Seeing that this level-up granted a skill optimization point, Riku finally felt a weight lift off his shoulders. One skill point every two levels, one optimization point every three—gaining them through leveling was far more reliable than other methods.
Riku didn't rush to use it. Who knew what kind of optimization it might trigger? Better to wait until he was alone to play it safe.
The victim's body was stuffed into a sack, layered several times over. Jack Welles, holding his nose, tossed it into the trunk.
The car, barely two weeks old, couldn't escape its fate as a corpse hauler. Such was the life of a cyberpunk.
"Let's move before Maelstrom's goons come looking," Jack urged, ever cautious.
Unlike other gangs, Maelstrom was fractured into smaller crews on their turf, each handling their own slice of crime. Depending on their status and role, a crew could have dozens of members or just a handful. Bigger groups took on raids, murders, or guarding high-value goods, while smaller ones patrolled their patch.
This Maelstrom crew was a standalone outfit, clearly low on the totem pole, stuck on the fringes of Northside Industrial District. Still, they were Maelstrom. If they drew the attention of a larger crew, things could get ugly fast.
The job was done—time to get the hell out.
"Coming!" V shouted, still scavenging. She'd set her sights on a "projectile launcher" implant and was trying to pry it loose.
"Damn, this thing's bolted on tight!" V grumbled, yanking with all her might. She wasn't a techie, so field-stripping the implant wasn't an option. Her plan? Rip the whole arm off.
"Lucy, give her a hand," Riku said, staying back. He'd be no help, but Lucy's monowire could do the trick.
Lucy didn't hesitate. With a flick of her wrist, her monowire slashed through the air, severing the arm clean at the base.
"Ka!"
V nearly stumbled, clutching the detached arm. "Thanks, Lucy," she said with a grin, satisfied, before heading back to the car with her prize.
The subcutaneous armor on these guys could fetch a few eddies, but it was too much hassle to process. Secondhand skin of that quality wasn't worth the effort—too costly for too little return. V, ever the scavenger, knew exactly what was worth picking up.
"Pack that thing properly," Jack warned, not wanting the car's interior to become a biohazard.
"Relax, it's bagged," V replied, flashing a thumbs-up, her face beaming. This job was a goldmine. The flamethrower implant could sell as near-mint, and the projectile launcher was good for either selling or keeping.
"Sell it," Lucy advised. "The quality's not great—prone to malfunctions." A misfire was one thing, but an implant exploding in your arm? That'd be a bad day.
In Night City, death came in many flavors, but getting killed by your own cyberware was one of the most pathetic.
"Makes sense," V nodded, taking it seriously. She'd seen Lucy hack that launcher without breaking a sweat.
The four drove to the drop-off point, where the fixer's crew picked up the bagged corpse. Payment hit their accounts instantly.
"Nice. Time to split the eddies," Jack said, transferring 7,500 to each. Decent, but for facing eight Maelstrom cyberpsychos, it felt a bit light.
"This fixer's cheap and full of crap. Next time, we negotiate harder," Jack griped. Had he known they were up against Maelstrom psychos, he wouldn't have taken the job for so little.
"No biggie. Selling that flamethrower and launcher will net us another split," V said, unfazed. Those "scraps" could pull in 20,000 eddies, especially the flamethrower.
After divvying up the cash, Jack parked on the roadside and turned to V and Riku. "Alright, I'm sold on Lucy's skills. You two?"
No point beating around the bush—this job was partly a two-way interview.
"No complaints here," V said, nodding. She'd underestimated Lucy before, but the girl proved she could hold her own.
All eyes turned to Riku. "Lucy, what about us? Do we pass?" he asked, flipping the question. A two-way interview meant her opinion mattered too.
Lucy leaned against the window, cigarette in hand, gazing outside. "You're solid. I'm good with it," she said coolly, flicking ash, as if the outcome didn't faze her.
"Awesome! We're a team now," Jack said, clapping his hands excitedly. A fixed netrunner was way better than scrambling for one every job. A regular crew splits pay evenly, but hiring a netrunner on the fly meant accepting their cut—or their terms.
"How about a drink to celebrate?" Jack suggested, the usual post-job ritual.
"Gotta see Vik first to get this dealt with," V said, holding up her sack of "scrap." She was out.
Riku waved off the invite too, leaving Jack to look at Lucy.
"Sorry," Lucy said, flicking her cigarette. With half the team bailing, she wasn't about to be the odd one out.
"You could hit up Misty, Jack," Riku teased, seeing Jack strike out.
"Fine, I'll drop you all off," Jack said with a shrug, unfazed, and drove everyone to their destinations.
Riku headed home. After a shower and a change of clothes, he solemnly donned his "Disaster-Averting Fox Mask."
"Limit System, add the point."
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Riku didn't hesitate. He allocated the skill optimization point to his [Oni] skill.
(End of Chapter)