

He also wanted to escape being single as soon as possible, but unlike Night City, the girls there were quite reserved and introverted.

On top of that, Ghoul Chen Nuo had increased the difficulty for himself by planning to bag both at once, which was why there had been no progress, and sometimes he even got double-teamed.

"Alright, we've met, so I'll log off first."

Cyber Chen Nuo said goodbye and left the Pure White Space with a full harvest. Opening his eyes to see Lucy curled in his arms, he could almost still hear Titan Chen Nuo's cursing... Waking up early in the morning, Lucy saw the empty bedside and hurried to get up and look around. Seeing Chen Nuo standing in the kitchen heating food, her heart immediately settled.

Stepping forward with light paces, she reached her hands over his shoulders and hung on him like a koala, craving the warmth this body brought her.

At a height of 165cm, she wasn't much shorter than Chen Nuo; when she stood on her tiptoes, her chin could just rest on Chen Nuo's shoulder.

After breaking through that barrier, Lucy seemed to become a different person, starting to grow increasingly dependent on Chen Nuo.

She was actually that kind of person—seemingly cold and sexy on the outside, but fragile and pure on the inside.

"Wash your face, get ready to eat."

Chen Nuo took out the heated convenience food.

Under current conditions, there was no chance for him to show off his culinary skills; they could only eat these frozen foods.

"Together."

Lucy didn't give Chen Nuo a chance to refuse, grabbing his wrist and leading him into the bathroom.

However, until the breakfast went cold, neither of them came out.

Although he wanted to investigate the cause of his father's death, Chen Nuo didn't rashly start acting. Since it involved Arasaka Corporation, no amount of caution was too much, and he currently had no way to begin.

To protect Chen Nuo, his father had destroyed everything related to the corporation.

Chen Nuo only knew that his father had once been a supervisor in Arasaka's Counter-Intelligence Department, which counted as a Middle Layer cadre of the corporation.

Of course, Chen Nuo wasn't trying to face the entire Arasaka Corporation directly; his father's death was just the result of internal power struggles, so at most, he would be facing one or two departments.

But for most people, there was no difference.

A corporate department and an entire corporation were both existences they could not resist.

It was very difficult to obtain information about Arasaka Corporation from the net.

These conglomerate corporations all used LANs; unless one caught a corporate employee and used their permissions as a breakthrough point, one couldn't hack into Arasaka's internal system network.

But the risk of doing so was too great. General low-level employees didn't have these permissions, so catching them was useless, and if one went after middle-to-high-level management, one would face endless future trouble.

Thinking it over, Chen Nuo felt he should first develop himself for a while longer. Once he had established a foothold in Night City, the current problems might be easily solved.

Mainly, Chen Nuo now needed to take care of Lucy; otherwise, he could have been more aggressive.

After learning of Chen Nuo's current plan, Lucy breathed a small sigh of relief.

Although having Chen Nuo there gave Lucy the courage to face Arasaka, it didn't mean she had escaped the shadows of her childhood; that was a wound that required a lifetime to heal.