Lin Mo didn't have to wait long. After he woke up, it wasn't long before Maine and the others returned, carrying large bags like they'd just gone on a shopping spree, though their faces were filled with annoyance that said, "Why the hell am I doing this?"
"Hey, our little hero is awake! How was your nap?" Maine greeted, his earlier frustration replaced by his signature cheerful grin as soon as he saw Lin Mo getting out of the car.
"It was alright. My head's not as fuzzy anymore. But what about you guys? Did you find anything useful over there?" Lin Mo asked, slapping his face lightly to shake off the drowsiness.
"Eh... not much, really... still had to haul all this junk back though. It was exhausting," Rebecca grumbled, tossing her bag to the ground with a huff and plopping down on it, clearly annoyed.
"Nothing much in terms of good stuff, just a bunch of junk. We sorted through what we could, but at most, you're looking at a few thousand eddies' worth of scrap," Maine said, also dropping his load, then glanced over at Sasha.
"But Sasha did manage to dig up some intel. You might wanna hear what she found," he added, gesturing toward Sasha.
Sasha, unlike the others who were lugging around heavy bags, looked quite relaxed, carrying only a single shoulder bag. The zipper was open slightly, revealing the sleek hacking equipment inside.
Without saying much, Sasha transmitted the information she found in the factory to Lin Mo's internal system.
Lin Mo's eyes flickered as he accepted the data and skimmed through the files. The information consisted mostly of chat logs between the Scavengers and their "customers" and some journal entries documenting their shady transactions.
In summary, there wasn't too much new information. What stood out was that these Scavengers had been doing dirty work for various companies, growing their numbers and stockpile thanks to the "support" these companies provided.
Lin Mo saw a list of companies they'd dealt with—mostly smaller corporations, though a few bigger names were also involved.
Companies like Moore Technologies, Dara Polytechnic, Kang Tao, Arasaka, and even Militech had connections with this gang, all benefiting from the Scavengers' dirty work.
"These guys didn't care who they worked for, huh? No shame being the lapdog for multiple companies, as long as they got paid," Lin Mo clicked his tongue in disdain.
"Just a bunch of corporate lapdogs. All they need is a little company kibble, and they lose their sense of direction," Maine snorted.
"But let's not dwell on that," Maine continued, reaching into his bag and pulling out a wad of eddies. "We also came across some cash—probably a couple thousand. Normally, this kinda stuff would be ours by street rules, but if you want it, it's yours."
He tossed the blood-stained and grimy eddies on the ground. Given the amount, splitting it between the group wasn't worth much. So, Maine figured he'd offer it to Lin Mo as a friendly gesture.
Lin Mo glanced at the pile but wasn't particularly interested.
Still, he accepted the rest of the loot (mainly scrap), handing it over to Hiro to sell later on the black market.
Hiro took on the task without complaint, though Lin Mo thought it was a bit beneath his skill level. In the future, if David actually joined the crew, he could have him handle this kind of thing—give him some real-world experience with the life of a merc.
"Oh, by the way, the woman you saved—Susan—she woke up for a bit while you were out. Then she and that corpo chick got picked up," Sasha suddenly mentioned, as if remembering something important.
"Kawako Fujiwara? She was still around?" Lin Mo raised an eyebrow in surprise.
He had thought that Fujiwara would've left by now, probably driven off by Wakako's people.
"Yeah, well, she insisted on sticking around until she saw the whole thing through. She even wanted to thank you personally, but you were out cold," Maine explained.
"They should be gone by now, though," Lin Mo replied casually.
Just then, a low chuckle came from nearby. Turning toward the sound, Lin Mo saw Falco, his large frame leaning on the car window, the faint glow of city lights reflecting off his thick mustache.
"A gentleman never leaves a lady waiting too long, you know," Falco said, his voice smooth and playful. "But a gentleman who makes her wait just long enough... well, that's a different story."
"They're still here, waiting for you over by the road. The driver's probably pissed off by now, but hey, better make an appearance," Falco added with a wink.
Lin Mo blinked, slightly caught off guard by that.
Sighing, he glanced down at the bloodstains and dried gore that still clung to his clothes.
"I'm covered in filth. I don't think it's a good idea to go over and disgust them," he said, half-joking.
Hiro chuckled before taking off his clean jacket and tossing it to Lin Mo.
"Here, put this on, Lin. You've earned the honor," Hiro said sincerely, smiling.
Lin Mo stared at him for a second, then shrugged. He draped the jacket over himself, its fabric still fresh and untouched by the night's violence.
"Alright, alright, I'll go," Lin Mo relented, walking off in the direction Falco had pointed to.
...
A silver Villefort Cortes was parked by the side of the road, illuminated by a flickering streetlamp that seemed to struggle to remain on. The soft yellow glow of the light bathed the car, giving it an almost ethereal quality as if it were wrapped in a thin sheet of gold.
The rest of the road was dark, broken streetlights casting long shadows down the empty street. It was eerily quiet.
Lin Mo approached and knocked lightly on the car door. After a moment, it opened, revealing the weary but still elegant face of Kawako Fujiwara.
Next to her, the woman Lin Mo had saved—Susan—lay unconscious again, oblivious to Lin Mo's presence.
"How is your friend? Is she going to be okay?" Lin Mo asked first, eyeing the injured woman.
