The trio was still driving an Adkaduo standard-issue Mackinawâ
The legendary Mackinaw was still waiting for parts and modifications, the temporary one they used before had been blasted by Iron Hand, for which Sherman had to foot the bill again.
Adkaduo could afford such a ready reimbursement because of their continuous purchase of vehicles, making him the top sales champion for the company.
The roadside was packed with cars, all of which were durable second-hand vehicles, and if the scannerâs database was extensive enough, one could even spot obvious signs of modification.
Top mercenaries all have tech support teams, and even the most badass Lone Wolves need this kind of connection; otherwise, a slight tampering with equipment would have killed them on the road to fame.
Clearly, these cars belonged to foreign mercenaries, and they were expendable.
If possible, Lille would really like to dismantle these cars and check out which companies the modification parts came from.
However, the carsâ windows generally used one-way transparent film, making it impossible to see inside from the outside; for all he knew, the cars could be full of people.
Technicians all have this habit of finding a dark, inconspicuous corner to quietly scan the surroundings.
"...Do you guys know how badass Waylan âOld Snakeâ is?" someone said. "Rumor has it he rode a cyber dolphin, wielding a monomolecular Samurai Sword and blew up Su Petrochemicalâs submarine, just like a demon-slaying hero from the human world..."
"Doesnât sound real," V shook his head repeatedly, "Have you even seen a dolphin, let alone ride on one? I think itâs all just tall tales."
"What do you mean, have you seen one?"
"I have!"
V puffed out his chest proudly.
Lille, while driving, scanned the streets: "Parkingâs really hard to find today..."
The car moved slowly, past streets overflowing with cars.
"Hard to find? If itâs hard, then forget about it," V pointed to a sidewalk not far away, "That spot looks pretty spacious to me."
[Rogel: Have you arrived yet? Thereâs a spot reserved for you inside, come on in.]
"Can we please follow some traffic rules? Weâre not crazy." As Lille took note of the license plates of these cars, he drove into the alley leading to the nightclub, "Rogel has reserved us a spot inside, letâs go park there."
"Hold on a sec." Jack poked his head out from the back seat, "Lille, tell me, is it true or false that Old Snake rode on a dolphin?"
"False."
V flashed a triumphant smile, but Lille immediately continued: "Dolphins are usually used as Sentries. Whales are more common as mounts, mainly humpback whales and orcas."
"Hm?" V uttered in confusion, "Whatâs that, Iâve never seen one."
"Hm?" Jack uttered in confusion, "Youâve seen dolphins too?"
Lille wondered how he understood that, how could V speak as if he had seen them too?
V suddenly felt that kind of pride one gets from owning a limited edition Super Dream, being chased by friends for a copy, a look of smug satisfaction on his face: "Ah, the limited edition Super Dream, Iâll make you a copy, itâs pretty badass."
"Oh, Super Dream? How many?"
"Just... one."
The car slowly entered the parking lot, next to which was parked Rogelâs Thug GTS, clearly designated for VIP parking.
Rogelâs men moved the warning sign off the spot and gestured for the three to park there.
As the car settled into the spot, all those hackers and tech experts secretly gathering information turned their attention this way...
They did have the basic intelligence work, a Mackinaw parked in a VIP spot had to be a big fish.
But this Mackinaw... it didnât look as tough as the legends suggested.
There were obviously more people outside the parking lot, and before opening the door, Lille also scanned everyone in the venueâ
Without exception, they were all rare prosthetic models in Night City.
As he opened the door, the peopleâs stares became even less discreet; those squatting on the ground, leaning against the wall, getting high, adjusting their Prosthetics, all stopped their activities.
There were black people, white people, Asians, even those whose skin kept changing colorâNight City itself was a city that accommodated all kinds of personalities, but their arrival still contributed to Night Cityâs "aesthetic diversity."
Not just aesthetic diversity, but equipment variety as well, with flamethrower elbows, machine-gun arms, bladed legs, a third arm...
Some people seemed to have come just to catch a glimpse of the Burger King squad. After seeing them, they got into their cars and left, but most people were hoping to glean more information.
The mercenaries blocking the way stared at the trio and cleared a path, their gazes following them down the stepsâ
[V: Feeling like a superstar here.]
[Jack: Are these the out-of-towners? They really are quite distinctive.]
[Lille: I should apply for a new Prosthetic Eye after this, my processor is heating up.]
[V: Approved, with a loan limit of 100,000.]
They were just starting down the stairs when Kerry, the rock star, filled the corridor with his voice, the wild sound of his electric guitar assaulting their eardrumsâ
"Câcan you feel it!"
The music today was louder than ever before.
Descending the familiar staircase, the narrow space was crammed with people, and amidst the music, one could faintly hear the sound of argument.
"What do you mean the club wonât let people in? I think youâre all brawn and no brains, got your head filled with shit."
The entrance of The Afterlife club was blocked, most of the onlookers simply there to watch the scene unfold.
In front of the doorman Emmerick, a man whose body was almost entirely made up of white and silver Prosthetics bent over. His eyes, under the neon lights of the corridor, emitted a strange silver-blue light as he looked up at him.
This guy wore no shirt at all, and his Prosthetics gleamed under the light.
A man and a woman followed him, both sporting a highly uniform style dominated by silver and white; the woman was more robust, the man about the same size as him.
Clearly, this guy wanted to break into The Afterlifeâ
Though its ostensible mantra was to welcome all comers, Night City had its own rules, and as a mercenary, one needed a referral to get in.
Emmerick shook his head: "If you donât tell me who sent you, itâs hard for me to help."
"What? Iâm here to look for work. If Iâm not paid, how can I tell you who sent me?"
"You can wait outside, thereâs no need to go in."
