"We're here, Mrs. Wells!"
"Welco, Carl and Oliver. It's been a while since you last visited."
"Just a few days."
Carrying so defrosted pork and a bunch of drinks, Carl responded to Mrs. Wells while stepping into Jackie's ho.
They had been to the El Coyote Cojo countless tis, but this was actually their first ti visiting Jackie's house. They had never seen it before.
"Why is it just you two? Where's Jackie?"
Mrs. Wells looked at Carl and Oliver entering but didn't see her son anywhere.
"He went to pick soone up. He should be here soon."
"Anyone else coming?"
Mrs. Wells noticed the smiles on their faces and seed slightly curious, but she didn't dwell on it. More important than worrying about missing guests was making sure these two boys were well taken care of.
"Have a seat, the fries are almost ready. Want sothing to drink?"
"We brought our own drinks today."
"Alright, if you need more, just let know."
Saying that, Mrs. Wells returned to the kitchen. The fries were still frying, and she needed to keep an eye on them.
Oliver plopped down onto the couch in the living room, glancing around at the decorations while chatting with Carl.
"I heard Jackie is thinking about moving into the garage soon. Honestly, a garage isn't nearly as cozy as a real ho."
"Maybe he just wants to be closer to his ride."
Carl also took a look around the house—it was simple but had a warm and hoy feel. Unlike Oliver, he didn't sit down but instead walked toward the staircase leading to the second floor.
"So Jackie cos down these stairs every morning? I actually like this kind of layout, where the stairs connect the two floors inside the house."
"Yeah, after living in an apartnt for so long, it makes sense to appreciate sothing different."
Oliver stroked the stubble on his chin. "That being said, with the kind of money we're making now, we could totally afford a high-rise penthouse with a yard. Maybe even one with a pool if we really push it. The price would be a bit steep, though."
"Like what?"
"Like the Valley View Villa in Heywood. It's a high-rise duplex, aning the apartnt spans two whole floors. Rent's about 40,000 eddies a month. You could fit an entire squad—30 people in there—and it still wouldn't feel cramped."
"40,000 a month, huh?"
Hearing that number, Carl thought about the 1,000 eddies he paid for his current Super Skyscraper apartnt. The difference was insane.
"That much money would cover our rent for forty months—over three years."
"That's why I said we'd have to push it."
Oliver counted on his fingers. "Our rent is almost due this month anyway. Why don't we all chip in and rent a place together? If we bring Jackie along too, it'll be cheaper per person, and having a bigger place would be nice, wouldn't it?"
"No thanks. We're just now starting to build a na for ourselves; let's not waste money on luxury just yet."
Carl had no complaints about his current apartnt. Sure, it was smaller and less fancy than Oliver's dream penthouse, but it was decent enough for him.
Carl added, "Let's think about upgrading after we land a big job. Besides, aren't you and Jackie planning to spend your money on cyberware upgrades? Unless you're asking for a loan, which I wouldn't mind."
"Forget it."
Oliver let go of his dream penthouse in an instant. As much as he liked the idea of living in luxury, upgrading their cyberware to strengthen the team was way more important.
"Sandevistan—that's what I really want."
"Not long now. We're close to the adaptation period Vik ntioned, and his contact should be ready soon. Wonder what kind of cyberware he can get us."
"I don't have high expectations—just give sothing from Zetatech, and I'll be happy."
Zetatech.
Hearing Oliver's words, Carl recalled what he had read about Zetatech's Sandevistan.
Zetatech's Sandevistan was one of the rare models designed for the general public. Its mainstream versions followed a minimalist approach, aning they didn't co packed with unnecessary extra functions. If we're talking about the currently popular Zetatech Type-1, it was likely the lightest in terms of bodily strain.
"Not feeling too confident? Going for Zetatech?"
"I just don't want to end up cyberpsycho."
Ding.
Amid Carl and Oliver's conversation, the doorbell rang. Oliver stood up, checked the monitor, and then opened the door with his arms wide open.
"Vik, you finally made it! We were just talking about you."
"Let guess—cyberware talk again?"
Viktor, clearly used to this, casually hugged Oliver and then turned to Carl.
"You guys can drop by my clinic tomorrow—the shipnt should be here."
"So soon, Vik? I thought we needed an adaptation period."
Carl was a little surprised.
"Tomorrow's just to take a look at the gear, not to install it right away. You need to see what's available first. And even if I told you guys to wait, do you really think you'd hold back once you see it? A safe adaptation period would be another two or three days, but you're all in good shape. As long as I check for any severe rejection reactions, you'll just need to be careful afterward."
Hearing Vik's explanation, Oliver's face lit up with excitent.
"Then, Vik, you better eat well tonight! Don't want you passing out during surgery."
"Save it, kid. You better not stuff so full I start hiccuping while holding the scalpel."
"Co on, what we eat tonight will be digested by tomorrow. No way that happens."
"I don't have stomachs like yours."
Viktor chuckled as he noticed Mrs. Wells peeking out from the kitchen, curious about the new guest. He greeted her with a nod.
Because of Jackie, Mrs. Wells and Viktor had known each other for a long ti—they weren't strangers.
"Jackie didn't co with you?"
Mrs. Wells seed puzzled to see Vik arriving alone. When she spotted him at the door, she had assud that Jackie had gone to pick him up. But her son was still nowhere in sight.
"Jackie? He's right behind . Should be here any second now."
Vik looked at Mrs. Wells and flashed a smile she didn't quite understand.
As if to confirm his words, right after he spoke, Jackie appeared at the door.
And standing beside him—
Mrs. Wells looked at the slightly nervous girl holding what appeared to be a gift for her, smiling at her politely.
She hadn't expected that the guest Jackie personally went to pick up was her.
Thinking back to Carl and Oliver's mysterious grins before they entered the house, and now seeing Vik's knowing smile, Mrs. Wells finally turned to her son.
Jackie wasn't looking at her—his eyes were on the girl beside him, his face filled with encouragent and warmth.
Ah… so that's how it is.
Mrs. Wells then turned to the girl, who, despite her nerves, was smiling just as brightly as the boy next to her.
She smiled too.
Returning to the kitchen, she brought out the freshly fried fries and turned toward their new "guest."
"Welco, Misty. You got here just in ti."
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