Chapter 191 – Cyberpunk: Edgerunner (6)
If you were to ask what the unique section of Night City is, nine times out of ten the answer would be this.
Heywood, said.
Heywood is a contradictory block.
The northern part, bordering the city centre, is a modern and well-maintained area with a mix of beautiful mega-buildings, parks and spaces open to the public.
But walk just a few blocks southeast and the scenery changes dramatically.
This part of Haywood was a much poorer and more dangerous area, with smaller buildings and streets dominated by Valentino and the Sixth Street Gang.
Still, it’s not that bad as long as you know the fractions and don’t attract other people’s attention.
After all, the majority of Night City citizens live here.
Among them, there was an area that represented Heywood.
It is The Glen.
This is a neighborhood where everything from the gap between the rich and the poor to the gang wars of Valentino and Sixth Street occur, with low-income and wealthy people coexisting on the same block.
In such a glen, there was a famous high-end restaurant ranked among the top three in Night City.
Luxury restaurant 〈Mbus 〉 was the place for dinner tonight.
Ding-!
The elevator door opened with a sound.
Then Lucy gaped at the sight of the restaurant that was revealed.
This is because it had a luxurious interior and an upper-class atmosphere.
I could tell without looking at the menu.
If you pay for one meal here, an ordinary person won’t have to worry about food expenses for about a month.
“… Are you really eating here?”
“That’s right. You said you wanted to eat beef, not cultured meat. If it’s not like this, it doesn’t sell well. Now, let’s go in.”
Seojun stepped forward first.
Lucy followed behind carefully.
“Ah, sir! It’s been a while. Would you like me to show you to the seat you always sit in?”
“Yes, please.”
“All right. If so, this way.”
The employee recognized Seojun and showed a happy expression.
That’s because he could be called a regular of this restaurant.
It is clear that the money he has spent so far at Embus alone will amount to 1 million euros.
“What would you like on the menu?”
“Please give me two premium steak sets. Baking… Ah. “How do you like to bake Lucy?”
“Oh, please take care of it.”
“Okay. “I would like both medium rare.”
After placing the order, a little while later.
A staff member approached their table, pushing a serving cart.
“The premium steak set you ordered has arrived. This is a description of the menu. First, the main menu, steak, is not cultured meat, but farm-raised wagyu…”
After the employee’s explanation was over, Seojun immediately picked up the dishes, fixed them with a fork, and cut them with a knife.
Unlike cultured meat, the juice flowed out.
‘Is it okay to do it this way?’
Lucy, who was observing Seojun’s actions, clumsily followed along.
It was so cute that it made me smile happily.
‘I look forward to the reaction when I eat meat.’
What will her reaction be like when she eats real beef for the first time?
Seojun observed Lucy.
“Aang.”
Lucy picks up a bite-sized piece of meat with her fork and brings it to her mouth.
Sook!
Meat that goes into your cute mouth.
Lucy began to chew the meat, and her expectant eyes gradually dilated and soon began to sparkle like a morning star.
“… !!!”
Boom!
Lucy swung her arms.
Lucy swallowed her meat with a gulp and shot out her words.
“It is delicious… ! “This is my first time eating meat this delicious!”
When I was an orphan, I was fortunate to be able to eat just one meal a day.
In Arasaka, cultured meat was occasionally served, but other than that, it was mostly an efficient diet that focused on nutrition rather than taste.
For Lucy, real meat could rightly be called the taste of heaven itself.
“Good.”
Smile.
Seojun, smiling like a father, chewed his own meat.
‘It’s definitely enough to be called the highest quality product. However, as someone who has eaten real meat, I feel a subtle sense of disconnect.’
It tastes good.
However, it was insufficient compared to the meat from cows running around in unpolluted fields.
‘Well, it’s still not that bad.’
So Seojun and Lucy continued eating.
‘But why are there so many eyes?’
Seojun frowned.
This is because I felt a lot of attention from people around me.
He could guess the reason.
Perhaps it is because of his appearance that he is so outstanding that he deserves to be called the best in the world.
In fact, the women in this restaurant couldn’t take their eyes off him.
‘Even if I’m used to it, Lucy will be uncomfortable.’
I thought so.
“Hehe. “Oops.”
Lucy just ate the meat with a happy face.
“…”
As long as Lucy doesn’t mind.
Seojun also finished his meal, ignoring the familiar gaze.
‘I’m happy!’
Lucy thought.
When was the last time you were this happy in your short life?
I can confidently say that now—to be precise, since meeting Seojun, her life has begun to experience the taste of happiness.
‘I want to continue being with this person.’
At first, she just wanted to return the favor.
But as the days passed, the more she wanted to go to the end with him.
‘A caring, strong, wonderful person.’
The perfect man I’ve never seen before.
Wouldn’t his life be different if he was with Seojun like that?
Kongdakkongdak.
Lucy’s heart skipped a beat as she looked at Seojun’s face.
***
Some time has passed.
Lucy has now become a full-fledged netrunner.
It is at a level that is on par with those who are rumored to be veterans in this field.
This may be due to her excellent skills, but it is also likely that she is aided by top-of-the-line net running equipment.
‘I didn’t want to use it in the original.’
Lucy in the animation did not use any professional netrunning equipment due to the trauma she received from Arasaka.
However, now the trauma has disappeared thanks to Seojun’s intervention.
The combination of her outstanding skills and her net running equipment created tremendous synergy.
‘If I continue to grow like this, I will be just below V on the hacking tree.’
The main character of the original game, V.
He or she is actually the strongest person in the 〈 Cyberpunk 2077〉 world.
Even if you cover your entire body with cyberware, you will never develop cyber psychosis because the mental burden is borne by Johnny stuck in your head.
Equipped with skills that can be acquired through special privileges and armed with mythical cyberware and weapons, V attacks Arasaka Tower alone and is reborn as a monster that wipes out everything.
So, even though it is right below V, the actual difference is very big, but where is that?
She will definitely become an excellent netrunner.
‘Stay.’
When the thought reached that point, Seojun smoothed her chin.
‘Now that I think about it, there was a V, right?’
Looking at the current time zone── V would still be around the same age as Lucy.
It won’t be until 2077 that he gets really strong, so there’s still some time left. After thinking carefully, Seojun came to a conclusion.
‘Well, there’s no need to meet right now.’
There is no need to meet V right away.
It is enough to meet them later, that is, closer to the original point of view.
So many years passed.
