"I said, when are you finally going to take me to see Maine and the others?"
A pleasant voice, clean and a bit mature, sounded in Jax's ear. He turned to see Lucy sitting on the windowsill, looking at him as she spoke.
Seeing Jax look over, she continued, "Jax, it's already the third day."
"Hmm… The holiday isn't over yet. Maine and the others just finished their implants and are currently adapting to them. Dorio said he's been at Viktor's place lately, with Viktor helping to look after him."
Jax thought for a moment and then began to update Lucy on the status of the other team members.
"Sasha is still in Dogtown, saying she hasn't finished dealing with her sister's affairs. She mentioned that her incredibly stupid brother-in-law has gotten involved with another small gang in Dogtown, but Sasha said it would be over soon and not to worry.
Pilar and Rebecca are with Wakako. Oh, right, you probably don't know Wakako. She's a very capable Fixer, her territory is in Japantown. With her help, Pilar and Rebecca now have a new car and have even bought better cyberware."
"Kiwi is…"
Lucy looked at Jax, interrupting him exasperatedly, "Is that what I'm asking about?"
Over the past two days, Jax and Lucy had often spent time together, going out to eat, shopping, watching Braindance, and… watching Braindance at each other's homes.
Of course, 'that' didn't happen. Jax and Lucy's current relationship was probably that of close Braindance buddies?
They had spent the night together in bed, but they hadn't done anything intimate.
Lucy rested her chin on her hand, looking lazily at Jax, and continued, "What I want to know is what Maine and the others think about me joining."
"They're certainly welcoming you with open arms." Jax smiled, then said with a peculiar expression, "Especially Pilar. When he heard you were joining us, he immediately said he wanted to drive over and take you out for a drink."
"No thanks, I don't really like him." Lucy rolled her eyes at the mention of it.
Pilar… that lanky monkey with long cybernetic arms and a face like rubber.
That guy, both in appearance and personality, was the kind of person Lucy disliked the most…
It was bad enough that he was ugly, but he was also so jumpy. Someone whose life philosophy completely clashed with Lucy's, ha, she really couldn't be friends with someone like that.
However… Jax was different.
Strong, gentle, good-tempered, very reserved…
Speaking of which, are all East Asians like this?
Lucy looked at Jax's face, suddenly wondering.
"Anyway, don't worry, I've already talked to Maine and the others. Everyone is very welcoming of you." Jax smiled at Lucy.
Hmm… they should all be quite welcoming.
Except for Sasha and Rebecca…
When Sasha learned that Lucy was officially joining the team, she immediately expressed her displeasure, saying that the team already had two Netrunners and didn't need any more. But Maine immediately dismissed Sasha's idea.
He reiterated that you can never have too many Netrunners.
Besides, once recruited into the team, they wouldn't just be freeloading. If they wanted a share of the money, they had to work. The money they received might increase, but wouldn't the amount of work also increase?
And more people mean more power! The more people there are, the less effort each person has to put in!
Moreover, Maine was no longer just focused on developing the team… Now, he indeed had a pretty big idea, and he had already started implementing it.
"In short, you don't need to worry too much…"
Mid-sentence, Jax suddenly froze.
A call interrupted Jax. He looked at the caller ID and saw it was Old Captain calling.
Although he didn't know why Old Captain was suddenly calling him, Jax still gestured to Lucy, then answered the phone. "Hey, Jax, I think you might be in trouble. To ensure we can cooperate happily in the future, I've brought you some news. I hope it helps you." On the video call, Old Captain, with her punk pixie cut, said with a serious expression.
Jax paused after hearing this and asked, "What?"
"Hmm?" Old Captain was startled, then said with a strange expression, "Your team hasn't made any moves recently. I thought it was because… never mind, it seems you have no idea."
Before Jax could ask, Old Captain quickly said, "Arasaka seems very interested in you. It's already spread throughout our circles that Arasaka wants to capture you.
They're probably going to use you for some experiment. Haven't the Moxes contacted you? Damn, I really didn't expect that."
"Never mind, I'll keep it simple. In short, the Tyger Claws are targeting the Moxes to force you to show yourself.
They know about your connection with the Moxes and are worried that if they target you, they might not catch you and you'd escape. This whole thing was orchestrated by a bastard named Faraday from Santo Domingo.
Regarding this guy, he appeared around this time last year. He's ruthless, cunning, and insidious. Many mercenaries have been screwed over by him, but because he has connections with Arasaka's higher-ups, no one dares to trouble him. This time, he's gone straight to being Arasaka's dog."
"Since you don't know, then keep it that way. Pretend nothing happened, or… run away and hide for a while, then come back later. In half a year, everyone will have forgotten about you."
Old Captain spoke very seriously to Jax.
Seeing Jax's face gradually grow cold, he coughed and said, "Alright, don't tell anyone what I've told you.
I don't want to get into trouble, which is why I called instead of emailing. That's it, good luck."
Old Captain finished speaking and quickly hung up.
"What's wrong?" Lucy asked, looking at Jax's expression.
But Jax didn't answer Lucy. Instead, he quickly dialed a number.
The phone rang for dozens of seconds but didn't connect. Then, Jax saw this and dialed another number.
Ten-odd seconds later, the call connected.
"Hello?"
"Is there something you guys aren't telling me?" Jax asked.
On the other end of the line, Anna paused, then rolled her eyes, "You already know? I told you, even if we kept it from you, Night City is only so big.
