Unfortunately, comparisons can be painful.
Luoqi was much poorer than them all.
"I still owe Regina some money," he said quietly.
The mercenaries and assassins struggling at the bottom rungs of society weren't as well-off as people thought.
The "Matthew Effect" applied to every industry – unless one became a formidable figure, not necessarily as legendary as Morgan Blackhand, but still an elite among the rare few, they would not have the opportunity to soar or achieve fame and success.
Take V, Jackie, Luoqi, and T-Bug's recent journey to Konpeki Plaza, for example.
Danger and opportunity coexisted – success meant savoring the sweet taste of victory, while failure led to being chased down the streets, having their home destroyed, and ending up so poor they'd be eating dirt.
At this point, Luoqi couldn't help but shudder, his heart growing cold.
My beloved chicken speaker (choking up)!
"Huh? When did that happen?"
V raised his eyebrows in surprise.
He remembered giving Regina's number to Luoqi, but didn't expect Luoqi to end up owing the middleman money.
"Did something happen? Do you need my help?"
"No, it's not a serious issue." Luoqi was touched by V's reaction and patted his shoulder to show that everything was under control, "It's the money for the anti-aircraft missile, the silencer was a freebie, and the fee for the van that picked me up. Going up against Arasaka isn't cheap, you know."
"Oh, and I almost forgot, there's also a little bit of intel on Arasaka, but that's a minor thing, not worth mentioning." Luoqi spoke casually, "Regina really is amazing. She managed to get her hands on such heavy weaponry even in the Watson district, within the radiation range of the Arasaka waterfront. Quite impressive."
"Phew... You scared me," Jackie wiped his forehead, "I thought you pissed her off. Although her temper is one of the best among middlemen, she's well-known in Heywood for her methods when she gets serious."
A relaxed atmosphere spread, and the tension from being oppressed by Arasaka gradually dissipated.
"Jackie, what did Moehr say at the time? Can you describe it to me in detail?"
Luoqi was getting worried, as it had been a while since they heard from Moehr.
Although her combat abilities were unquestionable, sometimes combat power alone couldn't solve everything.
He was concerned she might have run into some trouble.
"She said she had some 'personal matters' to deal with," Jackie recalled, "Definitely personal matters, she looked angry, so I didn't dare to ask more."
Personal matters...
Moehr's personal matters.
Luoqi wore a grim expression.
As a super lieutenant of a military tech special forces unit with off-the-charts combat abilities, she had spent her life fighting for corporations.
Her personal matters were most likely related to corporations.
A bad premonition surfaced in his mind.
"..."
Calling Moehr, just like with Evelyn, no one answered.
"Still no answer." Luoqi shook his head, his face showing no emotion.
"Alright, you try to contact Evelyn first, and I'll go look for Moehr."
He stood up and greeted everyone.
V and Jackie wanted to help, but Luoqi politely declined.
Leaving the basement and walking through the streets and alleys, under the myriad of signs, Luoqi walked with his head down, pondering Moehr's possible whereabouts.
Although they had only known each other for a few days, the "revolutionary friendship" built on mutual life-saving was extremely strong.
He couldn't be like a heartless politician – using anything and anyone, and measuring everything with benefits.
Discarding her after using her would be no different from "lifting someone from the ground and then letting go, letting her fall back down."
Moehr wasn't a good person, but at least she was a pure one, a person who clearly distinguished between gratitude and resentment – which was rare.
Night City lacked nothing, and at the same time, it lacked everything.
What was that saying?
A city is a place where millions of people live alone together.
That was said by Thoreau, the author of "Walden."
Quite fitting, especially for Night City.
"Where on earth are you..."
Luoqi kicked an empty can on the ground, watching it roll farther and farther away.
Night City wasn't small at all. The bustling metropolis located in the Coronado Bay was much larger than people thought.
The population distribution of Night City today originated from the residents who migrated in all directions due to the nuclear radiation during the 2023 Arasaka Tower explosion. For instance, the Pacifica area, now considered by most as a lawless zone, was once an uninhabited wasteland.
