Maine's base was a bar too, though compared to Afterlife, this place was pretty barebones—just a few rooms and an open-air counter.
"Ooooh! We've got new guests."
When the jeep pulled up in front of the bar, a guy with arms as long as an ape's—Pilar—sauntered over, surrounded by his crew.
His eyes lit up the moment he spotted Silver Wolf.
"This beautiful lady, if—"
THWACK!
The grin on his face hadn't even fully formed before it froze solid. Behind him, a petite, cute-looking girl was holding a baseball bat, having just whacked Pilar good.
"You're one of those 'rules are meant to be broken' types too?"
Silver Wolf couldn't help but quip, eyeing the girl.
"Hah? Sorry, I was just stopping my dumbass brother. Name's Rebecca. You're the guest Boss Maine mentioned, right? They're waiting for you inside. Go on in."
She planted a foot on Pilar's back, making him grunt. As she spoke, she pointed the bat at him. "Bro, you gotta rein in that urge to hit on anything in a skirt. If you keep this up, I won't feel safe hanging around you anymore!"
She yelled down at Pilar, sounding utterly done.
"Heh heh heh, is that so, Rebecca? And what if I do have such intentions?"
Pilar, still on the ground, let out a low chuckle from his throat, trying to tease his little sister.
"Hmm, I'd chop your dick off and shove it down your throat."
"My apologies, I was joking."
Even though he knew his sister was kidding, a chill ran down Pilar's spine, and he promptly settled down.
"Good. You'd better." Rebecca let out an annoyed 'hmph'.
"Just thinking about possibly losing my dear little friend someday makes me wanna go back to my room and have a wank right now."
"You're hopeless." Watching Pilar's incorrigible antics, Rebecca could only sigh and cover her face in resignation.
Sometimes, having a brother like this was just... exhausting.
The laughter rising around them only irritated Rebecca more. "What's so funny? Laugh again, and I'll blow your heads off!"
Ignoring the commotion, Silver Wolf headed toward the room not far away.
"Quite the lively bunch. Maine's crew seems good." Cole stroked the beard on his chin, smiling as he observed the people around them.
Generally, cyberpunk gangs, being outlaws, couldn't hide their menacing aura, but Maine's team seemed different.
Then again, after his brief interaction with Maine earlier, Cole wasn't too surprised.
Like leader, like followers.
If the boss himself wasn't some vicious monster, his people probably weren't too bad either.
Noisy as they were, you had to admit, they seemed like a solid team.
When Silver Wolf entered the room, she found that besides Maine and Dorio, Lucy was also there, along with someone she hadn't expected to see.
David.
"Huh? Settling in this fast?" Silver Wolf raised an eyebrow, looking at David seated beside Maine.
Maine thought highly of David. Plus, with the Sandevistan installed, David was set to become a key asset for the team.
So Maine decided to mentor him personally, though he'd get others to help if he was busy.
No one else in Maine's crew was weak either; by Night City's standards, they were top-tier.
"Time's tight. Since he's already got the chrome, might as well get him up to speed sooner."
David nodded, a firm resolve shining in his eyes.
His life experiences had given him a steadiness uncommon for his age.
Maybe it was a case of the poor growing up fast.
Their circumstances and family backgrounds didn't allow them the luxury of acting out.
"Enough small talk. Silver Wolf, we've got a serious problem. If I'm right, Arasaka probably already knows your real identity." Maine's expression was grave as he looked at Silver Wolf, concern evident in his eyes.
He might look like a hardened tough guy, but when it came to comrades and friends, Maine was solid. Of course, if he weren't, he wouldn't have gathered so many loyal followers.
"Yeah, I figured. Arasaka's been digging into me these past few days." Silver Wolf showed no surprise at all.
"Why? Why are you still so calm sitting here? It's Arasaka. No one they set their sights on ever gets away."
Lucy, for some reason, seemed particularly agitated. She stared at Silver Wolf, and beneath the concern and questions, a flicker of fear lay deep in her eyes.
"When the enemy advances, we advance; when water comes, we use earth to block it. Panicking won't solve anything. So why waste energy freaking out? I'd rather spend the time playing a game."
Silver Wolf rolled her eyes and spoke flatly.
Still, she was a bit curious. Lucy seemed terrified of Arasaka. Had something happened to her?
"Hahaha, Silver Wolf's right, Lucy. No need to stress so much."
Maine laughed heartily beside them.
"It's just Arasaka! Looks like our chance to become Night City legends has arrived! Hahaha!" A bright, bold smile spread across Maine's face.
Dorio, next to him, rolled her eyes but said nothing.
She'd support Maine's decisions unconditionally—provided he wasn't being a complete idiot.
"You don't have to get involved in my mess. If you stay out, you'll all walk away clean."
Silver Wolf shook her head gently, looking at Maine and Dorio. This was their call.
"Hahaha, true. But... I wanna give it a shot. And... knowing Arasaka, since they know we've been in contact, they won't pass up the chance to squeeze us. And I, Maine, don't betray my friends."
"If you handed my info over to Arasaka, given their style, they'd probably reward you handsomely."
Silver Wolf quirked an eyebrow, smiling playfully.
"Then I'd be no better than a damn beggar on my knees!" Maine slammed the table, his voice fervent. "No, that won't do. That kinda thing makes me sick to my stomach."
He shook his head vehemently.
"So then, how do you plan to deal with Arasaka? I've got a bone to pick with them myself. How about we hit 'em where it hurts?" Maine proposed with rising excitement.
"Hey, hey, hey, you didn't say anything about this before I came! Give me a break. Me, going against Arasaka? You serious?" Lucy looked at Maine, sweatdropping.
