Chapter 87: Chapter 86
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Deep into the night, a gentle breeze skimmed across the sea dyke, lifting wave after wave, which crashed against the shore and unfurled into white foam.
Swish-swish... Swish-swish...
As usual, Lucy leaned against the railing with a cigarette in her mouth, gazing at the night sea as she quietly waited.
The rocket launch platform on the distant sea surface showed no sign of activity.
Sparse wisps of white smoke from her cigarette rose into the air before being dispersed by the cool wind.
"Don't always smoke before running. It's not good for you."
Hearing the familiar voice, Lucy turned her head to find Tang Yu standing by the railing, staring out to sea just like her.
"It's 2076. Surely no one still believes smoking harms the lungs."
Having said that, she stubbed out the cigarette, put on her hoodie, and set off running along the sea dyke.
Tang Yu followed behind, starting to run as well.
Initially, Lucy led and Tang Yu trailed, both running at a steady pace.
As Tang Yu gradually exerted more effort, he began catching up with her.
His running strides were no longer as heavy as when he first started. Intense training had significantly strengthened his leg muscles and improved his lung capacity.
With each lift of his leg, the strong, powerful muscle fibers in his Achilles could be seen.
Such visible training effects could not have been achieved without the talent "Indomitable."
But the marginal effects of muscle training were limited. After reaping the benefits of the novice phase of muscular enhancement, it was increasingly difficult for Tang Yu to surpass physical limits through sheer willpower.
Compared to Lucy's light footsteps, he was barely keeping up.
She had an augmentation and operating system to boost her body's functions and coordination well above that of an ordinary person.
Tang Yu's maximum running speed was only on par with Lucy's normal performance.
But now he had accessed a new talent, "Bullet Time," which would inevitably make him faster than Lucy once activated.
He could surpass her, but it was unnecessary.
With that thought in mind, Tang Yu picked up the pace, entering a preliminary sprint to further push his leg muscles and lung capacity.
"Puff! Puff! Puff!"
Lucy glanced at Tang Yu from the corner of her eye, surprised to see he could keep up with her pace and was even starting to run alongside her.
She observed that, despite his heavy breathing, Tang Yu maintained a rhythm, taking a breath every three steps.
His speed, rhythm, and strength had all improved since he started running.
Observing him over time, Lucy noticed how he persisted despite turning red and sweaty, demonstrating tremendous endurance and willpower.
Even after a sprint, too tired and exhausted to continue, he refused to stop, insisting on keeping pace with her.
Truth be told, Lucy had not initially paid much attention to Tang Yu's running.
To her, being born affluent and unwilling to undergo augmentation meant he was protective of his body and would not needlessly torment himself with night runs.
With cybernetic enhancements so accessible, why bother with manual training?
Want to run faster?
Choose from lifelike tendons, joints, or even swap for leopard claws that could make you run silently and more fiercely.
Lacking lung capacity?
Synthetic lungs weren't prohibitively expensive and not only enhanced breathing but also came with filtration to purify smoke and other harmful particles.
So, Tang Yu had no need to go out of his way to run at night to condition his body.
As a senior executive of Arasaka Corporation, he had the funds and clearance to select from the best cyberware produced by major companies, both stylish and practical.
Thus, Lucy always assumed his night runs were merely a way to relax, not a desperate sprint to push his physical capabilities.
Tang Yu's expression when running was earnest, his steps steady, always striving to keep up with her regardless of fatigue or slow pace.
This genuinely puzzled Lucy.
Even stranger, Tang Yu had quickly managed to run beside her, seemingly with ease to spare.
Clearly, his night runs were not purely for relaxation and stress relief.
Nonetheless, she did not intend to probe further; questioning an Arasaka executive was not a wise choice.
The two silhouettes ran side by side along the sea dike, passing rows of streetlights, through layers of light.
Hoodies raised, they exhaled warm breaths into the cool sea breeze, tirelessly advancing forward.
