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Jax was not a fool.
Lucy's actions made Jax think of something: a science video he'd once seen somewhere, which said that a man's passenger seat shouldn't be occupied by just anyone.
Especially when combined with emotional symbolism, from an emotional perspective, the passenger seat is usually considered the exclusive spot for a man's intimate relationships; this position symbolizes the 'exclusive right' between husband and wife.
Women often sitting in the passenger seat of a man's car can easily trigger emotional misunderstandings. Although it might sound a bit exaggerated, from what Jax had observed during this time, these words were indeed true.
Because from Dorio and Maine's situation, no matter who was driving, the other person would always sit in the passenger seat. Even Rebecca, who was pampered and raised like a daughter by Maine and Dorio, rarely sat in the passenger seat.
And from Pilar's perspective… well, Pilar's passenger seat was completely empty except for Rebecca.
Earlier, when Jackie didn't have a car, he would occasionally hitch a ride with Pilar and sit in his passenger seat. But after Jackie got his own car, when Pilar gave rides, the back seats would often be packed, but the passenger seat remained empty.
Thinking of this, Jax glanced sideways at Lucy in the passenger seat, only to see her leaning forward.
She was still enthusiastically decorating Jax's passenger seat, completely oblivious to the tight curves outlined by the seatbelt across her chest.
Jax respectfully took a couple more looks. Under the alluring shape… hmm, judging by the size… Lucy's seemed to be a bit larger than Sasha's?
He wondered if Lucy's pair was natural…
Jax thought bizarrely, then snapped back to reality, wanting to slap himself.
It was all Sasha's fault, always putting coins in to play the rocking car. This had turned Jax, a big boy from the Moxes who had always taken the innocent route, into this lewd mess… "If you do this… I'll be in trouble later."
Seeing Lucy start to stick small posters, intending to put up two thumb-sized stickers with moon patterns, Jax couldn't help but speak up.
"Trouble? What do you mean?" Lucy turned her head, looked at Jax, blinked, and said, "These are just two small moon stickers, what trouble could they cause?"
"?"
Are you playing dumb?
Are you playing dumb?!
How could you not know why there would be trouble?
Seeing Lucy staring at him with wide, innocent eyes, Jax was instantly exasperated by her to the point of laughter.
Who would have thought, Lucy actually had such a 'tea' side to her?
Brother, I just put up two small moon stickers, why would Sister Sasha be angry? She wouldn't be… Jax shivered, not wanting to get caught in Lucy and Sasha's "war." Both women were smarter than him. To this day, Jax still hadn't figured out how Sasha had 'eaten' him, and because of this, facing Lucy, Jax felt his situation would be the same.
Never play mind games in front of a woman who processes vast amounts of data like it's a simple snack. When they play dumb or act cute, it's either because they want something from you or they're plotting against you. But if they truly become foolish, then that's… the power of love!
"I don't care anymore." Jax sighed. In a battle between cats, a dog shouldn't join the fun.
Seeing this, Lucy turned her face back and continued to stick her moon stickers. She didn't deliberately place them in obvious spots, but inside the small compartment that could be opened in the passenger seat, she intentionally put several. Didn't that cat, who only knew how to act cute, like to declare her territory everywhere? Well, when she opens the compartment in the car, and finds my lipstick, mascara, stickers, and hair clips inside, what expression will she make then?
Lucy thought, and suddenly felt a little happy.
This behavior was indeed childish, like two immature kids bickering, but… Lucy just felt happy.
She was happy not only because it would annoy Sasha, but also because Jax allowed her to do it. Her relationship with Jax wasn't progressing quickly, because even now, Lucy hadn't figured out what her true feelings were.
She only knew that she felt very relaxed when she was with Jax, the pressure and burden on her shoulders would be temporarily forgotten, and the bad things she encountered in the first half of her life, the gloomy mood that wouldn't change with good weather, all showed significant changes when she was with Jax.
So… she didn't know, and couldn't be sure of her true feelings, but she knew one thing: she would be very happy with Jax. Therefore, she couldn't let that cute-acting cat monopolize Jax.
Fifteen minutes passed.
An emotional radio station was playing in the luxury car driving through Heywood. Through the excellent speakers, Lucy and Jax were listening to "I Really Want to Stay at Your House."
It was a slightly melancholic love song. What Lucy found unusual was that for the previous few songs, Jax would at most sway his body along.
But when this song came on, Jax clearly looked at her, and now, as the chorus approached, he even started humming along.
