Chapter 101: Cars and the Metro

After taking out the two Scavs in the break room, the remaining five didn't last much longer against Karl's team. From the moment they entered, it only took about two minutes to finish the job.

"You're gonna need a serious shower when we get back to my place."

Karl glanced at David, who had fired four shots during the fight and, counting his earlier knife kill, had taken down two Scavs in total. His clothes were drenched in blood.

"Though, now I get why Arasaka loves red-and-black outfits. Even when they're covered in blood, it doesn't really show that much."

"Did I… really do it?"

The stench of blood filled his nose. Now that the battle was over, David found himself gasping for air.

"Of course you did, David."

Oliver clapped him on the back—hard enough to nearly make him stumble.

"Told you, you did great. You've earned yourself a proper braised meat dinner."

"I'm the one cooking. Why do you make it sound like it's your treat?"

Karl scoffed before turning to David.

"How about it, David? Still got an appetite?"

"I'm good."

David adapted quickly.

"Didn't waste all those black-market braindances for nothing."

"Alright then. Keep that Kenshin—you can have it. Later, I'll hook you up with a shop near your school. If you buy ammo in bulk, like four boxes at a time, you'll get a discount. You should hit up the range when you get the chance. Four rounds for one guy is a bit of a waste."

"One hit out of four—honestly, David's aim isn't bad at all."

Jack rummaged through the Scavs' suite, but aside from some secondhand cyberware junk, there was nothing worth taking. Instead, he went through their computer and checked their email logs.

"Yeah, this is the crew. The threats they sent to Vik are still sitting in their inbox. Hold on… they even have a log of the people they've kidnapped."

"This might make it easier for NCPD to reach out to victims' families."

After forwarding the data to Johnson, Karl grabbed a bag filled with loot and handed it to David.

"What's this?"

"Scav weapons. Picked them up while checking their gear. Not great quality, but you can sell them at a gun shop. Should make you a little cash—call it pocket money."

At this point, Karl and the others didn't really care about selling junk weapons. But for David, who had just gone through his first real job, it was a perfect start.

"I can… really have this?"

David looked at the bag in surprise. It was technically his first earnings. A mix of shock and excitement crossed his face.

"You took down two out of seven. More than me. What's there to feel guilty about?"

Karl shoved the bag into David's arms.

"Just be careful. Don't let your mom find out. She's busting her ass to get you through Arasaka Academy because she doesn't want you caught up in street-level shit. You've learned the basics now—next step is just hitting the gun range whenever you can. We don't have much else to teach you."

Saying there was nothing left to teach him… of course, that was a lie.

But Karl said it anyway.

David's family wasn't like Oliver's or Jack's, where gang life was the norm. It was better for him to stay away from the merc world as much as possible.

"Nothing left to teach me…"

David understood what Karl was really saying.

This was the last time.

It was just supposed to be a taste of the real world.

But in his heart, David couldn't help comparing the acceptance he felt here to the rejection he experienced at school.

Maybe… just maybe…

He wanted the mercenary life more than he wanted to be a student.

But he knew… this really was the end.

Because…

As he thought of his mother—her struggles, her expectations—David glanced at Karl, Oliver, and Jack. In the end, he didn't say anything reckless. He just nodded.

"I understand."

"But hey, you're always welcome to stop by for a meal."

Karl chuckled, patting David on the shoulder.

"I don't mind friends coming over for dinner. Gives me a chance to test my cooking skills."

"Mm."

With David's nod and the distant sound of approaching sirens, their pre-dinner "exercise" was officially over. Now it was time to claim their reward.

"Mr. Johnson."

After heading downstairs, Karl filled Johnson in on the situation and casually handed him a small flyer he had picked up earlier.

"Old William's Hot Dogs?"

Johnson glanced at the flyer, looking a little confused.

"Some locals gave us this while we were dealing with the Scavs. The pictures looked decent, so I figured I'd recommend it."

"You're recommending me a place you haven't even tried yourself?"

"Hey, they didn't make a sound while we worked. Consider it a small favor."

Karl was about to chat a bit longer—maybe even invite Johnson over later to grab some meat—when Jack's voice came from a distance.

"Karl, we've got a problem."

"What's wrong?"

Karl turned to see David and Jack standing near his car, while Oliver looked absolutely pissed.

"Some car thief tried to break in while we were upstairs. Didn't steal it, but they slashed all four tires."

"What?"

Karl rushed over to check and, sure enough, the signs were obvious. The lock had been tampered with, the car door had visible pry marks, and whoever did it must've been in a hurry.

"Of all things, this had to happen to us?"

Jack, who had his fair share of street experience, had stolen plenty of cars before. But now, the car thief had become the victim.

"Well, not like it's the end of the world…"

Karl glanced at Oliver, whose expression was as dark as a storm cloud.

"But I guess this means we're taking the metro home tonight."

"If I ever find that little shit, I swear I'll string him up and whip him with my belt."

Oliver, clearly the most attached to the car, growled through gritted teeth.

He understood people hustling to survive on the streets, but if someone messed with his ride, that was a different story. If he caught the thief, he wouldn't straight-up kill them like some corpo dogs would—but a serious beating was definitely on the table.

Karl shook his head. He took the situation in stride—it was, after all, the biggest inconvenience of the day. Then he turned to Johnson.

"Mr. Johnson, we'll call a repair service later. Mind sticking around to make sure they get my car to the shop? We've got some things to take care of tonight."

"No problem. You guys go ahead. Besides, you handed us another case today, so this is nothing. Get home safe."

Johnson's gaze shifted to David, still covered in blood.

"Kid needs a serious shower, too."

"Appreciate it. But yeah, this isn't ideal…"

Karl had planned ahead and swapped clothes before the job, but David hadn't.

After thinking for a moment, Karl pulled out an Arasaka Academy uniform he had stashed in the car and handed it to David.

"It's a bit big, but wear this for now. Keep the bags with your gun and clothes. You can wash up at my place."

Following Karl's instructions, David held the two bags—one with weapons, the other with spare clothes—and boarded the metro with Karl, Jack, and Oliver.

As his foot stepped onto the train…

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of something white.

.

.

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