"You two chat, I have to go. I need to check how Judy's situation is being handled."
Seeing things get on track, Susan immediately stood up, leaving a message for Kolina, and before leaving, she specifically glared at Roel.
Roel glared back. Come on! Who's afraid of whom?
"Alright, Roel, don't get angry with her. You two really are..."
Kolina found this both amusing and helpless.
"She glared at me first. Susan, when she needs me, she sweet-talks me into doing things. Last time, there were a few sisters in Japantown who wanted to work full-time here, wasn't it me who brought them back?"
"Let's try to understand each other. We're family, after all."
Kolina reached out and patted Roel's back, soothing him with a smile.
"Alright, time to talk business."
Kolina looked at Maine and said softly, "I'm only responsible for introducing Roel to you. The specifics are for you two to discuss yourselves."
Maine first gave Kolina an OK sign, then he sat up straight, exuding a wild aura.
He first filled the cup in front of him with alcohol, then handed the cup to Roel, grinning broadly and saying, "Here, buddy, have a drink. I apologize for my earlier rudeness."
Roel took the cup, took a small sip, and said, "Tell me, what do you want me to do?"
"Don't be so cold, buddy. This is a good thing for both of us. You need to lay low, and I need help. We're a perfect match, helping each other."
Maine joked, but seeing Roel look at him expressionlessly, Maine could only give an awkward laugh.
After a pause, he got down to business: "I've got a job. I need to steal some data from Biotechnica."
"You dare to steal from Biotechnica? That's a huge corporation."
Roel frowned.
In the five years he had been in Night City, although Roel had never been a mercenary, how could he not know what mercenaries were all about?
Moreover, even if the Moxes were weak, they were still a gang. Roel, being someone who had been on the streets, understood certain rules very well.
Touching a corporation's stuff, what's the difference between that and putting your hand into a tiger's mouth at the zoo?
Kolina sat by the side, quietly drinking her alcohol, as if she hadn't heard Maine and Roel's conversation.
"No risk, no reward. We've been eyeing this for a long time, and the recon was thorough. Put your mind at ease, nothing will go wrong. Besides, if you don't mess with corporations as a mercenary, then what the hell kind of mercenary are you?"
"Do you see her? Her name is Sasha, she's our crew's Netrunner. Her skills are incredible; she can break through Biotechnica's security defenses in minutes."
Maine pointed his thumb at the little cat sitting in the corner, speaking with pride in his voice.
Roel looked at Sasha. He recognized Sasha, but... Roel only recognized Sasha as a character who appeared in the Edgerunners ending credits.
In the main Edgerunners series, there was no such person in Maine's crew. Beyond that, Roel didn't know much.
True, it was currently 2075. By next year, Lucy and Kiwi would join Maine's crew, and David's story would just begin.
Sasha raised her hand, her slender fingers trembling slightly, and waved at Roel.
Withdrawing his gaze from the little cat, Roel's expression was calm. He had to admit, Sasha was indeed very cute, but being in the Moxes, what kind of beauties hadn't Roel seen?
Not to mention Rita Wheeler, who was working as a bouncer outside Lizzie's Bar, there was also the stunning Judy working in the underground warehouse right now!
"Let's talk about the pay first."
Roel withdrew his gaze.
He didn't care about Sasha's future fate. Although he had conflicts with Susan in terms of ideology, Roel had to admit that Susan was sometimes indeed right.
Just like her current policy of leading the gang, everything was prioritized for the Moxes.
Although the Moxes' founding creed was to help the downtrodden and protect working men and women from harm, this was Night City, after all.
The Moxes were now merchants, not philanthropists. With so many people in the city, they couldn't help everyone. Therefore, the Moxes could currently only focus on helping their own people.
"Of course, we'll split it equally."
Maine said casually.
He snapped his fingers, then continued, "When it comes to money, I'm never vague. The pay for that job is 250,000 Eurodollars. This job is for four people: you, me, Sasha, and someone who provides technology and materials. He didn't come today; he went drinking with his sister."
Maine suddenly added, "How about this then? You take seventy thousand, and I'll take a bit of a loss. After all, your task is very important."
"You're that kind-hearted?"
Roel looked at Maine.
Seventy thousand Eurodollars... Roel's savings in the Moxes over the years, the money on the card Susan just gave him, totaled 120,000. This was already a considerable sum.
Most gang members usually only had a few hundred Eurodollars in their pockets, of course, that was also because those guys were used to being extravagant.
And in the game, the economic situation was clearly incorrect. V worked tirelessly on big jobs only to earn a few thousand Eurodollars, and even after saving the NUSA president, he only got a pittance. Was that a joke?
