Chapter 65 - Heading to Arasaka Academy

"Target lock... cyberware overheating... movement obstruction... memory wipe... Hmm, I'll start with these and get familiar with them."

Carl walked out of the hacker shop, having just purchased a fresh set of daemons.

The total cost? 20,000 eddies.

Adding that to the 192,000 eddies he had already spent on cyberware upgrades earlier, he had burned through 212,000 eddies in just a single morning and afternoon.

Money really does disappear fast.

1,120,000 eddies, minus 212,000, plus travel, food, and miscellaneous software expenses—Carl was now left with roughly 900,000 eddies.

Come to think of it, if it wasn't for that princess's 1-million-eddie payout, he wouldn't have even afforded these upgrades.

Now, the only thing missing before he could fully get back to work was a gun.

After careful consideration, Carl decided to have Oliver pick up a Kenshin for him while he was out shopping.

He hadn't tried other pistols yet, but he knew the Kenshin worked well for him. Right now, he needed a proper sidearm—Night City's streets were too dangerous to be walking around unarmed, and he didn't have the luxury of spending hours browsing.

Not long after, Oliver replied:

Still testing out guns. I'll grab you a Kenshin on my way back. Need me to pick you up?

Huh, looks like my 'personal driver' is fully embracing his role. Dedicated, too.

If Carl said that out loud, he was sure Oliver would roast him on the spot, so he just kept it to himself.

Instead, he declined Oliver's offer—might as well let the guy enjoy testing out his weapons. Carl could take the time to explore the city on his own for once.

After sending his response, Carl casually wandered the streets for the first time in a long while.

How would he describe the scenery of Watson's streets in Night City?

Glancing over, he saw a scrawny gang punk sitting out in the open, wearing a braindance headset—his body twitching and jerking as he lost himself in VR fantasies.

Carl quickly averted his gaze.

Further ahead, a woman dressed in neon-colored clothing, looking like a painted duck, leaned against an alleyway entrance, waving over potential customers.

Carl immediately noticed a group of figures lurking in the shadows behind her.

Public displays of lust? Check. Luring marks into alleyway scams? Check.

Huh. Pretty standard, actually.

Nothing too crazy.

Just as Carl was thinking that, a car suddenly sped past him, kicking up a cloud of dust right in his face.

A split second later—gunfire.

Right behind the first car, another pursuing vehicle raced down the street, hot on its tail.

Carl quickly shielded his face with his jacket, but the dust still left a fine layer of grime on him.

His expression darkened instantly.

People in Night City really had no manners.

Maybe he should fire a few rounds—teach them a lesson about the consequences of street racing.

Think it, do it.

Carl drew his gun without hesitation and fired two shots.

Pssht.

There was no actual sound, but in his head, Carl added a little sound effect for his own amusement.

He watched as the rear tire of the fleeing car blew out, sending it into a wobbly, unstable trajectory.

Carl smirked, holstered his Lexington, and decided to forgive them.

By 2075, most cars had reinforced tires. Blowing out just one wasn't enough to flip the vehicle or cause a major crash—as a small act of revenge, it was just right.

Next time, maybe don't street race like an idiot.

Feeling satisfied, Carl suddenly remembered something he had seen yesterday.

Arasaka Academy Enrollment

Wasn't that place in City Center?

Nothing else to do... might as well check it out.

Carl hailed a cab from the street.

This wasn't just any cab—it was a combat taxi, meaning it was equipped for armed defense if necessary.

By 2075, combat taxis were pretty standard.

In fact, anyone still driving a regular taxi in Night City was either way too optimistic or had a death wish.

"Where to?"

"Arasaka Academy."

The driver glanced at Carl, as if sizing him up based on his age, but didn't say anything.

After confirming the destination, he silently started driving.

By 2075, the most famous combat taxi service was Delamain—the AI-driven taxi fleet rumored to have firepower comparable to an APC.

But since Delamain cabs were ridiculously expensive, they hadn't fully dominated the combat taxi market.

Most combat taxis in Night City were still human-operated.

To corpos, people were just disposable resources.

An AI driver might break down due to power failures or system malfunctions.

But a human driver?

Not only wouldn't they stop working, but they'd even pay out of their own pocket to maintain peak performance—just to keep their job.

In the end, it was just another way for corps to profit.

Arasaka Academy

During the ride, Carl dug deeper into information about Arasaka Academy.

Eventually, he got the basic picture.

Simply put—

It was a school designed specifically to train corpo dogs.

PS: Gotta take a quick break, need some late-night snacks.