163: Interlude 1 Mercenary Mission Part 2/3/4

[Task Type]: Mercenary Contract Mission

[Task Name]: Part Two - Electronic Ghost in Blood Alley

[Task Requirements]: Kill "Ling Bu" while ensuring private data is not uploaded to Night City's public sub-network

[Task Restriction - Time]: None

[Task Restriction - Location]: Watson District, Little Chinatown Underground Black Market, Abandoned "Neon Carp" Ripperdoc Clinic

[Task Restriction - Other]: None

[Task Reward]: 50,000 euro, 100 System Points, <Module: Better Iron Golem 1.0>

[Task Penalty]: None

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[Task Type]: Mercenary Contract Mission

[Task Name]: Part Three - Death Squad's New Toy

[Task Requirements]: Deal with the "Six Street Gang" defector leader

[Task Restriction - Time]: None

[Task Restriction - Location]: Heywood, Vista del Rey, Alley two streets north of the "Afterlife" bar (Secret Passage)

[Task Restriction - Other]: None

[Task Reward]: 50,000 euro, 100 System Points, <Module: Better Villager 1.0>

[Task Penalty]: None

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[Task Type]: Mercenary Contract Mission

[Task Name]: Part Four - Cyber Mad Flower's Revenge

[Task Requirements]: Kill "Mad Flower" / Help "Mad Flower" escape Night City

[Task Restriction - Time]: None

[Task Restriction - Location]: Japan Street, Kabuki District, East side of "Twisted Street", Abandoned ripperdoc clinic near the All Foods plant

[Task Restriction - Other]: None

[Task Reward]: 50,000 euro / 100,000 euro, 100 System Points, <Module: Lord and Territory and Subjects 1.0>

[Task Penalty]: None

Currently Available Information:

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Side Story: Alice and Jocho's Married Life (Buckle Family Daily Life Record 1)

...

Alice's cybernetic eyes automatically adjusted their brightness in the dark.

She carefully got out of bed, but the somewhat old steel bed frame still let out a slight creaking sound.

Jocho, half-asleep, reached out and felt the empty spot on the bed.

"Ally, sleep for another half hour..."

His voice was sleepy, and his military-grade cybernetic hand unconsciously closed, as if trying to grasp something.

Alice leaned over and placed a kiss on his forehead, then adjusted the white noise generator (cyber-sleep aid, they say) by his pillow.

This old device was something Jocho had picked up from a junk market; the seller said it could help old soldiers like him sleep more soundly.

As it turned out, the thing was somewhat useful.

In the kitchen, the automatic coffee machine let out a slight hum.

Alice had modified this machine using a scrapped cybernetic coolant pump; the coffee it brewed often had a strange metallic taste.

Most people couldn't stand the taste, but according to Jocho, he liked it; it was very strong.

Alice carried a cup of synthetic coffee out of the tent and went to the ripperdoc RV, where she began repairing the damaged cybernetics that family members had given her after last night's Nightwalker attack.

After a while, the RV door was gently pushed open, and Jocho walked in, holding a paper bag.

"You only slept for two hours again last night?"

Jocho frowned, his expression showing worry and reproach.

Then, he took out a steaming hot synthetic meat pie from the paper bag and handed it to Alice.

Alice took the food, took a bite, and squinted her eyes in satisfaction.

"Last night, several injured people's neural connections were almost burned out; I had to prioritize dealing with them."

"..."

Jocho had nothing to say and could only let out a light sigh.

"Ah~. You've worked hard."

He walked around behind Alice, gently pressed his fingers onto her shoulders, and activated the precise massage program built into his cybernetic hand to help her relieve muscle fatigue.

"Don't wear yourself out, Ally."

Alice replied in a playful tone:

"Don't worry, honey, I know my limits."

"As for you, be more careful when you're on missions."

...

8:00 AM, Family Restaurant.

Members of the Buckle Family came and went, went and came.

Noisy conversations, hearty laughter, the clinking of cutlery... various sounds mixed together, giving off a unique sense of everyday life.

Jocho sat down with his tray, and Alice sat next to him, eating breakfast while flipping through the latest version of the cybernetics repair technical guide.

Just as Jocho wanted to get close to Alice, Clan Leader Karl walked over.

He lightly tapped the table.

"Jocho, there are two things I need to ask you to do today."

Karl's voice was steady and powerful:

"First, we need to negotiate a deal with the 'Anvil' gang. Second, the military-grade cybernetics we just took back from the Nightwalkers need to be delivered to the employer in Night City."

Jocho and Alice exchanged glances.

"I'll deliver the cybernetics first, and then go to the 'Anvil' stronghold to talk."

"I remember they still owed us a favor from last time that they haven't cashed in. With that leverage, negotiating the deal should be very easy."

Karl nodded:

"Okay. When you go to the 'Anvil' stronghold, don't forget to bring two good hands, and be careful on the road."

Jocho raised his hand and made an "OK" gesture.

After Karl finished giving instructions, he turned and left.

After Karl walked a bit further away, Alice leaned in towards Jocho:

"Most of that batch of cybernetics is intact; I've done my best to repair the damaged ones."

Jocho pinched Alice's cheek with his hand:

"I'm confident when you handle things."

...

10:00 AM, a long line formed in front of Alice's RV clinic.

