The next afternoon, rcer took V to the stock exchange first, withdrawing all the funds originally used for short selling to settle the profits. Without adding leverage, he reinvested the entire amount into buy the dip in Biotechnica’s stock.
After that, he brought V to Afterlife.
As usual, he ordered a NiCola and a whiskey at the bar. rcer wasn’t in a hurry to see Rogue; instead, he sat with V by the counter, watching TV.
When the clock struck 6:30 PM, N54 News began broadcasting a live press conference.
As Diana Cuno took the stage as Biotechnica’s representative for the interview, V looked at the impeccably dressed Diana on screen, who wore a solemn expression but seed far from genuine. V couldn’t help but let out a disdainful scoff.
"Look at this woman. Anyone who didn’t know better would think she had nothing to do with this."
V gripped her glass irritably.
rcer simply slipped the straw under his mask, sipping his NiCola slowly, and remarked calmly, "That’s Night City."
"Heh, well said." Claire wasn’t too busy at the mont and turned to watch the TV with rcer and V, sighing, "I rember people saying back when I was young that Biotechnica was poisoning the water in Santo Domingo..."
rcer stayed silent because he knew the bla for Santo Domingo’s water contamination actually lay with Arasaka... it was Arasaka’s factories secretly dumping toxic wastewater that severely polluted the area’s water supply.
But even Arasaka’s own employees were unaware of this. It just showed how little these corporations valued human lives.
On TV, Diana Cuno was still speaking eloquently.
"Through our internal investigation, we have identified the corporate executive responsible for this poisoning incident: Dr. Joanne Koch."
Diana put on a pained expression. "To my sha, she was not only my colleague but also once my student. I myself was the technical lead in charge of drug developnt for this project.
Out of trust, I never imagined she would use such thods to test the drugs I developed.
When I learned that she had secretly planned and directed employees to carry out these actions,
I imdiately tried to persuade her to turn herself in voluntarily, to compensate the victims and apologize to the public.
But sadly, and infuriatingly, as soon as Joanne realized the company was launching an internal investigation, she fled in fear of being held accountable."
Hearing this, V’s expression grew even more contemptuous. "Fled? I bet she’s already dead."
rcer said nothing, just kept watching the TV.
After a long stream of bla-shifting, Diana finally got to the point, addressing the cara: "But fortunately, Joanne was unaware that we had already developed an immunity agent for the virus infecting the residents of Yucca Town."
rcer set down his NiCola, narrowing his eyes at Diana on the screen.
What had started as an apology press conference seed to abruptly shift into a promotional showcase for Biotechnica’s new drug. "This immunity agent not only cures the multiple toxins released by Joanne in Yucca Town, but also forms antibodies within the human body, providing permanent immunity against these viruses.
Although the production cost is high, we pledge to provide free injections of this vaccine to all residents of Yucca Town and offer them compensation."
A reporter chid in with a pointed question: "But aren’t you still using them as test subjects for the drug? What if there are side effects?"
"We guarantee that if the drug fails to resolve the poisoning issue among Yucca Town residents, anyone who falls ill or dies due to side effects or the virus will receive compensation of at least 200,000 eurodollars per person from us!
At the sa ti, we will fully pursue the fugitive Joanne Koch, actively cooperate with Night City’s Biosafety Managent Committee and the NCPD to conduct strict investigations into all individuals involved.
We promise to handle all implicated personnel transparently and publicly under public scrutiny, ensuring no criminal is let off."
Another reporter asked: "As the head of drug developnt, how could you have known nothing about this?"
Diana Cuno put on a sorrowful expression: "Yes, in fact, until Joanne went on the run, she consistently maintained during internal company investigations that she was conducting drug tests by recruiting ’legal volunteers.’
As soone solely responsible for the technical R&D aspect, all I had access to were experintal data and results. I knew nothing about the identities of the so-called volunteers or the testing environnt she described."
Claire couldn’t bear to watch any longer, shaking her head as she went to mix drinks for other custors.
V, anwhile, stared at the screen with disgust and remarked, "rcer, do you think anyone actually buys her bullshit?"
"Does it matter whether ordinary people believe it or not?" rcer averted his gaze and shook his head. "Her goal, or rather, Biotechnica’s goal, has already been achieved."
