"Good morning, Night City!"
"Yesterday's Dead Lottery Special Edition had 46 winners."
"Dammit!"
A sharp curse pulled Leo back from the scheming Marvel world and into this lower-quality reality.
V shook the TV, "I told you, I told you the Dead Lottery was fake! Special Edition, my ass!"
The Dead Lottery Special Edition was a commemorative raffle released due to the special circumstances at the city center. It dragged out the meaning of that night, beating a dead horse—or rather, holding repeated draws. The one that just happened was the final draw. V clearly remembered that their recent escape didn't result in this many casualties.
Earlier draws had reported fewer winners, clearly not aligning with the actual numbers.
Jackie was munching on synthetic fries, "You think it's fake, yet you still bought it? It's been seven days in a row without a win."
"I told you, you should have known it was fake on the second day we came out—oh wait, I remember you were the one who said the Dead Lottery was fake," V said.
"These idiots are cheating," V insisted. "It must be NCPD hastily taking out a few unlucky souls. Corruption!"
Leo chuckled, "You're giving them too much credit. They just changed a number. Why go out and arrest people?"
"True." V nodded, "How much longer do we have to stay here? It feels like we're about to sink into the dirt."
Leo didn't respond immediately. He checked online and watched TV—though the news in this world was somewhat less than savory, it was better than nothing.
Biotechnica was taking a hit—this was expected. Almost every news station was reporting on the lizard man.
Militech wasn't spared either; it was time to heavily scrutinize Biotechnica for failing even basic tasks and dragging their backers into the mess.
Arisaka was attacking both of them, emphasizing a relentless attitude.
So, WNS and News 51 were bursting with sensational stories this week, not just exposing but carefully crafting their reports.
Lizard people were supposedly lurking in every household's sewer, reaching out from toilets; they were said to be street racers, controlling cars with their gaze; lizard people were described as Biotechnica's grotesque pets, used by Militech.
In summary, the reports were fantastical, a mix of rumors and truths. WNS and News 51 gave serious accounts, while the less serious outlets treated it like a talk show.
After a week, the biggest beneficiary of the whole affair finally made an appearance—
"Hello, friends of Night City! I'm your friend George Cabot! As always, I care about your business!"
"First, let's take a look at today's market—"
"After the motorcycle explosion in the city center, there was also a fierce gunfight at the municipal subway station. However, no one expected the chaos to end with the 'Lizard People.'
After the riot, the Biotechnica company was revealed to be working on a project called 'Nightingale Project' alongside Militech. This project showed that their best-selling painkiller had severe adverse effects, greatly impacting the company's stock price.
The NCPD's stock fell by 5% after the first conflict, and over the week, it dropped 25%. They've bottomed out; nothing more to say—oh, remember to tell your financial advisor to sell.
However, after the events, the stock prices of Militech, Biotechnica, and even Arisaka showed noticeable fluctuations.
This caused a brief yet intense reaction in the financial market, with losses estimated at 50 billion eurodollars, and the volatility persisted until today.
Yet, Biotechnica's stock price had stabilized, while Militech struggled to recover.
But that's not the most important part—the most important is today's hot stock!! (breaking voice)
Thorton Inc. has seen its stock price rise by over 112% since the incident! From 6.8 Eurodollars per share to 14.4 Eurodollars, and it's still climbing!
Since launching the vaguely-positioned Mackinaw pickup, Thorton Inc. had financial troubles, leading them to stick to cheap, low-end cars for years without introducing new high-end models.
But this time, it's different. Friends, mackinaw has proven to be a truly awesome car in Night City. Basilisk, Behemoth—step aside—
Just last night, three Basilisks exploded on the spot, and one crashed in Heywood. Behemoth armored vehicles couldn't even get off the ground!
But Mackinaw? Mackinaw made it in and out three times!
Last night's surge triggered a limit-up that hadn't been seen in decades, and no one knows the standard limit control!
I say—friends, this is the ugly side of the exchange showing itself—
Just kidding, the exchange is considering that someone might be in the ICU and can't call their advisor to buy in!
Thorton Inc. is planning to launch Mackinaw concept stocks. Buy in after the opening—don't hesitate! This is your only chance to beat the northbound capital!"
Indeed, Thorton Inc. was making a fortune from their home while the market benefited.
After reading this, V suddenly asked, "How much did Thorton Inc. make this time?"
"It's hard to calculate exactly, but a week ago Thorton's market value was 41.2 billion eurodollars. Now it's 87.34 billion eurodollars. You do the math."
"Wow, so they made over 40 billion eurodollars in just a week!"
Leo looked at V skeptically—most people would think half the number was just to make it simpler.
When V said half the number, Leo wondered if it was due to confusion with subtraction.
V's eyes blinked, "Damn, over 40 billion! I've got to keep track of this for them—they owe us. Shouldn't they offer us some new products?"
"Actually, the El Captain mentioned this, but I turned it down. It's not very safe. I remember you always wanted a sports car?"
V patted Leo on the shoulder, pleased, "Indeed, I didn't expect you to remember. Back to the point, what do we do now?"
"We need to check out the Badlands," Leo said.
In the past seven days, the Red Ocher had been relocated twice, each time further from Night City.
In terms of time flow, Leo had spent five days in the Marvel world, while seven days had passed here. The disparity seemed to grow, with time moving faster on this side.
Also, there had been almost no system notifications during these seven days.
It appeared that as the physical differences between the two worlds increased, this world was drifting further away.
In the Badlands, another day dawned with the same unremarkable sandy haze.
Leo stepped out of the tent, feeling the direct sunlight. He realized the effect of the lizard serum on his body was nearly gone—he needed to find a place to apply the modifications to this body as well.
Nearby, Navi was sitting in a car, watching a few young men around his age fiddling with firearms, lost in thought.
Leo knocked on the car window, and Navi opened the door.
Leo got in, "Special training?"
Navi nodded, "The situation has been a bit delicate lately. Militech has increased its security in the Badlands. The clans haven't entered the city for days, and others are similar.
On the other hand, the Wraiths are becoming more active, and it's unsafe on the roads. We need to be prepared. Next time, there won't be any old-timers covering us.
Also, Burger King's supplies are running low. Hiding like this isn't a solution; we need to get out and work."
The border checkpoint was under military control, and Night City was hard to access now. Over time, they would be trapped in the Badlands.
This wasn't just about supplies and funding; it was about disrupted material flow channels. They needed to find a way to break through the blockade, or the legend would just be a name, and people wouldn't come to help just because of it.
Leo nodded slightly, "Got it. Gather a few skilled people; we'll go scout."
Navi looked pleased, "What for?"
"Don't get too excited. We're just scouting and seeing what we can do. There's actually one more old-timer among left in the clan."
Navi was momentarily stunned but quickly realized Leo was referring to Cedric!
Cedric had been taken as a cyber-psycho, and Navi thought he'd never see that hot-tempered guy again!
Leo's artificial eye flickered with intermittent blue light, "Gather people. We're going to fetch Cedric—there might be gunfire, so bring your gear."
The situation in the Badlands was completely different from the city. Leo needed an experienced guide.
Navi leaned out of the window, slapped the car door a few times, and shouted to the still-shooting tribesmen, "Get in the car! We're heading out!"
(TN: Hay guys I'm back did you miss me )