Task (Security) Completed.
Reward received: Composure + 0.05.
In the underground warehouse of Lizzie's Bar, Roel leaned against the wall, accepted the system's reward, and then checked his attributes.
Currently, Roel's five core attributes are:
Body: 9.05
Reflexes: 8.06
Technical Ability: 9.02
Intelligence: 4.1
Composure: 8.25
Not bad. For Roel, as long as the random reward wasn't added to Intelligence, he could accept it.
Although the Composure attribute didn't have much use for Roel at the moment...
Composure's value reflects one's tolerance for pain and mental stress, and specifically, it indicates the capacity for cyberware a person can handle.
But right now, Roel barely had any eddies to buy cyberware, nor did he know any kind-hearted ripperdocs... No, wait, maybe Viktor would work?
Though he hadn't interacted with him, Viktor's character was definitely trustworthy.
After all, he was the 'dad' recognized by all players.
Therefore, the attributes Roel desired most were Body, Reflexes, and Technical Ability. These three could directly enhance Roel's combat power, so whenever there was a mission that awarded free attribute points, Roel would evenly distribute them among these three attributes after completion.
Bang!
The door in front was forcefully shut. Roel snapped out of it, pushed off the wall, and looked over.
He saw a woman in a tank top walking out of Susan's office, looking annoyed.
She had short purple hair, with the tips dyed another color, reflecting a faint green glow under the underground passage lights. There was a tattoo on her pale neck, and the side facing Roel was shaved, revealing silver scars around her temple from surgery.
"Judy," Roel called out.
Judy turned her head, huffing, and seeing that it was Roel who called her, she raised an eyebrow and said, "You're just in time. Susan is waiting for you in there."
"You handled that matter very well, Roel. I fully support you." Judy walked towards Roel, took a deep breath, and continued in an annoyed tone:
"Cowardly, cowardly, always so damn cowardly! Screw it, I think with her in charge, our Moxes will be finished before long!"
"Little Ai leaving the Moxes was the right decision. Susan has no foresight at all!"
Seeing Roel, Judy immediately started complaining as if she had found a kindred spirit.
She had just been lectured by Susan, the gist of which was to stop associating with Little Ai. Susan said that woman would eventually get herself killed and told Judy to stay away from her to avoid bringing trouble to the Moxes.
But how long had Little Ai been out of the gang? And Susan could say such things?
Roel smiled, not bothered by Judy's words.
Seeing that Roel didn't agree with her, Judy was also sensible... Besides, she had arrived later than Roel, and the relationship between Roel and Susan couldn't be explained in just a few words.
So, Judy waved her hand and continued, "Alright, you go in and get lectured. I need to go home. By rights, I should have been off work ages ago."
"Okay, be careful on your way home," Roel said softly.
Judy hummed and then walked towards her studio. In the Moxes, she was a big shot; most of the braindances Lizzie's sold had to pass through her hands.
Therefore, she was one of the few in the Moxes, like Roel, who dared to point a finger at Susan and argue with her.
But unlike Roel, while he might verbally disagree with Susan, he actually followed Susan's decisions, speaking contrary but complying inwardly.
Just like how Susan told him to stay put at Lizzie's, and he obediently stayed in the Lizzie's Bar basement, not going anywhere.
Judy said the Moxes would eventually be finished under Susan's leadership?
But the reality was that under Susan, the Moxes were not only not finished, but had actually improved. Although major crises, such as the perpetually hostile relationship with the Tyger Claws, remained.
But secretly, Roel knew that the Moxes had gained several more warehouses, a car repair shop, a radio station operating underground in Dogtown, and had even established its own brand of clothing in Night City.
One must know that when Susan first took over the Moxes, it only had Lizzie's Bar, and Lizzie's Bar back then wasn't like it is now, primarily selling braindance experiences. Back then, Lizzie's was involved in cheap flesh trade, essentially a dancer's club...
Therefore, Susan was actually a very excellent leader.
And thinking of Judy's storyline in the game... high-minded but short-sighted, that perfectly described Judy.
After Evelyn Parker's death, she wanted to replicate Elizabeth Lizzie's feat, but what was the result?
