"You're still as cheeky and stubborn as ever—completely impossible to reason with."
Seeing her offer of a tarot reading rejected yet again, Misty gave up and set the deck down with a resigned sigh.
"By the way," Lin Mo quickly changed the subject, "has Jackie dropped by to visit you lately?"
"Same as always," Misty said with a quiet sigh. "Busy chasing his own dreams. Ever since he left the Valentinos, he's been working gigs solo, picking up jobs from fixers. Always talking about becoming a Night City legend someday."
"I haven't seen him much," Lin Mo nodded, "but I believe everything he's doing is for your sake. He just wants a better life—for you, for his family... Not that I should say much. I'm sure you know him better than anyone."
Misty smiled, covering her mouth. "If Jackie heard you say that, he'd definitely go, 'Hey, little brother, you psychic or something? You been living in my stomach?'"
She even deepened her voice, mimicking Jackie's tone.
"I admire him, though. To handle gigs solo, to work as a true lone wolf—that takes real skill and guts. He's way ahead of me. Maybe I should look up to him more."
Feeling a bit tired, Lin Mo brushed off the dust on the steps and sat down casually.
Misty followed, crouching beside him with a grin. "You know what? I'll tell Jackie what you said. He'll be thrilled to have a fanboy. Might even say you've got good taste."
"Let's hope so," Lin Mo replied with a chuckle, saying no more.
In truth, he knew very well—Jackie Welles wasn't just "some guy." In the game, he was V's closest companion in the early stages, a true pro with top-tier combat talent.
Two missions especially stood out: one, fighting their way out of the Maelstrom hideout; and two, escaping a luxury hotel surrounded by Arasaka's elite forces.
And in the second one, Jackie had been badly wounded, yet still made it out with V. That said everything about his strength.
Since arriving in this world, Lin Mo had managed to meet Jackie a few times, thanks to his connection with Misty. And in their conversations, Lin Mo had confirmed something crucial:
Jackie didn't have a childhood friend named V.
In the game, V could begin with one of three backstories—Corpo, Streetkid, or Nomad. Each came with a different intro scenario.
If Jackie didn't know V, that meant this world's V wasn't Corpo. Those two were old friends in that timeline.
Lin Mo had even poked around Heywood for a while and hadn't heard of any street kid named V.
Which left only one option: the V of this world must be a Nomad.
She'd likely arrive in Night City sometime around late 2076, driving a beat-up red junker straight out of the Badlands.
And just like that, Lin Mo finally confirmed it—this world's protagonist V was a female Nomad.
He still remembered his playthroughs vividly. He'd tried all three lifepaths, but his favorite? A female Nomad V with a Netrunner build. Max level. All three core attributes capped.
Basically—look at someone, and they drop dead.
Even Adam Smasher? One glare, and boom—flatlined.
And yeah... she had a face he'd spent hours perfecting. Absolutely gorgeous.
Man, if he could just latch onto her once she arrived...
No more worries for life. She wasn't just another legend—she was the legend.
Because she was the living embodiment of death itself.
Fantasy time over. Lin Mo went back to chatting idly with Misty.
Eventually, the customer inside the shop stirred awake. Misty stood, gave Lin Mo an apologetic look, and went back in to collect payment.
Lin Mo stayed where he was, waiting for whoever was in Viktor's clinic to come out.
As he sat there, he couldn't help but think about the strange profession unique to this world—ripperdocs.
Strangely enough, it made him nostalgic for his med student days back on Blue Star.
He'd barely started med school back then, just a clueless beginner. But here, ripperdocs weren't just doctors—they were surgeons, engineers, and techies rolled into one.
They could cut like gods, but few of them knew anything about pathology or pharmacology.
Got a cold? A ripperdoc would suggest an immune-boosting implant. Got tuberculosis? "Easy fix—swap in some new lungs."
They removed disease, sure, but they didn't exactly treat anything.
The real reason? Money.
This world's medical science was shaped entirely by capitalism. If a treatment didn't make money, no one bothered to develop it.
Most cutting-edge drugs were only available to the wealthy—miracle cures, biotechnological marvels, even anti-aging pills that could extend your lifespan.
But basic vaccines? Forget it.
When a pandemic broke out in Night City, the city council's brilliant solution was to exterminate every single bird in the metro area—practically driving them to extinction.
Before Lin Mo could finish the thought, the sound of a gate opening from the basement clinic brought him back to the present.
Hiro Kitagawa emerged. His face was calm—none of the panic from earlier remained.
"How is she?" Lin Mo asked, stepping forward.
Hiro exhaled deeply. "Thanks to Viktor… she's okay. Just extreme braindance abuse. Her neural processor caught a virus. And after days of torture, she blacked out."
"Viktor purged the virus and gave her a nutrient injection. Said she should wake up after a good night's sleep." His expression softened into one of complex gratitude. "Most importantly… he saw I was broke, and still let me pay later. Lin-kun, he's the kindest doctor I've ever met."
In a world ruled by greed, a ripperdoc who let you run a tab was practically a saint.
"He probably knew what happened. Viktor's got a good eye—he must've seen you were willing to risk your life for your sister. He wouldn't do that for just anyone," Lin Mo explained.
"No," Hiro said solemnly. "Character didn't save my sister—you did. Lin-kun, thank you."
With that, he bowed deeply.
So deeply, in fact, Lin Mo figured if he told him to commit seppuku, Hiro would probably go find a blade and do it right there.
"Cut the drama," Lin Mo muttered. "Your sister won't be up until tomorrow. Why don't we go blow off some steam?"
The sun was almost gone. Dusk was settling in. And with it, Night City's true heartbeat was about to start thumping.
Come to think of it, neither of them had eaten dinner yet.
"Somewhere close, then? How about Lizzie's Bar? I know the place well," Hiro offered—then his face fell.
Right. He was flat broke.
PS (meta comment – skip if not interested):
In the game, V arrives in Night City in October or November of 2076. The main story begins six months later.
You can even calculate this from Saburo Arasaka's diary during the Konpeki Plaza mission (the one where you go upstairs to retrieve your katana). Based on the journal entries, the mission takes place on May 1st, 2077.
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