Gods, Ashes Descend

Chapter 22 Departure

After the two had a tense and exciting gunfight in the city, it wasn't that the cops in Night City were all blind; at least the city's surveillance cameras were real, and the wanted posters and bounties were issued.

Li Wei, charge: vandalism, damage to state property, 25 euros.

Carl, for the same crime, but after killing the two scavengers who were harvesting kidneys, the NCPD cops transferred 160 euros to Levi.

When leaving the city, I informed the police officer on duty at the checkpoint, paid a fine of 100 euros, and the charge was dropped.

Sitting in the car, looking at the bounty information posted on his phone by the police, Li Wei was completely speechless.

This is outrageous! His mother opened the door for him! This is outrageous beyond belief!

Karl wasn't surprised, after all, Night City was still orderly, albeit not very orderly.

This is only because the Night City police department was driven to desperation. If ordinary cops were sent to deal with Li Wei's fight today, someone might even get injured.

Whether it's work injury compensation or survivor's benefits, it will only make matters worse for the already struggling NCPD.

Thus, the scene before us came to be. The bounty serves as a reminder to all dangerous individuals not to provoke the authorities. You wouldn't want to have thousands of dollars in bounty hanging over your head, having to be wary of desperate people shooting you in the back even when you go out for a meal, would you?

However, not everyone has it; there is a system rating system. It's thanks to Tokar that he was able to receive the bounty software. He has been a good citizen for over forty years and has a very high reputation.

They drove out of the city, heading straight for the home of the middleman who introduced them to jobs in the wilderness.

"This is fucking exciting. Now I'm someone who's put a bounty on someone's head."

Li Wei, with the car window open, leaned against it, enjoying the breeze, and replied with a look of utter exasperation, chin in hand.

"Yes, what are your thoughts on Mr. Carl damaging public property?"

Carl drove off, chuckling to himself without turning his head.

"That was awesome, but it's best to do this less often, it's a bit too stimulating."

It's quite exciting, but don't even think about it if you only come once; there's always more to come.

Li Wei turned to look at Karl, who seemed somewhat excited due to his adrenaline surge, and said with amusement.

"It probably won't be like you think, buddy."

Have you forgotten? We reimbursed those two people today. I reckon our place won't be safe until we kill that third-rate middleman today.

Don't forget we're outside the city; those kidney harvesters could easily kill two audacious garbage collectors.

"And even if we kill that idiot, those kidney harvesters can definitely find us if they really want to. Who knows if those two who died today had any relatives or friends out there."

The more Li Wei spoke, the uglier Karl's expression became.

The thought of being riddled with bullets in his sleep, or being blown to smithereens by a rocket launcher along with his tin house, or being smothered by a Molotov cocktail, made Karl's face turn green.

He floored the gas pedal, vowing to shove the head of that third-rate middleman who had cheated them up his ass.

When Li Wei and his friends rushed to the middleman's house to look for him, the guy had already run away.

So the first step of their money-making plan yielded a full 60 euros, which wasn't even worth the two of them buying new clothes to take on jobs.

So, in an attempt to find out what they had lost, they started ransacking the house. The two men used their expertise as junk collectors to take anything that could be sold, even pulling down the electrical wires in the house.

After selling everything, the two of them squatted outside the scrap yard, looking at the total of 1715 euros in their hands, discussing their next move.

But no one could come up with a plan. Without cybernetic bodies, there is no combat power, and without combat power, one is just cannon fodder. Anyone carrying a disposable gun with affordable firepower could take down two people with one shot.

In the end, it was Li Wei who made the decision to sell his revolver, which was based on the S&W Schoolingfield pistol. This gun had been around before World War I and was now considered an antique. His gun was a heavily modified version, and gun enthusiasts would be willing to pay a high price for it.

However, having no connections, the two decided to try and network with Adcardo and his group of slightly more reliable people.

The two drove to the outskirts of the camp, where Mitch examined Levi's butterfly revolver closely.

Mitch finally made the suggestion.

"Dude, to be honest, we don't have any good connections. This thing would only sell for a few thousand euros, which is a huge loss. Are you willing to sell it?"

What can you do if you don't sell? Offending the kidney harvester and a local thug is one thing, but Karl will be in trouble.

Since Karl was willing to lend a hand to Levi in ​​an unfamiliar place, Levi didn't mind lending him a hand in return.

Li Wei said to Mitch with a pained expression.

"Sold. The appearance of that guy with connections is a surprise. For his life, give him a subcutaneous armor, and I'll get a bulletproof vest. Any extra will be refunded, and any shortfall will be paid in full."

"Got into trouble? Or are you planning a comeback?"

As he spoke, Mitch glanced at Karl, shook his head, and offered some words of advice.

"The subcutaneous armor would be better given to you. If you're really planning to go out into the world, he's not cut out for it. He'd be better off driving."

Carl, who was standing to the side, knew that he was probably destined to be a mere leg support. He didn't even dare to show his head during gunfights, and he would only be a hindrance if he really did any fighting or killing. So he made a suggestion.

"Mitch is right. If it weren't for you, I would be dead. You're much better than me, and driving is one of my strengths."

Having heard Karl say this, Levi didn't mince words and readily nodded in agreement.

"Alright, but I have a secret. Tell your prosthetic doctors not to keep my physical records and to also perform a brain-computer interface procedure on me while they're installing the prosthetic body."

Mitch laughed heartily.

"What's there to keep secret about physical fitness? But we won't make a fuss if you have a request."

When Li Wei lay on the medical chair, his various indicators and the reports showed no signs of movement, making Mitch regret his boastful words.

Blood pressure remained constant at 60, and cell activity showed absolutely no fluctuation. After a shot of anesthetic, his eyes were wide open like a two-ball. Is this even human?

Okay, Li Wei isn't really a person, he's ashes.

They had to administer eight doses of anesthetic to Li Wei before finally bringing his drowsy state to its maximum.

Even so, Li Wei woke up halfway through the procedure. The intense pain of having his skin cut open almost made him scream. It took the doctor a few more injections to finish the surgery.

After the surgery, Levi, wrapped up like a mummy, lay in Carl's car for several days. Even after the stitches were removed, he needed two days of rest to recover.

The reason they were in the car was simple: they were broke and couldn't afford a hotel. After buying the prosthetic body, a D5 Copperhead assault rifle, a Lexington pistol, and two bulletproof vests, the two of them together had less than 100 euros in total. And since they were both alive, they had to eat, so Levi had to pretend to eat something too.

As for their home, after lying in the wilderness near Camp Adcado for two days, they went back to take a look and found it had been bombed.

I don't know if it was some shady middleman or a hired cleaner, but it makes no difference anyway.

"Let's go, Lee. I'll teach you how to drive. If I don't make something of myself, I'll fucking die in Night City."

"Don't worry, I will avenge you."

"Can't you say something nicer?"

"Isn't this nice enough?"