"...the one who can bring hope." Lucy turned her face away: "So... don't die, or hope will be gone."
Mercer remained silent.
He gazed out the window at the Sixth Street Gang members lingering by the street and on rooftops. After a while, he nodded and finally asked the question:
"If you could choose by yourself, what would it be? A nobody, or famous worldwide?"
Lucy also looked out the window and suddenly chuckled a couple of times after a moment:
"If it were the old me, I'd rather live miserably than die well.
But now, thanks to you, I've gone bad and sometimes think, people are going to die anyway, might as well do something big before that."
"But... famous worldwide? I'd rather see you achieve that than myself." She smiled, turning her head to look at Mercer: "Let me see the day when you're famous worldwide, both of us alive."
"A living legend?
That's not easy... but thankfully, I love doing hard things like this.
However, you better be mentally prepared and get used to it, because..."
He laughed out loud, then without concern, rolled down the car window and flipped off at a Sixth Street Gang member who was drunkenly urinating as if painting the street:
"Showing off something so tiny, huh? Idiot!"
The Sixth Street Gang member was taken aback, and then furiously tried to raise his pistol. But before he could, he was startled by the 'hacking in progress' message flashing in his prosthetic eye: "Damn, a hacker!"
Then, with a horrified expression, his prosthetic eye was suddenly filled with bouncing smiley face emojis.
In the end, frustrated, he shut off his prosthetic eye: "Damn it, whose stupid brat... Quick, someone help me clear the virus? I can't open my eyes!"
Lucy saw this scene and couldn't help but laugh along with Mercer. Before he could find help, the next moment he convulsed and fell to the ground, landing in his own urine puddle.
"The hacking speed has improved a lot, huh?"
Mercer complimented, letting the slightly stinky wind of Night City blow across his face.
"You taught me well, after all."
Lucy beamed brightly, sticking her body out of the window to wave at the several puzzled Sixth Street Gang members rushing over from afar: "Bye~bye~ Watch your mouth next time!"
"Damn, get back in! I never taught you that!"
Mercer hurriedly pulled her back inside and raised the bulletproof glass, then stomped the gas pedal to surge forward.
No surprise, those provoked Sixth Street Gang members raised their guns and fired, regardless of their aim. The car's bulletproof body occasionally rang with clinks, but Lucy kept laughing, unphased.
Mercer wouldn't worry, either—it was his bad influence.
"Woohoo!"
She couldn't help but shout in excitement from the thrill of the chase, while Mercer, still laughing, pulled her to keep her still: "Seatbelt, seatbelt!"
Pan'an's voice came through the walkie-talkie: "What the hell are you two kids doing?"
But Mercer just laughed as he pressed the walkie-talkie button and said: "Pan'an, let me see your driving skills... up for a race?"
"Damn... you little punk, bring it on! Just don't cry if you lose!"
Pan'an wasn't afraid of that.
It was poor Cassidy who sighed over the walkie-talkie: "Please, I'm too old for this. Give a heads up next time, will ya?"
"Aha! The race is on! Let's see who gets out of this street first!"
Mercer already had the pedal floored. Whatever happens, happens!
A nobody?
Ha!
I came to this world to be famous worldwide!