Chapter 3

If one were to be KO'd by a stray bullet, their cyberpunk life might come to an end before it even begins.

There would even be time to ask for a refund from customer service—if one could find the "save" button.

Unfortunately, Roche was in the very real world.

Bang! Bang!! Bang! Bang! Bang!!!

V's revolver fired back even louder, the muzzle flash lighting up the dark interior of the car as it flashed in and out of the window.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak—"

With a sharp turn, Jack narrowly avoided an armored vehicle parked in the middle of the road.

Roche's head slammed against the car door, and V almost flew out the window.

"Bang—!!!"

A loud explosion rang out, and the pursuers behind them turned into a sky full of flames, their wreckage rolling out in a trail of sparks and lightning.

V had blown up their engine.

"Those damn persistent bastards!" Jack cursed angrily.

Before he could even celebrate, he saw several more cars still tightly pursuing them through the rearview mirror.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!

V emptied the newly loaded bullets at the fastest speed possible.

One car was taken out, and another took its place to keep up the chase.

Swerving left and right on the narrow road, V wanted to shoot back at the enemy in the next car, but Jack grabbed him by the waistband and pulled him back inside.

"Watch it!"

Before Roche could react, the car suddenly lurched, accompanied by a loud crash, and took off.

By the time he crawled out from under the seat, they were on a wider road.

Above them were rows of pipes, indicating they were still in the industrial area.

But they had managed to put some distance between themselves and the company's cars.

"We finally shook them off. Damn, I was almost scared out of my wits." Jack cursed with a relieved tone.

"Keep driving, we can't stop." V said fiercely, "Lucky, are you okay?"

Roche held his throbbing head: "I'm fine, just a bit too intense."

Is this Night City's welcoming ceremony? Love it, love it.

Having been battered and bruised, Roche's vision was still a chaotic mess, seeing stars.

Following the main road for a while, Jack turned into a wasteland-style construction area.

"We've been driving for a while. Let's stop here, figure things out, and then hit the road again."

"Agreed." Roche replied weakly.

He realized that becoming an invincible warrior upon entering this world was a load of crap; he was nothing more than a decoration now.

They randomly found an open garage and pulled in. The brakes failed, and they crashed into the shelves with a clang.

"Estos hijos de puta (these sons of b*tches)!!"

Jack yelled in a language they couldn't understand and angrily got out of the car.

Pulling down the garage door, they saw Jack cursing angrily, "Damn it! We were almost done for! Is this how you guys do smuggling!? Everything should've been smooth! No trouble at all!"

V couldn't take it anymore and snapped back, "If you think this is my fault, just say it!"

"Don't you get it?" Jack retorted.

"Border security tipped off the company, saying we took their stuff." V had figured out the reason.

"...These line-crossers are messing with us like this?" Jack fumed, "Treating us like monkeys? Aren't they afraid we'll settle the score with them!?"

V gritted his teeth, "He took a gamble! He thought we didn't have a family backing us, and he was right."

"Damn it..." Jack grumbled indignantly.

However, he couldn't really go after the NCPD or the company; they were either multi-billion or trillion-euro financial groups or state-owned enterprises, far beyond his reach.

"Do you plan to keep complaining, or should we finish the job?" V, less impulsive, quickly calmed down.

Knowing it wasn't anyone's fault, Jack's attitude changed as well. After all, he wasn't a hot-tempered person.

"Uh, let me be clear—I don't have the money to pay you now. As soon as I get paid for hauling this company trash, I'll settle the bill with you." Jack said sheepishly.

"Heh? You think I'll just sit here and wait?" V was furious, even more so because he couldn't get his money yet.

"Don't be angry, V." Roche stepped in, "We all made it through the hail of bullets, and it's mostly thanks to the two of you. I didn't do anything. If you two lifesavers start fighting, where does that leave me?"

Jack looked at Roche, opened his mouth, but said nothing.

V shook his head, "I told you, I owe you a life, and I'll owe it for a lifetime."