"What do you an?" V didn’t quite follow.
"The focus of this press conference was never an apology, compensation, or explanations," rcer sighed and pointed at Diana, who was now elaborating on the immunity agent’s data. "The key is the outco of this experint. The key is that Biotechnica has developed an immunity agent."
"Holy shit," V caught on and slamd the table. "So Biotechnica’s stock is about to shoot up again!?"
"Exactly," rcer said calmly. "Not just their stock. More importantly, she announced this news through N54 News. I suspect even Militech’s stock has risen in response."
V grumbled, "And now she’s the sole remaining developer of this immunity agent?"
"Yes. I imagine Diana will probably get a promotion and a raise, becoming the project lead in charge of further developnt of this immunity agent through the collaboration with Militech," rcer speculated.
V lowered her voice, whispering suspiciously, "But can’t Militech see that this immunity agent is just a scam?"
"How is it a scam? The test results for the immunity agent are quite promising now. What drug developnt has a 100% success rate? Diana just needs to prove her immunity agent has a success rate."
After rcer finished speaking, V frowned. "So, with the evidence we have, can we expose her to Militech now?"
"Probably not." rcer lightly tapped the bar counter, his tone aningful. "Diana knows we’re aware this immunity agent is a ’scam’ and that we have plenty of evidence. Would she be foolish enough to leave more handles for us?"
"You an..." V was sowhat surprised.
"If I’m not mistaken, she’s most likely already confessed to Militech that the current immunity agent can’t provide complete immunity to the virus. But Diana must have convinced Militech to continue investing in her new project through other ans. As for what this new project is..." rcer shook his head. "We’ll have to wait a while to find out."
"Then isn’t what you want out of the question? If she really solidifies her position, can the little we have make her comply obediently?" V asked, puzzled.
rcer propped his chin with one hand and shook his head. "Of course not... but it doesn’t matter. I suspect she’ll still deliver what we want obediently. Though it’s highly likely she’ll set a trap for us when she does."
"Hmm..." V pondered carefully and eventually guessed the reason. "Right, she probably doesn’t even know who’s threatening her now."
"Hard to say. It depends on whether Wakako is willing to keep our secret... but it doesn’t matter. Even if she knows our nas, she wouldn’t dare make the first move." After saying this, rcer let out a cold laugh. "If she can’t take us all out in one go, she’ll never sleep peacefully again. If we broke through Biotechnica’s security once without anyone noticing, couldn’t we do it a second ti? You can be a thief for a thousand days, but you can’t guard against thieves for a thousand days. If she’s not stupid, she’ll understand that betraying us gives her only one chance."
Before V could ask more, rcer waved his hand. "Alright, don’t worry about it. We’ll take it one step at a ti. I won’t let us step into a trap; safety first."
"If you ask , we should just strike first..." V muttered.
rcer set down his glass. "You’d better not think too much. I’m going to talk to Rogue."
"Go ahead." V snorted and waved her hand dismissively as rcer leisurely made his way toward the back booths.
This ti, Rogue wasn’t in a fully enclosed booth but sat in the innermost booth of the main hall. Generally, as long as there were bodyguards watching the entrance, there was no risk of the conversation being leaked.
When rcer reached the entrance, her bodyguard reached out to stop him. "Please wait a mont."
"No need, let him in." Rogue’s voice rang out.
When rcer walked in, he chuckled. "Maine? You guys managed to get connected with Rogue?" rcer looked at the burly Maine, Dorio, and Sasha, who waved energetically at him, his tone teasing.
Maine smiled. "You could say that. I feel like we owe it to you, in a way."
"Oh?" rcer turned to look at Rogue.
Rogue calmly explained the reason: "These folks ca to saying they heard from you and felt working for Faraday was too risky, so they wanted to pick up more jobs from in the future.
I think your judgnt of people is decent, so I figured I’d give them a shot."
rcer understood. Rogue had probably found out about that ti he chatted with Maine and the others at the bar, trying to recruit them.
rcer glanced around and sat down next to Sasha. Maine and Dorio were sitting together, and that part of the couch actually looked a bit crowded.