Sometimes, Lucy would speed up and create a gap, but soon, Tang Yu would catch up to her. Then she'd pull ahead again, and he'd catch up once more.
After repeatedly creating and closing gaps, they completed the entire length of the long sea dike.
When they finished running the long sea dike and reached the pier's end, they finally stopped for a short break.
Tang Yu removed his hood and took a moment to regulate his breathing, looking largely recovered.
Lucy also took off her hood, ran her fingers through her silver hair hanging down her neck, and, with one hand on her hip, looked at Tang Yu with a smile.
"You did well this time."
"It won't take long."
"Before you qualify."
Tang Yu found her words oddly phrased, as if they did not quite fit their statuses, and chuckled.
"Do you think this is some kind of physical exam?"
Lucy retorted.
"Isn't it?"
"With your current speed, you can't beat me, let alone when you're in danger."
"But to be honest, you seem very serious about running. It's hard to tell if you really want to train."
Tang Yu moved to the edge of the pier and sat down, his legs dangling over the water.
"Likewise."
"As a netrunner, you also come out to exercise by running."
"But seriously, your hacking skills are quite decent."
"For someone your age, you're already better than many."
Decent?
Lucy found herself amused by Tang Yu's assessment. She took a seat on the pier's edge facing the sea, her right arm resting lightly on her bent knee, fingertips posing as if holding a cigarette.
"You sound as if you're quite knowledgeable in this field."
"What's the point of being a hacker? The cyber network is an invisible web, once you're in, it's hard to escape."
In his mind, Tang Yu thought of how Lucy's hacking skills paled in comparison to his own past abilities.
Just how brazen had he been? High-end ICE like trauma teams and anti-terrorism units were as good as invisible to him, apparently there, yet not there.
He could infect any cyberware with a virus as smoothly as if it were lubricated.
That's why Tang Yu could tell at a glance that Lucy's hacking skills were derived from Arasaka.
Having infiltrated Arasaka's systems many times, he was as familiar with it as one's own backyard, incredibly seasoned. What are we really after, what are we seeking, and what are we evading?
Tang Yu knew that the silver-haired girl's intentions might not be pure.
There were several reasons why he went along with the flow.
Firstly, Lucy had the option to start a simulated life.
Even if it was bleak now, opportunities would surely come in the future.
He had already gained two talents from the simulated lives of David and Maine, both vital.
Thus, anyone capable of initiating a simulated life was of utmost importance to him.
Secondly, Lucy's turning point in life had not yet arrived, so he had to wait for the chance to start a life simulation.
To Tang Yu, Lucy seemed like a cautious bird, keen to peck at the food in his hand yet fearful of being grasped by the other.
He had to maintain a certain distance and sense of boundary, gradually testing his own approach.
He couldn't be too hasty, as a slightly bigger move might send her scurrying away.
Losing track would mean missing out on the rewards from life simulation, a bad outcome for everyone.
Compared to Lucy's caution, Tang Yu was completely tranquil, showing no urgency.
He believed that with a little more time, he could guess her trump card and play a hand she couldn't refuse.
For now, the silver-haired girl by his side was wary but bore him no ill will.
As for her deeper intentions, Tang Yu could wait for her to reveal her hand.
After a moment of silence,
Lucy glanced at Tang Yu, unsure of his thoughts, his demeanor always calm and detached.
She wanted to speak but then refrained, reaching for her cigarette case only to stop midway.
Tang Yu seemed to notice her slight gesture, his gaze still on the distant sea, and gently said, "Go ahead and smoke; I don't mind."
"I had an old friend who used to love smoking."
"He would feel terrible if he didn't smoke a day, yet he couldn't smoke himself."
"For a while, we lived very close, extremely close."
"At first, he forced me to smoke. I didn't give in to his demands."
"Later, he became more docile, begging me daily with a pitiful face to take a few puffs."
"When I felt good, I would smoke one or two."
"Gradually, even when I wasn't in a good mood, I would smoke a couple."