"Hahaha, of course I wouldn't make you do that. I never force anyone." Maine waved a hand dismissively.
Still, Lucy's expression didn't improve much. Given her... situation, Arasaka wouldn't hesitate to take her out along with Maine and the others if they got the chance...
"Whatever you decide to do, I'll back you up." Maine looked seriously at Silver Wolf, waiting for her decision.
But just then, the door to the room knocked.
"Hey, Boss. There's a fixer here. Asks to see you by name." Rebecca walked into the room, visibly annoyed, and addressed Maine.
"A fixer? Let him in." Maine frowned. Usually, if you wanted to see a fixer, you went to Afterlife. This time, one was actually coming to them? Unusual.
Soon, a man in a sharp red suit, his hair slicked back smoothly, entered from the doorway.
"Faraday. What brings you here?" Seeing Faraday, Maine's brow furrowed, a hint of impatience in his tone.
Most edgerunners were polite to fixers, but Maine wasn't most.
As a top-tier crew, Maine wasn't short on work.
"Maine. There's an important matter I need to discuss with you."
Faraday stood tall, a touch of arrogance on his face. As he spoke, his eyes swept over the others present, lingering a moment longer on Cole's face.
"Everyone here is trusted. Speak freely, no worries about leaks." Maine said coolly.
"Then I hope you can handle the consequences."
Faraday replied evenly, not bothering to argue. He sat down opposite Maine. "Kidnap Tanaka. Use a stealth approach to extract the plans from his mind. Once it's done, you leave Night City, disappear. The payment will set you up for life. How about it?"
"Tanaka? That's an Arasaka exec, Faraday. Didn't you tell us before not to dig too deep?" Maine's frown deepened, his displeasure growing.
During their previous collaboration, Maine had been annoyed that Faraday held back info. Now he wanted to move directly against a high-level Arasaka officer like Tanaka?
Tanaka's position was no joke. If anything went wrong, MaxTac would have their location surrounded within ten minutes.
"In or out?" Faraday sounded impatient.
"I need more intel. This is an Arasaka bigwig, not some small fry." Maine stood his ground, staring Faraday down.
Now that Faraday had laid this out, he had to secure their agreement. Otherwise, if Maine turned around and leaked this to Arasaka, Faraday would be a dead man.
Even as a relatively big-name fixer, Faraday was nothing compared to a true giant like Arasaka.
"Relax. Whoever's moving against Arasaka is on the same level. You don't need to know more. Your job is simple: grab Tanaka, get the data from his head, give it to me, then vanish. You and Dorio can live under the radar."
Faraday narrowed his eyes, speaking calmly.
"So? Will you take it? According to my intel, Tanaka is slipping away from his guards tomorrow for a private meeting with black market braindance director Jimmy Kurosaki. That's your window."
A hint of urgency showed in Faraday's eyes.
After this was over, he stood to gain a hefty payday—enough to catapult him up the social ladder.
"We'll take it. Send me the detailed files. Leave the rest to us." Maine nodded.
"A wise choice." Hearing this, a smile spread across Faraday's face, along with a look of relieved triumph.
"I'll send the operation details later. I won't disturb you further now."
Without another word, he turned and left.
"Maine, Faraday showing up now... it feels like a trap."
After Faraday left, Dorio spoke up, worried.
"I know. The timing is way too convenient. But Tanaka's no small player. Would they really use one of their own execs as bait? Probably even Tanaka himself doesn't know. They're going all out."
Maine pondered, then looked at Silver Wolf. "What's your take?"
"Totally a trap. The logic might check out on paper, but I don't believe in coincidences this perfect. That said... even if it is a trap, I'm planning to jump in."
"With our firepower, we can't possibly stand against Arasaka."
Maine frowned. If nothing else, just one squad of MaxTac—those monsters kitted out with military-grade chrome—would be enough to give them hell.
Even the best mercs were helpless against that kind of force.
"Relax. Think about it—if they really wanted us dead, they'd have sent troops already. After all, Faraday just came by to feel us out, and he saw me." Silver Wolf sounded almost excited.
What was Yorinobu Arasaka thinking?
If he wanted to, this bar could be surrounded by AVs right now.
And this bar was inside Night City—Yorinobu's turf.
"You're saying... they're planning something else?" Maine's head seemed to be smoking from the effort of thinking.
"Who knows? We'll have to meet them head-on to find out." Silver Wolf waved a hand dismissively.
"Since the enemy's shown their hand, might as well see what they're up to. Of course, there is another way."
"What's that?" Maine looked curious.
"Charge straight into Konpeki Plaza. Arasaka Yorinobu's probably still holed up there. We hit his nest directly—'capture the leader, and the gang crumbles'!"
"Yeah, sounds simple enough... but... that's Yorinobu's residence. The upper floors are heavily guarded. Breaking through wouldn't be easy—no, scratch that, a frontal assault is practically impossible."
Konpeki Plaza didn't allow weapons inside. If they tried to force their way up from the ground floor, they'd be stopped long before they got close.
And if they tried to get close first, they'd be stripped of all their gear. Without weapons, who could possibly break through all those layers of security to reach Arasaka Yorinobu?
Anyone who could pull that off wouldn't be a Night City legend—they'd be a god.
"Relax. Since this mess started because of me, I guarantee you'll all get out unscathed. If any of you gets so much as a scratch, I'll... I'll go three whole days without gaming!"
Silver Wolf had been about to say ten days, but on second thought, ten days was way too long. Ten days without games? She'd go insane!
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.