Cyberpunk: The Relentless

"Three hundred thousand a month?! Karl, and you still claim you don't have connections with that Arasaka heiress?!"

The next day, after learning about Karl's contract and salary, Oliver slammed the steering wheel of his Thorton Colby Hera, refusing to believe that his friend had just landed himself a sugar mommy.

He wasn't jealous, but…

"Karl, you're not planning to quit merc work and let yourself get kept, are you?"

That was his real concern.

Karl chuckled, shaking his head.

"Kept? Come on, don't say weird stuff. It's a legit contract for a legit bodyguard job. I'll only be called in when necessary. Obviously, it's just a side gig."

He leaned back in his seat, completely unfazed.

"Honestly? I doubt they'll even call me. I'm probably just a backup plan in case things go south."

Oliver sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Yeah… that makes sense."

Unlike Oliver, Jackie wasn't too worked up about it.

"Sounds like they just want a failsafe after what happened last time."

His words made Oliver pause and reconsider the situation seriously.

"So, not only do they have their visible security detail, but they also keep hidden reinforcements on standby? Damn, that Arasaka chick must be terrified after last time. But honestly, with their corporate security, it'd take some serious firepower to even reach her."

Karl nodded.

"Exactly. No regular attacker is getting past Arasaka's security."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"But if they do call me… it means we're dealing with something on the level of—"

"At least an ACPA-level threat?"

Oliver rested his hands on the wheel, exhaling.

"Man, that's a dangerous paycheck."

Karl shrugged.

"Realistically? No one's dumb enough to target the Arasaka family. Even if someone did, they'd have to break through an entire army of corpo security first."

He grinned.

"So, statistically speaking, I'm basically getting paid 300K a month for doing nothing."

Oliver opened his mouth to argue, but then stopped.

It was true that such an attack was unlikely.

Still…

It was bad luck to say it out loud.

So he decided to shut up instead.

Jackie, on the other hand, offered a final piece of advice.

"If shit ever hits the fan… don't go alone."

Karl smirked.

"You think I'm an idiot? Of course, I'll call you guys."

Just as Karl got into the Hera, Jack's optics flickered.

A call was coming in.

A few seconds later, his expression changed.

A strange, conflicted look crossed his face—something rare for Jackie.

Karl and Oliver immediately noticed.

Before they could ask, Jack spoke.

"…My ex, Camila, just called me."

Silence.

Karl and Oliver didn't need an explanation.

They already knew who Camila was.

Jackie had mentioned her before— back when he was drunk at a party.

She was his childhood friend, the girl who joined Valentinos at the same time as him.

While Jackie left the gang over time, Camila stayed and rose through the ranks.

Now?

She wasn't just a Valentinos member—

She was a high-ranking officer.

One of the most powerful women in the gang.

For her to reach out to Jackie now…

Something serious was happening.

Despite leaving their gangs, both Jackie and Oliver still had ties to them.

If something big was happening in Valentinos, if it involved people they cared about…

They couldn't ignore it.

Like Mama Welles.

She had deep Valentinos ties.

Or Oliver's father and sister—

Still involved with 6th Street.

Jackie sighed, rubbing his neck.

Karl watched him carefully.

"…Is it bad? If it is, I can take the day off."

Karl's words made Jack shake his head.

"Don't even think about ditching school, Karl. It's nothing serious."

After reading the entire message and getting a full understanding of the situation, Jack smiled, reassuring Karl and Oliver that there was no need to worry.

"Camila just needs someone to watch over a place in Vista Del Rey. They're shorthanded and need someone trustworthy for a bit."

Then, he glanced at Oliver.

"It's a conflict with 6th Street."

"Vista Del Rey, huh…"

Hearing that, Oliver immediately understood.

That area had been a constant battleground between 6th Street and Valentinos.

It wasn't particularly rich or valuable, but even leftover scraps were enough for gangs to fight over.

"If it's about that place, once we drop Karl off at school, I'll go with you."

Oliver offered calmly.

"If it's someone I know, maybe I can talk them down."

"That's not gonna work, Oliver."

Jack didn't reject the offer, but he wasn't optimistic about 'talking things out' either.

Oliver had barely lasted a week in 6th Street before getting kicked out. Even if he grew up around them, how many of the current members would still listen to him?

Jack wasn't holding his breath.

Karl yawned, slumping back into his seat.

"As long as it's not something major."

He didn't particularly care about Jack helping his ex with security, but…

He did bring up an important issue.

"But listen, Jackie—you're running off to help your ex. What happens if Misty finds out?"

Silence.

Jack froze.

Oliver, who hadn't even thought of that, suddenly realized Jack was fucked.

And now, he was looking at him with a mix of pity and amusement.

"It's just for a day. No big deal."

Jack forced a smile.

"Besides, I'm not doing anything shady—it's a paid job, like any other gig. And if you and Oliver don't snitch, no one will ever know."

"...You sure about that?"

Karl raised an eyebrow, skeptical.

Even if he kept quiet…

Misty's tarot readings had a suspiciously high accuracy.

Karl had a feeling Jack was about to suffer.

(End of Chapter)

PS:

I replayed all three lifepaths for V today and noticed something interesting in the Corpo route.

When your boss gives you the file on Abernathy, it includes some bank details.

Her accounts:

Night City Credit Union: €$8,343.1

Marmo Bank: €$5,023,031.3

Matterhorn Swiss Bank: €$2,543,432.5

That's a total of €$7,574,806.9.

Meanwhile, Corpo V's savings?

€$121,994.

Plus an extra €$45,800 in mission funds.

That's €$167,794 total—around 44 times less than Abernathy's accounts.

Either V wasn't saving money, or there's a massive wealth gap even within Arasaka.

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