Jax: "So, getaway"
Lucy looked at Jax, amused, wanting to say he was a bit off-key, but the words on her tongue changed to: "How much longer until we arrive?"
"About an hour and a half more," Jax said.
"You really like this song?" Lucy asked again.
"Hmm… I really do." Jax nodded, looking at Lucy again as he spoke.
The widow's song. Among those who like the game 2077 and have watched Edgerunners, at least nine out of ten must like this song, right?
"Sometimes I listen to this song when I go for a run at night."
"You also have a habit of running at night?"
"Exercising is very important. Although many people think that installing cyberware can strengthen the body, I don't think so. And when I was in Europe before, I got a shard."
"It had some words on it, saying that proper exercise can secrete substances beneficial for physical and mental health, so I've always maintained a habit of exercising," Lucy said, stretching.
"Besides, I need to run faster than anyone else."
Lucy added, "Doesn't Sasha exercise?"
"Sasha…" Jax paused for a moment. He didn't know if Sasha exercised before, but he was very clear on how she exercised recently.
"Sasha's combat ability is very strong, and her body control is far beyond ordinary people. I've seen recordings of her previous missions. If you didn't tell me she was a hacker, I would definitely think she was an excellent agent," Lucy said.
Jax smiled and said, "Then you might be disappointed. The truth is, she does exercise, but more often, she's actually cooped up at home playing on the computer. Sasha is a typical shut-in."
Lucy gazed at Jax meaningfully, saying nothing, just pursing her lips: "."
"What's wrong?" Jax asked, surprised.
"Nothing, I was thinking about decorating the room," Lucy shook her head, speaking softly.
Jax said Sasha was a typical shut-in, but… Lucy didn't believe it.
After all, Sasha only acted adorable in front of Jax, while towards her and the rest of Maine's crew, Sasha showed a completely different face.
Hmph, what a cunning cat!
At the same time, in the slums of Watson District.
After Bone Kerry woke up, he first reached for the liquor bottle by his bed, put it to his mouth and fiddled with it a couple of times, but didn't drink any alcohol.
Seeing this, Kerry directly threw the bottle away. The rum bottle hit the wall with a thud and then fell to the ground. Damn it, it didn't even break.
Getting up, washing, dressing, Kerry began to organize his weapons after all this, disassembling and cleaning his firearms, then reassembling them.
With a "click," he holstered his gun at his waist and hung a submachine gun across his chest.
Pushing open the door, Kerry walked through the smoky, foul-smelling corridor towards the cage elevator.
The cage elevator was what people in the slums usually called the elevator: a broken piece of sheet metal as the base, with a few steel pipes forming a cage-like space. This was the elevator for this five-story apartment building.
As for safety… ha, living in a place like the slums, don't expect safety. Take the stairs?
That wouldn't be a good idea. The stairwell environment was even more foul-smelling. In this place, Scavengers ran rampant. Not to mention the risk of being targeted by Scavengers if you took the stairs.
Just the stairs themselves were covered in feces, urine, human organs, and dried blood. Even a seasoned mercenary like Kerry found that stuff hard to stomach.
The cage elevator was different. Although this apartment building was trash, it still had a "manager," and there was a camera in the cage elevator connected to the NCPD.
Although if something really happened, the NCPD wouldn't come, they would just watch a murder from a hundred miles away, but because of the camera, it could at least make some guys who feared being wanted pay a little attention.
"Kerry, going to work again? You're really diligent."
Reaching the cage elevator, Kerry heard someone call him. He turned around and saw the owner of the gun shop in the slums looking at him with a sarcastic expression.
Seeing this, Kerry didn't give him a good look and coldly said, "None of your damn business?"
"Heh heh, none of my business? You owe me for bullets here, you haven't forgotten, have you?" The gun shop owner showed a mocking smile and spoke to Kerry from a distance.
Seeing this, Kerry took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart.
These guys weren't like this to him before.
But because of what he'd plotted at the Afterlife, which caused quite a bit of trouble, many people were incited by Kerry to go against the corporations. At that time, with a raise of Kerry's hand, not only the mercenaries in the Afterlife, but also half the people in the Watson District slums who were dissatisfied with the status quo, followed Kerry to block the police on the streets.
But what happened later?
Later… everyone got nothing. Kerry even almost got caught by the cops and sent to prison because of it.
And because of this, these people gradually began to hate Kerry for putting in effort but getting no results.
Kerry later realized one thing: in a place like the slums, don't expect these people to be like him.