"So that’s basically the situation. If you think you can handle it, take the job. If not, I’ll just get A to deal with it."
After Rogue finished, Maine and the others exchanged looks and nodded. "No problem, we’ll take it."
"I’ll send you the mission details later. Handle it yourselves once you’re ready."
After Rogue wrapped up, Maine and the group naturally stood up. "Want to grab a drink later? Haven’t seen your crew in a while, A."
"Been busy settling in. Laying low for a bit. Oh, and I opened a shop; weapon mods, cyberware modifications, custom programs, all sorts of stuff. Co by anyti."
rcer’s words piqued Maine’s interest. "Then let’s catch up properly later."
"Sure." rcer nodded, watching them leave. Sasha gave him a playful wink on her way out, giving off the vibe of that charming little white cat from Tom and Jerry that always had Tom spellbound.
"Tch, why do you have to flirt with every pretty girl you see?" Rogue frowned at him disapprovingly. She couldn’t stand n like that; just looking at them made her PTSD act up.
"Wasn’t she the one who initiated the greeting?" rcer shrugged, then got straight to the point. "I want to know who hired us to steal from Biotechnica last ti."
"Then you should go ask Wakako." Rogue said irritably. "She gave you the job. Why do you always co to ?"
"Don’t I trust you more?" rcer grinned, leaning back casually on the couch. "If possible, could you also help figure out who to contact and who to take out if I want to sabotage the collaboration between Biotechnica and Militech?"
"Damn, you think I’m running a charity here?" Rogue grumbled, but then cut straight to it. "But you’re not wrong to ask. I do know a thing or two."
"I knew I could count on you." rcer smirked.
Rogue rolled her eyes. "Look at you, acting like a rogue. You’ve really latched onto , huh?"
"Hey, I told you; just give a call if you need anything. This is what you call mutually beneficial favors."
rcer said with a cheerful smile.
Rogue thought for a mont, organizing her thoughts, then said directly, "Generally speaking, when it cos to external collaborations and investnts, along with risk assessnt, it’s handled by Militech’s Investnt Director, Howard.
The one responsible for liaising with the fixers this ti is a senior agent nad Anthony Gilchrist.
But the final decision-maker would have to be Militech’s CEO."
She lit a cigarette and analyzed it for rcer: "Militech is a strictly disciplined, semi-militarized company. If you want to take soone down, you don’t look for their competitors; you go to the senior agents specifically responsible for corporate discipline. Let think. It’s best to find soone from their operations departnt."
Rogue shrugged. "Those agents handle external espionage and sabotage operations, while internally they’re responsible for disciplinary oversight. If sothing major happens within the company, these agents have channels to report directly to the CEO."
"Got it. Similar to Arasaka’s counterintelligence division; they can investigate both their own people and outsiders, and have the authority to make arrests beyond the chain of command in critical situations."
After rcer finished, Rogue nodded. "A pack of hounds who climbed over corpses to get where they are. As long as you let them catch a whiff of blood, I bet so bold ones will help you stir up trouble."
"Any recomndations?" rcer grinned at her. Even with his mask on, Rogue could guess the infuriating expression on his face.
"Hold on, I need to think carefully." Rogue said irritably, then added, "I’ve helped you so many tis. Shouldn’t you do sothing for in return?"
"Co on, don’t tell you didn’t profit from that Biotechnica insider info I gave you," rcer retorted.
Rogue pursed her lips. "That’s a separate matter. Didn’t I introduce you to reliable investnt managers and institutions too?"
"Just tell what you want," rcer said bluntly.
"About those docunts you gave ; has Wakako found buyers for them?" Rogue asked.
"Wakako was interested in a few technical datasets. I already sold those for just over 300k eddies. The rest, she says she hasn’t found buyers for yet," rcer replied truthfully.
Rogue nodded. "I’ll take the rest off your hands. Flat rate: two million eurodollars for everything. If you’re willing to hand over all the truly valuable blackmail material you’re sitting on, I might throw in a little extra."
rcer fell into thought but only briefly before nodding. "Deal. But I’m keeping so of the insider info that could crash Biotechnica’s stock; I still plan to cash in on the market later."
