Chapter 489 - 460: Legend Night Talk

[Reaver: Your judgment was correct. The Brain Demon Gang has placed tiny transmitters in many corners throughout the city via a complex network of underground spaces.]

[Reaver: The interference array can completely erase a crime that occurs in a certain area from the NCPD’s police monitoring system, by simply killing all witnesses. It’ll be quite some time before we can detect any issues.]

[Reaver: Many gangs have revived, and they’ve been increasingly active lately. It seems they all want to get a head start in this race. Your plan is even more potent than addictive drugs.]

[Reaver: The streets are even more chaotic these days, with gunfights happening around the clock except during the mandated curfew.]

[Reaver: Guess what I heard when I was out on the streets yesterday? People are actually starting to thank those old gangs.]

[Reaver: It’s really crazy.]

"Wuhu!"

A nearly ten-ton pickup was speeding over the dunes of Evil Land. If it had been any other vehicle, its suspension would probably have failed within a minute at that speed.

V stood in the cargo area, facing the flying dust—

True, driving such a vehicle, even if the dust hits your face, it is exciting enough.

Jack typed frantically in the back seat:

[Mercenary Manual—Vehicle Section:]

[Rookies, remember, there’s only one kind of vehicle you need: spacious, high-powered, and capable of moving across the pothole-filled Evil Land at 80 mph...]

Jack looked up at the speedometer.

[90...]

He looked again, it had reached 100!

"Mano!" Jack shouted excitedly to Lille, "Can we go even faster?!"

"Any higher would be unsafe!"

The voice of the vehicle’s wild twisting, the engine’s roar, and the sound of the vehicle bumping on the rocky and uneven surface made their conversation just a shout—

With any other vehicle, driving at such a speed on the uneven and possibly crater-filled surface of Evil Land would have shattered it by now!

Bang!

Just as he thought this, the vehicle thundered over a large pit.

The thick tires nearly smashed directly into the pit’s edge, causing severe fluctuations in the suspension system. With another vehicle, it would have been a crash killing everyone!

Jack turned back to continue typing.

[...speeding at 100 mph, yet also capable of carrying a 10 ton load, stuffing the trunk full of ammunition and gear, and defending against explosives and sniper bullets—a super pickup!]

[What? You ask where to get such a thing? Dream on, brother! Haha!]

"So badass!"

The vehicle sped through the moonlit Evil Land, with Jack and V’s cheers echoing through the air.

The vehicle kept going for a long, long time until the throttle line reached the middle—

This meant they had burned through 80 liters of compressed hydrogen-alcohol 2 fuel, a special aerospace fuel created by dissolving a certain amount of hydrogen gas into a specific concentration of alcohol 2 solvent, with an energy density of about 90MJ/kg, without a doubt a super high-energy fuel.

The cost of fuel alone came to 3,000 euros, equivalent to two months’ living expenses for an ordinary Night City resident.

The vehicle stopped on a mound, and V jumped into the passenger seat from the window.

Just then, directly in front of the vehicle was Night City—

The sky-reaching holographic advertising strips, towering skyscrapers, hovering transport vehicles crossing the moon.

"Phew—" V let out a long breath, propping her legs on the passenger side dashboard. The seat automatically moved back a bit, giving her room to lie down comfortably.

Luxury.

"...It’s really beautiful, Night City."

"Yeah, I’ve never looked at the city from here before, but for the first time, I think this shitty city looks pretty good."

Jack also put down his unfinished masterpiece and gazed at the dazzling lights of Night City.

The colorful light pollution was like people’s colorful dreams—hard to say whether it’s good-looking or not, just purely complicated.

After all systems checked out normally, Lille also looked up, just as a rocket flew into the sky.

Seeing the expressions of the two beside him, Lille laughed, "If you weren’t rich, you’d probably be here sulking and cursing."

"Watch your words." V glanced at Lille, "You’re the only one here who’s in debt for over two million."

Jack chuckled and slapped Lille on the shoulder, "Life has truly been worth it, just one more thing left. What do you guys think about how I should confess to Misty?"

"No!" Lille hurriedly spoke up, "This matter hasn’t been settled yet, don’t you know it’s bad luck to talk about that at this time?"

What about finishing this job then going back to confess and get married, the flag was raised too high!

"Uh..." Jack scratched his head, "How is that bad luck? Besides, it’s the only thing I’m thinking about right now."

I’ve played the big brother role, got amazing prosthetics installed, driven nice cars, and still have $500,000 lying in my account.

If someone had told the Jack from a few years ago that one day he’d get this far, perhaps the Jack from back then would have decided to wash his hands clean of the underworld right there and then.

But it’s funny how destiny works, he indeed couldn’t just wash his hands clean yet.

There was still Lille’s health problem unresolved.

Thinking of this, he poked V, "V, how about you?"

Lille looked helplessly at Jack: What does he mean, this kid isn’t content with just setting his own flag but also drags others into setting theirs.

"I..."

V was even more out of ideas: To think that the V from a few years ago wouldn’t even comprehend this huge amount of money in the bank!

Unknowingly becoming super rich.

She and Jack shared the same thought, as she thought about it, her expression suddenly turned dangerous, looking at Lille: "Why don’t you speak up? I get the feeling you aren’t in a rush to survive at all."

"Surviving..."

Lille thought about it and also felt oddly reflective.

Compared to his struggles in Atlanta, where he had been scheming to make money and trade organs for survival, he indeed unknowingly cared less about it now.

"...Survival is mandatory, but living spectacularly seems more appealing."

V smirked dismissively, "That’s such a dumb saying, sounds like something a shady boss would say to deceive others: you should live spectacularly, buy a big house, nice cars, fancy prosthetics...

And then the deceived ends up toiling away at their job, can you talk about something real for a change?"

Night City, every year, lures immigrants here with that deception: infinite possibilities, freedom of choice.

Of course, it’s perilous, but you can’t expect to lie in bed sleeping and rise to dominate the world, can you?

Now Lille was also uncertain.

It would be easier to deal with if it was in another world. He hoped to give his mother a better life and unknowingly carried the hopes of many.

If it came to an assignment in Marvel World, it would involve eradicating the fear in people’s hearts, stopping a war from tearing the world apart, preventing demons from being birthed through fear.

As he pondered, he lay back in his chair, watching the colorful lights of Night City.

As for those living in Night City, whether they were frantic street kids or timid office workers, since they had come here they knew stepping outside for a stroll might just end them, but they sought wealth amidst danger.

They arrived in this city of dreams, where anyone was accepted, only to have their dreams crushed and distorted by the dreams of others, just like the light pollution emitted by this city had almost every color spectrum, with each color blazing brightly.

Struggling to stand out from this colored hell.

This spectacle was glaring, discordant, but...truly unique and eye-catching.

This city was too real.

Was it all just... sheerly for survival?

But if it were people clinging to survival at the brink of death, they wouldn’t likely have such...

pleasant memories and feelings, right?

"Maybe it is just... purely thrilling?"

V suddenly leaned in close, her face blocking Lille’s view, staring earnestly at him: "So, you’ve become a cybermadman?"

"Get lost."

Jack chuckled again and patted Lille’s shoulder once more, "Mano, you’re a smart guy, but you’re not clear on this aspect."

V gave Lille an inscrutable look, then went back to her seat.

"In any case... don’t die too soon; you still owe me a lot of money."

"Don’t worry, I won’t die."

"Best not die."