Chapter 154: David’s Curious Journey (Part One)
Bzzzz—
David sucked on a straw, sipping an unidentified drink as he curiously watched the crowd around him.
Most of the people nearby were either edge-runner or soldiers.
As for how David ended up here, that traced back to something that happened earlier.
That day, David was heading home from school like usual when… he was blocked on the way.
A classic setup. But in Night City, things like this were extremely common—so common that they could barely be called a big deal.
“Hey, kid. Judging by what you’re wearing, you go to that school, right?”
A young man with a green mohawk and orange goggles swaggered up to David, one hand on his hip and the other braced against the wall as he leaned in.
“That’s right. What do you want?”
David frowned, sizing them up. From the looks of it, they were just small-time punks—nothing like a real gang. Their cyberware was limited, nothing impressive.
“What do we want… You rich kids are pretty damn arrogant. Living lives ten thousand times better than ours while sucking us dry. Tsk, don’t you think you owe us some compensation?”
The punk smirked as he rubbed his fingers together.
“Then you’ve got the wrong guy. I only got into that school because of my grades. I don’t have money.”
David tugged at his pockets to show how empty they were and raised his hands.
“Huh?”
The green-haired punk’s expression darkened. He stepped forward, grabbed David by the collar, and started frisking him. After finding only a bit of pocket change, his eyes shifted to David’s chip—
—and the braindance device in David’s bag.
David’s face changed instantly. “Hey! What are you trying to do?!”
“When I was a kid, I hated overachievers like you the most. You’re all just gonna end up as corpo dogs anyway. Might as well pay your respects to me first!”
Cursing, the punk hurled David away. David slammed hard into the wall.
“Gah—”
The impact knocked the air out of him. Gritting his teeth, David forced himself to stand. He couldn’t let them take his things—those were extremely important to his family.
But… there was no way he could beat several punks with cyberware.
So—
“Help! Someone help me!!”
The shout stunned the punks for a moment. They exchanged looks, then burst out laughing.
“Hahahaha! Kid, are you stupid? Honor student my ass—this is Night City!”
“Yeah, go on and shout. Who’s gonna stick their nose in around here?”
One of them kicked David hard in the chest.
The pain made his breath hitch. He clutched his chest and rolled on the ground, then glared at them through clenched teeth.
“Then you should also know where you are. There are plenty of patrol squads around here…”
That finally wiped the smiles off their faces.
“Shit—right! Almost forgot that! Let’s go, now!”
“Damn PROJECT Corporation, always sticking their noses everywhere!”
Cursing, they turned to leave—
…and ran straight into a towering figure blocking their path.
“Hey. Is picking on kids the only thing you’re good at?”
“Who the hell are you?! I’m warning you, don’t interfere!”
The green-haired punk yanked a pistol from his waist.
Bang!
Before he could even react, the tall figure moved. A single punch smashed into his face.
The force twisted his features instantly. His goggles shattered, and his body flew backward, crashing heavily onto the ground not far from David.
David froze for a moment, then blinked and looked at the newcomer.
The man had a blond mohawk, and his outfit—
“Northern California government forces…?”
David murmured.
The remaining punks were terrified and stumbled back.
“I—I’m warning you! Don’t come any closer! We’re from the Golor Gang!”
“You? Golor Gang?”
Maine sneered. “The real gang would be ashamed of you.”
He spat, then raised his arm. A pitch-black barrel extended from his forearm, aiming straight at them.
Gorilla Arms—hand-cannon modification.
The punks, who had never seen anything like it, nearly collapsed where they stood.
Maine stepped forward, grabbed David’s bag, then kicked the leader squarely.
“Get lost.”
“Yes—yes—yes!”
After they fled, Maine brushed the dust off the bag and walked over to David.
“Hey, kid. You alright?”
“I’m fine. Thanks.”
David shook his head and wiped the blood from his nose.
“Try not to take routes like this anymore. Scum love places like these. Even with patrols around, it’s better to be careful. Don’t end up like today again.”
Maine brushed the dirt off David’s clothes as he spoke.
“Yeah… thanks, man.”
David nodded.
“You should get going. Those cowards won’t be back. I’ve got my own business to handle.”
Maine ruffled David’s hair and waved him off.
As he turned away, David couldn’t help calling out,
“Hey, man—what’s your name? And are you government military?”
“My name’s Maine. Yeah, government forces.”
Maine paused before answering.
“I’m David Martinez. Mr. Maine… can I become as strong as you?”
Maine turned around, raising an eyebrow when he saw the longing and fire in David’s eyes.
Then he chopped David lightly on the head.
“You want to be an edge-runner and join the army? That’s not a good path. The road you’re on now is what most people actually wish they had.”
David clutched his head in pain—but his eyes showed he hadn’t really taken those words to heart.
“I’m actually pretty free right now,” Maine said, suddenly amused. “You got the guts to come with me?”
“What’s there to be afraid of!”
David shot back with a raised eyebrow, bold and fearless—completely game.
Author's Note
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