"I’ll contact you ahead of ti when the mont cos. I’ll want a cut of that too. And honestly, do you think manipulating a company’s stock price is just about exposing a few scandals in the news?
Frankly, you need powerful allies to steadily manipulate the market and profit together."
Rogue said.
rcer laughed straightforwardly. "No problem. Three million eddies flat; it’s all yours."
There was a lot of data stolen from Biotechnica, but most of it was useless to rcer, only aningful to Biotechnica’s competitors.
After all, this wasn’t Biotechnica’s headquarters, just a regional branch. Most of the data was related to drug developnt and experint records. The truly valuable parts were the hidden intelligence, but no one knew which pieces were worth the most.
Dumping this entire load onto a buyer was a huge relief for rcer. He’d been so broke he’d even sold his Caliburn. These three million eddies were a lifesaver.
"Later on, I’ll need so mid to small-scale chanical synthesis equipnt. Can you get your hands on that?" rcer suddenly asked.
Rogue glanced at him. "What scale of operation are you planning?"
"At least enough to et my personal R&D needs for cyberware equipnt," rcer said honestly.
"That would be pushing it. High-end compact equipnt starts at millions of eurodollars, not to ntion all raw materials are tightly controlled. If you’re talking smuggling, since you’re in Dogtown, it’d be easier to work with locals."
After Rogue finished, rcer nodded and didn’t press further. It seed this would have to be a slow process; smuggling large equipnt through Dogtown and negotiating with Colonel Hansen was no simple task.
"Alright then. Do you want the data on a physical hard drive or should I send it over the net?" rcer asked.
"You’re a professional netrunner, and you’re asking that?" Rogue let out a short laugh.
"Exactly because I’m a professional that I’m not worried about operating online," rcer replied. "Then I’ll have V bring the hard drive to you tomorrow."
"Good. Paynt on delivery." Rogue’s expression suddenly turned serious. "I’ve got so bad news for you."
"Go ahead." rcer sat up straight.
"Arasaka has their eyes on you; to be precise, you and those kids around you. So you didn’t just steal one Relic chip?"
rcer didn’t respond imdiately, just stared at her silently, everything conveyed without words.
Seeing this, Rogue could only shake her head. "Alright, quit staring at like that. All I can tell you is even my higher-ups have started asking to track soone down in Night City. I’m sure other fixers have received similar intel. Do you know how much you’re worth to Arasaka?"
rcer seed intrigued. "How much?"
"You’re their top bounty; ten million eddies."
rcer sucked in a sharp breath. "Ten million?"
"Ten million alive, five million dead. And if they recover the Relic chips, each one, functional or not, is worth another million. Now be straight with ; did you just steal and run, or did you do sothing bigger?"
Rogue looked at him earnestly, a warning tone in her voice. "I don’t want to find out soday that you’ve been playing ."
rcer raised his hand as if taking an oath. "I’m not screwing you over, man. As for why my price is so high..." He thought for a mont, then smirked coldly. "Just think about it; Alt, Bartmoss, what netrunner alive ever caused less than ten million in damage? I’m worth even more because I’m connected to AIs like Alt. Catching would be a multi-purpose win."
But then rcer suddenly grew irritated. "Wait, I’m only worth ten million? How much are the others wanted for?"
"Between one hundred and fifty thousand," Rogue said, amused. "These are internal bounty rates; pretty generous, actually. Do you know how much Bartmoss was worth back in the day? A combined corporate bounty of thirty million. Now Arasaka alone is offering ten million for you. Not bad at all."
Seeing his reaction, Rogue felt less concerned about being deceived and teased him instead. "If the price were any higher, even I might be tempted. Then you’d really be in trouble."
rcer was still a bit dissatisfied. When he thought about it carefully, this amount of money couldn’t even buy a supercar like the Aerondight Guinevere. Was his life really worth less than a hypercar?
Damn it. Sooner or later, he’d make those Arasaka idiots see just how much his bounty should really be worth.
"You’ve got to be careful; don’t show your face around casually. I’d suggest you get so plastic surgery if you have to."
Rogue looked him over. "You haven’t been stupid enough to wander around without your mask, have you?"
"No, but quite a few Aldecaldos have seen . Very few in the city, though; only a handful." rcer replied.
