24: Chapter 24 The Family's Olive Branch

Carrying the mission target, the "galena" did not turn towards El Coyote Cojo.

Jackie gripped the steering wheel, paused at the intersection for a few seconds, then signaled. The car slid quietly through two blocks, finally stopping in front of the small church where the Padre usually preached.

The church was dark at night.

Only a faint, dark red glow leaked from behind the stained glass, like something that was breathing.

Lin Yi got out of the car, looked up at the blurred outline of the icon on the stained glass, and said nothing.

Jackie dragged Miguel out from the back seat.

The kid hadn't dared to look up the entire way, and now, being pulled by the wrist by Jackie toward the church side door, his steps were so short he was almost dragging his feet.

He didn't struggle. He probably knew he had no right to struggle.

In the small room behind the church, the Padre was already waiting. He sat behind an old wooden table, on which lay an old, worn Bible. Seeing Miguel brought in, he didn't get up, just closed the Bible and pushed it aside.

There was no usual gentle smile on his face. In its place was a heavy, suffocating silence.

Jackie pressed Miguel into a chair, then turned and closed the door. Before the door closed, he exchanged a look with Lin Yi through the gap—then gently shut it.

The barrier of wood and stained glass wasn't very thick.

The Padre's voice could be faintly heard. It wasn't a roar, but a reprimand kept extremely low, every word sounding as if it had been crushed between his teeth before being released. Miguel's sobbing seeped out through the door gap intermittently, mixed with incoherent excuses, followed by an even deeper silence.

The whole process didn't take long.

But the air outside felt like a tightly wound spring.

Lin Yi sat on a bench, back against the cold wall, hands folded on his knees, eyes half-closed. Jackie stood opposite him, arms crossed, staring at the tightly closed wooden door, the muscles of his jaw occasionally tightening.

Not out of anger.

It was tension. It was the anxiety of "knowing the judgment is underway but being unable to carry it out oneself."

The door opened.

The Padre walked out and gently closed the door. The dim light in the hallway made the wrinkles on his face appear deeper. He looked at Jackie and Lin Yi, was silent for a moment, then spoke.

"He confessed. He did leak a few pieces of dock scheduling information to the Tyger Claws in exchange for a small share of their business in the north of the city."

He shook his head.

"Foolish. But not irredeemable."

He didn't specify the punishment. Lin Yi didn't ask either. That wasn't something an outsider should inquire about.

"Mr. Lin." The Padre's gaze turned to him, with something more in his eyes, "I heard from Jackie—it was you who noticed the anomaly with the bodyguard and neutralized the threat in advance. Thank you for tonight."

Lin Yi bowed his head slightly. "It was my duty."

He didn't say more. As always. Attempting to lower his own presence.

A glimmer of something akin to appreciation flashed in the Padre's eyes.

"According to the family rules, Miguel will be punished. But he is still one of the Valentinos." He paused, his tone becoming softer, as if explaining, or perhaps convincing himself, "The family gives young people chances. But the price is loyalty."

The subject suddenly shifted.

The Padre took half a step forward. This half-step wasn't big, but his entire aura suddenly drew closer—not with oppression, but with gravity.

"Jackie is a child of our Heywood. And you, Mr. Lin—" He paused, as if choosing the right word, "Although you come from the outside. But your actions have already proven many things. Your ability. Your attitude towards this neighborhood. Your attitude towards Jackie."

He looked into Lin Yi's eyes.

"I, Sebastian Ibarra, representing the Valentinos of Heywood, formally invite you—to join us. Here, you will have a place. A real family. The Valentinos will protect you just as they protect every family member."

These words were not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Lin Yi could hear the weight of every word.

This was an olive branch. And a promise. It was the most valuable thing in Heywood.

Jackie turned his head to look at him, his eyes shining. The unsaid words were clearly written on his face—"Brother, say yes. Let's make it big together and create new glories."

Lin Yi felt it.

This expectation pressed in like a physical object, carrying warmth, carrying a certain temptation akin to "home." He lowered his head, silent for a few seconds.

He knew he had almost nodded.

But something held him back.