"Wait outside?" The silver-haired man incredulously repeated Emmerickâs words, exchanging a look of disbelief with his companions, "We wait outside?"
"Hahaha!"
The three of them suddenly laughed like they had gone mad, and in a flash, the man closed in on Emmerick with a speed nearly invisible to the naked eyeâ
His head almost touched Emmerickâs neck, his mouth slightly open, revealing saw-toothed teeth inside.
"Are you fucking asking for death?"
Emmerickâs expression didnât change, but the prosthetics implanted inside his body had already begun to warm up.
"Whereâs this bumpkin from? If you donât have the creds to get in, then roll aside and donât fucking block the way!"
"Hmm?"
The silver-haired man turned to look, and the speaker was V.
Unlike their flamboyantly modified prosthetics, it was hard to tell from the outside what kind of modifications V and Jack had, and moreover...
They were properly dressed.
The silver-haired man laughed, looked at Emmerick, pointed at V, and then pointed at himself: "They can go in, and I canât?"
Emmerick nodded.
As if hearing something hilarious, the silver-haired man held his head and laughed neurotically...
"Hehe..."
The music reached its climax amidst his laughter as rock legend Kerryâs throaty voice exploded: "Hear my call, Iâm chippinâ in!"
The silver-haired man and his cohorts suddenly attacked!
Shing!
Spikes vibrating at a high frequency suddenly sprang from the silver-haired manâs arm, lined up neatly on his forearm, resembling a chainsaw!
His arm, along with the high-frequency blades, burst into an exaggerated burst of electricity that nearly blinded V!
It was a very sly trick: the manâs speed was already so fast that it was difficult for ordinary people to react. Whoever could keep up with this speed had to be equipped with a neural enhancement component.
While the neural enhancement component sped up reflexes, it also intensified all sensesâ
The strong light stimulus would cause an overreaction in the optic nerve. If the enemy used cheap prosthetic eyes, the photosensitive components could produce a photosensitive current beyond their rated power under the sudden stimulus.
Under the convergence of various effects, it could cause transient neuralgia, solidifying the enemy for an instant!
With that, this uppercut would be enough for the chainsaw to effortlessly breach Vâs chest, while the fist would smash hard into her chin, the upward force causing her body to burst open along the cut, spilling viscera all over.
The move was tried and true.
Unfortunately, while Vâs prosthetic eyes might not have been top-grade, her Si Anweisitan was different from ordinary people: an AI drove that prosthetic.
Vâs eyes were suddenly covered in white light, her other senses became crystal clear, and using these four senses, she plotted the trajectory of the attack in the white world.
The mantis blade sprang out fiercely, her movements didnât pause in the slightest!
The two were actually similar in speed, but in terms of response, the silver-haired man was merely following a predetermined attack pattern. He struck first, fast, but with little ability to adjust.
Although V reacted later, there was no hesitation that the silver-haired man anticipatedâ
She took a slight step back, her whole body sinking down. The high-frequency blade whooshed past Vâs nose as her right mantis blade caught the enemyâs vibrating blade amidst his panic-stricken gaze, lunging forward in a dash!
Thrust!
The mantis blade stabbed into the lower abdomen and slashed towards the right shoulder!
Whoosh!
A mix of fluids sprayed, staining the whole wall!
Pieces and broken bones were also ejected onto the wall, clattering to the ground under gravityâs pull.
Bang.
The man fell to his knees, V shook the blade and sheathed it.
The whole process took only a second, so when the other two cohorts had just charged in front of Jack, their leader had already become a broken sack.
They couldnât stop!
The burly woman swung a straight punch at Jack, and just when everyone thought it was going to be a tight boxing match, Jack met her punch head-on and lunged out!
Bang!
The prosthetics on both sides trembled under the force of the collision, but Jackâs was just a superficial tremor, the overall structure still intact.
But the womanâs arm across from him twisted and bent in midair, completely wrecked!
The last one froze in terror at the sight. He immediately flipped over, crashing to the ground, avoiding Jackâs grasping hand, and slid toward Lille while holding a handgunâ
Bang, bang!
Two heavy sounds corresponded with two mechanical arms snapping his leg and arm, pinning him firmly to the ground!
The fight lasted less than 10 seconds, and the doorstep to Super Dream Night Club was covered in blood, oil, shattered bones, and components.
"Ahhh!!!!"
The man on the ground screamed in terror, the burly woman with one arm left cradled her arm and knelt on the ground, her originally cold and icy gaze replaced with despair.
Turning to the leader still on his knees, his pupils continuously shifting colors, had lost their light, his organs pressing down on his sliced body, dangling to the sides, even slipping out of the wound...
The mechanical arms moved away from the body and casually picked up the handgun from the ground.
Lille looked at the handgun and said to them, "Technically, since you guys drew your blades, I should be sending you to the morgue.
But Night City is a welcoming place. Better hurry and take this idiot to a doctor. Maybe you can still save his life."
In the entire squad, only the sturdy woman with one arm was still able to move properly; she clumsily stuffed the leaderâs organs back in.
Cradling the leader in one arm, helping another comrade with the other, they left amidst pitiful glances, hobbling away in humiliation.
Emmerick nodded at Lille and gestured for the three of them to enter, moving aside.
Entering the Super Dream, V commented disdainfully, "Save a life? My guess is the Scavengers are going to strip them bare."
Jack nodded in agreement, "Even if they found a good Samaritan, theyâd probably spend the rest of their lives tube-fed, ÂĄPobrecito (Poor guy)."
Some people outside, having witnessed the scene, silently left the corridorâ it seemed that if they wanted to get in, theyâd have to follow the rules of Super Dream Night Club.
Time to find some work.