Berry had been living comfortably these past two days.
She and V took the opportunity to move, relocating directly to the top floor of the Hive Tower, where a luxurious master bedroom served as their shared room.
However, they didn't give up the apartment in the skyscraper.
Since the lease hadn't expired anyway, Berry just left it there.
This, however, made V exclaim for a long time.
They were truly rich now.
Renting apartments in Night City was like playing a game: renting two, one empty and one occupied—that was true extravagance.
Naturally, Berry pointed and mocked V's exaggerated statement, calling her a poor kid who hadn't seen the world.
She joked that V was making a cyberpunk version of "the emperor plowing the fields with a golden hoe." Next, Saburo Arasaka would be using legendary cyberware to screw bolts in a factory, right?
Living in the Hive Tower didn't make much difference, aside from making work slightly more convenient.
After all, Berry wasn't picky about food or lodging; she was a genuine sewer rat.
Having a little burger and fried chicken was considered luxury spending.
In her opinion, gorging on carbs was much more interesting than eating Tomahawk steak.
The East Asian stomach was simply suited for carbohydrates. What, you disagree?
Thus, Berry successfully settled into a life of gorging on cheap food and screwing bolts in the basement.
As for the only amusement in her life, besides teasing Johnny Silverhand, who couldn't do anything right now, it was messing with the female V.
Although she usually ended up being the one getting punished, she enjoyed it anyway. Who could blame her for being weak but loving to play around?
Right, business, business.
Berry pulled her thoughts back and returned to serious matters.
Her train of thought was too jumpy; she could drag out something that should take two sentences into half an hour.
Berry's plan to boost the Hive's strength was steadily moving forward.
After V's trial use, Berry was trying her best to modify and fix some issues with the first generation of the Thor's Hammer armor.
She also had a comprehensive plan for the subsequent development of the exoskeleton armor.
To benefit ordinary soldiers and maximize the combat power of the elites, Berry decided to take a two-pronged approach: developing exoskeleton armor suitable for both groups.
However, because funds were extremely tight, this plan was currently stuck at the blueprint stage.
A single coin can stop a hero.
Berry felt her greatest weakness in this world was a lack of money.
eurodollars, I want them... Berry let out the wail of a pauper.
But that wasn't the worst part.
Equally troublesome was the bar Berry had opened, "extortion."
Although she hadn't placed high hopes on the bar, she intended for it to bring in some income and alleviate the financial burden caused by the Hive's rapid expansion.
However, just like all the struggling entrepreneurs, Night City delivered a heavy blow to Berry, this burgeoning bar owner.
The damn bar simply wasn't making any money.
Not only did it fail to cover the wages of the Hive's employees, but Berry was also pouring her own money into it.
You wouldn't believe how damn heavy the taxes in Night City were.
With all the miscellaneous taxes added up, the bar wasn't just failing to earn money—it was losing it.
Gray industries that avoided taxes were the fastest way to make money.
Berry finally understood why, in the game, Night City consisted only of a handful of the super-rich "first to get wealthy" and the vast majority of paupers.
Why were the middle-class—the low-to-mid-level corporate dogs working for companies, and the self-employed shop owners—who should constitute the majority of the population, so inconspicuous?
It turned out they were all crushed by Night City's taxes.
Berry was lucky; no short-sighted gang dared to come and collect money from her.
Otherwise, shops outside the corporate core district would have to pay tribute to the local gangs in addition to paying taxes to Night City.
Regarding this, Berry became incensed and fiercely criticized the inaction of the Night City Council government.
"How can urban development succeed with such a bunch of parasites!"
Gritting her teeth, Berry swore to Night City's founder, Night, that once she gained power, she would definitely launch a Pest Control Plan and a massive Three Purges Movement.
She vowed to severely punish those bespectacled intellectuals and restore clarity to the lives of Night City's ordinary citizens.
If I can't deal with the mega-corporations, I can certainly deal with you.
Talking big costs nothing, but in reality, Berry didn't have such high spirits.
"...Ah, Secretary Zhu, Secretary Zhu, I'm so poor! I'm running out of money! At this rate, I'll have to go downmarket and become a young model at a club just to pay everyone's salaries!"
In the office, behind the metal desk, Berry was wriggling like a fat white worm in the large leather sofa that engulfed her entirely, complaining about the heartless Night City leaving her pockets empty.
Beside her, Judy, sitting on a chair and operating a PDA, busy compiling financial reports for this sucker, saw Berry's spineless behavior and felt a deep sense of exasperation.
Uh, she regretted joining the Hive now. Could she quit? Judy was already looking up places that offered discounts on tattoo removal.
When she joined the Hive, she had believed it was an ambitious organization that truly wanted to change this terrible city.
Initially, Berry had acted normally, patting her shoulder and assuring her that the future of Night City would definitely belong to Mr. De and Mr. Sai, and to all its residents.
Although she didn't know what Mr. De and Mr. Sai meant, Judy still agreed when she heard that Berry genuinely wanted to do something practical for the residents of Night City.
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