182: Rise to Fame

Old Captain and his subordinates had been waiting at Warehouse Pier 166 for a long time.

"Honestly, Fang Yun, I didn't expect you to complete the commission so quickly, and with such high quality."

"I was mentally prepared for you to mess up one or two commissions."

"After all, the three commissions I assigned you required Hacker skills beyond the average person, extremely swift action, and combat power comparable to a quasi-legendary."

"Now it seems I underestimated you before."

"Possessing impressive Hacker skills, a decisive way of acting, and powerful close-quarters combat ability, in Night City, you can truly be called a top-tier mercenary."

Old Captain leaned against his thunder, smoking and talking.

Since Old Captain became a middleman, he had seen countless mercenaries. He had seen mercenaries like Fang Yun, who were well-rounded and had strong comprehensive abilities, but he rarely formed stable employment relationships with them, as most of those mercenaries already had their own trusted middlemen.

Although if he were given two more years, Old Captain was confident he could become one of Night City's top middlemen, capable of even commanding legendary mercenaries.

However, up until now, he was just a newly promoted ordinary first-class middleman, without even a single usable exclusive quasi-legendary mercenary under him.

For Fang Yun, this powerful mercenary who appeared suddenly, with unknown origins and no affiliation, Old Captain genuinely wanted to form a connection.

Fast, accurate, ruthless.

Commissions that would take a while for a 'gang boss' to solve, Fang Yun completed in less than two days.

This level of strength was the fundamental reason that impressed Old Captain.

In addition, Old Captain also saw something indescribable in Fang Yun that other mercenaries lacked.

After a moment of contemplation, Old Captain made up his mind and spoke again:

"Fang Yun, for these three commissions, I'll give you an additional 20% commission. How about we become friends?"

Fang Yun shrugged, his tone somewhat teasing:

"A 20% commission just to be friends with me? I don't consider myself a euro; it's impossible for everyone to like me, and even a euro isn't liked by everyone. Just tell me directly, what are your demands?"

Old Captain extinguished his cigarette, exhaled a puff of smoke, and let out a hearty laugh:

"Hahaha, straightforward enough. Then I'll be direct: I hope you'll help me become a top middleman in Night City."

"...How will you help? Tell me in detail."

"No refusal. It seems Fang Yun is quite confident in his own strength."

This thought flashed through Old Captain's mind, and the smile on his face grew wider.

"It's very simple. In general, until you help me become a top middleman in Night City, or cumulatively help me complete fifty commission tasks, you need to prioritize my commissions, even if you have already accepted commission tasks from other middlemen."

"At the same time, you also need to help me handle at least one tricky commission each month. Of course, this isn't permanent; it will last for a maximum of six months from the moment you agree."

Fang Yun raised his hand, stroking his chin, and thought for a while:

"So, you've talked about the cost, what about the benefits? What benefits do I get from working for you?"

"The benefit is that you'll receive 60% of the total reward for each mission, and you'll also get all the most accurate intelligence I can gather."

"Commission intelligence is provided for free, and other intelligence will be discounted by 20% for you."

Old Captain lit another cigarette, puffing smoke as he waited for Fang Yun's reply.

"..."

"Distribute the mission rewards to me as normal, and convert the excess into other services, such as helping me smuggle some items. How about that?"

Old Captain took two puffs of his cigarette and slowly exhaled:

"That's possible, but I want to know why."

Fang Yun turned to look at Valentine and Toke, then turned his head back.

"Mainly, some things are hard to find on the market, so I want to use your channels to buy things at cost price. Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you."

"Hmm..."

Old Captain looked at Valentine and Toke next to Fang Yun:

"Okay, no problem."

"So, our cooperation is settled?"

Fang Yun nodded:

"You pay the reward, I complete the commission. It's that simple."

"Good, our cooperation officially begins today."

"I'm taking Mad Flower; the reward for this order will be transferred to you immediately."

"I'll look for suitable commissions when I get back, and then we'll get in touch."

"The commissions I assign you will get harder and harder in the future. I hope you can handle it."

Fang Yun chuckled softly:

"You don't need to worry about that; just go ahead and climb higher with confidence."

Old Captain threw his cigarette butt to the ground and stomped it out, then waved to Fang Yun:

"I hope so. Talk later."

"Talk later."

"Vroom—"

Old Captain opened the car door, sat in the driver's seat, and drove away, with several of his subordinates responsible for receiving Mad Flower following closely behind.

After watching Old Captain and his group leave, Valentine took two steps closer to Fang Yun.

"Fang Yun,... thank you."

Toke also walked to Fang Yun's side and patted him on the shoulder.

"Hey, what's there to thank? I'm also a part of the Bakr Family; it's my duty to contribute to the family."

Valentine said nothing more, simply silently noting Fang Yun's efforts in his heart.

Toke sighed with satisfaction:

"From now on, the family's daily necessities and military supplies can be purchased from Old Captain at cost price. This way, the family's funds can be used for more important things."

"For future commissions, call me and Valentine along. Although we can't provide combat support, if it's just for vigilance, it shouldn't be a big problem."

"OK."

"This way, before establishing the 'Spark Organization,' there will be kind people helping me support the Bakr Family."

"And I can also use Old Captain to build good relationships with the middleman community, which will reduce the pressure when I take over Night City later."

"Ding! Congratulations, Host."

"<Mercenary Commission Mission: Part 3 - Death Squad's New Toy> has been completed."

"Now issuing mission rewards: 50,000 euro, 100 System points, <Module: Better Villagers 1.0>."

"Ding! Congratulations, Host."

"<Mercenary Commission Mission: Part 4 - Cyber Mad Flower's Revenge> has been completed."

"Now issuing mission rewards: 100,000 euro, 100 System points, <Module: Lords, Territories, and Subjects 1.0>."

"Ding! Congratulations, Host."

"<Main Mission: The Beginning of Blood and Fire - Stage 1> has been completed."

"Now issuing mission rewards: 1000 System points, <Module: Stronger Iron Golem 1.0>."

"Ding! Sufficient elements detected."

"<Main Mission: The Beginning of Blood and Fire - Stage 2> has been triggered."

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【Mission Type】: Main Mission

【Mission Name】: The Beginning of Blood and Fire - Stage 2

【Mission Requirement】: Become an elite-level mercenary according to System evaluation (Street Reputation reaches Level 10)

【Mission Limit - Time】: By the end of December 2075

【Mission Limit - Location】: Night City

【Mission Limit - Other】: None

【Mission Reward】: 1000 System points, <Module: Exquisite Backpack 1.0>

【Mission Penalty】: Series mission <The Beginning of Blood and Fire> terminated

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"Ding! Current Reputation Level: 1."