Staring at the attachment in the message bar, Lin Mo let out a long, quiet sigh, a strange sense of helplessness welling up inside him.
Although he often used to joke about being the ultimate sucker, now that the situation was real, he couldn't help but feel a bit conflicted.
Still, in a way, this also proved that his influence was steadily growing. With second-hand vehicles like this, if you didn't have a bit of a name or skill, no fixer would ever consider selling them to you.
After all, these second-hand rides that passed through the hands of a fixer were usually acquired through various shady methods, and they were always sold at rock-bottom prices.
Of course, buying a black-market vehicle like this meant there'd be no insurance, registration certificate, or license plates. The in-game mechanic of paying 100€ to respawn a new vehicle just didn't exist in the real world.
Take this Kusanagi CT-3X, for example. Its standard market price was about 70,000 eurodollars, so snagging it for 38,000 was definitely a bargain.
But with Lin Mo's current savings, he had no interest in used vehicles like that.
Still, if he could buy it and hand it over to Kitagawa Hiro or David for the team's use, it wouldn't be a bad option.
These second-hand black-market rides might not come with legal ownership, but their main advantage was that they were untraceable. In Night City, there were no traffic cops, and no one gave a damn if you were driving a black-market vehicle.
If things went south, you could just ditch the ride anywhere. Even if it were found, they couldn't trace your identity via plates or onboard systems.
With that in mind, Lin Mo forwarded the photo to David.
"What's this?" David opened the chat with curiosity. When he saw the fiery red motorcycle, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Damn, that's badass."
"A motorcycle being sold dirt cheap. You can take it home for 38,000. Interested?" Lin Mo asked.
David lowered his head and thought for a moment before shaking it. "Nah, I don't know how to ride. And especially not a motorcycle. If I got my hands on it, it'd be a wreck by the next day."
"Good. At least you've got some self-awareness. Still, you should find a chance to learn how to drive a car someday. Worst case, buy a driving skill chip."
Lin Mo nodded absentmindedly and sent the bike info to Kitagawa Hiro, his eyes lighting up slightly.
That guy, who had once worked for the Tyger Claws, probably preferred sports cars over motorcycles, but given how cheap this bike was, he might consider buying it.
"But I'm broke…" David sighed, his tone full of the kind of regret that comes when a hero is stumped by lack of funds.
Lin Mo gave him a strange look and offered a solution:
"If you don't have the eddies, borrow some. You're part of our studio now. If there's something you really want but can't afford, write up an IOU and borrow the money from me."
"If that doesn't work, just come up with some excuse and request the funds through the studio. I'm the boss — I can turn a blind eye and let it go through. We'll write it off as a business expense. You wouldn't even need to pay it back."
David stared at Lin Mo, dumbfounded. Once he realized the latter wasn't joking, he was even more surprised.
Is it really okay for a boss to personally teach his employees how to legally scam studio assets?
"I'll give it a try someday," David muttered, his face slightly flushed. Still, he didn't go through with Lin Mo's suggestion. "I'm still not familiar with the studio's operations. I'll wait until I've met that Japanese guy before doing anything."
"Alright. Then get going soon. I need to head out myself."
Lin Mo nodded, finally rising from the couch. He gathered his personal belongings and walked out of the apartment.
David didn't stop him, simply sitting on the couch and watching him leave.
Once outside, Lin Mo casually summoned a Delamain cab. After getting in, he mentioned an address, and the taxi quietly drove off.
With nothing to do during the ride, Lin Mo pulled the Braindance Simulator Headset from his waist pouch.
He had never been too worried about the safety of this simulator headset.
Aside from him, no one else could activate it. No matter where he was, as long as he wanted to use the simulator, the headset would always appear in his bag.
That's also why the headset had never been lost since he came to this world.
This device had been with him since birth — naturally, it had safety measures.
"Jia Baoyu was born with a jade stone, and I've got a braindance headset instead," Lin Mo joked to himself as he casually placed the headset back into his pouch.
Based on last night's simulation, today would be a relatively easy day — no heavy combat, just a ton of conversations.
Taking advantage of the rare calm during the ride, Lin Mo closed his eyes to rest, thinking about how to approach the coming discussion.
Delamain cabs always provided the best service. Sensing that Lin Mo was deep in thought, the car's onboard AI stayed silent the whole time. It even slowed down to reduce all noise, leaving the cabin in complete silence.
Around noon, the cab arrived in Japantown, stopping at the small parking lot next to TURBO restaurant.
"Esteemed Pursuit of Perfection customer, we've arrived at your reserved destination. I hope you had a pleasant ride," the bald AI politely announced.
"Thanks, old Del," Lin Mo replied, opening his eyes and stepping out of the vehicle.
Looking at the restaurant in front of him, he recalled how this was the place they agreed to meet after finalizing the plan via chat. Lin Mo could still remember how surprised he had been.
It was unexpected, yet not entirely surprising. This restaurant seemed to have quite the reputation among edgerunners.
Of course, it was also possible that the woman lived nearby.
Lin Mo tidied himself up a bit. He was still wearing his School of the Wolf jacket, plain gray armored pants — this kind of outfit perfectly matched the edgerunner style.
In situations like this, showing up in a suit would've just made him look awkward and out of place.
As for that yellow legendary jacket, he had left it in the Delamain cab. If all went according to plan, he'd be using that ride for the rest of the day.
Walking into the restaurant, the interior was plain — a circular bar, booth seating by the windows, soft cushioned couches, and the occasional grime stain on the floor.
There, at the far end, sat a white-haired woman with a cigarette between her fingers. Amid the drifting smoke, her eyes stared out the window, calm and detached.
Lucy — that distinctive, free-spirited netrunner.
Lin Mo walked over and sat across from her. Meeting her placid gaze, he gave a polite smile.
"Sorry I'm late."
"As long as you know," she replied.
After the brief smile, Lin Mo's expression grew serious. He crossed his hands on his knees, leaned slightly against the couch, and asked:
"Are you in a hurry? Want to catch up for a bit, or jump straight to business?"
Lucy stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray and answered with the same calm demeanor:
"Let's just get to the point. I'm not in a rush, but I don't feel like wasting time either."
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