Although it's still no different from a wasteland today, the fact that the Kang Tao Corporation has supposedly acquired and transformed part of the land means that maybe it's not that bad after all?
Walking down the bustling streets, Luoqi felt the various styles of clothing and fashion, and his thoughts began to fly uncontrollably.
"Next is an emergency news update: A military tech laboratory in the city center has been attacked. According to witnesses, heavy weapons level gunfire was suspected at the scene. Here is the footage taken by the police."
Beneath the blue headline of the WNS news station, a shaky and chaotic video played, clearly showing the danger at the scene.
Thick smoke billowed into the sky, and terrifying flames spread along the ground, fueled by spilled fuel and cargo, with occasional violent explosions.
The bodies of security and technical personnel lay scattered, while terrified workers wearing orange-yellow safety helmets huddled in corners, shivering.
"There, there was... a lunatic! She barged in with weapons, and all the CHOOH2 that just arrived yesterday... she smashed it all, and then a fire started somewhere, and it's been burning nonstop since!!"
The worker cowered in the corner like a terrified hamster, his eyes deeply sunken from fear.
It wasn't until the reporter took him to a safe area that he was able to describe the scene more logically under the camera's focus.
"What about the security personnel? Didn't they do anything?"
The reporter continued to shove the microphone in the face of the frightened man.
"...No, no use! They're all... all dead! When she came in, I... I didn't see clearly, no one survived... not a single one!"
His tone was already tinged with tears.
The camera shifted away from the incoherent man, focusing on the building shrouded in black smoke.
"According to on-site interviews, the suspect responsible for the destruction of the military tech lab may have a heavily modified military-grade cyberware. A spokesperson for the military tech company stated that they don't rule out the possibility of deliberate sabotage by competitors. The company vows to catch the perpetrator and provide answers to the victims' families..."
Luoqi lost interest in the rest of the report, as it was mostly the same old rhetoric with no real value.
Although the video was chaotic, the sight of the dead bodies gave him a bad feeling.
When leaving the Indigo Tower, from the first-floor lobby to the underground parking garage and the perimeter of the building, the Arasaka guards and soldiers scattered on the ground were in a similarly miserable state.
Swift, brutal, and deadly.
He hoped it was the combat style of a special forces unit from a megacorporation.
And not Moehr.
Luoqi pursed his lips, watching the next news item jump away on the screen.
Damn it!
It was very likely her!
This crazy woman had just attacked the Indigo Tower, and then went straight to the military tech lab.
The two biggest companies in Night City were both targeted by her in just two days!
Good grief.
Luoqi sighed and looked up at the sky; if it were night, he could at least have a silent conversation with the moon.
Suddenly, a phone ringtone sounded in his earpiece. Luoqi took out his PDA, and it displayed a big "Moehr."
Gulp!
He swallowed like Tom, trembling as he answered the call.
After a few seconds of silence, there was no expected "crackling" or "booming" from the other side – it was quiet.
"Where are you?" Moehr asked, her voice a bit hoarse. "I'm done with my business."
"..."
Luoqi closed his eyes, hesitated to speak, and then let out a long breath.
"I just left Old Wei's place."
"Where exactly?"
"I'll send you the location."
The call was decisive, as if Luoqi was the one in the wrong.
[Yo, yo, yo, who's this little lover of yours?]Johnny asked gossiping; when it came to this kind of thing, he was very interested. [But she's still green compared to me. Come on, put your PDA on the table later, and I'll help you check it out.]
[You can go to hell.]Luoqi rolled his eyes and walked towards a budget coffee shop in Kabuki District. [Didn't you see the news just now? Or at least hear it? I'm very angry right now.]
[Anyone who fights against the corporations is good in my book, I think it's great.]Johnny was a master at fanning the flames.
With their sporadic conversation, Johnny and Luoqi reached the coffee shop, ordered two cups of coffee, and sat at a relatively clean table, appearing calm on the surface but feeling restless inside.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, Luoqi had become so lost in thought that he forgot the time, and even Johnny began to talk to himself out of boredom. Then, a figure walked into the coffee shop.
She sat down in the seat across from Luoqi, staring silently at the coffee on the table.
Luoqi looked at her.