{6th Floor, Megabuilding H10, Little China, Watson}

...

'''Requiem for a Samurai by Virginia Granchester, an AI created by Raven Microcybernetics, was published yesterday in 70 languages. The prose has sold over 100,000 copies in just one day, marking its remarkable entry into the market. The Swedish Academy for Literature has lauded it as the best work...'''

The newscaster kept blaring into my ear as the elevator started moving, but I was focused on the holographic map of Night City in front of me. No fixers were marked on the map, which was quite unlike the first obstacle I faced in my quest for today. I hadn't realized just how much I depended on the game's waypoint system. Without the golden line guiding me, I was just as lost in this concrete jungle as everyone else.

'Hopefully, looking at the familiar streets would invoke some memories. I'm pretty sure Rogue would be the closest, but even in the game, until we were a big deal, a direct gig from Rogue wasn't available until the Sun ending. Even gaining access into the afterlife would be difficult.' The elevator stopped, and I arrived at the first floor of the Megabuilding.

People of all shapes and sizes were milling about, and I tried not to focus on anyone else. While this wasn't a xianxia novel where just looking at someone the wrong way would lead to trouble, it wasn't far from that either. Especially since I was a netrunner, I knew just how much damage someone with real skills could do with just eye contact.

I looked at the minimap in the corner and noticed that there were a couple of police officers nearby. At a side glance, I found two NCPD officers dressed in uniforms enjoying a meal to my left in a Chinese street shop. I kept walking, my eyes returning to the holographic map that appeared with just a thought.

'Regina Jones was supposed to be close by, but in the game, she contacted V of her own violation. I, as a nobody, would not interest her, not until she makes sure I can handle myself against someone completely borked up. Mr. Hands is also a good choice, but his area of operation is Dogtown. A place that I have no intention of visiting anytime soon.' I stepped down the stairs and looked at the zooming cars and city in front of me.

Without the need to complete the game and zoom around, the rumble of the cars whizzing by in my chest, the stale and arid smell, and a myriad of conversations flowing all around me homed to heart the fact that I was here. Every inch of the buildings was covered in advertisements, neon signs, and tastefully colored buildings.

'I never liked most of Padre's questline. He pretended to be a religious leader, but in the end, he was just part of a gang, and all his gigs focused on increasing his influence and Valentino's on Night City. That leaves me with only one option left.' I looked around, my eyes zoomed on the little terminal to my right.

'''NCART: Night City Area Rapid Transit'''

'Whoever came up with that name just jumbled up words together to fit the Acronym. I'm pretty sure the acronym NCART stood for something else, but before deploying the system, the engineers had to devise a name for the train system. There really is no need for Area to be there in the name.' I started walking, and it didn't take me long to follow a crowd of people with the same destination.

The door hissed open, and I followed everyone in, my eyes working overtime to scan every one to ensure they were all civilians. I know that the NCPD database isn't all that good for undercover cops or CIA agents, but I wasn't expecting them to target me anyway.

'While going to Wakako could also be bad as she works closely with the Tyger Claws, it is also necessary to feel out the gang. I could let one of the Tygers scan me, and then if there is no chase or anything, that means they hadn't connected me to the annihilation of their small team weeks ago.' I thought as the elevator started going up. The ride was considerably shorter as we had just moved up two floors.

Graffiti covered the small corridor, and a map of the NCART system was laid out close to the door. I was the only one who stopped to read it as everyone else walked toward the terminal. It was confusing to look at, but I quickly identified the green line that was going through Japantown South. I walked over to the terminal and pulled out my NCART pass. I had picked it up from the table a week ago and threw it in the inventory.

A different holographic map appeared before me, which was just as confusing as the previous one. Apparently, I couldn't find the Japantown South station on the options. There were only four options, none of which made sense.

"What's the hol'up?" Someone spoke from behind me. The gruff voice didn't sound pleased with having to wait.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

"Well, I want to go to Jig-Jig Street, but there is no option for Japantown South in here," I replied, my eyes still stuck to the holographic map, trying to figure it out.

"Gonk..." the man cursed before he sighed and explained, "To go to Jig-Jig Street, you need to go to the station Monroe & Sagan. Select the train from Pacifica to Santa Domingo and then disembark at the next station when it comes." The man grunted the last part.

I nodded in thanks to the man and selected the option he selected. The doors opened up, and a credit transfer report appeared. The train ride cost me 50 bucks, which is outrageous and at the same time reasonable, considering my shower costs 10 bucks.

...

[Transfer: -€$50]

[€$11,231]

...

