It was time to tally up the bills.
Lille was relieved that he hadnât borrowed too much money this timeâ
Heat fins and exoskeleton parts were quite expensive, but... not that expensive.
It was just an additional debt of 50,000 after all.
Just a debt of 1.61 million... right?
Luckily, Lille wasnât too concerned about money; it wasnât like he owed two trillion, so there was no panic.
Jackâs own modifications had cost over 300,000, but honestly, if Lille hadnât handled the most expensive part, even doubling the amount wouldnât have guaranteed finding the resources to get the surgery done.
Then there was V, who also spent over 300,000, with the most expensive part still being the Mantis Blade that Lille gave out for free.
The cost of the nano-surgery table wasnât charged to Lille, the price of 600,000 was split between the two, each paying 300,000.
Now, Jack had less than 50,000 on handâbut for most people, that was still a substantial amount.
As for V... still the richest one, with about 600,000 in his account.
"...thereâs really no need to save money; sis still has a lot of faith in your ability to make money,"
V earnestly advised Lille not to save money.
Lille said helplessly, "Iâm not, if it really bothers you that much, why not just wipe my debt clean?"
"Dream on."
The three were sitting in the Wolf Bar, and it was time for a small meeting again.
The barâs popularity had been growing recently, with Valentino and those wanting to mingle with Valentinoâs lot coming here to drink, all looking at Jack with adoration.
They even wandered in during the daytime when it was closed.
Jack was really enjoying this feeling, at the moment sitting by the windowsill with a stern face, looking oddly at Lille.
"Jack, you could really loosen up a bit."
"No need, this is just how I am."
His voice was even deeper than usual, making Lille suspect he had secretly installed a synthetic voice box.
"...Alright then, letâs discuss the next matterâCyberpolice have given us a job."
"Who?!"
Jack instantly broke character, both he and V exclaiming in surprise.
Lille quickly raised a finger, "Guys, keep it down! Act normal!"
"Oh..." Their voices became more moderate, and then they asked in unison:
"Are we cyberpolice now?"
Lille explained, "Weâve just got a gig, and for now, itâs pretty simple; just creating some trouble for the Tiger Claw Gang and Cloud Peak, we can also fish in troubled waters, snagging some sex doll chips along the way."
Jack nodded, "Got it, temp job, public service for private gain, what exactly are we doing, and whatâs the pay?"
"Simply put, itâs a crackdown on pornography. The Tiger Claw Gang has a perverted individual named Abiding Jotaro. As long as we investigate parts related to him, weâll move in to enforce the law and subtly install hacker software in some places.
As for payment, a little bit of money you probably wonât care about, so additionally..."
"Hold on." V interrupted. "Who says we wouldnât care? How much is it?"
"...Shouldnât exceed 100,000. Itâs not finalized yet, but the key perk is safe internet access, snatching-up some hacker tricks, while also serving our private interests."
V asked this purely for comparison.
Since she had been with Lille, she hadnât done a normal job for a long time.
Handling so much money every day, she sometimes wondered if she was dreaming or if inflation had just skyrocketed.
"That much?" V clicked her tongue. "The fattiest job I ever had under Father only paid a couple of ten thousands of euros, what about you, Jack?"
"Err... gang matters, talking about money hurts feelings..."
"Alright, no need to get all nostalgic; I think this gig is doable. The money isnât great, but the risks arenât too high either, plus we can handle some other matters on the side.
If you have questions, ask them. If not, avoid drinking these next few days and get ready to work."
The two exchanged glances, both indicating no objections.
As for whether to take the job or not, Lille felt it was doable, so that settled it.
Lille added, "Thatâs it then; I need to enter Cyberspace to make some preparations, go back and wait for the notice."
"Waiting for a notice again?" V leaned back lazily, stretching, "Changing into high-end gear with nowhere to use it, truly uncomfortable."
"Then you better be careful, cyber psychosis usually worsens just like that."
"Seriously?"
"I guessed that much."
"Fuck off."
Jack glanced at the empty store and his mother busy preparing to open, then suddenly asked, "Lille, Iâve got to ask you something. Do you think our flamboyance could drag the store into this?"
That indeed was a problem.
Generally speaking, corporations wouldnât do thatâthey targeted specific individuals. If they wanted you, they wouldnât take your family hostage, theyâd come straight for you.
Not out of any sense of fairness but because their choices were more about strategy. In this mad world, emotions were mostly unreliable, and as a result, corporations wouldnât bank on emotions to bind their adversaries.
More than fifty years ago, a narcissistic guy thought Arasaka took his girlfriend to target him, but in reality, Arasaka just wanted his girlfriend.
However, Jack and Mrs. Wales were indeed very close.
Plus, with the net monitors also showing up... it was hard to say if the corporation would go after Mrs. Wales one day.
This wasnât New York after all, and the three of them were already criminals; if the company really decided to make a move, no one would care about the family of criminals; there wouldnât be any obstacles.
Valentinoâs boys, who often came here for drinks, could keep out cats and dogs, but corporations were another matter entirely.
"This indeed is a problem... My advice is you use the rest of your money to buy some turrets and install them around the bar, and then..."
Lille sighed, realizing how difficult this was to resolve. He then said,
"If you ask me, the best option is to send Mrs. Wales out of the city where she and Adkaduo can be safe."
Jack silently nodded, "Iâll try convincing her."
"You can tell her that Adkaduo is also a big family, theyâd appreciate Wild Wolfâs beerâand theyâre about to become rich soon."
"Ha, she shouldnât care whether Adkaduo has money or not."
"Money buys beer; you let her think about that, and also... Misty."
Jack scratched his head, "I havenât even started anything with that girl yet."
"Cut the crap, anyone can tell that sheâs into you."
V, sitting nearby, showed an intrigued expression, "Youâre a relationship expert now? Didnât see that coming, huh?"
"You donât have to be a master to see it."
Lille was smiling at Jack, Jack looked at Lille, and V was also watching Lille.
Then Lille looked puzzled, Jack looked at V, V looked at Jack.
The atmosphere suddenly fell into an eerie silence.
Then Jack looked out the window, whistling; V rolled her eyes and sighed deeply.
Lille: "?"
[Respectable Logistics Notification: Your package has arrived at your doorstep.]
"Meeting adjourned!"
...
Blais needed Lilleâs help, and as a reward, heâd offer Lille more comprehensive hacker trainingâ
Something that couldnât be learned at Arasaka Academy.
In 2077, computer technology was strictly regulated knowledge, and wild hackers could only exchange their survival techniques from countless dangerous cybercrimes through disguised BBS.
But the top-notch technology was always in the hands of the big corporations.
The moment the Black Wall was erected, Internet monitoring confirmed the absolute monopoly of hacking techniques, with other companies following suit, creating an even more strictly ordered cyberspace in the wake of the Internetâs collapse.
The few hacking geniuses usually ended up enveloped by these corporations once their talents were revealed.
One talented young person after another, when they hit the ceiling of wild hacking, realized that their only way to break through was to join these corporations.
Society was like a pyramid, but between each layer, there was only a narrow, winding path, and many people would do anything to get on itâeven selling their body or soulâ
Like bait left by a Demon.
Lille was now on the watch list of Net Monitoring, always ready to take that path, and he was well aware of it.
But he wasnât thinking about climbing up the given ladderâ
He just needed to see clearly, every brick and tile that made up the pyramid.
Lille finished modifying the fixed-access pods, put down all his tools, donned his hacker suit, opened all his cooling fins, and lay down inside.
"Advanced network technology of 2077."
This time he was truly entering Cyberspace by official means.
[Welcome to Net Monitoring Drive]
[Entering Cyberspace]