"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just thinking about some stuff." Luo Qi waved his hand.
Passing by the bustling bar, the interior was quite atmospheric - the lighting was provided by a gradient of bright neon lights, the varying shades giving off a sense of aesthetic beauty in design. People coming and going were indeed well-dressed, but who knows how genuine their smiles were as they exchanged toasts.
The lights were red, and the drinks were green - truly a colorful scene (literally).
Luo Qi chuckled.
"Welcome to the Azure Mansion." The bar's hostess said, "We don't require reservations on weekdays, so you can choose any available table, or do you prefer a seat at the bar?"
"This bar looks great." Jack said, happily looking back at V and Luo Qi, "We can bring Misty here one day. After we, um... finish this job."
He glanced at the sofa area, but the "Little Island Hideyoshi" with crossed legs was nowhere to be found.
"Don't worry, it will happen." Luo Qi said, "It will."
As if a spring breeze had come overnight, a thousand trees and ten thousand flags blossomed.
After the screenwriter was sentenced to death for the 1001st time in Luo Qi's heart, he patted Jack on the shoulder.
Entering the elevator and seeing no one around, Jack began to boast.
"How about it, I'm wearing a suit too, huh? Am I handsome?"
"You know, you look quite decent." V examined him from head to toe and expressed surprise.
They hadn't looked closely before, but now they could see that he indeed looked the part.
"Of course! I have a great figure for clothes, so I look good in anything." Jack said, floating on air.
"Very modest." Luo Qi finally laughed and pointed at him.
Stepping out of the elevator, on the wall behind the reception desk, a documentary about Saburo Arasaka played on TV. The black-and-white vintage footage had a history of over a hundred years.
Winners and losers; Saburo Arasaka succeeded. He inherited his father's legacy, carrying it forward and creating a powerful empire.
So he wasn't the World War II pilot who was shot down and disabled by the American forces, but the emperor of the Arasaka Empire.
"Alright, here we are, the Lapis Lazuli Suite."
Jack stood at the door, feeling nostalgic.
"Fancy. Too bad we can't stay the night. Good taste, Bug." Jack walked in with the suitcase.
The luxurious view of the in-wall aquarium, the wide-open view of the Arasaka Port outside the window, the smooth, soft carpet, and the exquisite interior decor confirmed that it was an exorbitantly priced suite they couldn't afford.
"I didn't choose it for the style; this is the fastest place to access the network administrator and servers." T-bug said.
"Yeah, yeah, I remember." Jack was left speechless by the rebuke.
The small flat-headed (spider-shaped combat machine) crawled nimbly out of the suitcase and entered debugging mode.
"The air vent is here." Luo Qi naturally kicked a panel in the corner of the wall.
"Wow, that's better than a road guide." Jack was astonished.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. The flat-headed machine got stuck in the ventilation duct in automatic mode, so V had to switch to manual control.
Feeling dizzy from being connected to the camera's viewpoint in every room, Luo Qi supported V and led him to sit down on the sofa.
"V, tell me what's happening in each room, it's useful," Luoqi said.
"Don't waste time, we need to act fast," T-Bug objected.
"No, T-Bug," Luoqi pressed the Bluetooth headset, "This could be very important."
"Alright, fine, just hurry up," T-Bug compromised.
Delaying meant increased risk and uncertainty, something no one wanted to face, including Luoqi, but he had a reason.
"A naked sex doll and her eager client," V reported.
The camera switched.
"A guy dancing and looking like he's arguing about something, another guy sitting and ignoring him."
It switched again.
"OK, the view is clear," V said to T-Bug, then frowned, "Wait, these people..."
"You can't just kick citizens out of their homes and workplaces..." V continued, "It's a fat man in a suit... I remember! He's the mayor of Night City, Lucius Ryne!"
"I... damn! It's him!" Luoqi's eyes lit up, slapping the table, "Quick! T-Bug, get the video feed in here, I need this!"
"Fine, but we need to discuss what to do next, don't act on your own," T-Bug said after some operations, "There, got the signal?"
Luoqi's PDA on the table now displayed a camera feed, showing a dimly lit suite with closed curtains.
The layout was similar to the expensive suite they were in. A chubby, black-haired man in sunglasses was Night City's current mayor, Lucius Ryne. Sitting on the sofa facing the camera was a bald man in a suit, pondering something – Deputy Mayor Welton Holt.
Two bodyguards stood by the door.
Two men and women in suits, backs to the camera, were talking with the two Night City bigwigs.
"Arasaka will pay all the compensation in full."
"It's not about the money. The election is coming up, what will people think?" the anxious mayor paced, smoking, and finally sat down, "They'll say I can't even control Watson District, and I'm from here!"
