The Stone in the Stone carved a flowing trail through the air, leaving behind a brilliant blue streak, eventually coming to a stop in a park
The Stone in the Stone carved a flowing trail through the air, leaving behind a brilliant blue streak, eventually coming to a stop in a parking lot not far from Twisted Street.
The car door lifted, and North Kawahiro stepped out from the driver's seat with a look of satisfaction. He placed his palm on the door, gently caressing the smooth, mirror-like surface of the vehicle, as if admiring a cherished yet formidable queen.
"Stop playing around, let's go find Wakako," Lin Mo reminded him, closing the car door, which automatically locked.
North Kawahiro's face showed a hint of regret as he followed Lin Mo towards Twisted Street, his gaze lingering on the sky-blue shadow of the car.
In his mind, he silently made a vow—if he ever had the chance, he would definitely buy the same sports car.
The two walked into Twisted Street.
It had only been a week since their last visit, and although it was no longer their first time here, the sight of the street still evoked a sense of nostalgia and reflection.
It wasn't yet the peak of the night, and a few workers stood around on the street, smoking with tired, unfocused eyes. They seemed to be forcing themselves to stay awake just to attract business.
The small gang members that typically loitered around the street were nowhere to be seen.
Their behavior seemed almost animalistic, appearing only at night, when they would grab large sticks, pipes, and other weapons from the shadows, ready to threaten clients who refused to pay.
"Twisted Street, it's been a while since I've been here. Everything looks the same as before."
North Kawahiro walked behind Lin Mo, dressed in a wide bulletproof coat that concealed his figure, with a plain-colored mask covering his face.
Lin Mo wasn't surprised.
After all, he knew that North Kawahiro had once been a member of the Tiger Claw Gang, and since Twisted Street was an important revenue hub for the gang, it wasn't strange that he had some knowledge of the area.
"Do you think something has changed here?" Lin Mo asked.
"No, Night City has been rotten to its core for a long time. This place, as bad as it is, hasn't gotten any worse. The Tiger Claw Gang still manages things decently. At least it's still as bad as it always was, not worse like the other districts," North Kawahiro mocked.
"Twisted Street is actually one of the more stable areas," Lin Mo commented.
North Kawahiro scoffed and quickened his pace to catch up with Lin Mo, speaking in a low voice, "Lin-kun, how well do you know this place?"
"Just a little. I've lived here for a while, though it was a long time ago. I don't come here often now," Lin Mo replied.
Seeing that they were still a distance away from Wakako's pachinko parlor, North Kawahiro pondered for a moment and asked, "Lin-kun, would you like to hear about what happened here in the past?"
Lin Mo was intrigued. He never turned down an opportunity to expand his knowledge.
"Please, go ahead."
"You should know about the 'specialties' of Twisted Street. It's these 'specialties' that make this place one of the top entertainment districts in Night City. While there are other entertainment venues here, it's undeniable that these 'specialties' are the backbone of Twisted Street's economy," North Kawahiro said, his eyes subtly scanning a few workers dressed provocatively.
"I understand," Lin Mo said.
"Night City is a city of dreams. As the most free and unrestrained international metropolis in the world, it attracts countless ignorant people every year. Even though this place is a dump, the most surprising thing is that it's still somewhat shiny. If you're lucky, you might just find a little gold in this pile of crap," North Kawahiro mocked.
"Quite a vivid metaphor," Lin Mo said with a dry chuckle.
"Exactly because of this, countless people flock to Night City. Can you guess what they come here to do?" North Kawahiro teased.
Lin Mo quickly ruled out the idea of corporate work. In this world, being a corporate lackey was something most people could only dream of.
Ordinary people didn't have the privilege of becoming corporate lackeys.
"Street vendors, gang members, homeless people, doing dirty work, odd jobs, and eventually getting weeded out," Lin Mo listed some examples.
"Good guess, but there's actually one more profession I should add—sex workers."
