[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer":3,"chapter-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-222":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Cyberpunk: Cross-dimensional Science and Engineering",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1151713,1495,"Chapter 222 - 204: The Sponsor Who Came Knocking","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-222",222,"\u003Cp>[Caller: Old Captain]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Captain: Hey—Daddy, you’re finally back! Want to come by the store?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille: What’s up?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Captain: Ah, nothing serious, just wanted the daddies to check out the new business we started.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Captain: Speaking of business, there actually is something... Daddy, did you guys steal a vehicle from the Military Technology Forces in Evil Land?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille: Just a little scrimmage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Captain: Daddy, take a look, is this your vehicle? [Image]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The image quality was poor, only showing a car flying over the heads of Military Technology soldiers in the moonlight, with a brawny man preparing to jump from atop it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille had seen this photo at Mercedes too: Military Technology had spread some fake news internally, creating true and false cover for themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was mainly to mask their defeat, especially since the wall explosion was too big an incident to hide, and also to mislead other companies and organizations into a false sense of effectiveness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of the circulated photos were fake and edited, but some were quite authentic; this one was real, albeit blurry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, one thing was clear from any angle: this vehicle was definitely not a Mackinaw, not even a Thunder Power car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille: It’s ours, what’s the issue?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Captain: Here’s the thing, Thunder Company saw this image, and they expressed they’d like you to continue using their cars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille: Endorsement fee?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Captain: That definitely can’t be omitted, what kind of men are the daddies? How can they work for free?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Captain: Actually, Thunder Company is freaking out. Because of this, the stock exchange even introduced a Mackinaw-themed stock, specifically designed to fleece naive investors; always cut when it falls—but they want to bleed it a bit more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Captain: Of course, if Daddy finds them annoying, we can drop this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille: Let’s meet in person, give me a location.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Captain: You got it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t expect to land a windfall right upon entering the city, lucky break.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This phone call also meant that Mackinaw was now within reach of cell signals near Night City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bustling city once again filled the trio’s entire field of view, free from Military Technology’s jurisdiction, highways clear and unobstructed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>V leaned out the window, the wind blowing in her face was stinkier than in Evil Land, mingled with the sharp scent of chemical waste—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this, this was the hallmark of Night City, the scent of freedom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wuhu! Night City!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, V noticed a gang-decorated sports car pulling up, its occupants staring intently at the Mackinaw...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>V immediately showed an irritated expression, \"Just entered the city and already something’s up? Driving a sports car makes you special...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as she was about to draw her gun, the people in the car let out exclamations of admiration—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Man, bro, good taste, huh? Which shop modded this Mackinaw to battle-worn like that? Looks real, man, those bullet holes... did you hit it with a sniper rifle?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>V’s hand paused on her gun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guys in the sports car seemed like they were from the Six Street Gang, looking at the Mackinaw not as just some truck, but like it was a limited edition sports car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if V was the one riding in a sports car, and they were driving around in a beat-up van...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This utterly confused V.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Stop bullshitting, get your guns ready!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The person in the passenger seat slapped the driver, and their car quickly chased after a commercial sedan ahead; just another day in Night City, some gang rookie trying to hit on corporate dogs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The passenger also looked enviously at the Mackinaw’s battle-worn shell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gunfight broke out quickly, the Mackinaw revved up and sped past the conflict zone, leaving explosions and stray bullets behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two more vehicles exploded behind them, the firelight reflecting on the glass, causing some kind of explosion in V’s mind too...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"... Are we not driving a Mackinaw now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jack nodded, \"Genuine classic, see this car insignia.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then... what they just said, why did it sound sorta confusing to me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mackinaw flaunted through the city, people on the streets showing looks of admiration, V felt like she was seeing her past self in their eyes—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, she too would look at awesome sports cars with that expression, though of course, she hid it better than they did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be the value of Mackinaw... had actually increased?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>V rubbed her ears, again hearing an advertisement from the streets:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"All-Food Burger King, gripping the ’big fellow’ burger, a heritage from fifty years ago’s exclusive traditional brand...