Chapter 390 - 362: After the Event Gathering (Part 1)

"Didn’t expect you to get the prize in the end..." V marveled at the prize inside the box, "When did you learn to play with sniper rifles?"

Lille shook his head mysteriously, "Picked it up at a glance."

Had he learned?

Actually, no. If you only consider practical skills, Lille’s combat level was alarmingly poor.

However, in terms of posture control, Little Octopus could take over the prosthetics and Octopus Arm to assist, enabling Lille to perform gymnast-level moves.

Sniper skills were roughly the same: Little Octopus could optimize Si Anweisitan by acquiring motion data and recording V’s combat postures.

This way, while it couldn’t fully replicate V’s sniping skills, it was far above Lille’s own level.

In fact, it wasn’t even Lille who fired the shot, but Little Octopus...

Auto-aim still counts as aiming!

V skeptically said, "Picked it up at a glance? Doesn’t look like it."

Lille didn’t argue but looked towards the others in the open space—

They were now in a gathering place frequently visited by the Man gang, backed by a flashing charging station called TURBO, which operated during the day mainly providing prosthetic charging services for citizens with active prosthetics.

This was also Six Street Gang’s territory; the shop paid tribute to the gang every month.

Gradually, the Six Street Gang members liked to charge their prosthetics here. When the crowd grew, they needed to wait, and waiting led them to find food and drinks. Eventually, it turned into a well-equipped gathering spot.

Currently, the shop was also shut down due to a massive EMP, which physically damaged electronic equipment, needing time for repairs.

But the blackout didn’t dampen people’s spirits—now was the time to celebrate victory.

The open space was crowded with people, more drinks were brought to the makeshift open-air bar. Since the shop had no power, they resorted to manual bartending.

Man, the seasoned veteran, chatted and laughed with a few familiar street folks, including members of Six Street Gang and some workers.

One of his arms was disabled and slung across his chest, while the other healthy arm was pouring alcohol into his mouth.

"Drink, drink, drink!"

Lost in the cheers, Man downed his drink in one gulp, then tossed the empty bottle into the air. It flew with a whoosh and smashed against the wall.

"Awesome!"

Man wiped his mouth with a big grin and pointed at the onlookers, "This bit of booze... just a little... Do you know Burger King? I was chatting happily with them... hic."

Dolly, grinning broadly, slapped Man’s head with a bang, then grabbed a drink for herself.

They were all injured, but it didn’t stop them from celebrating exuberantly—

For this job, in one night, each of them earned thirteen thousand euros!

"I’m gonna get a new Mackinaw for my mother!" Man said before collapsing onto the table, drunken eyes staring at Dolly, who stared back.

As they stared, they started making out, dizzy and disoriented.

Following Lille’s gaze, V saw this scene as well but soon realized Lille wasn’t looking at the couple, but searching for David.

David was sitting at a large makeshift table made from scrap boards, covered with food and drinks, with Lucy sitting next to him.

Pila was performing tricks with his agile mechanical prosthetics in the open space on the opposite side of the table.

Rebecca sat across from Lucy and David, wearing a stern expression, emitting a "do not approach" aura.

V nudged Lille, "What are you looking at?"

"I think this kid has great potential. Considering the time, he’s only been a mercenary for about half a year, and his track record is quite impressive."

"Quite impressive?" V leaned back, the chair creaked, and she propped her legs on the table, "I don’t think so."

Lille glanced at V, "You need to look at things with the right perspective. Jack, what do you think?"

Jack, sitting formally at the table, was staring at the sky, lost in thought. Hearing Lille’s voice, he turned and said, "You have a point, but honestly, starting out on the streets at his age, it’s a bit late."

"Heroes aren’t judged by age, having achievements is all that matters."

V asked back, "So, what are you trying to say?"

"I’m thinking sometimes we really need others to lend a hand. They did pretty well these times; maybe we should distribute some gear and techniques to them."

David initially seemed like a fool, but that was then; now is now. Lille wouldn’t judge the present by the past.

The current David, although still occasionally awkward and lacking that streetwise vibe, pulled the trigger faster than any street kid. Thanks to the knowledge learned at school, he handled situations more logically.

This mission had no simple adversaries. Being able to gain the upper hand in confrontations proved David had truly entered the elite ranks.

V nonchalantly shook her head, "I don’t care about that; if you think it’s okay, it is."

Lille chuckled, "I remember a while back you were quite unmotivated. Aren’t you curious about what drives this kid?"

He then called out to David, who immediately jumped off his chair and came over.

As he approached, Lucy leaned on her hand, half-squinting at her boyfriend.

V was indeed a bit curious about Lille’s words: Humans are like that, nosy.

Especially now, V’s life was getting more comfortable, enjoying fights and counting money to the point of hand fatigue.

David walked over quickly, greeting people along the way—being exceptionally polite, his good upbringing somewhat out of place here.

But it wasn’t foul-mouthed mercenaries who garnered respect; everyone spoke through their skills.

Although somewhat peculiar, David had indeed integrated into this lifestyle.

"Big brother!" David grinned brightly, standing in front of Lille, then saluted like a member of Six Street Gang.

This kid had really become more cheerful, even learning to joke.

So Lille waved his hand, "At ease. Sit down; I have a few questions for you."

David chuckled, sat down in front of Lille, and thoughtfully opened a few cans of soda.

"First question, what do you think of being a mercenary?"

This question seemed to catch Jack’s attention, and he quietly leaned in.

"It suits me very well," David said without hesitation, "I really like this feeling."

V raised an eyebrow, "What feeling? Killing?"

"Uh... no." David was stumped by V’s question. After thinking it over, he continued, "I just like the feeling of reaping rewards for my hard work and having each step feel solid.

When I was at Arasaka Academy, teachers often said things like ’hard work pays off’, and back then I thought it was all nonsense.

Now I’ve figured it out. There’s nothing wrong with that saying; I was just working hard on the wrong path."

David looked at his fist with the enthusiasm of a young man, gently clenching it, "In this city, those who aren’t determined to grip their weapons will never gain freedom."

Jack suddenly interjected, "What does your mom say?"

"Uh..." David scratched his head, "Of course, she doesn’t want me to do this. She wants me to complete my courses at Arasaka Academy, work at Arasaka Company, be an executive, and be a somebody."

"Haha!" Jack slapped David on the shoulder, "That’s spot on, just what she said!""

Lille thought about this too: In a sense, Jack and David were indeed alike in this aspect.

Mrs. Wales also hoped Jack wouldn’t do these dangerous things and would become a respectable person.

Perhaps the only difference is that David listens to his mom more, whereas Jack listens halfway, leaving the gang but sticking to being a mercenary without a chance at school.

Lille continued, "Okay, onto the second question. Since you believe you’re on the right path, what’s the end goal on this path?"

David looked at Lucy, who was staring at him from a distance. The three of them followed his gaze and looked over too.

Being stared at, Lucy awkwardly looked away.

David chuckled, "First, buying my mom a car, and then... that’s a secret."