It took Carl half an hour to find a computer on the first floor. There was nothing directly related to the job, but what he saw was still interesting. The screen showed records of recent attacks on corporations and clashes with multiple gangs.
"Maelstrom caused trouble again in Kabuki yesterday." That was something Carl had heard from a news broadcast when he first arrived. Combined with the 6th Street weapons transport linked to Oliver being hit, and the Corpo Rats crate being stolen, the pattern was clear.
Maelstrom was preparing for something big. Whatever it was, it was not small.
It had nothing to do with him anyway. He was just a nobody who had arrived in Night City two days ago. Even if he had killed over twenty Maelstrom members by now, that was nothing compared to a gang with over a thousand people.
"I found the crate."
Oliver's message came through, along with the location. Carl cut the connection to the computer and casually fired a shot from his Militech Lexington to destroy the data.
It was not about covering tracks, since they were already caught on cameras. He just wanted to test the gun. The Militech Lexington could not punch through Subdermal Armor, but it was more than enough to wreck a computer, even if the bullet got stuck inside.
"That will do," he thought. The penetration was still lacking, and maybe it really was time for a new gun.
By the time he reached Oliver, Jack Welles was already there. The crate matched the description from the employer exactly and sat in the middle of the room.
Carl nodded at them and called the employer. After a few seconds, the call connected.
"How did the job go."
This number had clearly been made just for the contract. The other side knew who was calling right away.
"We have the crate. Do you need verification?"
"What does it look like?"
Carl checked the crate and reported the details, including the red flower symbol on its surface.
"That is the one. Destroy it."
"Understood."
Carl nodded to Oliver. Oliver moved to a nearby access point and linked into the room's cameras to record.
Carl stepped back while Jack Welles tied several grenades to the crate. He pushed it into a corner away from them, pulled the pins, and ran.
Five seconds later, the grenades detonated. The crate shattered into pieces, and in the instant before it broke apart, Carl thought he saw strips of data chips inside. Everything vanished into fire and fragments.
After waiting a moment, Oliver unplugged and sent the video file to Carl. Carl forwarded it to the employer.
A little over ten seconds later, the call ended. A message came through at the same time.
"You did very well. You were not overly curious, and I am satisfied."
Seven thousand Eurodollars appeared in Carl's account. The payment was immediate and clean, which made the employer a good one by Night City standards.
"Well?" Oliver asked, glancing at the debris.
"It is in. I will transfer your shares now."
A moment later, Oliver received a notice for twenty-three thousand three hundred Eurodollars. Jack Welles received the same.
"There is a hundred Eurodollars left that is hard to split," Carl said. "Let us use it for dinner. We will find a decent place tonight."
"I know a few good spots," Jack Welles said, agreeing. "Though if we go there, a hundred Eurodollars might not be enough. I can send some back."
"Forget it. I will cover the extra."
With a casual wave from Carl, their small team finished its first job. The total payout was one hundred thousand Eurodollars.
Inside Victor's Ripperdoc Clinic, Viktor Vektor worked on Jack Welles's wounds while asking the question casually. He cleaned and sealed the injuries with steady hands, his eyes calm as if this were routine. The clinic lights reflected off metal tools and old posters on the walls, making the place feel both cold and familiar.
"So you guys pulled off a big job this time?" Viktor Vektor asked.
"More or less," Jack Welles replied. "A job against the Corpo Rats. We almost didn't make it back alive."
Jack Welles went on, explaining that they had sold off most of the weapons and scraps. Each of them ended up with around forty thousand, though gear from Maelstrom did not fetch much on the market, and only a single Crusher Shotgun was kept.
"Coming back alive is already good enough," Viktor Vektor said.
He took out a cartridge-style stitching tool and pressed it against Jack Welles's hand. With a sharp click, the wound closed, and Viktor Vektor gave his uninjured arm a light pat before stepping back and sitting down in his chair. "All done. Take some Pneumatic Injector with you when you leave. If you run into something like this again, inject yourself first and it will go a lot smoother."
"How much for the treatment and the Pneumatic Injector, Viktor Vektor?" Jack Welles asked.
"Consider it a celebration for finishing a big job," Viktor Vektor said. "This one's on me."
He waved off Jack Welles, along with Carl and Oliver who were waiting nearby. "Just bring me more business in the future."
A soft chime sounded as Viktor Vektor turned back to his computer and resumed watching the boxing match he never seemed to get tired of.
"Thanks, Viktor Vektor. I'll bring some food and drinks next time and we'll have a couple," Jack Welles said.
He rolled his shoulders, confirmed that everything moved freely, and walked over to Carl and Oliver. "Alright, let's go celebrate this job going smoothly."
"Any restaurant you recommend?" Oliver asked. "I'm not very familiar with Watson District."
"There's a pretty good Japanese place over in Kabuki. How about we eat there?" Jack Welles said.
He looked at Carl for his opinion. Carl hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Japanese food, huh. It's been a while, so sure. But isn't Kabuki all about people messing with each other? There's a decent place there?"
"Even people who mess around all day need to eat," Jack Welles said. "Don't worry, the food's solid. I haven't had truly authentic Japanese food either, but this one's good."
With Jack Welles pushing the idea, the three of them got into Oliver's car and headed toward Kabuki. Along the way, they talked about how they planned to spend their forty thousand.
Forty thousand Eurodollars in Night City was more than the total assets of over ninety percent of families. Even among mercs, very few people ever managed to save that much, since most spent their pay as soon as it came in. For those who did try to save, getting past ten thousand was already difficult.
At the bottom level, many mercs were not even as well equipped or capable as ordinary members of Maelstrom.
Jack Welles was the first to settle on a plan. "I'll keep ten thousand saved for a car or a bike. The other thirty thousand, I'll go to Viktor Vektor and get myself a set of Subdermal Armor. The armor on that Maelstrom psycho today couldn't even be pierced by a Copperhead. If I get a full set, I'll be in great shape."
He had no intention of stripping implants from the dead Maelstrom member. Part of it was personal, since he respected the dead and hated scavengers who treated corpses like spare parts. The other part was practical, as implants taken from others were tuned for different bodies and often caused problems, sometimes even triggering cyber psychosis.
Cyber psychosis was a mental illness caused by the body rejecting excessive implants and the strain they put on the mind. People who suffered from it often became unstable and violent, pushed by overloaded or failing systems. Even in Night City, such cases were handled by special teams, and Jack Welles had no interest in risking that just to save some money.
Hearing this, Oliver grew curious about the car Jack Welles planned to buy. "Ten thousand is enough for a normal used car, right? What kind are you thinking about?"
"At least something with four seats," Jack Welles said.