The real Night City was different. Big jobs, especially those involving corporations, often came with surprisingly generous rewards.
Otherwise, why would so many people become mercenaries? Examples of gang members turning into mercenaries were countless.
"Kind-hearted? There are countless people in this city who fight and kill each other over a few thousand Eurodollars. I'm not kind-hearted, but your task is indeed very important. And besides, you're from the Moxes. I have no intention of provoking you guys."
Maine winked at Roel, saying with emotion, "The Moxes don't stir up trouble, but they're not afraid of it either. Those who provoke the Moxes will pay a bloody price, right?"
Kolina, who was drinking by the side, chuckled at this.
It was precisely because of this spirit that the Moxes were able to survive in the dangerous Watson district.
The Moxes didn't have the traditional gang background of the Valentinos, nor the corporate backing of the Tyger Claws and the 6th Street Gang, nor were they a completely insane group like Maelstrom or the Scavengers.
The Moxes survived to this day by relying on mutual help and a survival strategy of not occupying territory or provoking other gangs.
But if they were pushed too far, the Moxes would all rise up. The gang had about three hundred members, and half of them were equipped with joytoy chips.
Joytoy chips... To put it plainly, they were security chips. Therefore, when the Moxes were working, they were charming beauties, but when they picked up weapons to fight, they could also become decent combatants.
Of course, there was another important reason: the Moxes' territory highly overlapped with that of the Tyger Claws. Other gangs who wanted to cause trouble for the Moxes in Watson would first have to fight the Tyger Claws.
How did that saying go? A tiger does not allow others to snore beside its bed.
"What exactly do I need to do?"
"Work with Sasha. In our crew, only Sasha is skilled in infiltration. As for me and the others, we're responsible for other areas.
Therefore, we really need someone skilled in infiltration to help Sasha. This person not only needs to be good at infiltration but also needs to have a certain level of combat ability to protect her safety."
Maine put away his smile and said seriously, "We've been looking for a long time, but we haven't found a suitable person."
"After all, those who are good at infiltration are either Netrunners or agents, but you can imagine their asking prices. If we really hired them, we'd be doing this job for free, and who wants to do business for nothing? But then you suddenly popped up."
Maine pointed at Roel and continued, "We have someone in our crew named Pilar, who will be working with us and splitting the money for this job. He often comes to Lizzie's for fun and heard about your situation, so after understanding the specifics, we found you."
"I'll take the job."
Roel extended his hand.
Maine grinned and also extended his hand: "Straightforward!"
"Well then, let's go have a few drinks and discuss the specifics of how to proceed."
Roel shook his head, refusing.
He stood up, picked up the baseball cap from the table, put it on, and pulled the brim down, "I still have work to do. For the specific plan, just email it to me when the time comes."
"Alright, straightforward. Then I won't bother you."
Maine wasn't coy either. He didn't think he could win someone over with a few drinks and a few words.
In Night City, where betrayal is as common as breathing, trust is the cheapest thing, like a bubble that pops with a touch. Anyone who believes in it is an idiot.
Roel left the booth, zipping up his blue jacket.
He walked out of Lizzie's Bar.
The air outside wasn't much better than inside the noisy bar. The smell of vomit and blood, accompanied by the stench of dead rats that had been rotting for days, assailed him.
"Done?"
A pleasant voice sounded beside Roel.
"Yeah, Kolina found me a job, stealing data from a big corporation with a bunch of mercs from the streets."
Roel leaned against the wall, looking at Wheeler, who was wearing a pink jacket and seriously looking at him.
"How long will you be gone?"
Wheeler asked a question she was very concerned about.
Roel sighed, "Who knows..."
Wheeler was silent for a moment, then smiled.
She walked up to Roel, reached into her jacket pocket, pulled out an e-cigarette, took a light puff herself, then offered it to Roel.
Roel shook his head: "I don't smoke."
"It's not like the one I tricked you into smoking last time. It's not strong or harsh, it's fruit-flavored. They say it's peach-flavored, though I've never eaten a peach."
Wheeler tried to persuade him.
"Then I still won't smoke."
Roel refused again.
He hadn't replaced his lung cyberware. The last time Wheeler tricked him into taking two puffs, it went straight to his head, making him dizzy and uncomfortable. Since then, Roel had never smoked an e-cigarette again.
Wheeler didn't insist. She took a puff from the mouthpiece, then looked up and exhaled white mist into the air.
"Roel, you've still ended up on this path..."
Wheeler said softly.
Roel's expression was calm. He stayed by Wheeler's side, guarding the night, doing his last security shift at Lizzie's.