He played with Moer's little hand, discussing, and then found that the latter looked at him with a "figure it out by the expression on your face" kind of look.
"...You're right."
He laughed at himself, feeling a bit clever again.
It's normal to have feelings for the organization one used to be in, but when those days only left bad memories or even pain, all the "can't bear to hurt them" talk is nonsense.
"Militech," along with "Free State," "NUSA," and so on, were all on Moer's blacklist.
From the moment Militech's agents stood in front of her, there was only hatred between her and the company, the kind that comes from being used and then coldly discarded and destroyed.
If it wasn't for that, why would Moer risk blowing up Militech's lab herself that day?
Accepting Luo Qi's teasing, Moer took the PDA, dialed the employer's number, and then looked at Luo Qi with her big eyes, putting it back into his hand.
Her eyes were full of "GKD," and she seemed very positive.
"..."
The call went through, but there was no answer on the other end, only faint background noise indicating that the call was still going on.
"Old Captain sent me."
Luo Qi finished speaking and quieted down, waiting for a reply from the other side.
"Brandon Street, Foodscape."
After saying this cryptic sentence, the person hung up the phone.
Luo Qi and Moer looked at each other.
What a strange person.
But such a person isn't considered unusual in Night City, where there are paranoid individuals who change meeting places three times in a row to avoid being followed, let alone those afraid of death who negotiate business in armored vehicles.
Being cautious is always a good thing; while they can't guarantee other things, when it comes to personal safety, the people of Night City are very understanding of this approach.
Searching online for the location he mentioned, it was a fast food restaurant on Brandon Street in the Santo Domingo Valley, situated amongst many company warehouses and beside a viaduct, a nice area a bit away from the factories.
"Let's go, let's meet up."
Luo Qi showed an excited expression, rubbing his hands and standing up.
But Moer was still sitting on the bed, staring at him with her big, shiny eyes.
"What? Didn't eat enough?"
Luo Qi paused for a moment, smilingly asking.
No answer.
"Or didn't sleep well?"
Then he saw Moer's eyebrows lower slightly.
"Don't want to do this job?"
As soon as he said this, her mouth started to pout ever so slightly.
"Uh, okay, I get it."
Luo Qi pursed his lips, looking helplessly at the ceiling.
Slowly sitting down beside Moer, feeling the touch of her elastic thighs, he inserted his fingers into her hair, gently massaging it.
There was still the scent of shampoo, light and refreshing, like the sweet fragrance of flowers drifting far away in the wind.
"Your heartbeat is getting faster."
Moer suddenly raised her head, lips slightly parted.
Luo Qi's hand stopped, then he looked away unnaturally, inhaling sharply.
"Smack."
He stood up, walked to the door, and adjusted the scabbard of the katana hanging from his waist.
Moer was already standing behind him at some point, quiet and with a satisfied smile on her face.
...
"Thank you for using Delamain Transportation Service. Use Delamain, and leave your troubles behind."
With Old Del's daily enthusiastic greeting, Luo Qi closed the car door and walked into the shop with Moer.
Foodscape, the food scene.
It sounds like a fancy sign, but it's actually a small, affordable restaurant, neither high-end nor a cheap dive.
The noon sun fell on the road outside the overpass, a bit scorching.
"Two cups of tea, less ice, and a fruit salad."
Having just eaten breakfast, Luo Qi had no appetite, so he casually ordered some drinks and food to enjoy leisurely.
The two of them chose a seat by the window, sat down, and exchanged silent glances.
Although Luo Qi, with Ajax on his back and three katanas at his waist, looked a bit out of place for an elegant afternoon tea, it was a standard sight in Night City, with most people choosing concealed guns instead.
At the bar, there were two decent-looking gang members chatting and bragging, a middle-aged woman sitting at the front, and several employees from nearby factories at the back, a tired-looking man in a suit yawning and chewing on pizza.
Everything was so calm that it was hard to believe this was Night City.
Luo Qi was a bit puzzled, picking up the refreshing iced tea and letting the ice roll over his somewhat dry tongue and throat.
At that moment, the PDA in his pocket vibrated.
[Sender: D
Recipient: Lucky
You're here.]
An abrupt message, consistent with the style of the person on the phone.
Luo Qi put down the PDA, used the drink cup to hide his expression, and silently scanned the surroundings.
There were no anomalies among the customers, no suspicious cameras, and only passing vehicles kicking up a bit of dust across the high walls on the street.
[Where are you?]
Luo Qi typed the words quickly.
[Close to you.]
Just as Luo Qi was about to ask more questions, Moer quietly nudged his foot under the table.
Her eyes glanced slightly to the left and then returned to normal.
Following her cue, Luo Qi took a quick look to the left, at the tired man in the suit.
But there was nothing unusual now, just him eating his food.
However, Moer was much more professional in this regard, and she must have noticed details he hadn't.
Trusting her couldn't be wrong.
[Stop eating and let's get to business.]Luo Qi typed.
The second after the message was sent, the man in the suit's hand paused, then he grabbed a few napkins, randomly wiped his mouth and hands, leaned back on the couch, and started playing with his PDA with no regard for his image.
[Not bad eyesight. Now let's talk about the next step.]
Not bad eyesight, huh.
Luo Qi couldn't accept such a superficial compliment with a clear conscience.
[Just the two of you? I remember telling Old Captain I needed capable people.]
The man was a bit picky.
[Since when did the number of people become the standard for success?]
Luo Qi countered with a rhetorical question.
[Alright, let's see what you're capable of when it comes down to it.]
The man in the suit didn't waste any more words.
Sometimes, a million explanations are not as persuasive as a single display of confidence.
[In two days, a military technology transport convoy will be coming from the south, entering Santo Domingo from the eastern part of the city, and heading for a heavily guarded warehouse in the River Valley area.]
[If we plan to intercept this shipment, we'll have to act halfway through. The problem is that there are many guards accompanying the convoy, and we have limited manpower, so we'll need some real firepower.]
[That's the general situation. After the job is done, we'll split the profits 80/20, whether it's money or goods you want.]
[If it works, let's talk. If not, we'll find another option.]
A long string of situation summaries was sent, showing that they had done their homework.
However, the man in the suit and his people gave Luo Qi a strange feeling, as if they didn't quite fit the style of Night City.
Especially when it came to finding middlemen and mercenaries, it seemed very crude.
They seemed more like robbers who were used to careful preparation, rather than mercenaries who focused on the distribution and completion of tasks.
[I have no problem with that, but there's one thing—the commission won't go through us. You'll have to negotiate with Old Captain; that's the rule for middlemen.]
Luo Qi replied.
[You mean the broker? That's a minor issue. As long as the job is done, everything is negotiable.]
The man in the suit slowly offered a smile, but the thin mustache and raised eyebrows didn't make it look very friendly.
[Now, let's go meet our people.]
The man in the suit, known as D, let out a deep yawn, put away his PDA, and blue light started to appear in his eyes.
"It's strange. Why doesn't he use his implants?"
Luo Qi placed a hand over his mouth, quietly asking Moer.
"To prevent tracking and hacking."