If it weren't for V, she would not only have lost her own life at Clouds but also severely harmed her little sisters. Letting the sex dolls at Clouds go freelance? The outcome was predictable. It was unbelievable Judy could even come up with such a plan...
Thinking of this, Roel shook his head, stepped forward, and gently knocked on the door.
"Come in," Susan's voice echoed from inside.
Roel pushed the door open and walked in. Upon entering, he saw Susan sitting on a swivel chair, her left hand gripping a pistol, her dark metal legs spread apart as she sat, calmly looking at Roel.
Roel closed the door and then sat on a nearby iron box, silently looking at Susan.
Susan also remained silent. In the dim light of the underground warehouse, in the cramped space, the silence made the atmosphere oppressive.
After a while, Susan sighed and said, "When are you leaving?"
"Today," Roel said.
...
"No need to be so rushed. Tomorrow, no, the day after tomorrow is fine too," Susan said.
"Since I'm leaving anyway, might as well be decisive," Roel spread his hands.
"Heh, you little bastard, are you trying to guilt-trip me?" Susan chuckled lightly, raised her hand, and lifted the pistol she was holding.
"What for?"
"This is for you. The Omaha was Kolina's gift. This, this is from me," Susan shook the pistol.
Roel walked over and took it. He glanced at it; it was Susan's sidearm, an upgraded version of the Omaha, a true Lizzie's pistol.
It had the same pink coating, but with subtle differences in detail. The grip of this Lizzie's pistol had a cute pattern and featured a charged attack mode, capable of firing five bullets at once. Paired with Lizzie's inherent 'one shot, three free' mode, this pistol was, in a true sense, a miniature shotgun...
"To be a mercenary, one pistol isn't enough," Susan spun her swivel chair, moving in front of Roel, and reached out to pat his body, pulling at the hem of his jacket.
"When you're out there, be careful. I know you're strong, Roel. Give you some time, let you get some powerful cyberware, and you could walk sideways across this city. But you have a very serious problem."
Susan looked at Roel seriously, raised her hand, pointed at her own head, and gently tapped her forehead with her index finger: "Empathy. You have too much empathy. You meddle in things you shouldn't, and you do things you shouldn't.
Strong empathy isn't a bad thing, because it allows you to bear more cyberware, preventing you from becoming as erratic as Anna is now, keeping your humanity. But this overly strong empathy will also bring you trouble."
Roel pursed his lips, quietly looking at Susan.
"Are you damn tired of my nagging again? How many words have I even said?" Susan looked up at Roel's complex expression, rolled her eyes, and said grumpily.
"I just feel like... this isn't something you would say."
"Don't always think you understand me so well. With so much cyberware installed, sometimes I don't even know who I am, what I'm doing, or where I am, let alone you?"
"You asked me to talk to you properly, and I did, but now you find me disgusting. Fine then, I'll go back to my old self."
Susan leaned back in her swivel chair, her expression becoming impatient: "Roel, before I get damn angry, get out."
"Get out of Watson, find a place to stay, eat well, sleep well, and then wait for my call."
Roel smiled, tucked the pistol into his waistband, turned, opened the door, and walked up towards Lizzie's Bar.
Stepping out of Lizzie's Bar, Roel breathed in the early morning air of Night City, which still smelled explosively foul. Just as he was pondering where he should stay tomorrow, Roel heard someone call him.
"Roel!"
The voice was rough and hearty. Roel looked over and saw Maine, a two-meter-tall burly man wearing sunglasses, holding a bottle of alcohol, looking at him from the road not far away.
Behind him was a car. Dorio was in the passenger seat, her large body squeezed into the small car, leaning out with both hands on the car door, looking at Roel. Sasha was in the back, waving her arm at Roel through the window.
Roel was first startled by this scene, then shook his head with a smile and walked over.
"Kolina told me you're leaving the Moxes starting today. If you have nowhere to go, come with us. At least starting tomorrow, we'll be a team."
"Maine, you're driving under the influence right now," Roel said, looking up at the big man in front of him.
"There are plenty of cops who want to catch me, but it definitely won't be for drunk driving." Maine laughed heartily, then extended his large hand towards Roel:
"Welcome to the world of mercenaries, Roel."
Roel extended his hand. Maine's hand was larger than his head. Their two fists lightly bumped.
"I just hope this new life won't disappoint me."