"Me too." Roche patted his shoulder, "Don't be angry anymore, we're all in this together."

"...Actually." Jack looked at the two of them, arms crossed, his tone softened, "I never planned to pay you guys, thinking I'd just slip away once we crossed the border. But..."

"You two are quite honest."

He looked at Roche and V, with a glint in his eyes.

"Thanks for telling me the truth." V nodded.

"Ha, thank you."

The three fell into a brief silence.

"What should we do next?" Roche asked.

The three of them were like prey trapped in a corner, unable to move, with the watchful eyes of the company hunting them down worldwide.

"Of course, we should open the box and see what's inside." Jack opened the trunk and gestured for V to proceed, "Open it."

"Seeing the delivered package opened, I wonder what your client's reaction will be," V said.

Jack, holding up the trunk, scoffed, "Screw the client. One day, you'll have to do this yourself. Forget about commissions and middlemen. Besides, if we want to find a new buyer, we need to know what we're selling, right?"

Roche nodded in agreement.

V rubbed his hands, glanced at Jack, then at Roche, and tapped on the touch screen.

"Holy sh*t!"

Roche looked, and a circular three-leaf clover logo appeared on the screen, accompanied by several large characters.

[Arasaka]

Arasaka Corporation!

A colossal entity with a market value of 890 billion euros and over 595,000 employees.

Security company? Arms dealer? Tech firm?

No, those were just the facade.

Arasaka was one of the most powerful arms empires in the world.

Smaller countries didn't even have a say in its presence.

"The box has Arasaka written on it; we've bitten off more than we can chew," V backed away, letting Jack see for himself.

"Well, this time we might have hit the jackpot," Jack wasn't scared; instead, he stepped forward and opened the lid.

The metal box opened, revealing its white interior and emitting a hissing sound.

Cold air slowly drifted out.

"?No mames (Impossible)! A real iguana! Looks like the one from the Lesser Antilles!" Jack exclaimed excitedly.

V looked confused, "Lesser Antilles—what?"

"Lesser Antilles. They went extinct about thirty years ago. They lived on the Lesser Antilles Islands," Jack excitedly explained, looking at the rare creature, "You've traveled far, my lazy little friend."

Roche peered inside and saw a greenish lizard with red spines on its back.

However, he wasn't a biologist, so he had no idea what it was.

V leaned in and poked the still "flash-frozen" iguana with his finger, "Can we sell it for a good price?"

"Of course, rich people love things money can't buy," Roche said.

"That's right, we didn't do this for nothing," Jack laughed happily as well.

Arasaka be damned, this box wasn't just full of an iguana, it was full of money.

The three finally agreed—to find a middleman, sell the creature, and split the proceeds evenly.

It might not be a fortune, but it was easy money.

"So, have you guys thought about what you want to do in Night City?" Jack asked, hands on hips, as if the money was already in hand.

"Find a Ripperdoc for Lucky, and just see what happens next. Why do you ask?"

"Because I see that you have no money and nothing to do, but plenty of time. Plus, in Night City, you can't survive without friends," Jack suddenly shifted into the role of a Night City host welcoming guests, "Don't worry. I'll help you find work. There's always something to do. Having someone to back you up is essential—like family. Maybe you'll find a few of them in this city."

"Thank you, I appreciate it," V glanced at Roche.

"Same here," Roche flashed a big grin.

Jack waved his hand modestly, laughing heartily, clearly enjoying the feeling, "Come on, that's nothing. The three of us get along so well, it would be a waste not to work together... partners."

Just as the three were about to high-five, the flash-frozen iguana leaped out of the box.

V finally revealed the most genuine smile Roche had seen in days, "You know what, Jack? You're not as much of a bastard as I thought."

"Ha, listen to you, brother," Jack waved a hand and laughed, "Okay, partner, let's grab this lizard and get out of here."

The three bumped fists and then shook hands.

"What kind of expression is that?" Jack asked Roche exaggeratedly.

"A happy one."

No one could have imagined that these three future troublemakers would become partners in a rundown warehouse on the south side of the city.