I still had some money left, enough to survive, but nothing that could be compared to the nest egg I had a week ago. I walked through the doors and watched as the dirt-covered floors gave way to a tiled platform that led to the terminal. Graffiti-covered walls were quickly replaced by smooth, bland textures as I walked through a stuffed metro station. People were waiting in line as a panel indicated that the next train would arrive in 6 minutes.

I looked at the bright red line glowing along the empty train tracks and quickly realized that this wasn't my train. On the other side of the platform, the tracks were highlighted by a yellow line of holographic paint. I looked above and stared at the timer. The next station was Monroe & Sagan, and the train would be arriving in 8 minutes.

'Alright, I have some time to kill.' I leaned against the platform and started scanning the people walking by. The minimap indicated that I was safe, although it was weird that not one gang member was using NCART trains.

'Come to think of it, almost everyone here looks like they belong to a corp. Squeaky clean clothes with office bags slung around their shoulders. Worry and stress lines spread on their faces as they look at the timer on the next train.' I wasn't really a people person and was interested in the behaviors of the crowd, but just observing the people around me gave me some idea that the train system might not be as inclusive as I thought it was.

'Another divide between the rich and the poor. The only reason I even had the card likely was because I needed it to go to the academy in the corp center,' I reasoned. The time was slowly ticking by, so I focused on what I needed to do.

'Alright, I need to feel out the Tyger Claws and then see if I can get a gig from Wakako, a small paying one would be best, better if it's a stealth mission...'

...

------------------------------------

{Wakako's Pachinko Parlor, Jig-Jig Street, Westbrook}

{Wakako's POV}

...

"Wakako-sama..." A heavily Japanese-accented voice filtered through her communications as Wakako's eyes shifted from the TV in the corner of the room.

"One of the POIs involved in the disappearance of a few Tyger Claws personnel a week ago just walked into Jig-Jig Street." She was not expecting the report. The last thing someone from a rival gang would do is walk into the heart of Jig Jig Street.

"Who was it again?" She spoke, her interest tickled a little bit.

"The corp kid, Nooa Delwyn-" came the reply. He was not high on their list of suspects, although corps were known to have kids who were well versed in combat and can run through the army of common street thugs, Nooa Delwyn was definitely not it. The only reason he was even marked as a POI was because of his cyberware, a good basic pair of Kiroshi, something the fleeing suspect had as well, and his similar build.

"Wakako-sama, he's walking toward the parlor-" Came the reply before the coms abruptly cut off, and for a second, Wakako was worried.

"He's walking in now... he spotted me. I had to use optical camo to disengage." Toshiaki's voice came once again, and Wakako leaned back into her chair for a second. She placed her hands on her lap and placed her right foot over the trigger panel of the defensive system. Her eyes traced the man walking in.

While Nooa Delwyn was a kid for all records, he didn't look like one. His build was tough, and anyone would simply mistake him for an older man safe for his face. The stubble of a beard didn't help him there, though she was quite sure he would grow into it.

"Wakako-san," He spoke, his voice level as he looked into her eyes.

"What can I do for you, Delwyn-san?" She asked, a brief smile appearing on her face as he leaned back a little. He was clearly surprised that his name was known to her, especially since she had not scanned him.

'Though there isn't any panic in his expression, maybe he wasn't involved in that case after all, ' she thought. But then his usefulness to her dropped as well. He became an unknown quickly.

"You are well informed, as expected," he smiled politely before the stoic look again appeared on his face. "...Since you know my name, then you should also know that I am a graduate of the Militech Corpo Academy. Though I don't have many links to that place now, I'm well versed in stealth and breaching and have some expertise in hand-to-hand combat and shooting as well."

He took a deep breath before he continued, "...Due to some unexpected circumstances, I'm looking for work that aligns more with what you are familiar with. I'm hoping you will give me a chance to show you that I'm competent." He finished with an awkward bow.

Wakako smiled slightly at his mannerisms, but it was gone by the time he stood up. She leaned back into her chair slightly and thought about it. He did list several specialties that would make him the perfect solo, and considering his way of speaking was perfectly aligned with a corpo agent, she knew he wouldn't fit into a team anytime soon.

'Giving him the babysitting job wouldn't be bad, but then I won't be able to verify his stealth capabilities.' Hand-to-hand and other combat capabilities were quite common, but a corpo-trained stealth specialist was supremely better than normal thugs that she dealt with every day.

"Alright. There is a data shard that..." Wakako started speaking. A small test wouldn't be so bad, and if he was able to detect Toshiaki, then this might not be a waste of her time.

...