"Back in the day, there might have been some restrictions on looks, but now? Whether you're male or female, all you need to do is change your face, get some cheap sex worker implants, and insert a sex worker chip into your head. The barrier to entry is very low, but the potential is high."
North Kawahiro continued, with a mocking tone, "But people only see the high potential..." Lin Mo cut him off sharply.
North Kawahiro nodded in acknowledgment.
Sensing that the conversation had touched on a sore spot, North Kawahiro took a cigarette from his pocket, pulled his mask down, and placed it in his mouth. His arm, implanted with a metal prosthetic, reached up to flick his lighter, lighting the cigarette.
Lin Mo couldn't help but be intrigued by the scene.
"Lin-kun, you're right. People tend to focus on the bright side of things, which is understandable," North Kawahiro said, blowing a circular puff of smoke. He moved a little further away from Lin Mo, not wanting the smoke to get on him.
Lin Mo didn't mind.
He didn't smoke, but he didn't care whether others did. In Night City, with so many things worse, smoking was probably one of the "more civilized" bad habits.
"So, it's no surprise that sex work in Night City is considered a respectable profession," Lin Mo continued.
North Kawahiro nodded in agreement. "But Lin-kun, do you know? Outside Night City, in places like the Badlands, where people have never seen the splendor of a big city, many parents will send their children into the city to become sex workers."
"These parents save money to buy their children better, less cheap sex worker 'equipment,' and then send them into the city to make a living. For them, their greatest wish is for their children to enter the Cloudtop, where it's rumored that people can make thousands a month."
Lin Mo fell into deep thought, and after a while, he sighed heavily.
"I didn't know."
"I'll be frank with you, Lin-kun. In Night City, sex workers are disposable. People no longer see themselves as human. To outcompete others, sex workers constantly upgrade their equipment—faces, bodies, better sex worker chips. Some even go into debt to invest in themselves."
"After all, companies are constantly developing new body implants. If your implants are outdated, no one will come to you," North Kawahiro said.
"That's insane," Lin Mo said in astonishment.
He had never come across this information before, whether during his time playing the game or in his previous years living on Twisted Street.
North Kawahiro paused for a moment, and though he didn't fully understand what "insane" meant, he could guess the meaning.
He continued, "But if something goes wrong during this process, they will fall into an abyss they can never escape."
"If their body implants break down and they can't afford to repair them, they'll have to either tough it out or find some second-hand parts. As their business gets worse, their quality of life deteriorates. Then, it all starts again—repairs, more repairs. If they get sick during this process, well, congratulations. You're on a one-way train to hell, never to return."
Lin Mo's face grew more serious.
Because he had a feeling of what would happen next.
"Life is a rope. Once it snaps, the consequences for these sex workers are dire. The implants malfunction, causing mental breakdowns and mental illness; body systems start to collapse, and they end up dying in some corner of the city..." North Kawahiro said with a knowing look.
"And after that, you probably know what happens," he added, his eyes lingering on Lin Mo.
Lin Mo paused for a long while, his voice bitter as he said:
"They get treated as junk, their implants are stripped off and sold to body implant doctors, who then resell them to those who can't afford better ones. Unaware people continue to flood into the industry, and the cycle repeats..."
"It's a nasty, stinking cycle."
North Kawahiro took another drag of his cigarette, flicked off the ash, and said, "Exactly."
"You know why the scavengers are so eager to collect trash, right? Because Night City will always have a market."
Lin Mo sighed, "But in Night City, which industry doesn't have a bit of blood and foul stench?"
"Right, and that's why I want to save up and leave here, take my sister somewhere else. But, as you know, what happened after that..." North Kawahiro flicked the cigarette to the ground and stomped it out.
"Well, that's enough of the little lesson. We've arrived."
Lin Mo looked ahead. The door to Wakako's pachinko parlor stood open, welcoming customers, and the sound of sirens echoed from inside—the ocean of desire.
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