2: The big shots after Chapter 2
The security gate of Viktor's clinic closed behind him.
The reassuring scent of antiseptic was shut out.
Lin Yi stood on the streets of Watson, where a stench mixed with exhaust fumes, trash, and cheap synthetic perfume hit him in the face.
His ears were filled with the roar of AV engines, the noise of street advertisements, and the faint, distant sound of sirens.
"Night City..." he muttered under his breath.
He subconsciously touched his abdomen, where only a slight itch from the newly formed granulation tissue remained.
Viktor's handiwork was impeccable, but 3,700—it had almost emptied half of the assets he had inherited from this body.
The pressure of survival was more real than the wound.
He needed to find work, and fast.
"Ugh! No～ pow～ er～!"
Continue tinkering with the original host's engineering skills? Too conspicuous.
Kang Tao's pursuers might still be looking for him.
Go move bricks? This physique probably wouldn't handle it.
Should he really go set up a fortune-telling stall under the overpass?
He wandered aimlessly, and before he knew it, he had walked back near Misty's Esoterica.
Perhaps, subconsciously, this place that had saved his life could bring him a sense of security.
Just as he approached the door, he heard a booming, slightly boastful voice coming from inside—
"...Hahaha, don't worry, Misty! It's a small matter! What kind of storms haven't I, Jackie, seen while out on the streets? It's as easy as taking candy from a baby carriage. Once it's done, I'll treat you to a drink!"
Lin Yi's footsteps faltered.
His heart skipped a beat.
This voice... it was way too damn familiar!
He cautiously peeked inside—a burly man with a mohawk and a flamboyant smile was leaning against the counter, gesticulating wildly as he bragged to Misty.
Who else could it be but Jackie Welles?
"Jackie..." Lin Yi silently repeated the name in his heart.
A complex surge of emotions welled up.
It was the sense of familiarity from seeing this "bro" from the game, as well as the sigh of knowing his tragic fate.
But most importantly, a thought became instantly clear—
This guy was loyal and righteous, and he knew his way around the streets.
He was a partner who could be relied upon.
To survive in this man-eating city, getting to know him was a solid move.
How to make contact? Walking up and saying "I'm your fan" would definitely get him pegged as a lunatic.
He held his breath, pretending to look at the tarot poster by the door, while pricking up his ears.
He heard Misty say, with a hint of worry: "Give it a rest, Jackie. Stealing a car... that's messing with a corporation, after all. I've got a bad feeling about this. When exactly are you going to do it?"
Jackie lowered his voice slightly, but that air of confidence remained unchanged: "The night after tomorrow. I can't say much about the details, you know the rules. But don't worry, my plan is solid..."
Afterwards, Jackie started bragging about how flawless the plan was.
But Lin Yi couldn't hear it anymore.
"The night after tomorrow... stealing a car..." These keywords hit him like bullets.
A piece of dusty game memory was suddenly activated—
That wasn't some flawless plan at all.
That was a goddamn corporate trap meant for mercenaries!
Originally, he had been lucky enough to have his life saved by an acquaintance in the NCPD, but this time... if it wasn't the Streetkid V storyline, there was no telling which NCPD officers would show up.
For an insignificant mercenary, Arasaka's elites—like that psycho named Oda—would definitely pressure the NCPD and never show mercy.
Killing the chicken to scare the monkey.
That wouldn't be as simple as just getting a beating.
Lin Yi's brain raced.
An opportunity.
A perfect opportunity.
He didn't need to stop Jackie. He just needed to... wait.
Wait for the plan to fail. Wait for Jackie to fall into a desperate situation.
Then, like a god descending from heaven—uh, no, like a helpful citizen just passing by—provide him with a crucial piece of "intelligence" and a pre-prepared "way out."
Two days later.
Lin Yi staked out the familiar route to the port in Heywood in advance.
The cold night rain fell in a drizzle, and the neon lights became blurred.
His heart was beating fast—half nervousness, half excitement.
Sure enough, not long after, the sound of intense gunfire and the loud crash of vehicles echoed from the distance!
Soon, Jackie Welles' iconic, burly figure rushed out of an alley in a miserable state.
Behind him were dense laser fire and the roars of Arasaka security.
He was fighting while retreating, clearly in big trouble.
Lin Yi seized the moment and lunged out from the shadows.
Pretending to be a "passerby startled by the gunfire," he ran "frantically" toward Jackie.
The moment they brushed past each other, he shouted in the fastest speed, lowering his voice—
"Hey! Big guy! If you want to live, listen to me! Run to the old textile factory in Heywood! There's a hole in the fence there! Go!"
Jackie was stunned for a moment.
He looked in disbelief at this strange, pale-faced young man in the rainy night.
Did Anderson betray him? Heywood? This information came too abruptly—but the firepower of the pursuers behind him was getting stronger, and bullets had grazed his scalp a few times; he couldn't afford to think too much!
"Who the fuck are you?!"
"If you want to live, trust me!"
After shouting this, Lin Yi immediately turned and ducked into another alley, disappearing without a trace.
Jackie gritted his teeth, deciding to treat a dead horse as a living one, and made a sharp turn, sprinting for his life toward Heywood.
...
The next evening.
The atmosphere in El Coyote Cojo was lively.
Lin Yi sat alone in a corner, his heart drumming nervously.
Did the plan succeed?
Just then, a huge figure blocked the light in front of him.
Jackie Welles stood there, his expression complex, holding two beers in his hands.
He slammed one glass of beer in front of Lin Yi and then sat heavily across from him.
"Yesterday... thanks, mano."
Jackie's voice was low and earnest, lacking its usual flamboyance.
"Those Arasaka bastards... if I hadn't fought back, I'd probably be 'resting peacefully' like those things on the riverbed of Tokyo Bay."
He took a big gulp of beer, his eyes filled with lingering fear and anger: "I followed the route you told me, and that's how I managed to squeeze out through that hole and escape the disaster."
He looked up, staring intensely at Lin Yi: "That route, that hole—it wasn't a coincidence. I had scouted the place before and never found it. Who the hell are you? How did you know what I was doing?"
Lin Yi met his gaze.
He breathed a sigh of relief inside. A smile that feigned profoundness while showing a hint of helplessness appeared on his face.
He pointed to his own head:
"If I said I calculated it, would you believe me? Mysterious Eastern power, you know."
"By the way, my name is Lin Yi. That reading yesterday—consider it you owing me a life, and a glass of beer."
Jackie stared at him blankly for a few seconds.
Suddenly, he burst into a booming laugh and slapped Lin Yi's shoulder hard, almost knocking him apart.
"Hahaha! Good! That was spot on!"
"I, Jackie Welles, always repay a debt of gratitude! From today on, you, Lin Yi, are my brother! From now on in Watson, if I have a bite to eat, you have a bite to eat! Come on, drink!"
Two glasses slammed together.
Foam splashed.
Lin Yi looked at the hearty man in front of him, and a heavy weight finally lifted from his heart.
The first cornerstone of his life in Night City—firmly laid.