Chapter 159: "Ordinary Smuggling"

In Pacifica, the most chaotic region of Night City, the NCPD (Night City Police Department) had completely abandoned the area after investors went bankrupt and wars broke out. A group of Haitian netrunners formed the Voodoo Boys, who, with the support of local residents, became the dominant force, turning this place into a lawless zone. The most dangerous solos in Night City gather here, evading NCPD and corporate hunts while waiting for their next high-value mission. This was David's first destination: to reach the war-torn area around a place called Dogtown in Pacifica and pick up a shipment. As soon as they entered Pacifica, the NCPD presence vanished, and the place followed its own unique order. Lucy was constantly monitoring their cyberware status, wary of everyone they passed by. Meanwhile, David... "Wow... Why are there so many unfinished buildings here?" he wondered aloud, gazing around like a curious child. David was a classic Santo Domingo kid. If his mom hadn't pushed him to attend Arasaka Academy, he might never have left Santo Domingo. Even then, his life would have been limited to commuting between home and school. And as for the news? He wasn't the type to watch it — his main interest was diving into braindance fantasies. Lucy looked at him, exasperated. "Keep an eye on your gun. Stop gawking. Focus. We're here for a job." Reminded of the task, David quickly got back into focus, keeping his right hand close to his gun. A few more steps, and suddenly, David caught a strong, unpleasant smell — it was coming from the corner up ahead. Curious, he continued walking toward the source, and as he rounded the corner, he saw it: a pile of trash. And on top of the heap, a corpse, its eyes gouged out, lying exposed for all to see. David's muscles tensed, and his hand instinctively went for his gun. "Ha! Look at that, an outsider! I told you—pay up." Nearby, two guys squatting on the ground smoking exchanged cash, the one speaking holding out his hand to the other, who grudgingly handed over some Eurodollars. "Hey, kid, here's some advice: this isn't a place for amateurs like you. Turn around and go back," one of them taunted. David wiped the smile off his face and asked, "Which way to Dogtown?" "Tch, this kid thinks he's heading to Dogtown! Ha ha ha!" The two men burst into hysterical laughter, tears streaming down their faces like they were on some heavy drugs, their mental and physical states clearly unstable. These two junkies, laughing amidst the rotting corpse in the trash pile, made David feel uneasy. Lucy tapped him on the shoulder. "Focus. Last warning." David nodded. Though the sun was shining brightly in Pacifica, the sight was nothing but decay and ruin. The poor hid in the shadows, addicted to the pleasures of drugs, their overstimulated nerves making them incapable of facing the one thing still beautiful in Pacifica—sunlight. Soon, David arrived at the designated location—an abandoned parking lot on the outskirts of Dogtown. From there, they could see Dogtown itself, which was more like a fortress than a town. David had only ever seen low-level military units before, but what was stationed in Dogtown was something entirely different. Armored vehicles, heavy weapons, and military-grade cyberware were standard here. "That's no joke," Lucy muttered, swallowing nervously. David nodded. "Did we pick up any tails on the way?" "Yeah." Lucy's expression turned serious. "There are way more netrunners in Pacifica than I expected. I'm not sure if that's normal. I've never been here before." "Did you shake them off?" "Please don't ask stupid questions." David scratched his nose. "I really don't know how you netrunners work. I should probably learn something." "You shouldn't just learn something. You should learn a lot of things... Our transport's here." Two Columbus trucks finally arrived, bearing the logo of Kojin Logistics. Inside were the members of Maine's team, whom they had collaborated with once before. David was the contact point, his character being one that wouldn't betray someone like Ripperdoc, while Maine's team were seasoned solos who could ensure things went smoothly. Lucy glanced at the truck and recognized the netrunner from Maine's crew, sighing. "...David, listen. Once we're in the truck, don't start blabbing. Burger King is a cautious guy. If you're not careful, he might cut you loose." "Ugh, it's a netrunner I know. I even thought about bringing her into our team," Lucy added. Inside the truck, Kiwi spoke up, "Oh, someone you know? Well, that makes things easier. Let them onboard." Maine, who was sitting in the driver's seat, leaned out and waved at David and Lucy, signaling them to get in. His hand was now an ordinary prosthetic, without the heavy gorilla arm component or rocket launcher, which had been destroyed in a previous job. David and Lucy each got into a separate truck. Maine glanced at David, who still had a bit of a newbie look about him. "New guy? Where are you from?" "Santo Domingo." "Santo Domingo?" Maine looked puzzled. "Never seen you before. What did you do before this?" "Uh... I stole skill