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>V rubbed her eyes, seeing the billboard introducing some kind...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Burger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Burger!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A billboard featured a man in a suit with a terror-stricken face being stabbed between two pieces of bread by a hot dog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>V, wide-eyed, blurted out, \"Damn... what is all this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille clicked his tongue in amazement: \"To think Whole Foods dug this thing up from their patent library, pretty freaking impressive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jack nodded silently to himself: \"Are we on TV now? I gotta go home and tell my mom I was on TV... never mind, better not say anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where are we heading now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Old Captain’s custom shop.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sponsorship for a free ride, don’t say no when it’s free, Lille still owes over a million...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The car stopped at the intersection, ahead were cars packed tightly; oddly enough, today the traffic seemed a bit too congested.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stop and go, stop and go, the trio subsequently saw many \"familiar\" advertisements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stuff like \"Drive a Mackinaw, enjoy a legendary life\"; \"Eat at Burger King, taste the flavorful world\" kept popping up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they passed through Saint Domingo, some makeshift custom car shops had put up signs: Enter here for battle-damaged Mackinaw styling, Burger King fast food store 100 meters ahead, turn left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The key was that these shops were actually doing good business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the street, several thugs appeared to be waiting for car mods; one Mohawk guy, with his arms crossed, boasted to the others:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, coming to me was the right choice, I know what that Mackinaw looked like, matte black, and later modified to red with black stripes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was there both times!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why was it matte black to start with?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you stupid? The guy first used it for a terror attack downtown, could he not repaint it before driving it out again, unless he wanted to die?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then why didn’t they just change cars?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nonsense, the car’s quality is good! You have no idea, that night I watched it drive right past my building, clear as day!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stop the BS, black edition 500 euros, red with black stripes 1000 euros, battle damage adds 500 euros.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn, your paint made of gold, or the gun made of gold?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Heh, you see anyone else with firsthand witness these days? Nearly everyone who was there that night is dead now, I saw it with my own eyes, this, my friend, is called intellectual property and copyright fees!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You think it’s expensive? I think it’s expensive too!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A customer looking for a car mod sized up the kid then, as they raised their head to think, they happened to see the trio’s Mackinaw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly pointing at the car he asked, \"Hold on, that car looks just like the real thing, red and black stripes, bullet holes...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hustling youngster scoffed, \"How could that be? That... that car is fake! A copy!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then how come yours is real?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hah, I run a custom paint shop, you think I’d sell you a fake paint job?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m asking you, is this paint job guaranteed authentic?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The youngster was suddenly dissatisfied, alarm bells ringing in his mind: \"You’re just picking a fight, aren’t you? You modding or not?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If this model is authentic, I’d definitely mod it! But what if it’s not real?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If it ain’t real, I’ll tie myself down and let the cars run me over, alright?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, the traffic light finally turned green, and the Mackinaw slowly moved toward the street block, followed respectfully by a white Mizutani MZ2 sports car that had suddenly turned out from a street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Mizutani, you see, was not uncommon in the core city area, but it was rare in Saint Domingo—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially this black and white painted car, as Saint Domingo had recently swallowed up Faraday, a well-known middleman, and Old Captain just happened to own such a car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone knew Old Captain had deep ties with those three big shots...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suspicious, unwelcoming glances turned toward the youngster who had been boasting just a moment ago; the latter panicked: \"It’s a show! Definitely a damn show!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he finished, Mizutani rolled down the window, and Old Captain Muammar respectfully leaned out, saluted the Mackinaw, then drove ahead to lead the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the air became quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The youngster, pale-faced, was just about to run off when the thugs grabbed him and pinned him to the ground, calling over their mates to drive the car out—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pig-like scream echoed through the street, quieting down with the sound of the engines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jack shivered: \"Does someone scream like that every day in Saint Domingo? It’s damn creepy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille and V nodded in agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In broad daylight, no less.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why all the screaming.\u003C\u002Fp>",1548,"2026-06-03T12:33:12.909Z","2026-06-03T12:33:19.802Z",1,"novelbin.me","c231ac57dd0b8f32bb91cd8a30c67842af33fa5fca98f9ab5963591b5346ca43","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-223","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-221",1068,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cover.jpg"]