Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 13 13. Industrial Zone

Since we are going to deal with the Whirlpool Gang, we still need to make the necessary preparations, such as
Get a bulletproof vest for Jack, the guy with his bare chest.

"I thought you had bulletproof plates installed inside your clothes at least, so you can just zip up your clothes when needed, but you told me that when you don't have leather armor, you don't wear bulletproof vests at all?"

Even though they were already in the weapon shop, Oliver still found it hard to understand Jack's carelessness and reckless behavior. Victor reminded even a customer like them who he had just met for the first time, so an old acquaintance like Jack must have reminded him countless times. In addition, Jack himself was a mercenary who knew the safety of armor, so even in this situation, he did not wear any protective equipment.
"Don't be too outrageous."

Carl was also complaining about Jack's recklessness. If it was in a game, he could understand it. For the sake of aesthetics, the characters would definitely be made as exposed as possible. However, there were two problems. One was that Jack was a man, and the other was that this was reality now, and Jack was still wearing the same clothes as in the game, which was a bit too much.

Carl didn't know the specific story of the game, but he always felt that Jack would suffer a loss in it.

Although bulletproof vests and bulletproof plates are not as good as prosthetics such as subcutaneous armor and cannot defend against many types of gun attacks, they are still sufficient to deal with basic kinetic weapons, just like the Lexington in Carl's hands, which he uses quite well. With a bulletproof vest, even if you are hit head-on, the bullet will not penetrate too deeply, and there is still time for rescue when you are sent to the hospital.

“So I came with you guys.”

Jack didn't care, but since his two friends strongly urged him to wear a bulletproof vest, he came over. His original plan was to save money first and then get a subdermal armor and skip the bulletproof vest stage. After all, a bulletproof vest would cost a lot of money.

Of course, Jack had been planning this for a long time. Every time he saved some money, he would use it to buy other things, such as motorcycle parts, books, etc. The matter of subdermal armor had been delayed until now.

"But I'm getting a bulletproof vest, KK, aren't you going to get a gun too?"

Jack stared at the pistol on Carl's waist. "In Lexington, only the NCPD uses it because the people above them are corrupt. The low-level cops with little money use it. This gun can't even penetrate the worst subcutaneous armor when shot from the front."

"A pistol for the lower class? This is just right for us lower class mercenaries."

Carl didn't care too much. When he picked up guns from the dead members of the Vortex Gang and the Sixth Street Gang, although most of the guns were either broken due to maintenance problems or had been modified in various ways and were in a mess and could not be used by others, there were still a few normal ones among them, such as the Unified Pistol produced by Constitution Military Industries. This gun had a capacity of twelve rounds, was powerful, and was quite easy to use. However, Carl felt that the Lexington was comfortable to use, so he didn't plan to change it.

If the pistol bullets are not powerful enough, why not just use the Copperhead assault rifle? The purpose of a pistol is to be easy to carry and able to fire quickly at close range. If you really want power, there is no need to use it.

Even if he really had to use a pistol and was forced to fight, Carl was confident that the bullet could penetrate the opponent's unprotected part and hit his body. He didn't believe that he could protect his whole body when he was going to deal with a few thugs from the Vortex Gang.

The three of them bought enough equipment and bullets at the weapons store, and then took Oliver's car to the Vortex Gang base mentioned in their employer's information.

That place is located in the industrial area in the northern part of Watson District. It used to be a place that could provide a lot of jobs. At that time, it looked vibrant and prosperous, as the official words said. But now it has become a living area for low-level factory workers.

They receive a meager salary and do the hardest work they can for seventeen hours a day in an automated factory. They are unaware that machines need maintenance and that maintenance costs are more expensive than human life. They are only concerned with expressing their gratitude to the factory owner while working desperately for fear of being fired.

Who can explain this kind of thing? The boss treats them as consumables, but they have to be grateful that there are still things they can do, otherwise their whole family will starve to death. Anyway, if Carl were to comment on this kind of thing, he could only say that he is helpless.

Otherwise what else can be done.

Should I be happy about this, happy that I don't have to work as hard as them to support my family, or should I be thankful that I don't have a family to support myself, like Batman? That's too ridiculous. Anyway, Carl has not received any mission to kill the factory boss, so I will just wait. If there is such a mission, Carl is still happy to do it. As for whether the workers will die after killing the boss, Carl can only say that he is just a mercenary.

Come to think of it, the reason why so many people continue to join the Vortex Gang in this area is probably because gang life, no matter how dangerous and crazy, is better than working in a factory. Maybe many of them saw how hard their parents worked, so they decided to make a name for themselves no matter what.

"If you compare them, perhaps the gang's promotion opportunities are better than this."

On the way, Carl, Oliver and Jack talked about this matter based on the topic he thought of.

"This reminds me of the reason why our Sixth Street Gang was founded." Oliver said, "The founder of the Sixth Street Gang in the past couldn't stand the oppression of the War Company, so he chose to establish the Sixth Street Gang to fight against the company. But now a lot has changed. When I was young, I never thought that the Sixth Street Gang would collect protection fees from the public like other gangs, and also rely on relationships and power in the gang."

“It’s ironic that the gangs that are rebelling against the corporation are becoming more and more like the corporation.”

Jack said, and suddenly realized something from Oliver's words: "Ah, Oliver, you used to be a member of the Sixth Street Gang."

"To be exact, it was yesterday. I was just kicked out this morning."

Oliver also took the opportunity to recount how he and Carl met.

“The employer came to KK specifically to see the surveillance footage from that time.”

"No, that's not what I care about. I think it's quite a coincidence. I used to be in the Valentino gang, and then I quit and became a personal mercenary. Now the two of us who used to be enemies in the gang have become friends and teammates."

"Jack, were you from the Valentino gang?"

This time it was Oliver's turn to be surprised, but the surprise passed after a moment. There was nothing strange about it. Jack's family was over there, and the guys from Valentino's gang were so familiar with Jack. You could figure it out if you thought about it carefully.

"Then after we finish this job, let's have a drink together tonight to celebrate our departure from the gang."

"Why do I feel like what you said is like we're going to kidnap someone?"

Karl was talking beside him when the voice of the navigation in the car gave a prompt.

"The target is still fifty meters away."

"We're here, grab your stuff."

Carl looked at the factory building getting closer and closer, and was looking forward to what would happen next.

(End of this chapter)