Chapter 49: Chapter 47 The Incense with a Metallic Scent (Please Follow!)

"V, Jack, are you at the Wild Wolf Bar? The client from the last job wants to meet us.

Just as well, I have an idea, let’s meet there."

Jack: "My place is right here, what do you think, bro."

V: "I’m at Jack’s place, finally got some work, seeing you at home all day, I thought you were dead.

You should come out more often for a run or something, sis will take you."

Lille: "Night running in Night City? Do you think you have too many bullets or your scalp is too hard? I rented some exercise equipment at home."

V: "I can’t stand your always thinking attitude, I’ll sort you out one day."

Lille was showering and recalling a scene from an anime, suddenly stunned.

Yes, why did David and Lucy go night running?

Maybe because they were poor.

...

The Wild Wolf Bar, run by Jack’s mom, Mrs. Wales. To some extent, the Wild Wolf was like Haywood’s Afterlife nightclub—a gathering spot for mercenaries, fixers, and gang kids from the area.

But it was a bit more relaxed, with many people coming here just for a drink.

For the kids of the Valentino Gang, it might be considered a home.

The once lively Spanish music had turned into silent music, fan creaking on the small round table and chairs.

Lille walked over and saw Jack standing at the alley entrance, not saying it but clearly worried Lille might get robbed by some punks again.

"Hermanos (brother), how did you sleep last night?"

"Not bad, practiced some skills, if you ever get prosthetics... forget it, I don’t want to steal Old V’s business."

"Haha, Old V is the best prosthetics doctor in town, you’d have to work hard to surpass him."

After a few steps, they saw V standing at the street corner, just standing there quietly, looking ahead.

Following her gaze, they saw an old woman muttering to herself by a flaming metal barrel against the wall.

Lille patted V: "What’s on your mind?"

V looked at the old woman’s back and murmured:

"I just think... both she and her daughter are so miserable.

Her daughter died from a stray bullet on the street, nobody remembered her funeral. Only her mom stayed in the corner grieving alone—when this mom dies, no one will remember her either.

Two small characters disappearing in time without being remembered."

The flames carried the metallic tang, this was the incense for sending off her daughter.

This old woman seemed to have been wandering for two days—it looked like gathering the payment had drained all her savings.

It seemed her life was nearing its end.

"Let’s go, see what this mother wants to say—get her a drink, I think she might never have enjoyed anything."

...

The girl killed by the Six Street Gang was called Amina, just turned 22, about to graduate, and already got an intern opportunity at the Arasaka Company.

Though the position wasn’t great, it was a worker on the Orbital City, only able to come home for a few days a year.

But at least it was a company job, and the Orbital City was safe.

For this job, Melissa took many loans, scrimped and saved to support Amina for 14 years, and her daughter worked hard, at least finding a job.

Honestly, Lille could imagine the rest of her life.

years of hard study, 40 years of hard loan repayment, basically a lifetime.

days a year, 14 hours of assembly work, might not save up 100,000 Euros in a lifetime.

Dull and oppressive life—but some people could endure it for the 14 good years in front.

Another humble child—maybe she didn’t dream of burning this city down, but she had her loved ones and those who loved her.

Maybe in the future, she would have a loving family, not so dazzling but warm enough.

Such a life ended by a two Euro bullet.

Melissa narrated her daughter’s story with red eyes, a story so short, explained in a few sentences.

But Melissa remembered every detail, the first smile, the first step, the first time calling "mom," the first tantrum, the first hug...

Maybe to society, the child was just a fringe member, but to a mother, she was a radiant treasure.

"...Thank you, for listening."

Lille raised his glass: "To... Amina, the hardworking good girl."

"To Amina."

The three drank it all in one go.

Melissa forced a weary smile, handed Lille a watch: "I should go now, I know you’re busy too, just... protect yourselves.

This was Amina’s first gift to me, an old watch she fixed herself, I can’t use it anymore, though..."

Lille shook his head and took the watch: "We will remember Amina."

The old woman nodded contentedly, leaving the Wild Wolf Bar.

It was an antique from the old days, not an expensive watch, just an ordinary mechanical watch.

Just like its owner, ordinary, ticking along step by step.

From afar, Mrs. Wales quietly wiped away tears, a scene Jack noticed.

"People say Night City burns out dreams, but actually, it burns out these ordinary wishes more, tossed into the fire without much spark."

Lille put the watch away and said to Jack: "Jack, we can talk about work later."

"Thanks, brother, anyone seeing this wouldn’t feel good."

...

V poured herself another drink: "I suddenly think taking that guy out is a good job, though it pays a bit less—tell me, what did you do after you went back?"

"Tried a few Magic Dolls, dismantled his prosthetics—dismantled and reassembled, reassembled and dismantled, practiced."

"You didn’t use anesthesia, did you?"

"What, do I look like an idiot? Let’s match our funds, I have 40,000 Euros left, how about you?"

After paying tuition and buying prosthetics, Lille was left with this amount.

But he expected this, money comes fast and goes fast, especially for someone like him, who was dying.

"Me? Still have 400,000, paid Old V, paid rent, and then planning to get a new arm, the order hasn’t arrived yet, but it’s reserved with Old V."

"Arm? Mantis Blade?"

"How did you know?" V looked surprised, "I planned to surprise everyone later, speaking of this, do you think I should get a Si Anweisitan?"

Implanting prosthetics could lead to cyberpsychosis, and Si Anweisitan was notoriously essential for lunatics.

Unlike the Krensky type of passive activation prosthetics, Si Anweisitan had a much higher probability of causing cyberpsychosis compared to regular prosthetics.

Lille thought for a moment and said: "If you have second thoughts, don’t get it."

Reality wasn’t a game, and Lille didn’t think current V had the condition where it didn’t matter what prosthetics she got.

Besides, V was not fighting solo then.

"So about the job, we..."

Bang!

Gunshots and screams came from outside, the two instantly tensed up—

"Valentino idiots, all die!"

Crisp sounds rang out, bullets bounced off V’s back—

"Six Street Gang! Damn it!"