Chapter 313 - 291: Everyone Mobilizes_2

The shadows, fragmented by the heterogeneously colored neon lights, became sparse.

The odor of various synthetic condiments overpowered the stench of the slum itself, mingling with the rising steam and blending into the sounds of people’s laughter and the general hustle and bustle.

If one listened carefully, the alleyway also harbored indescribable sounds: demands for money during robberies, cries of alarm from theft victims, gunshots...

At the stall, Jack was devouring a bowl of synthetic beef noodles.

The news on the stall broadcasted:

"The gang riot in Watson North District continues, with incessant gunfire, and residents are living in fear..."

V, holding his chopsticks, pointed at Lille, "Let me get this straight, there are still quite a few places involved in the gunfight: the warehouse of Respectable Logistics, the oil storage;

Jianli Group and Biodynamic’s chemical warehouse and prosthetics shop... What does this mean, the Vortex Gang has threatened so many companies?"

It appears that this is indeed the case.

As the oldest gang in Night City, the Vortex Gang’s influence on the city might be deeper than Lille thought.

V immediately added, "But honestly speaking, the Vortex Gang does have some tricks up their sleeve, although they can’t compare to us.

I never liked to use prosthetics before because I knew someone who used to nag about prosthetics all the time.

He made his first fortune, then lost his hand, couldn’t afford the original prosthetics and software, so he used pirate versions from the Vortex Gang."

Jack finished his soup, stacking the empty bowl on top of a large pile of bowls next to him.

Wiping his mouth, he prepared to begin his next bowl as he interjected, "I guess later that guy’s hand failed him at a crucial moment and he kicked the bucket."

"Exactly, but what could he do? Nobody can afford the originals."

V and Jack clearly had similar memories in this aspect.

But Jack’s might have been even more profound. He blew on his noodles and said, "The guy I know had it even worse, he had a brother who got caught by the Vortex Gang during his time with the Valentinos, and they experimented with some new gadget on him.

Those inhumane bastards, when the kid was found, his own mother couldn’t recognize him.

It’s been years now, and he’s still not back to normal."

"If I remember correctly, you’ve told this story before."

"This is another one, this one is still alive."

Their conversation suddenly sparked an idea in Lille, making him aware of a blind spot in his previous thought:

Technology was almost no issue for him; he understood everything from the prosthetics on his body to the vehicles and weapons he used, he could even assemble them by hand.

But what about others?

The companies’ services were not cheap, and street kids didn’t even have the right to take loans.

Yet in this city, even sex dolls had to be cosmetically enhanced first, let alone physical microsculpturing.

Prosthetics and equipment determined how far you could go, a belief held by most, and to a great extent, it was a reality.

This indeed broadened his perspective somewhat.

As Lille was receiving feedback from Brick and collecting and adjusting drivers, the TV at the stall broadcasted new news:

"The situation continues to escalate!"

"A large explosion was observed in Watson North District, with witnesses claiming military-grade equipment was seen at the scene!"

"Given the current escalation, the Terrorist Mobile Team may get involved..."

[Beep.]

[Sender: Brick]

[Brick: Bring on something fierce! Can you get Si Anweisitan connected to a mecha?]

[Brick: And explosives, whatever you can get, I need them all! Either deliver them to me or to people at these locations, I approve!]

[Mysterious Hero: Sure thing, open the remote port for me.]

Need more supplies?

Lille raised an eyebrow; he had thought that equipping Brick with a Centaur Mecha would have secured a victory, at least a small one for Brick.

But now it seemed the situation had changed.

Almost immediately, a second communicator sent a message.

[Sender: Jefferson Peralares]

[Jefferson: Burger King! Watson District has turned into a mess! Have you forgotten our commission!]

[Jefferson: They’re claiming that activated combat mechas with stolen Military Technology are out there, and the big corporations are restless!]

[Jefferson: It’s urgent! Think of something fast!]

[Jefferson: We must secure control of Watson District!]

[Burger King: Centaur Mecha? Are you talking about the one advertised on the Military Technology website? That’s too dangerous.]

[Burger King: Add money.]

[Jefferson: How much more do you want to add?]

[Burger King: Five times the reward.]

[Jefferson: Deal—just make it quick.]

Then the third communicator:

[Sender: Meredith Stout]

[Meredith: Military Technology had a batch of goods stolen by the Vortex Gang, help us retrieve them.]

[Meredith: Don’t let the Terrorist Mobile Team and NCPD get solid evidence.]

Then the fourth communicator:

[Sender: Cheson]

[Cheson: Boss, all the arms are collected, but I heard that NCPD blocked off the Watson North District.]

[Burger King: You just handle the delivery, try to collect more from the Six Street Gang—if he raises the price, forget it.]

[Cheson: More? It’s already hundreds of thousands, can the Vortex Gang handle that?]

[Burger King: Don’t worry, if they can’t handle it, I’ve got it.]

The fifth communicator.

[Sender: Pann’an Palmer]

[Pann’an: Lille, NCPD has blocked the roads, there’s constant fighting here, how do we pull out?]

[Lille: No need to pull out, wait for me, I’m going in.]

[Lille: Contact some of our people to bring in new cars.]

Click.

Jack finished his last bowl of noodles, the stall covered with his empty bowls.

"Whew... feels so good, eating with the berserk module on, feels kinda twisted."

Lille got up: "It is twisted, but we’ll be too late if we eat later."

V stretched lazily and then leaned on Lille: "Finally some action, heard in the news, this isn’t smaller than the Skyscraper incident, huh?"

"It isn’t."

Lille thought the more people, the better, just as the sixth communicator messaged.

[Sender: David Martinez]

[David: Big brother! I’ve already taken care of Regina’s commission!]

[David: Any other jobs, please consider me!]

[David: I’ve completely transformed!]

[Burger King: Good, then come over, we’re preparing a trip to Watson North District.]

[David: Ah? Isn’t that place locked down? I heard the Vortex Gang is using military-grade Combat Mecha to wreck havoc.]

[Burger King: Yes, that Watson North District.]

[Burger King: Coming or not?]

David fell silent.

Following V’s comment, Jack added: "The Skyscraper incident was cool, but I liked the Six Street Gang incident more, with how many convoys were following us, that was so badass!"

"What a coincidence."

Lille sat in the car, started to configure a special mechanical exoskeleton in the backseat, and all other equipment he’d use.

The data to process was so hefty that he directly picked up the car’s deep-diving interface, preparing to plug it into his head.

"This time we also have many vehicles."

This time it’s all hands on deck.