Rogue pondered for a mont and said, "That’s not entirely safe either. While most Aldecaldos won’t betray you, you still need to watch out for traitors."
"Got it." rcer sighed. "But I figure it’s only a matter of ti. A netrunner like can’t avoid making a na for themselves. Even without Arasaka, other corps would target for my skills."
"Then you’d better figure out how to stay hidden. Hiding in Dogtown alone won’t cut it," Rogue remarked.
rcer fell silent for a mont before chuckling. "Understood. There’s always a way."
"Alright, that’s all. I’ll keep an eye out for the right Militech personnel who can help with your operations. I’ll let you know if I find suitable candidates," Rogue said, signaling the end of their eting.
rcer stood up, thought for a second, and added, "I know a woman nad redith Stout. I looked her up; she’s currently the Deputy Director of Operations at Militech. Would she work?"
"That’s a pretty high position. You think she’s reliable?" Rogue raised an eyebrow.
"Check if she’s usable. She’s ambitious, bold, and ruthless. What I’m planning isn’t for the faint-hearted," rcer replied.
Rogue nodded. "I’ll look into her for you."
"Thanks, Rogue." rcer gave her an exaggerated thumbs-up. "You’re the best fixer in Night City."
"Cut the crap, A. Don’t make sick. When I have a job for you, don’t you dare bail on ," Rogue retorted with a laugh.
"At your service," rcer said with a casual wave before turning to leave.
But once outside the private room, his expression turned serious. Arasaka’s pursuers were finally closing in.
Given that he hadn’t exactly kept a low profile, so necessary preparations had to be made sooner rather than later.
Yet rcer had no intention of lying low and hiding. In his view, evading Arasaka’s chase was a last resort. The best solution was to tackle the problem at its root.
The key to solving this undoubtedly lay with Yorinobu Arasaka. If he could et him, successfully eliminate Saburo Arasaka, and help Yorinobu take power, the bounty on rcer would no longer be an issue.
Moreover, he might even gain a powerful ally.
Though easier said than done, this plan required perfect timing, location, and cooperation. rcer didn’t plan to rush Rogue; even if he t Yorinobu now, there was little he could do.
Lost in thought, he returned to the bar where Maine and the others were chatting animatedly with V.
"Is the Sandevistan really that good? Guess I need to start saving up," Maine was saying, discussing the Sandevistan with V.
"I wouldn’t recomnd installing a Sandevistan directly," rcer’s voice made Maine and the others turn around.
Sitting down, rcer scrutinized Maine and said, "Your Militech cyberware is outdated. Even if the operating system doesn’t cause severe neural compatibility issues, the other components in your body won’t withstand much acceleration."
Maine sighed at this. "I know. I’ve been considering replacing all my cyberware from scratch."
"Don’t go buying those second-hand parts pieced together. Soone like you who’s not too familiar might not realize how many traps are hidden in that cyberware. I’d suggest finding a reliable ripperdoc for reference."
After rcer finished speaking, Maine remained silent, but Dorio beside him sighed: "A, we don’t have your kind of skills. Every job you take nets each person over a hundred thousand eurodollars."
When she finished, rcer glanced at V, who grinned and raised an eyebrow at him. If she couldn’t show off, what else was she supposed to talk about at the bar!
"Our jobs usually pay just a few thousand, maybe ten thousand eurodollars at best. After splitting it and deducting mission expenses, even divided among just three people, it’s often not enough."
Maine spoke with so envy as he looked at rcer, proactively offering: "So if you ever need help from your chooms, don’t hesitate to reach out."
"Alright, but higher-paying jobs co with bigger risks. Don’t say I screwed you over when the ti cos." rcer agreed without hesitation.
"Thanks, A. Don’t worry, I know what I’m getting into." Maine looked sowhat excited. After all, there’s a hierarchy among Afterlife rcs.
At best, he was gatekeeper-level at Afterlife, but rcer was truly top-tier. Earlier, V hadn’t held back boasting about rcer’s exploits; how he provided free lodging for the crew and even covered Trauma Team platinum mberships.
Maine was starting to regret whether refusing rcer’s earlier offer had been ungrateful.
