Noon, The Next Day
"Actually, I took on a small job yesterday," Peter said casually.
V, who was busy devouring his meal, paused mid-bite. He swallowed his food and asked, "What kind of commission?"
"It was a job for Kang Tao. I infiltrated an Animal Gang stronghold to retrieve some things," Peter replied, his tone as nonchalant as if he were describing a trip to the grocery store.
An Animal Gang member, if they were listening: I don't believe you at all!
V raised an eyebrow. "A corporate job? Must've been a good payout."
"Yeah. I got a smart rifle, 50,000 Eurodollars, and a single-family house in the North Oak area," Peter answered.
"Cough!"
V had just taken a sip of water, and upon hearing Peter's words, he choked and nearly spit it out.
"You call that a small job?!"
In Night City, a commission that earned 30,000 Eurodollars was considered a jackpot. But Peter had raked in 50,000, a villa, and a high-tech rifle—all in one go!
"You'd have to clear out every Animal Gang hideout in the city to make that much money!" V exclaimed.
Peter simply shrugged. "It was just a blueprint—a prototype for a smart rifle that Kang Tao hasn't released yet. Pretty powerful stuff."
He pulled out the blueprint and showed it to V and Lucy.
Unfortunately, neither of them were engineers. V was a merc and Lucy was a hacker—neither could fully grasp the technical details. All they could make out were some notes describing the rifle's effects.
V squinted at the text. "Burning, electric shock, poisoning, bleeding… Are you sure this is a rifle and not some alien weapon?"
Lucy, who was usually more composed, nodded in agreement. "Those effects seem... excessive."
But since it was a Kang Tao design, the descriptions were probably legit.
"If only I could get my hands on one," V muttered enviously.
Of course, crafting something like this wasn't as simple as just buying parts off the street. Unlike in video games, there were no easy blueprints for creating legendary weapons.
A New Home
"Let's move into the North Oak villa today," Peter suggested.
V and Lucy exchanged glances.
There was a spark of excitement in both their eyes.
Although their current living space was enough, it still felt cramped for three people. In fact, if Lucy or V wanted to have alone time with Peter, they had to carefully plan around each other's schedules.
"Alright."
"Yeah, let's do it."
Both of them agreed at the same time.
Since most of their furniture had come with their old apartment, packing up was easy. They only needed to bring some clothes.
Buying a Car
"I'll take Lucy out to buy a car later," Peter said while folding some shirts. "You wanna come with us, V?"
V shook her head. "Nah. I've got a race later—Claire from the Afterlife Bar recommended me for it."
"Ah, that's why you were fixing up your car yesterday," Peter nodded.
"Yeah," V confirmed.
"Alright then, Lucy and I will come watch your race after we're done buying the car," Peter said.
A Gift for Lucy
On the way out, Lucy hesitated.
"Peter, I don't really need a car," she said. "You and V both have one already."
That was true. Lucy rarely went out except for the occasional night run or work-related task. Most of the time, she stayed home, helping Peter with programming projects.
Peter had been developing source codes for games that were popular in his past life but didn't exist in Night City. Lucy handled the coding and development for him.
Peter smirked and wrapped an arm around her waist. "This is the first time your man is giving you a gift. Don't refuse."
Lucy rolled her eyes but smiled. "Fine."
Contacting Wakako
Ding!
Peter's holo-call connected.
"Peter?" Wakako Okada's voice came through. "What business do you have with an old woman like me? I don't think I have any suitable commissions for you right now."
"Hey, Wakako. I saw a car in your listings that caught my eye. I want to buy it," Peter said.
"Oh?" Wakako sounded intrigued. "I didn't expect a car in my inventory to interest you. Which one?"
"The Sword of the Lady of the Lake Leifield."
There was a brief pause.
Then Wakako chuckled. "Are all mercs this rich now? That's a top-tier sports car, limited to less than 100 units worldwide. There's only one in Night City."
Peter smirked. "Yeah? Sounds perfect for me, then."
Wakako hesitated.
"Peter, I heard you already have the Sword in the Stone. That car alone is just as valuable—why do you want another one?"
Peter raised an eyebrow. "What, do I need permission to buy another car?"
"It's not that," Wakako sighed. "One of the Tiger Claw bosses, Xiaopu Weixin, wants that car too. And he's trying to lowball me into selling it for next to nothing."
Peter's expression darkened slightly.
Xiaopu Weixin was one of the higher-ups in the Tiger Claws, and he had a reputation for strong-arming deals.
Wakako continued, "We spent 180,000 Eurodollars just to acquire that car. After bribing the Night City port officials, it cost nearly 200,000. But Xiaopu Weixin wants to buy it for peanuts. Since he's a Tiger Claw boss, it's hard for me to refuse outright."
Peter smirked. "I'll offer 220,000 Eurodollars. Go tell that old bastard Xiaopu Weixin that if he wants the car, he can come and get it from me—if he has the guts."
Wakako's hesitation vanished instantly. "Peter, I like your style. Since you're so sincere, the car is yours."
She immediately sent him the location and access key for the car.
Peter didn't waste time—he transferred 220,000 Eurodollars on the spot.
"Pleasure doing business with you," Wakako said, her tone cheerful. "I've sent you the details. Enjoy the ride with your girlfriend."
The call ended.
The Pickup
Peter drove Lucy to the designated location in his Sword in the Stone.
As they arrived, they saw several Tiger Claw members standing near the Sword of the Lady of the Lake.
Peter smirked. Looks like Xiaopu Weixin sent his boys to claim it.
He turned to Lucy. "Activate the car."
Lucy, already holding the key, nodded.
Her cybernetic implants glowed blue for a moment, and the car roared to life.
The Tiger Claw thugs immediately perked up.
"Huh? The boss isn't here yet. Why did the car start?" one of them muttered, looking confused.
Peter stepped forward. "Because it's my car now."
The thugs turned to look at him, their expressions shifting.
"Tch. Looks like we've got a problem." One of them cracked his knuckles. "You think you can just take this car?"
Peter smirked. "I didn't 'take' it. I bought it. Fair and square."
One of the thugs scoffed. "Boss Weixin wanted this car. You really think you can—"
Before he could finish, Peter pulled out his smart rifle and aimed it directly at him.
The thug froze.
"You wanna repeat that?" Peter asked, his voice calm but deadly.
The air grew tense.
The thugs exchanged nervous glances. They knew Peter's reputation—and more importantly, they knew that going against him meant death.
After a few seconds, they backed off.
"Fine. Whatever," one of them muttered. "Not worth dying over a car."
Peter grinned. "Smart choice."
He tossed Lucy the key.
"Let's go," he said, stepping into the Sword in the Stone while Lucy got into the Sword of the Lady of the Lake.
As they drove off, Peter couldn't help but chuckle.
Xiaopu Weixin was in for a very unpleasant surprise.
And Peter?
He just secured the best ride in Night City.
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