"But things change, and I stopped smoking."
Lucy listened as Tang Yu began sharing personal stories—something new to her.
"It sounds like you and that friend had a good relationship; I never thought it possible to make friends inside Arasaka Corporation."
She decided to put the cigarette away.
Tang Yu corrected her assumption.
"He wasn't from Arasaka Corporation; on the contrary, he despised the corporation, you could say he was their number one enemy. We got along pretty well."
"Really?" Lucy asked, her tone meaningful.
Tang Yu responded with a resigned smile.
"It's hard to believe, I know, but birds of a feather flock together, and here you are having a chat with a high-ranking Arasaka executive."
"Also serving as a double minister, a genuine high-up from Arasaka."
Lucy's eyes darkened, sensing there was more to his words.
"You're right."
"Some things are inherently ludicrous."
"In Night City, nothing is impossible."
"Just like I never thought I'd end up here, aimlessly running around."
Tang Yu casually asked.
"So is that why you keep running for exercise?"
"As a netrunner, I'd think skills would be more important than speed."
Lucy's eyes dimmed, and in a somber tone, she said, "Indeed, a bit of luck is needed to survive in Night City."
"I might be a bit luckier, a bit faster, and that's how I got to this city."
Tang Yu agreed with her comments.
"But we've been running for so many days, so fast, and still trouble finds us."
Lucy acknowledged with a smile, "Yeah? Didn't you suggest hiring bodyguards before?"
"Figured out how to handle it yet?"
Lucy's cybernetic eyes glowed red as she remotely accessed street surveillance to check their surroundings, noting several people quietly closing in on the docks.
Clearly, they were targeting them.
In an exasperated tone, Tang Yu replied, "That's why I was counting on you."
Lucy quipped, "Counting on me? I'm an edgerunner; I don't work for free."
Tang Yu did not respond to her joke but inquired about the situation: "Are they Scavengers?"
He had noticed some scattered followers during their run.
Lucy must have detected them early on, recognizing their intentions.
Tang Yu needed to confirm if these troublemakers were sent by Arasaka Corporation's rivals.
If so, it was a big win for him; finding evidence would give him another chance to hit hard at Arasaka.
If not, he was less interested. A bunch of Scavengers didn't rank highly in his concerns.
Strictly speaking, Scavengers aren't a gang but more like cockroaches lurking in the city shadows, stealing when they can.
They relish hunting in Night City, especially targeting pedestrians with expensive cyberware and gang members who let their guard down.
To the Scavengers, humans were just a pile of parts exchangeable for money on the black market.
They're inexhaustible, impossible to eradicate; as long as the illicit, profitable industries existed, various individuals would join their ranks, becoming executioners in a bloody chain.
Lacking a fixed "scope of operations," kidnappings, mauling, trafficking, black markets, back-alley clinics, and organ harvesting – all bore the trace of Scavengers.
Spread across Night City, they formed small squads, often colluding even with legitimate medical facilities.
He and V used to deal with Scavengers regularly.
Back in the day, V was naive, casually looking at someone else's expensive cyberware on the streets and ended up losing a kidney.
Tang Yu had her back, stirring up trouble in Scavenger territory several times to retrieve her original organ.
No matter how many Scavengers he took out, more would come. The easiest contracts involved recovering items from their territory—large sums for live rescues, smaller for corpses.
Lucy reported after a preliminary check, "They're Scavengers, probably seeking revenge. There are thirteen, armed with heavy weaponry."
Suddenly,
Her hacked footage started shaking, followed by a signal blackout.
"Heh, these amateurs actually know to jam signals," she remarked.
Tang Yu's smart glasses also indicated a signal jam, preventing calls.
"It seems they've come prepared, worried we might call for reinforcements."
"So, are you planning to run?"
Without a word, they rose to their feet and sprinted back the way they had come.
The girl's silver hair fluttered in the wind, casting icy blue and pale pink glimmers under the dim lights.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone