Chapter 267: It Takes Two

Words : 1390 Updated : Oct 9th, 2025

[TN:Good morning, Night city!] "Night City, Night City! Try All Foods' brand new product right now: Burger King's brand-new Bigshot flavor!" "Hungry? Don't call mom! Get an All Foods burger delivered to your doorstep! Order now and enjoy a special 'Crazy Thursday' discount—click the link below!" BANG! Leo opened his eyes, sighed, and shot the vending machine. "Damage will be recorded in your property account. We apologize for the inconvenience." Halfway through its spiel, the vending machine was hacked by Leo, instantly changing its response. Damn capitalism—even in a rented apartment, they installed vending machines that auto-play ads. And, of course, no one was going to do anything about it. Technically, the megabuilding's system allowed users to block ads during certain hours, but Leo had accidentally fried the circuits before. Some rookie electrician must've wired it wrong, causing the system to forget user settings. Getting out of bed, Leo began checking his "plugin." In the Marvel world, Blume Corporation had already set up a new office, and Leo had redesigned the server unit infrastructure based on his experience with NetWatch's data architecture. After allocating power for ctOS's routine operations, each server unit could provide 1 CCU of computing power. The total capacity was 7,000 CCU, with 20% available for cross-dimensional operations. However, 10% was reserved for interdimensional industrial processes and security protocols. That meant Leo had around 700 CCU readily available—enough to handle small-scale conflicts. For reference, an average basement-dwelling hacker needed around 400–500 CCU to get started. Of course, computing power alone wasn't everything. Different netrunners could utilize the same amount of CCU with varying efficiency, depending on factors like CPU architecture and their own intelligence. One major advantage in net combat was striking first. And thanks to Leo's unique sandevistan, he could access cyberspace at any time—a capability 99.9% of netrunners lacked. That alone gave him an edge when necessary. Plus, the server network was still expanding. If Leo took over New York and implemented a citywide ctOS, his computing power could reach 15,000 CCU. After soaking in the cyberpunk vibe for a few days, Leo finally checked his inbox. [Sender: Panam] [Panam: The machine is up and running! The first batch of plasma is here, and the clan is ecstatic!] [Panam: When are you coming to check it out? Drinks on me when you do!] [Sender: Regina] [Regina: Remember that bigshot, Jefferson Peralez? He really wants to meet you. Let me know if you're interested.] [Regina: Kang Tao also wants a face-to-face. They're not fond of online meetings.] [Sender: Chesson] [Chesson: Boss, want me to move the smart ammo production line over to your place?] [Sender: El Capitain] [El Capitain: Hey, Boss, your car's finally fixed. A rep from Thorton Corp wants to talk to you. When's a good time?] [TN: I hate the original translation El Capitan keeps on calling Leo Daddy instead of Boss which i think is from those old cultivation novels where everyone called each other father or some shit] Looking at his overflowing inbox, Leo rubbed his temples. There was a lot to deal with here, too. [Sender: V] [V: Hey Shut-In, what are you even doing holed up all day?] [V: Get outside for once!] [V: You dead or what?] [V: If you don't reply soon, I'm breaking in!] [V: Screw it. Jackie and I are heading to The Afterlife. Mama Welles is throwing some 'Crazy Thursday' thing—definitely Jackie's idea. Free food and drinks.] [V: Don't say I didn't warn you.] [V: I'm going.] [V: I'm actually going. You really not coming?] [V: Mute bastard!] Leo glanced at the time. It was Thursday. V was probably already drinking. Might as well head to the Nomad outpost himself—Leo needed to make sure the production line was running smoothly, and while he was at it, he could pick up his car. Two freshly repaired cybernetic arms clamped onto a supply crate, concealed beneath his netrunner-style leather jacket. After checking his weapons and gear, Leo got ready to head out. In Night City, you had to be armed at all times. Click— As the door slid open, Leo stepped out—only to freeze in place after two steps. He hadn't expected V to be standing right there in the hallway. Their eyes met. Silence. Leo bolted. BANG! V slammed the door shut behind him, grabbed Leo one-handed, and hoisted him up effortlessly. A wicked grin spread across V's face as she cracked her knuckles. "Not replying to my messages and sneaking out? What the hell are you up to?!" Leo fell flat on his ass and immediately shouted, "Mercy, o mighty warrior!!" "Oh, you want mercy?" V locked him in a headlock, dragging him back inside while grinding her knuckles into his skull. His screams echoed through the hallway. People passing by stopped and gawked. Some even hurried back inside their apartments— If this was Cyberpsychosis, they wanted no part of it. One particularly nervous tenant even dialed NCPD: "Hello, NCPD? Yeah, I'm hearing some, uh... disturbing screams over here. Sounds pretty bad." Two hours later... Leo and V were walking through Santo Domingo. V folded her arms, still fuming. "So? What was so damn important that you had to sneak out without telling me?" Leo, sporting a massive lump on his forehead and a bruised nose, rubbed his face. "...Didn't you say you were going to The Afterlife for 'Crazy Thursday'? It's not like I was working—no need to call you, right?" V squinted at him. That's exactly why she had to keep an eye on him. "If you didn't need to call me, then why did you run?" Leo went silent. No way was he admitting it just felt like a good moment to run. Why DID he run? Straightening his back, he blurted out, "I DON'T KNOW! You scared me!" V thought for a moment. Maybe she had overreacted a little. She was mostly just pissed that he ignored her messages. "Fine. So, are we picking up your car and then heading to The Afterlife?" "Probably not. I need to stop by the Nomad outpost first—just making sure production is stable." "Ohhh~ So you're going to the Nomads? I'm coming too." "...Fine." Leo suddenly smirked. "So, you just ditched Jackie?" V shrugged. "I used to hit up bars all the time, but that was mostly for work—networking, picking up jobs, swapping street intel, y'know? Business." She glanced at him. "Now? I don't need to. If there's a gig, you'll call me, right?" "...So you ditched Jackie?" V side-eyed him. "We're tight. He'll deal with it." Then, narrowing her eyes, she added, "Or what? You don't want me to come? You got work to do behind my back?" "Now, how could I? Without the legendary V watching over me, how would I dare take any jobs?" "Now that's the right attitude." Arriving at El Capitain's garage, Leo spotted the old man waving at them from afar. His Mackinaw sat in the garage, looking pristine—as if it had never been wrecked in the first place. Say what you will about car companies, but good mechanics were professionals. Next to El Capitan stood a guy dressed in... questionable fashion choices. Baggy shorts, a floral shirt—colors straight out of a dumpster fire. Pink, green, purple—all clashing horribly. The dude had sunglasses, a high-end watch, and an over-the-top level of excitement. Actually, no—beyond over-the-top. Just a moment ago, he was standing off to the side, arms crossed, calm and composed like some corporate drone. The moment El Capitain waved, he freaking jumped, clapping his hands and—judging by his mouth movements—even shouting 'Boss' along with El Capitain. "...Who's that?" V asked, puzzled. Leo squinted. "Uh... first time seeing him." Then, after a pause, he muttered, "But I'm guessing... that's the Thorton Corp rep." "Oooohhh—" V stretched the word out. "So that's our next sucker, huh?" As they approached the garage, Leo's cybernetic arms extended slightly, optical sensors scanning the scene. They seemed to be checking if Leo's own eyes were malfunctioning. Because seriously—what the hell was happening here?

Chapter 267: It Takes Two

Comments (0)