But fortunately, rcer didn’t seem to hold any grudges and remained very welcoming to them. This eased Maine’s mind while also making him appreciate rcer’s generosity and straightforwardness.
For a while, the two chatted like old friends, though V could barely contain her laughter nearby.
Maine was a guy in his thirties, calling V ’choom’? No, it was more like Maine was practically calling rcer ’big bro’ already.
The thought made it hard for V to keep a straight face, though rembering how Rebecca probably used to laugh at her the sa way sparked so irritation.
rcer didn’t chat with them for too long. After a few words, he bid farewell to the group and prepared to leave with V.
But as they were about to go, rcer glanced at Sasha, hesitating briefly. Though it was just a fleeting mont, V’s sharp senses picked up on sothing unusual.
Once they stepped outside and got into rcer’s new car, V couldn’t hold back her curiosity.
rcer’s current ride was a brand-new bulletproof Mizutani Shion. Compared to the modified ’Shion’ models popular among nomads, this one had more power, and its all-black color sche looked cooler and more premium.
The previous cars had all been handled through El Capitán, and rcer had also placed an order for a batch of modified vehicles with him, though they weren’t finished yet.
As soon as rcer stepped on the accelerator, V blurted out: "You’ve got a thing for that Sasha, don’t you?"
"Huh?" rcer was startled, casually taking off his mask and placing it on the center console before turning to look at her. "I admit I like pretty girls, but you didn’t have to go that far."
"Damn, the way you looked at her before we left was definitely off. If you’re not into her, then you’re hiding sothing." V declared confidently.
Her beast-like intuition was seriously uncanny.
rcer clicked his tongue in amazent. "You really are sothing else. Alright, I won’t hide it from you; I do know a bit about her situation. But since I got this through my special intelligence network, it’s not easy to discuss."
"Your ’special intelligence network’ is downright creepy. It’s like you’ve read all our personal files and had us completely figured out even before eting us," V remarked, feeling that rcer’s abilities in this regard were truly unbelievable.
"Well, V, since we’re on the topic, why don’t you give your thoughts too?" rcer decided to confide in V and discuss Sasha’s situation with her. "From what I know, Sasha’s mother died from the side effects of that high-end painkiller ’Securicine’ developed by Biotechnica."
"Wait, what? Damn, more shady stuff from Biotechnica?" V was shocked. "How many despicable things have those assholes done?"
rcer sighed. "Long story short, back then, Sasha, out of kindness, worked hard to save up money to buy her mother, who had just undergone surgery, the newly released, expensive painkiller ’Securicine’ from Biotechnica."
"And it led to her mother’s death due to the side effects? Does she... does she know her mother died because of the drug’s side effects?" V’s gaze softened with pity.
"She doesn’t know. That’s why I’m so conflicted," rcer replied.
V pressed further, "What’s holding you back?"
"On one hand, I wonder if it might be better to keep this from her; at least she wouldn’t have to live with the guilt of feeling responsible for her mother’s death." rcer continued, "On the other hand, it’s hard to explain how I even found out about her family’s private matters. And I’m worried she might act on impulse. What if she decides she has to seek revenge and goes after Biotechnica? I’d be responsible for getting her killed."
V fell silent for a mont, recognizing the complexity of the situation. She scratched her head in frustration before finally venting, "Well, I don’t know what to tell you either. You’ll have to figure it out yourself. Damn, how many disgusting things have these Biotechnica people done?"
"Human experintation, illegal human modification, large-scale poisoning, adding unauthorized chemicals to food, secretly modifying dangerous animals and releasing them into the wild to cause havoc..." rcer listed them off one by one.
V went quiet, stewing in anger. After a long pause, she turned to look at him. "rcer, tell ; how can we make companies like Biotechnica pay for what they’ve done?"
Through her experience with Diana, she had co to realize that simply exposing their misdeeds and scandals would never truly harm a corporation like this. Even if one group of ambitious high-level employees fell, countless others would step up, eager for promotions and pay raises, continuing the sa vile practices within Biotechnica. V didn’t know how to break this cycle for good.
"Aren’t we already working on it, bit by bit?" He smiled, turning to V with a gentle tone. "Eventually, we’ll make it happen; send all these heartless bastards to hell."
