"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 slamd 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 rc work and let yourself get kept, are you?"
That was his real concern.
Karl chuckled, shaking his head.
"Kept? Co 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 . 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 ti."
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 reinforcents on standby? Damn, that Arasaka chick must be terrified after last ti. But honestly, with their corporate security, it'd take so 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 … it ans we're dealing with sothing 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 soone 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—sothing rare for Jackie.
Karl and Oliver imdiately noticed.
Before they could ask, Jack spoke.
"…My ex, Camila, just called ."
Silence.
Karl and Oliver didn't need an explanation.
They already knew who Camila was.
Jackie had ntioned her before— back when he was drunk at a party.
She was his childhood friend, the girl who joined Valentinos at the sa ti as him.
While Jackie left the gang over ti, Camila stayed and rose through the ranks.
Now?
She wasn't just a Valentinos mber—
She was a high-ranking officer.
One of the most powerful won in the gang.
For her to reach out to Jackie now…
Sothing serious was happening.
Despite leaving their gangs, both Jackie and Oliver still had ties to them.
If sothing 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 ssage and getting a full understanding of the situation, Jack smiled, reassuring Karl and Oliver that there was no need to worry.
"Camila just needs soone to watch over a place in Vista Del Rey. They're shorthanded and need soone trustworthy for a bit."
Then, he glanced at Oliver.
"It's a conflict with 6th Street."
"Vista Del Rey, huh…"
Hearing that, Oliver imdiately 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 soone 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 mbers would still listen to him?
Jack wasn't holding his breath.
Karl yawned, slumping back into his seat.
"As long as it's not sothing 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 amusent.
"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 sothing interesting in the Corpo route.
When your boss gives you the file on Abernathy, it includes so 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.
anwhile, Corpo V's savings?
€$121,994.
Plus an extra €$45,800 in mission funds.
That's €$167,794 total—around 44 tis 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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