Most people here are extreme criminals. Locals and Scavengers, like rats, even cooperate with each other. Many people have thousands of things on their hands that are even dirtier and more brutal than Kerry, a mercenary. So how can you expect these people to understand what the spirit of resistance is?
It was his own fault for being so stupid and foolish back then!
"Take it easy, don't you fucking die in some unknown alley. I'm still counting on you to pay me back, choom!" The gun shop owner, seeing Kerry say nothing, raised his voice and mocked him.
Kerry didn't respond, instead waiting for the cage elevator to arrive.
The gun shop owner, seeing Kerry remain silent, thought he was scared. In the past, he had to defer to Kerry because Kerry could get jobs from Fixers on the street and was a mercenary who could go to the Afterlife. Naturally, everyone had to give him some face.
But what about Kerry now?
He could still go to the Afterlife, but he couldn't get jobs anymore.
Because the things he had done had made some Fixers afraid to use him. There were so many mercenaries, and many capable ones. Why spend money to hire a mercenary who would cause trouble?
Word spread, and Kerry ended up on the Fixer blacklist, even forced to take odd jobs to earn money.
This is also why, even though there are many powerful mercenaries and teams in Night City, they always show respect to the Fixers.
Edgerunner crews like Maine's crew, who killed a Fixer but then gained Rogue's favor, were always a minority… Thinking this, the cage elevator made a sound.
Kerry looked up, just about to wait for the cage elevator to open and step inside, when he heard a grumble.
"Damn, this place is really hard to find. I say, Maine, are you sure the person you're looking for in a place like this can be reliable? Isn't this Scavenger territory?"
"Scavengers, what territory? Jackie, you've complained enough. If you have time to complain, why don't you think about what to eat tonight?"
Two large men appeared in the cage elevator. Just by their physiques, these two guys were even more imposing than Emmerick, the bouncer at the Afterlife.
Then, when Kerry looked up and saw the faces of these two men, he froze on the spot.
"Holy shit! I ran into them right away?"
The cage elevator opened, and Maine, stepping out, immediately grinned. Looking at Bone Kerry, he then said, "Bone Kerry, right?"
"Yes…" Kerry was confused, not knowing why these two people were here. Maine's crew!
Jackie was also sizing up Kerry. Just by his appearance, Jackie felt that Kerry and David were two of a kind.
Skinny, that was the first impression this guy gave Jackie.
But this guy… seemed pretty strong?
Although his equipment was old and he looked like he hadn't eaten well in a while, the overall aura he exuded surprised even Jackie, who had been with the Valentinos and on the streets for half his life.
This was the aura only elite mercenaries possessed.
But how did such an elite old mercenary end up in a place like this?
Oh, right, it was because of them.
Remembering what Rogue said, Jackie rubbed his head, feeling a little embarrassed looking at the discomfited Kerry.
"It's you, that's good. We have something we want to talk to you about. Do you have time?"
"Yes, I do." Kerry nodded.
Behind them, the gun shop owner, seeing Kerry surrounded by two obviously strong guys, immediately gloated. He shouted from a distance, "Hey, gentlemen, does this guy owe you money?"
Maine looked up, pushed his sunglasses with his index finger, looked at the gun shop owner, then at Kerry, a glint flashing in his eyes. Maine seemed to understand something and said, "Is that guy giving you trouble?"
Kerry shook his head.
Seeing this, Maine didn't press further, but instead said loudly, "We're here to invite Kerry to join our crew. Owe money? Who does he owe money to?"
The gun shop owner immediately fell silent, turning to fiddle with his goods, pretending nothing had happened.
But Kerry's mouth was wide open, "Wait, what did you just say?"
"Invite me?"
"Yes, we're here to invite you to join us. We asked Rogue about some things, and you… you're pretty good," Jackie said from the side. He winked at Kerry, then chuckled and continued, "How about it, choom, consider us?"
Maine even put an arm around Kerry's shoulder, leading him into the cage elevator.
"This shitty place isn't suitable for talking. Let's find a place to have a few drinks. What can't be settled over drinks?"
Kerry was somewhat dazed as Maine embraced him, until the cage elevator reached the first floor and they walked out of the dilapidated apartment building. Only then did he snap back to reality.
Holy shit!
Maine's crew is inviting me?
Is this real or fake?
The crew of the person I admire, inviting me to join them?
Instantly, Kerry's face began to flush, and he became excited.
Am I… finally getting a break?
Is my spring here?!
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