Chapter 5: Lucina Kushinada!
After the underlings retreated, news about Dogtown's new weaponry spread rapidly through the underground black markets of Night City.
Some unscrupulous gun dealers repackaged these mysterious weapons as so-called "tech pistols," while private workshops began labeling their products as [M-76E Omaha].
As for their authenticity—who cares? As long as they can shoot, everyone can make money. As long as no one speaks up, everyone profits harmoniously.
This led to a surge in firearms trading within Night City's underground markets. Guns involved in multiple homicides and weapons lost by the police began flooding the black market.
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Within a few days, television networks and radio stations across Night City began covering the gang conflicts in Watson District and Dogtown's alleged new weapons with great fervor.
Since the Old Net was destroyed long ago by the legendary hacker Rache Bartmoss, humanity had to erect a Blackwall to block network viruses and rogue AIs.
Thus, communication in this world became highly restricted. Most people could only receive news through corporate-controlled mainstream media or conspiracy-heavy radio programs.
Whether the information was true or not? No one cared anymore.
Aside from glamorous celebrities and braindance artists, the public was most intrigued by topics like gang turf wars, advanced weaponry, and new cyberware technology.
#WNS News: "Triad and Tyger Claws engage in intense conflict! Prince Chen Tao vows to wipe out the Japanese gang in Little China!"
#N54 News: "Mysterious firearms from Dogtown revealed! Could they be advanced prototypes from a military contractor?"
#Guns & Saddle: "Live footage of Kabuki District shootout unveiled! A mysterious handgun resembling the SIG Sauer P320 that fires multiple bullets at once—unbeliewable!"
#Radio Broadcast: "Hello, folks! It's your guy Stanley! Heard the latest? The warlords of Dogtown are unloading their goodies again!
Some lucky folks snagged the real deal in Little China. Feeling brave enough to grab a piece?
Oh, but act fast—the Tyger Claws are hunting the arms dealer behind this! Wait too long, and there won't be scraps left for you!"
These dubious reports were like a bomb dropped in a pond, sparking heated discussions across Night City.
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Little China, LA Weapons Store
After closing his first firearms deal with Johnny Silverhand, Li Ang business started picking up. Gun dealers began seeking him out secretly, hoping he would sell them more premium goods.
Li Ang, however, knew the saying, "The nail that sticks out gets hammered." His terms were simple:
"I'll sell to you, but you must exclusively deal in my products.
Profits? 80% for me, 20% for you."
This wasn't unreasonable—hot commodities never lacked buyers. As long as the quality was high, doubling the price wouldn't deter anyone.
One additional clause: "Never sell to the Tyger Claws. One weapon sold, and our partnership ends immediately—with consequences."
Though this excluded a significant customer base, the gun dealers still had other outlets. Whether the weapons eventually ended up with the Tyger Claws wasn't their concern.
Li Ang and the black market traders struck a mutually beneficial deal.
Within days, Li Ang had recruited three or four black market distributors under his banner, with networks stretching across Night City.
On Li Ang system interface, his corporate credits skyrocketed, and his Eurodollars multiplied like rabbits.
There was no denying it: letting those hyenas handle part of the work made money flow like a faucet.
But Li Ang wasn't satisfied yet.
The U.S. President in the White House could close billion-Euro arms deals with a few words. That was the real payday!
L Li Ang's plan was simple: first establish a shadow network under his control, then wrest a corporate foothold in Watson from Arasaka Corporation.
Once that was secured, he'd collaborate with the new U.S. government to rake in defense contracts worth billions. With corporate power, he would unify America from within and dominate globally!
Of course, achieving this was no walk in the park. Li Ang needed to first assemble a loyal team, make allies, and minimize enemies.
If necessary, even partnering with Arasaka wasn't off the table.
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[Level 1 Mission: Complete your first corporate transaction]
Status: Completed
Rewards: 1 million Eurodollars, 100 corporate credits, 1 spin at the system's roulette wheel.
Li Ang sales volume earned him 10 spins at the roulette wheel—perfect for a ten-spin pull!
Nice! Jackpot vibes!
"Spin the wheel!"
The system's translucent interface displayed a spinning roulette wheel, and soon the results appeared.
Bad news: no golden-tier items.
Good news: one legendary cyberware item.
[Roulette Rewards]:
Thermal Monofilament Wire (Legendary)
Tsunami Katana
Tsunami Ashura
Malorian Arms Precursor
Constitutional Arms Unity
Budget Arms Carnage
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Cyberware Weapon: Thermal Monofilament Wire
Quality: Legendary
Function: Inflicts physical damage, delivering a focused strike capable of dismembering enemies instantly.
Description: A whip-like, single-strand wire with an edge only one molecule thick.
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Aside from the legendary Monofilament Wire, the rest were standard-grade products from other cyberware manufacturers.
Half good, half bad— Li Ang could live with it.
For now, he could only complete Level 3 missions at best. Unlocking golden-tier items required Level 5 or higher.
Li Ang priority was building a massive company to unlock higher-level missions and more advanced tech trees.
As Li Ang mulled over his next move, the person he had been waiting for finally arrived at his store.
Tap, tap, tap!
The crisp sound of leather boots against the floor accompanied by a faint, intoxicating fragrance wafted in with the breeze.
"Miss Lucina Kushinada, welcome."