"...Yeah." V awkwardly turned her face away. "Stop looking at like that..."
"Really? Still not used to it?" rcer teased.
"Damn, if it were you being stared at like that by Lucy while she says things like that, would you be comfortable?" V retorted.
"Actually not bad," rcer told the truth. Lucy had spoken to him like this before too.
"My issue?" V fell into self-doubt.
"Your issue."
After rcer’s words fell, the car sank into a long silence.
—--
Two days later, the Kindling Squad reunited, holding their first ’family eting’ in the underground base.
In the living room, the TV volu was turned down to the minimum. rcer, with a smile, sat at the head of the dining table serving as the conference table, cleared his throat lightly, and began.
"This eting has only one purpose: splitting the cash."
As soon as he finished, Pilar let out an excited "Whoa!" and clapped enthusiastically with his thick arms.
Rebecca sat beside Pilar. Though she found him a bit embarrassing, her little face couldn’t hide her excitent as she looked expectantly at rcer.
Kyoko, who wasn’t getting a cut, sat obediently beside her, clapping happily along with Pilar, looking even more thrilled than Kiwi, who rely smiled from the far end of the table.
V gave a brief, symbolic round of applause before staring at him eagerly, "Co on, hurry up and tell us; how much did we make this ti?"
"Not much, just 7.28 million eurodollars," rcer said cheerfully, resting his hands in front of him.
The mont the number was spoken, everyone fell silent for a second, as if processing the figure in their minds.
Then, a wave of surprised cheers erupted.
Pilar’s eyes lit up as he drifted into fantasy. If all that money were his, he could probably spend the rest of his life dying at Clouds without ever coming out. Damn, this is like a dream!
V gasped, leaning back in her chair, "Holy shit... I... I’m gonna be financially free!"
"Free my ass, keep dreaming," rcer rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Alright, enough talk. Let’s do the math!"
"First, the 3 million from Rogue’s intel sale is the final paynt from the previous Biotechnica job. We’ll split it according to the original ratio: 40% team cut, and the remaining 60% divided with V and each taking 30%, and the other four field operatives getting 10% each."
rcer paused briefly, not giving them ti to calculate, and continued, "The remaining 4.28 million cos from the side job V, Rebecca, and I ran. We leveraged the Caliburn with El Capitán and made a round in the stock market, so I plan to take the standard 20% cut for private work."
As soon as he finished, V and Rebecca exchanged a glance before V spoke up, "rcer, we’ve thought about it; let’s count this money as a team job instead."
Before rcer could object, V said seriously, "Truth is, everyone can see the money spent on this base, inside and out, couldn’t have been covered just by team funds. You must’ve dipped into your own pocket more than once. Since we’re a team, there’s no reason for you to shoulder all the expenses alone. So, whatever happens later, I won’t argue, but right now, during the team’s early setup phase, every corner needs funding. Let’s take the 40% cut."
Hearing this, rcer couldn’t help but laugh. "You sure? That’s 20% of 4 million eurodollars we’re talking about."
"Hell! You think I can’t do math? Alright, it’s settled. After deducting that 40%, Rebecca and I will each take 20% of what’s left." V glared at him.
Rebecca chid in cheerfully, "But you’re the one who said we should treat the team like family, rcer. The money we’re getting is already plenty."
"Fine, we’ll go with your calculation."
rcer quickly ran through the numbers in his head and ca up with the split.
First, from the 4.28 million, after taking out 1.71 million eurodollars for team funds, the remaining 2.57 million was divided with rcer taking 60%, and each of them getting 20%.
In the end, rcer pocketed 1.55 million eurodollars, while Rebecca and V each got 500,000 eurodollars.
The 3 million eurodollars earned from Rogue was considered the final paynt for the Biotechnica job. Following the previous split, after deducting 1.2 million eurodollars for team funds, rcer and V each took 30%, and the rest got 10% each.
"So, that ans V’s cut cos to 1.04 million eurodollars, and Rebecca gets 680,000 eurodollars."
Hearing this, V clutched her chest and leaned back in her chair, zoning out as if she’d lost all strength to speak.