"One week – that's all the time we can give you," the deputy mayor chimed in.
"We'll do our best, that's all I can promise you," the female Arasaka negotiator sighed, reaching an agreement.
Luoqi opened his mouth and then swallowed hard with difficulty.
"What's wrong with you?" Jackie was excited to witness the secret dealings of the bigwigs, but Luoqi's expression seemed awful.
"Seal off Watson District, the mayor's order, it's Arasaka's request," Luoqi didn't answer him, muttering to himself, immersed in his own logical thinking, "Arasaka wants to buy time, they're determined, not caring about compensation..."
He dropped the tablet in his hand, his breathing becoming rapid.
"It's over!"
"Over? What's over?" Jackie was puzzled.
"Rushing and hurrying, rushing and hurrying, still can't catch up, damn it!"
Luoqi sat down angrily, and V exited the control, both casting questioning glances at him.
"What's going on, mano (bro)? Tell us, you're killing me here," Jackie urged, growing impatient.
"..." Luoqi raised his hand, took a couple of deep breaths, swayed a bit, and then lowered his hand.
"Arasaka... Arasaka... No, we can't panic now."
Mumbling to himself, Luoqi stood up, walked to the window, and paced back and forth anxiously.
"Lucky, trust us, what have you discovered?"
V walked up behind Luoqi, put his hand on his shoulder, and looked sincerely into his eyes as he spoke.
Jack also walked over, frowning, his face full of worry.
"Watson District is locked down because of Arasaka." Luoqi felt his throat tighten, forcing down the tremor in his heart, "Because Saburo Arasaka is coming, they have to ensure safety."
Located in the northern part of Night City, Watson District is divided into four areas:
Little China, where V and Luoqi live; Kabuki District, where T-Bug gave V the quick-hack chip; Northside, which has a large number of factories and facilities; and the luxurious Arasaka Waterfront.
Gang members run rampant here, but they dare not challenge Arasaka's authority. However, with Emperor Saburo Arasaka coming, security levels are tense behind the scenes while remaining discreet on the surface.
Being able to command the mayor of Night City to serve him, that is the weight of Saburo Arasaka.
"Saburo Arasaka? You mean that old demon who's lived for over a hundred years?" Jack's eyes widened, "You must be joking, haha."
However, Luoqi didn't laugh; he just looked at him.
"Ha, ha, ha..." Jack couldn't laugh anymore, "How is this possible?"
"Yeah, locking down Watson District might not necessarily be because of that." V's expression also stiffened.
"Locking down Watson District could be due to riots, coups, or anything else," Luoqi pinched his temples, looking at the red plush on the ground, "But could the consensus reached between Arasaka agents and the government mayor be just about this minor matter?"
"Damn..."
T-Bug cursed in the communication, slightly convinced by Luoqi.
"So are we still going to steal that thing or not?" Jack hesitated, as two paths now lay before them.
One path is dangerous, like a seemingly insurmountable challenge; the other is success, leading to wealth and fame, becoming a legend.
For a moment, the four fell silent.
"It's not necessarily because of Saburo Arasaka, right?" Jack still held onto a glimmer of hope.
"No, I'm certain about this." Luoqi looked out the window, standing there like a statue, "It's fate."
"Let's decide together." V broke the deadlock, "I choose to continue."
In his chest, there was a burning heart. Perhaps Night City had obliterated many things - beautiful emotions, precious memories, and the irretrievable "once-self."
But V, this small candle, still hadn't been extinguished.
"I choose to continue, betting on this one." T-Bug's voice became firm, "This is our chance to completely resist this damn city."
In Night City, either be devoured by it or break free from the cage, standing higher or further away. If you don't burst out under oppression, you'll die in exploitation - poetry and distant dreams have been strangled by capital in the cradle, the last glimmer of hope can't just fall into darkness.
"I... I..." Jack made a praying gesture, "Once we're done with this damn job, we can wash our hands of it all, right, Lucky?"
He looked weakly at Luoqi's back, smiled awkwardly, and then turned to V, feeling a bit helpless.
"Arasaka..." Luoqi gazed for a long time, slowly turning around, "Bear in mind that once we aspired to touch the sky, and vowed to be the best among men."
"Who said that? Aurelius? Aristotle?" Jack asked.
"Wu Qingqi, from a mysterious Eastern kingdom," Luoqi said with a faint smile.
"What does it mean?"
"It's a poem," T-Bug commented, "I'm curious too."
"In our youth, we once had lofty ambitions, aspiring to be outstanding figures." Luoqi smiled and shook his head, "It's a poem written by an unsuccessful poet when he was 30 years old."