chips." "That's a big leap! From stealing skill chips to smuggling weapons from NCPD and Militech. What's your connection to Burger King?" David opened his mouth to answer but quickly remembered Lucy's warning. So, he shut it and shook his head. "I'm just here to do the job. Once the cargo arrives, we'll check it against the list. If anything's missing..." "Don't worry, we know what to do." The vehicle slowly approached the designated delivery point, located behind Dogtown. Not far away, they could see Maelstrom gang members unloading cargo. An armored transport vehicle arrived at the drop-off point. Maine and his crew stood by, with Maine, the largest of the group, and his girlfriend, Dorio, standing at the front. Rebecca and Pilar took positions further back. The netrunner stayed hidden inside the vehicle. As for David, regardless of his inexperience, he was the first-hand mercenary hired by Burger King, so he had to stand at the forefront alongside Maine—or at least in the same line. "How rare—to see a bunch of broke rookies buy this much stuff," said the driver, who also appeared to be a mercenary. His two cybernetic arms were military-grade, top-level gear—not too bulky but extremely effective. David activated his scanner: [Militech Firearm Control Prosthetic (Unknown Model)][Description: Standard issue for Militech shock troopers during the Unification War. These arms allow almost recoil-free handling of specialized firearms and increase arm strength during combat.] "Stop gawking, kid. Hurry up and check the goods." One crate after another of military weapons was placed on the ground, awaiting inspection. Maine signaled to his team. Rebecca and Pilar stepped forward to begin checking the firearms. What they found shocked them. For solos of their level, the best tech weapons they could usually access were tech shotguns like the Satara, known for their simple design, reliability, and power, though they were notoriously expensive. For most solos, modifying kinetic weapons was a better option, like the affordable Carnage shotgun, known for its durability and customization potential. Handguns were more popular in Night City—not because people didn't want better weapons but because they couldn't afford them. But now, they were dealing with military-grade firepower: 4 MK31 heavy machine guns10 military-grade Ajax assault rifles4 Satara tech shotguns2 recoilless M5 rocket launchers with 4 rounds of ammo6 Javelin anti-air missilesSPH explosive launchers, frag grenades, EMP grenades, shock grenades, and multi-function radar The more they checked, the more serious everyone's expressions became. Their usual gear looked like toys compared to this. These were real battlefield weapons. Burger King had told them this was just an ordinary smuggling job. But clearly, their understanding of "ordinary smuggling" was different. David, however, remained unfazed. He just thought the gear looked cool—stuff he'd never seen on the streets or even in the news. So he immediately spoke up, "We're missing some things. Two heavy machine guns, four rocket rounds, and some grenades." "Kid, are you sure?" The mercenary in charge of unloading, wearing a mask and tactical gear, looked like a hardened criminal. Maine's heart sank. David nodded. "I'm sure. We're short." David was straightforward—he just wanted to do a good job and not let his team down. The atmosphere grew tense as Maine's team subtly edged closer to their weapons. But the other side suddenly laughed. "Maybe we are missing something. Check the trunk—damn thing's too big." The mercenary handed over two more crates of weapons, completing the order. After verifying everything, the armored vehicle drove away, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Maine clapped David on the shoulder. "David, right? What were you thinking?" David looked confused. "What do you mean?" Not wanting to seem too green, David said, "There's still more to transport. The job's not done yet." The group chuckled as they loaded the goods into their vehicles. The petite Rebecca gave David a playful nudge and a thumbs-up. "Wait, you're telling me the receiver was a total rookie? A newbie?" "The big guy looked like a veteran, but just your average merc. He's got size, but not much brainpower. Night City's full of people like that, thinking they're invincible with some flashy cyberware. Won't be long before he's a cyberpsycho." "The leader was definitely a rookie, though. Stiff as a construction bot. Perfect soldier material—the type who'd follow orders for a suicide mission without hesitation." These days, being a soldier wasn't much different from being a terrorist. Hands, their handler, listened to the report, absentmindedly toying with a teacup. "Interesting... but I don't like people making unauthorized side profits from my deals." The person on the other end of the call froze. His right cyber-eye suddenly filled with static, then popped out! He grabbed at his eye, but it exploded in his hand, leaving him drenched in sweat. "I—" "No next time. Learn your lesson." TN:Sorry for the late chapter lol i forgot to set the timer again last night when i did these chapte