Even if Susie Q had people block the news and prevent it from spreading, she can control our mouths, but can she control other people's mouths? How long can she hide it?"
"But I have to say, Susie Q is right. She rarely makes mistakes. Jax, just don't get involved in this…"
Jax interrupted Anna, his voice hardening, "Tell me, Anna, what exactly happened on our end?"
"…" Anna fell silent, meeting Jax's gaze. After a moment, she sighed and said, "The Tyger Claws are back, and it's different from before. This time, they're serious.
Last night, two of our warehouses were trashed, and some of the sisters guarding the warehouses were injured. And this morning, three sisters who were working part-time on Jig-Jig Street were harmed by the Tyger Claws. One died, and two are now in the hospital."
"Susie Q said these bastards are after you, and some in the gang said to hand you over, but Aunt Kolina slapped them twice, and then they quieted down.
Kolina said that handing you over would only make our situation worse. If something happened to you, then the Moxes would truly have no future.
She and Susie Q are of the same mind; they both told us not to tell you about this, but how long can it be hidden? Susie Q thought she could handle it before you found out, but… how is that possible?"
"But Jax, don't worry, we've already started fighting back. The sisters have all stopped work, Lizzies is closed, and we're now clashing with the Tyger Claws! And just now, I took down two Tyger Claws bastards downstairs at the corporate tower." Anna said with a laugh.
She told Jax not to worry, and she was smiling as she said these things, but Anna's eyes held a deep weariness.
She was very tired, truly very tired.
She hadn't rested in almost two days.
From the moment the Tyger Claws suddenly attacked the Moxes, Anna had participated as a main force in the gang war. In these two days, she had led teams in firefights no less than ten times, big and small, killing over a dozen Tyger Claws members.
But it was completely useless.
The Tyger Claws are a large gang, and they are now determined to make trouble for the Moxes. If it weren't for the fact that they seemed to be planning something,
Then… they could have overrun the Moxes in a single night.
"Tell Susie Q I'll have a good talk with her about this." Jax suppressed his anger, trying to speak calmly with Anna.
"Don't always make me take the blame, you should let Wheeler take it sometimes…"
After hanging up, Jax silently looked at his hand, then he made another call.
"Viktor, how's my weapon coming along?"
"It's not completely perfected yet, but it's mostly done. What's wrong? You seem a bit off. Are you in a hurry to use it now?"
Viktor's gentle voice sounded.
"Yes, I need a weapon. I'll be over at your place soon." Jax quickly said.
Lucy had moved closer to Jax. She looked at him, sitting quietly beside him.
Jax made another call. This time, it was to Rogue.
1
3
"Hello?" Rogue's voice sounded. At this moment, she was sitting in her car.
"Rogue, about the Moxes…" Jax began.
Rogue roughly interrupted Jax, saying coldly, "Don't come to me about this. There's no way I'm getting involved. Ultimately, you're the one who attracted Arasaka's attention.
Just three days ago, an Arasaka corporate dog commissioned a group of Fixers and orchestrated this whole thing. I'm telling you, Jax, if you want to survive, then stay put. With your skills and my intel, you'll be fine in Night City."
"But if you insist on getting involved with the Moxes' situation, then you're walking into a trap, and I can't protect you. You wouldn't be such a foolish man, would you?" Rogue said seriously to Jax.
Jax listened, smiled, and then hung up the phone directly.
He hadn't intended for Rogue to help, because Rogue had emphasized to Jax very early on that gangs are gangs, and Edgerunners are Edgerunners.
Furthermore, Rogue's relationship with Arasaka was unclear. Making this call was simply Jax hoping to get more information from Rogue.
"What happened?" Lucy asked softly.
"Nothing, just a little… something happened at home." Jax smiled at Lucy, then he stood up and walked to the door,
put on his jacket, and picked up the baseball cap from the cabinet.
"I have to go take care of some things. Let's call it a day for now. Next time we have a chance, we'll watch Braindance together again." Jax said to Lucy.
Lucy paused, wanting to say something, but Jax had already pushed open the door and walked out.
"Damn it, he dared to hang up on me?"
In the car heading towards Charter Hill, Rogue cursed. Little Weyland, sitting in the passenger seat, heard this and immediately asked, "What's he planning to do?"
"What else can he do?" Rogue pushed her hair back from her forehead, leaned back, and said irritably, "From the moment I recruited that kid, I knew he was a restless one."
Little Weyland chuckled foolishly and said, "Didn't you already know he would do this?"
"Get lost, you idiot." Rogue cursed him, then fell silent.
She had indeed expected Jax to make this choice. After all… that guy's empathy was off the charts, and he was different from that bastard Johnny, who said one thing and did another.
"Michiko's people should be arriving soon. Have you thought about what you're going to say?"
"What else can I say?" Rogue closed her eyes and said, "Besides asking that young lady for a favor, to see if she can protect him, what else can I do?"
"She doesn't seem easy to talk to…" Little Weyland thought for a moment and said,
"Heh, someone who could make deals with the American president in her teens, become an idol throughout Night City during the Red Era, use public opinion to attack Arasaka,
and become the leader of Arasaka's third largest faction—is that someone easy to talk to?" Rogue opened her eyes and said coldly.
"Alright, be quiet, and stop bothering my thoughts."
Little Weyland grumbled softly, "How boring. He made you angry, why are you taking it out on me?"
As he spoke, he looked out the window, arriving in Night City's rich district.