Kang Tao was still in the shadows. The trouble on him was not something these street gangs could handle. If he dragged the Valentinos into it—dragging the Padre, Jackie, and those faces in El Coyote Cojo who nodded at him every day into a vortex beyond their weight class—that wouldn't be repaying kindness. It would be returning kindness with ingratitude.

There was another thing, deeper. He hadn't mentioned it to anyone.

What he wanted wasn't someone's position. Not a gang affiliation, not a corporate contract, nor a backer that allowed one to walk sideways in Night City. Those were things given by others. What he wanted was something he took for himself.

He raised his head, meeting the Padre's gaze.

"Padre," his voice was steady, without any evasion, "I accept this gesture from you and the Valentinos. It's not just politeness—I am truly grateful. To me, Heywood already feels like a home. Jackie is my brother. That point, whether I join or not, will never change."

He paused for a beat.

"But my path might not be quite what you imagine. I have some trouble on me. Not street-level trouble. I don't want one day, because of my affairs, to make the family pay for me. That is not my intention." He spoke calmly, but every word was so sincere it needed no embellishment, "If I could choose—I would rather stand on the side of the Valentinos as a friend. Not as a member."

The room was quiet for an instant.

It was the kind of silence that had been carefully weighed.

Jackie's expression changed for an instant. Not anger, but disappointment. But that disappointment was quickly covered by something else—he couldn't say what it was, but Lin Yi saw him nodding, a small movement, as if acknowledging it. As if saying, fine, you guy, that's just your temper.

Then he reached out and slapped Lin Yi's shoulder heavily.

It was quite forceful. But this time he said nothing. One action was enough.

The Padre looked at him for a long time. Not appraising. Trying to understand something he hadn't said. Then the corners of his mouth slowly relaxed, and that familiar, gentle, and wise smile reappeared on his face.

"I understand."

He nodded.

"The status of a friend is sometimes more precious than being a family member. And more free." There was a hint of imperceptible melancholy in his tone, but more of it was respect, "Mr. Lin, the doors of the Valentinos are always open to you. Whether you are a member of the family or not—you are a friend of Heywood. You are Jackie Welles's brother. That means you are our brother. In the future, if you need anything, as long as it doesn't violate the fundamental principles of the family, just say the word."

This was not just empty talk.

Lin Yi could weigh the gravity of every word.

He stood up and bowed solemnly. "Thank you, Padre."

When they left the church, the night had deepened. The streets of Heywood were still the same—the barbecue stand at the corner was still smoking, someone on the second floor was playing music on the balcony, and motorcycles roared by in the distance. All the sounds were mixed together, chaotic. But listening to it was more reassuring than any silence.

Jackie caught up, throwing an arm directly around Lin Yi's neck, pressing him down forcefully.

"Hey, brother, don't mind it." He had Lin Yi in a headlock, squeezing until he could barely breathe, then released him and ruffled the back of his head, "Whether you join or not, you are my brother for life, Jackie Welles. Heywood is your home. Whoever bullies you, I'll be the first to dig up their ancestral grave. Understand?"

"Understood."

Lin Yi's mouth twisted from being choked, but he didn't dodge.

Sitting in the passenger seat of the "galena," the neon light strips outside swept across the windshield, their colors suddenly not so blinding.

"Let's go!" Jackie slapped the steering wheel, suddenly excited, "El Coyote Cojo! My mom definitely saved the best tequila for tonight! We have to celebrate properly—celebrate this job well done tonight, and celebrate you officially becoming one of our own in Heywood!"

The "galena" let out a low growl and turned onto the main street of Heywood. The neon light strips stretched into blurred colorful lines outside the car window, leaving the night far behind. Lin Yi leaned against the window, not speaking, but he could feel something very real slowly sinking into his chest. Not weight. It was roots.

In Night City, there are many people who can survive. There are few who can have roots.

He was lucky enough to become the latter. Although he refused the gang status, he exchanged it for something heavier than status—the friendship of the Valentinos, the Padre's respect, and that undiluted "brother" from Jackie.

These were the powers of the street, and also his true trump card for standing firm in the shadow of the corporations in the future.

He leaned against the car window, the neon light flickering on his face.

All of this depended on himself. And also on that thing that was always silently operating in the shadows, clearing the path ahead for him. It was quietly lying dormant in the depths of his consciousness, like a beast that had retracted its claws.

Bai Ze. And Insight.