Family members, more or less, had some cybernetic issues that needed Alice's help to tune.

Some complained about their arm's hydraulic system lagging, some felt their visual enhancer's colors were distorted, and others had their cybernetics malfunction because they "accidentally" downloaded some strange software.

"How many times have I told you not to buy cybernetics from second-hand dealers!"

Alice, while using a scalpel to clear infected tissue, coldly reprimanded the young mercenary in front of her.

The mercenary, who had spent a lot of money on subcutaneous armor and could only afford second-hand Mantis Blades, was grimacing in pain but didn't dare to retort.

Jocho leaned against the doorframe, watching this scene, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

[This kid, just like me back then, really values his life.]

Alice glared at him:

"What are you laughing at? You're the same! Last time you overclocked your Sandiwestan without permission, you almost burned out your nerves!"

Jocho raised his hands, his expression innocent:

"I was wrong, Ally. I'll definitely follow your instructions from now on."

Alice lightly snorted:

"Hmph. You only say nice things; when the crucial moment comes, you immediately throw my instructions to the back of your mind."

"I'm not saying you have to follow my instructions in a critical situation; I just hope you can care more about your body than you do now."

Jocho smiled again:

"Okay."

Not long after, Alice finished dealing with the young family member's problem.

Suddenly, a young family member rushed into the clinic holding a mechanical cat.

This old model pet cat, which should have been retired three years ago, was now wrapped in colorful wires, and its left ear was twitching unnaturally.

Alice was a bit speechless, saying as she washed her hands:

"How many times have I said the clinic doesn't take pets..."

"But it has the neural pain simulator you designed on it, so it counts as your pet, right?"

Toby's expression was tense:

"Lately, it keeps banging its head against the wall; I suspect there might be something wrong with the neural pain simulator."

Jocho leaned against the sterilization cabinet, stifling a laugh.

Alice looked at him with a cold gaze.

Jocho's face immediately became serious, as if nothing had happened just now.

Alice took the mechanical cat and, after a careful examination, found that the malfunction was caused by the emotional feedback module overheating.

"Go get the miniature heatsink from workbench number 3."

She said to Jocho:

"And while you're at it, hand over the snacks you hid in your tactical belt."

Jocho's face fell, and he pulled out a bag of synthetic savory crackers from his belt.

He had originally wanted to eat them all by himself, but now he couldn't.

However, who could guarantee that this wasn't the scene Jocho truly wanted to see?

...

12:30 PM, rare break time.

Alice and Jocho snuck up to the RV roof; only they could get up here, making it a small haven.

Jocho was peeling an apple with a tactical knife.

One cut, two cuts..., the apple was gradually cut into the shape of a rabbit.

This was a little trick Jocho learned in the military.

Alice always said he was childish for doing this, but every time she would eat it all without leaving a single bit, and she wouldn't share it with anyone, not even Jocho.

"Near the original lake district, there's an abandoned weather station."

Jocho stuck the "rabbit" on the tip of the knife and handed it over:

"The roof is made of reinforced glass; lying on it to watch the stars is truly one of the best sights. I'll take you to try it next time."

Alice bit into the apple, and sweet juice flowed down the corner of her mouth.

Jocho raised his hand and gently wiped away the juice that was about to drip from Alice's mouth with his thumb.

This action reminded Alice of the alley fight three years ago; back then, he had also used the same motion to wipe the blood from her face.

After a moment of daze, Alice came back to her senses.

She stared intently into Jocho's eyes:

"You said this; you must take me if you get the chance."

Jocho gave a thumbs-up, indicating that he would definitely keep his word.

...

4:00 PM.

Jocho had just finished a delivery mission when Alice's call came in.

"Emergency."

Her voice rarely carried a hint of anxiety:

"A family member has been targeted by the 'Cleaners' in the Old Town."

"He still has a tracking signal on him, but if we don't rescue him quickly, the situation will be very bad."

Jocho's eyes instantly turned cold:

"Send me the location, I'll be right there."

Ten minutes later, Jocho arrived at the Cleaners' stronghold with the vanguard squad.

He didn't use Sandiwestan, but instead quickly dealt with the sentries using Krennikov and precise marksmanship.

What followed was an overwhelming massacre.

Finally, the family member was brought back safely.

"Thank you, Jocho."

Jocho patted his shoulder:

"It's what I should do."

...

"Ally, you washed my tactical vest again?"

Jocho stood at the bathroom door, holding his wet gear, with a "Lavender Fresh" fabric softener label hanging on the door.

Alice glanced at him in the mirror, didn't turn around, and continued rinsing her body.

"Because it smelled like a morgue, I couldn't help but give it a full body spa."

"That was the 'masculine scent' I specifically left behind."

Alice turned around, slapped a nano cleaning patch on his chest, and chuckled softly:

"So I smelled it first, fully appreciated it, and then washed it clean."

Jocho nodded in satisfaction.

"That's more like it."

He hung the vest to dry at the air vent outlet and secretly put Alice's hair tie on his wrist.

This way, when he went on a mission tomorrow, he could smell the lemon shampoo scent on Alice anytime.

After a passionate shower.

11:00 PM.

Jocho, incredibly sleepy, hugged Alice and mumbled:

"Next time... I'll definitely take you..."

Alice leaned against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, and gently closed her eyes.

"Mm."