Rebecca, on the other hand, jumped up instantly, laughing wildly. "680,000 eurodollars? I never thought I’d see that much money in my life!"
"As for the rest, Pilar, Kiwi, Lucy; you each get 180,000 eurodollars."
The mont rcer finished, Pilar also leaped up. He threw an arm around Rebecca, and for once, the siblings didn’t start bickering. Instead, they whooped and hollered together, arms slung over each other’s shoulders.
Kiwi and Lucy exchanged a glance, neither looking particularly excited.
Kiwi hadn’t quite processed the reality of the money, while Lucy genuinely had little interest in it. Compared to the 300,000 eurodollars inco, she was more concerned about whether rcer had enough funds to cover expenses.
Lucy did so quick math, and her brow furrowed slightly.
The one who profited the most was, of course, rcer.
Not only did he suddenly have an extra 2.9 million in team funds, but he also had nearly 2 million eurodollars in personal dividends.
Yet, just by calculating the server setup costs and equipnt expenses, Lucy knew this money wouldn’t be enough for rcer’s ambitious plans.
But seeing how excited everyone was, she kept quiet, silently thinking that if she had no need to spend her share, she might as well use it to buy the equipnt rcer wanted.
"Alright, payout’s done. Over the next few days, upgrade your cyberware if you want, go shopping if you feel like it. eting adjourned."
After transferring the funds, rcer stood up casually.
Pilar imdiately raised his hand. "I propose we go out and celebrate!"
"Don’t flaunt it and get yourself shot. My suggestion is you all go together..."
Before rcer could finish, Rebecca grinned and hooked her arm through his. "What kind of celebration would it be without the boss?"
"I was planning to..." rcer started, but V cut him off, slinging an arm over his shoulder with a smirk. "No excuses. I’m treating you to real at. You in?"
After just half a second of hesitation, rcer nodded decisively. "I’m in."
"Hell yeah, knew you’d be into this. Haha, let’s go! Your choom just hit the jackpot today; everything’s on V’s tab!"
V waved her hand with grand flair, and as she passed Kyoko, she scooped her up effortlessly. "You’re coming too! Big sis is taking you shopping for so cute outfits today!"
"V, you’re the best~" Kyoko’s sweet talk had V grinning from ear to ear.
The group piled into cars and headed out to celebrate, partying from dinner well into the night before reluctantly calling it a day.
—--
Over the next few days, everyone indulged in the thrill of reckless spending.
During nightly dinners at ho, they’d chatter about their day; where they went, what they bought, showing off newly installed cyberware, freshly purchased rides, all basking in the joy of sudden wealth.
Then, on the third night, rcer crept up and knocked on V’s door.
"What?" She peered out cautiously, eyeing rcer, dressed only in his netrunning suit, just his head and half a pale shoulder visible.
"Ahem, V, uh..."
rcer seed embarrassed.
V smirked, her expression oddly smug and teasing. "Wanna co in? No chance! Go bother Rebecca or Lucy instead."
"Nah, why would I? It’s not like I haven’t seen you before," rcer replied, confused.
V tsked, her face instantly turning stern. "Then spit it out already!"
"Um..." rcer stamred before finally forcing an awkward, weak laugh. "I was just wondering... you got any cash left?"
V’s eyes widened slowly. She yanked the door open, not even caring that she was only wrapped in a towel.
"What do you an?" she managed, swallowing hard.
rcer avoided her gaze, staring at the hallway lights. "Just... a few small gadgets still need quite a bit of funding..."
"No! I an, where’s your money?" She pressed a hand on his shoulder, her arm, usually steady enough to slice through tal with her Mantis Blades, now trembling slightly.
V stared him down with a look that scread ’are you fucking kidding .’ "You had over five million eddies! We even paid you back; I gave you 400k, Rebecca and Kiwi together gave you 200k... You should have nearly six million saved! Where did it all go!?"
"Spent it," rcer coughed, turning away.
"Spent it!?" V shrieked like a startled groundhog.
Instantly, faint footsteps echoed down the previously quiet hallway; the rest of the crew, clearly alerted by V’s unusual outburst.
Well then.
Looks like it’s ti for another family eting.
------------
6300words.
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