Jack suddenly slammed the brakes and pulled the car over to the side of the road, then stared blankly at Lin Yu.
After a long while, he finally said slowly, "V, you're definitely going to become a legend in Night City one day!"
Lin Yu smiled faintly. "You too!"
This time, Lin Yu swore he would protect those around him and never let tragedy happen again.
Thus, Jack was destined to rise to the top of Night City with him.
He also knew that this big guy had always dreamed of making a name for himself in Night City.
Now, Lin Yu shared the same dream.
Two young men full of ambition would surely turn Night City upside down!
"So, how do you plan to start? There's no going back to the corporation. Join a gang? I'm telling you, that's absolutely not a good idea. I've tried it."
Having agreed with Lin Yu's view, Jack was already helping him think about what to do next.
After witnessing what had just happened, he felt that V really was different now.
It wasn't just his strength — his mindset seemed to have changed too.
Thus, his earlier praise wasn't flattery, but came from the bottom of his heart.
"Since we can't go back to the corporation, we'll start our own. If we can't join a gang, we'll control one ourselves. What do you think, Jack?"
Since Lin Yu had already considered Jack one of his own, it was only natural to share his plan with him.
Jack was silent again for a long time.
"V, you're fucking crazy! You said out loud the things I wouldn't even dare to think about. But damn, it's exciting!"
Jack took a deep breath and suddenly exclaimed.
The idea was simply too insane. Never mind the corporations — even the street gangs all had histories stretching back over a century.
Trying to snatch a piece of the pie from them sounded like a complete fantasy.
Yet somehow, he had an unshakable faith in V.
On the surface, Night City was the city of dreams, the homeland of freedom, but in reality, everything was tightly controlled by corporations and gangs.
The people at the bottom might seem to have it all, but in truth, they had nothing — and would never truly become the masters of Night City.
Night City had become a stagnant, dead pool — and had been so for far too long.
Nothing could stay the same forever. Why couldn't he and V be the source of new life?
Jack had been convinced by Lin Yu; his dream had now expanded far beyond what it once was.
"Of course, for now, we're still just two mercs. Next, we need to complete jobs, slowly build our strength, our network, and most importantly, pile up a lot of cash!"
"At the same time, we have to stay wary of corporate retaliation. Killing those two just now was also a test — to see how the company would react."
Seeing that Jack was already on board, Lin Yu immediately brought the conversation back to reality.
Skyscrapers rose from flat ground — everything needed to be built step by step.
Moreover, he was well aware of the coming challenges. On one hand, they needed to stay low-key to avoid attracting the attention of the big fish. On the other, they had to build their own reputation.
In a place as dangerous as Night City, no one would risk their lives for someone who came from nowhere.
"Us? Two mercenaries? V, are you really sure you want to do this together?"
Jack asked excitedly.
He had been persuading Lin Yu to leave the company for a while, harboring the idea of the two of them starting a career together.
"Yeah, there's nothing better to do right now anyway," Lin Yu nodded in response.
Being a mercenary was risky, but the pay was good, and it offered the chance to meet all kinds of people and build a reputation.
It was probably the best way to get started.
"Oh right, from now on, you can call me Lin Yu."
Lin Yu gazed at the endless stream of traffic outside the window, slowly coming to terms with the reality that he had crossed into another world.
"Lin Yu? Doesn't roll off the tongue like 'V' does..."
Jack asked, confused. He hadn't known his best buddy had another name and was momentarily stunned.
"Call me whatever you like. Only true friends can call me by that name," Lin Yu said calmly.
Jack didn't say anything more. He understood.
Still, he thought 'V' was easier to shout, especially during combat commands when communication needed to be quick.
So, he decided silently: when things were relaxed, he'd call him Lin Yu; when it was serious, he'd stick with V.
They chatted casually all the way and soon arrived in Watson District.
"Your company apartment was probably reclaimed already, so for now, just stay at my place!"
As he spoke, Jack drove into the parking garage of an apartment building.
The building was tall but looked a bit worn down. It wasn't exactly a high-end residential area, but considering the circumstances, it was decent enough.
Lin Yu didn't mind. It was just a temporary place anyway. Once he made some money, he could always move to the rich Westbrook district.
That was the nice thing about reality compared to the game—if you had the money, you could buy all sorts of homes.
At the corner of the garage was an elevator, secured behind a wire-mesh gate.
They stepped through and entered.
Inside, the elevator was lined with small screens playing endless loops of advertisements.
The walls were mostly glass, offering a view of the outside, though the glass had yellowed and the metal panels were covered with rust.
"Lin Yu, I live on the 22nd floor. You can stay in Room 3 on the 23rd," Jack said, inputting Lin Yu's information into the system.
In this world, physical keys had long become obsolete—even in rundown buildings like this, doors opened and closed automatically.
The apartment was fairly well-furnished, and it looked like a cleaning bot had come through recently.
After tidying up a bit to his liking, Lin Yu finally had a place to settle down.
Just as he sat down, Jack called again.
"V... Lin Yu, take a rest first. I'll take you to meet someone very important later!"