"I… I don't know for sure, but she woke up earlier and spoke to me. I think she'll be alright," Kawako replied quietly.
"That's good," Lin Mo nodded, feeling satisfied. Inwardly, he was rather proud of his quick emergency treatment skills.
"Since you only wanted to see me, I guess you've done that now. You can head back, right? Your friend's condition is stable for now, but that doesn't mean she's out of the woods. And you… well, you still need that kidney replacement," he said, matter-of-factly.
Kawako hung her head slightly, her hair falling over her eyes. Lin Mo could just barely make out her lips moving as if she wanted to say something, but the words didn't come out.
"Well, if that's all, I'll be on my way," Lin Mo added, already starting to turn away.
"Wait!" Kawako suddenly called out, her voice trembling slightly as she raised her head, her eyes meeting his.
"Mr. Mo… why did you choose to help me? And why only charge me 1 euro?" she asked, her voice filled with confusion and something close to desperation.
Lin Mo shrugged nonchalantly. "A lot of things in life don't have deep meanings. I helped because those Scavs pissed me off. Simple as that."
"Besides, don't you think wiping out an entire Scav gang for just 1 euro sounds ridiculous? That's the point. When word gets out, everyone will know Mo Ying as the biggest sucker in Night City."
—Big Sucker.
Cheap, reliable, good in a fight, and willing to go above and beyond for a measly price. It wasn't the kind of reputation most mercs wanted, but Lin Mo needed to make a splash in this city. To break into Afterlife with the right crew, he'd take whatever attention he could get.
1 euro for wiping out an entire gang. That was bound to shake people up.
Though in Lin Mo's mind, the lives of the Scavengers weren't even worth that 1 euro. If he wasn't gaming the system for a specific bug, he'd have killed them for free.
People hate being the sucker, but they love to watch one in action.
With the CyberSim's assistance, making money was ridiculously easy. He didn't need to take contracts for the pay—he did it for reputation, for the attribute points, and to build a crew.
Making eddies wasn't hard when you could predict the stock market or other profitable ventures, but he had bigger goals.
"I don't think you're a sucker at all," Kawako said, shaking her head. A faint blush rose to her cheeks, her voice soft. "You're… you're a hero."
"Thanks for the compliment, but from now on, if you need anything, go through Wakako. Since we know each other now, I'll even give you a discount—20 percent off my usual rate. But for now, this conversation is over," Lin Mo replied quickly, his tone dismissive.
Kawako seemed to hesitate, her eyes wide as if there was more she wanted to say. But Lin Mo, sensing it, raised his hand.
"No need for any more thanks. I didn't do this for gratitude," he said firmly.
"Now, please, close the door and let your driver take you home. Your parents are probably worried sick. Go wash up, sleep, and tomorrow, get that kidney fixed. Life's still waiting for you."
"Whatever you've been through these past few days, I'm not interested. But there's one fact you need to understand…" Lin Mo's tone softened slightly as a faint smile crossed his lips.
"You're going home."
Kawako stared at him, her eyes welling up with tears as the weight of his words sank in. The mention of "going home" broke something inside her, and she began to sob quietly.
Tears streamed down her face, shimmering under the faint streetlight before falling to the ground in tiny droplets. Though she had lost so much and endured horrors in the Scavengers' den, she was alive.
That was what mattered.
"Next time, don't be so gullible. One wrong move, and there won't be a next time—just the afterlife," Lin Mo muttered, leaving them with that final warning.
With that, he turned and walked away.
The car door closed, and soon, the silver Villefort Cortes sped off into the city, disappearing into the night. Whatever gratitude Kawako had tried to express was drowned out by the hum of the vehicle as it vanished.
Lin Mo watched it go, then glanced down at the blood and grime still clinging to him, sighing heavily.
Turning on his heel, he made his way back to the others.
...
Back at the parking lot, Hiro had already pulled up his Rayfield Caliburn beside the other vehicles. Three rides sat side by side, waiting for their respective owners to hop in.
"Well, well! Our little hero's back!" Maine called out, waving at Lin Mo with a wide grin.
"So, what's the plan now? Got anything else going on tonight?" Lin Mo asked as he approached the group.
Maine leaned back against his sleek purple Quadra Type-66, his arms crossed, a big smile on his face.
"Oh, for sure. We just pulled off a big job, so we've gotta celebrate. Sleep's for the dead," Maine laughed heartily.
"Got any place in mind?" Lin Mo asked, casually rubbing the back of his neck.
"Japan Town—Turbo's Diner. It's always packed with mercs at this hour. Interested in tagging along?" Maine offered.
"Sounds good. Just find me a hotel first. I need a shower before I show up like this," Lin Mo replied, gesturing to his blood-stained clothes.
"No problem. I know the area like the back of my hand. I'll hook you up with a decent spot. We'll clean you up nice," Maine promised with a thumbs-up.
"Alright, lead the way," Lin Mo smiled, hopping into his Rayfield Caliburn.
The others also jumped into their vehicles, ready to roll out.
"Finally, time to head back," Rebecca yawned, tossing her pistols into the back seat of Falco's car before hopping in herself.
"Catch you later," Sasha waved, sliding into the passenger seat next to Falco.
Three vehicles—Rayfield Caliburn, Villefort Alvarado, and Quadra Type-66—revved their engines and roared off into the city, speeding off toward the night and whatever awaited them next.