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Pilar darted back and forth, dodging Rebecca's relentless kicks, shouting insults as he went. However, Rebecca, the seemingly innocent-looking girl, was cursing even louder than he was. At one point, she even pulled out a pink and green handgun and aimed it right at her own brother.
Yes, she fired the gun. The bullet ricocheted off Pilar's metal arm, sending sparks flying. He paled, his movements growing even more frantic as he tried to escape his sister's wrath.
Watching the siblings' antics from the side, Lin Mo couldn't help but feel alarmed. The way Rebecca had pulled out her gun mid-chase and accurately hit her brother's cybernetic arm—this girl's marksmanship was far more lethal than her appearance suggested.
Ignoring the sibling chaos, Maine chuckled and turned to Lin Mo with a grin, suggesting, "How about we exchange contact info now? If you ever need help with something in the future, you can hit us up. Or go through Wakako; she can be the middlewoman. That way, we both know it's solid."
Lin Mo nodded, agreeing without hesitation. They exchanged contact information, adding each other to their respective lists.
Both parties had their own agendas for this meeting.
Lin Mo sought to build connections with Maine's crew to quickly gain enough credibility to secure entry to Afterlife, Night City's most prestigious bar for mercs and edgerunners. Maine, on the other hand, was intrigued by Lin Mo's resources—being able to call in private security forces at a moment's notice hinted at a powerful backing. In Night City, connections like that were worth their weight in eddies.
For mercs like Maine and his crew, there were only two outcomes to working with a wealthy fixer or someone with connections—either you'd end up kidnapping them for ransom, or you'd become their go-to for lucrative gigs.
Since Lin Mo was connected to Wakako, a well-known fixer, Maine figured it was better to keep things friendly. You never knew when a generous benefactor might come in handy.
It was clear that this meeting was just the first step. Neither side was ready for full transparency, but both saw potential.
"Oh, right, let me introduce the rest of the crew," Maine said, stretching his thick arms out to gesture toward his team. "I'm Maine. This here is Dorio. The guy dodging bullets is Pilar, and that's Falco over there."
"Wakako filled me in on most of your team already, but it's good to officially meet you all," Lin Mo replied, shaking hands with each of them as a gesture of goodwill.
Everyone responded warmly, shaking his hand in return with genuine smiles. It was clear this crew didn't stand on ceremony—they were straightforward, no-nonsense people, just the kind of connections Lin Mo wanted in Night City.
"By the way, what's the deal with those gangsters? Why were they coming after you guys?" Lin Mo asked, now remembering the chaotic fight.
Maine's brows furrowed slightly as he thought about it. After a moment, he shrugged. "Beats me. In this line of work, it's not unusual to piss someone off. But honestly? Doesn't matter. Whoever it is, we'll take care of it."
He finished with a grin, giving Lin Mo a thumbs-up.
"Still, much appreciated, Lin Mo. You stepping in tonight saved us a lot of hassle with those goons."
Lin Mo nodded thoughtfully. He hadn't expected even Maine's crew to be unsure of why they'd been targeted.
"I did manage to get some info from those guys before things got messy," Lin Mo said, his eyes gleaming as he sent a file to Maine's contact.
Maine's expression darkened as he glanced at the message. "Thanks for the heads-up, Lin Mo."
Seeing that the conversation had reached its natural end, Lin Mo glanced up at the sky. "It's getting late. How about we leave it here for tonight? If anything else comes up, we can reach out."
"Sounds good!" Maine replied, removing his sunglasses and saluting with a cheeky grin before waving goodbye.
The rest of the crew followed suit, each offering their farewells as they prepared to leave.
"Catch you later," Lin Mo said, giving a slight nod in return.
The crew turned and walked down the street, their figures gradually fading into the distance. Rebecca, ever the energetic one, spun around halfway and waved enthusiastically at Lin Mo. Sasha followed her lead, offering a brief wave as well.
Soon, the sound of roaring engines filled the air as their vehicles—Maine's custom SUV and Falco's sleek sports car—sped off into the night, disappearing into the neon-lit horizon.
Once they were out of sight, Lin Mo turned to Hiroshi and asked with a smile, "So, what's the plan? Heading home or checking on your sister at Vik's?"
"I'll go back to Vik's," Hiroshi said without hesitation. "If my sister wakes up and finds herself in a strange place without me around, she'll freak out."
Lin Mo nodded. "Makes sense."
After a brief pause, Hiroshi added, "By the way, Lin Mo, now that we're officially working together, is it alright if I take on some side gigs? I need to make some eddies to clear my debts."
Being penniless weighed heavily on Hiroshi's mind. He still had a mountain of bills to pay, and with his sister's recovery ahead, there were going to be plenty of expenses.
Lin Mo chuckled. "Of course. I'm not running some corpo prison here. You're free to take on whatever work you want. We won't be taking on any big jobs together for a little while anyway."
In Night City, teams like Maine's—with a full squad of specialists—were rare. Most edgerunner crews were smaller, usually two or three people.
"Got it. You must be pretty busy, huh?" Hiroshi asked, curious about Lin Mo's other commitments.
Lin Mo smiled slyly. "Yeah, I've got classes to attend."
Hiroshi nodded, clearly impressed. But then he froze, replaying Lin Mo's words in his head. "Wait... classes? You go to school?"
Seeing the confusion on Hiroshi's face, Lin Mo just smiled.
"Unbelievable," Hiroshi muttered, more to himself. "I thought your swordsmanship was a result of endless training, but you're still attending school? You really are something else, Lin Mo."
Lin Mo shrugged. It wasn't something he boasted about.
At that moment, a black and gold Delamain cab pulled up nearby.
"Your ride's here. Want to share?" Lin Mo asked.
Hiroshi shook his head. "I'll head back on foot. Gotta clean up the scene first. I'll sell off the gear from those gangsters and transfer you the cut."
"Don't worry about the money. I'm good for now. See you next time," Lin Mo said, waving as he climbed into the cab.
"Take care, Lin Mo," Hiroshi called after him, bowing respectfully.
Leaning back in the cab's comfortable seat, Lin Mo closed his eyes, planning to take a quick nap. The night had been long, and the series of events had been as intense as they were exhausting. All Lin Mo could think about was getting home, taking a hot shower, and passing out in bed.
But just as he was about to doze off, his commlink pinged.
Opening his eyes slightly, Lin Mo saw a friend request notification.
Sender: Rebecca.
Recipient: Lin Mo.
He chuckled to himself and accepted the request without hesitation.
A few more notifications came in soon after—friend requests from Falco and Pilar.
Looks like I've made some interesting friends tonight, Lin Mo thought with a smile, closing his eyes once more.