Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 33. Escaped Cyberpsychopath
"This is fifteen thousand, in addition to the money that has already been divided for the deposit."

The remuneration is 6,000, and each person can get a total of 2,000. Although this amount of money is higher than the monthly salary of most Night City workers, it is just that for mercenaries like Carl, Oliver, and Jack.

After buying some wine and hot food on the way, the three returned to Oliver's room and continued the dinner that had been interrupted before.

"I did a lot of work today. I'm exhausted. I don't know how those office workers who work 20 hours a day manage to hold on."

Carl did feel a little tired after being busy with the Whirlpool Gang and the Scavengers.

"I heard that some company dogs have an organ removed from their brains, and then they only need stimulants and other drugs to keep working 24 hours a day."

Jack said as he threw a bottle of drink to Carl.

"Little Coco, love in my heart~"

"Don't disgust me, I don't like this Coke."

After holding it in his hand, Carl threw it back in disgust, but he missed it and it hit Oliver's head who was next to Jack.

"Hey!"

"Sorry sorry."

After all, Carl's body has not undergone too many modifications, and it is inevitable that some mistakes will occur due to fatigue. In this respect, he is indeed no match for those who have mechanical prosthetics. Some factory workers can continue to work even if they fall asleep due to the chips in their heads and the prosthetics in their hands.

"what time is it now?"

Oliver rubbed his head and asked Jack, who was lying on the sofa drinking beer.

"Eight thirty. It's still early tonight. Do you want to watch a movie?"

Jack picked up a skewer of chicken covered with sauce and stuffed it into his mouth. While chewing the soft chicken, he said with a little surprise: "The taste of this skewer of chicken is so authentic. It turns out that this thing is only delicious in the city center except for the one in Japan Street."

"Authentic?"

Carl looked at the chicken skewers with sweet and sour sauce in Jack's hand with suspicion, hesitated for a moment, took a skewer, picked up a piece with a toothpick and put it in his mouth.

Distorted face.

"This thing can't be considered authentic in terms of taste or texture."

"Not everyone has eaten real chicken like you, Carl. Ninety-nine percent of people in Night City have never eaten real meat these days, so the taste is of course fake. This is authentic to us."

While eating the soft synthetic chicken and looking at Carl who barely swallowed a piece of synthetic chicken, Jack thought for a moment and said, "It's not a good idea to always be a vegetarian. Carl, since you are used to eating real meat and find it difficult to get used to this kind of meat, how about we find a way to find the smugglers in the Badlands to see if they can bring you some real meat?"

“That’s going to be very expensive.”

Carl picked up the bucket of French fries and started eating them. He was tempted, but considering the price, he was a little hesitant.

"It's actually not bad."

Oliver was born in the Santo Domingo area close to the Badlands, so he was very familiar with the market there. "A chicken is about 1,000 Euros, and a pig is 5,000 Euros. Of course, this is just the price of the meat, not including the commission price and handling fees. And there is no guarantee that the animals will be alive after being transported here. But even if they are dead, they will be kept fresh."

"One thousand euros, five thousand euros just for the meat, does that seem acceptable?"

Carl found that he didn't think it was expensive, but when he thought about it carefully, a fried whole synthetic chicken meal in Night City was only about 18 or 20 euros. The price difference of 50 times was actually very exaggerated. "Of course, it's okay for us, but if you count ordinary people, a month's salary may only buy one real chicken, and it also has to go through the checkpoint inspection and the price of hiring wanderers in the bad land. In the end, the actual money spent may be more than 1,000 euros, and it may not be available in your hands. You can roughly understand why this real meat is so rare in Night City."

Oliver explained, "In fact, pork is better than chicken. Night City has strict control over poultry due to the avian flu in the past. It costs a lot of money to go through customs. If you are really interested, I recommend getting real pork."

"So if I want to get a whole pig, how much would it cost, including the maintenance?"

"Ten thousand euros should be able to be transported safely."

Ten thousand Euros.
Carl now has a total of only about 52,000 euros, which means that the money he earns from hard work can only buy about five pigs.

It's rare to find a corporate dog as generous as Blanca.

"This money can be used to buy a nice prosthetic body."

Jack was a little shocked when he heard the money.

"The meat we lose when exchanging for prosthetics is not as valuable as the meat from pigs."

Oliver said, taking a bite of the burrito with synthetic meat in it: "How about it, Carl, if you want me to find a way to contact the people over there, or you can get used to this synthetic meat that can actually be considered 'real meat'."

"Oliver, Jack, don't you have any ideas about real meat?"

Carl was already planning to spend the money. As a mercenary, he couldn't afford to compromise on food. But before that, he wanted to see if Oliver and Jack were willing to buy some together.

"The raw materials of synthetic meat are worms and locusts. By the time I knew about it, I had already been eating them since I was a child. I'm used to them. If I were to eat real meat, I might not be able to eat real meat like you are now. So I'll just let it go."

Oliver had no intention of buying pork, but Jack was somewhat interested in it.

"I'll buy some meat too. Oliver, can we get some real corn from the Badlands? I want to try making some tamales."

Tamales are a traditional Mexican food and are an indispensable item in festivals such as the Day of the Dead, weddings, and birthdays. It is also one of Jack's favorite dishes. However, in the past, he basically ate tamales made of synthetic meat and corn flour. There is certainly no reason to miss the chance to try authentic tamales.

"Then I'll contact the people there and tell you the specific amount of money when the time comes."

As Oliver said this, he looked up at the TV and found that the latest follow-up report on the Kabuki cyberpsychosis incident in Watson District, which had been broadcast when they left, had been released.

'The cyber psychopath disappeared before the terrorist squad arrived. Please be careful, nearby citizens.'

Carl and Jack were also attracted by the reports on TV.

"Missing. How far is Kabuki from here?"

Jack frowned.

"Thirty minutes walk."

This is Carl's answer.

He had just walked from the industrial area to Kabuki and back to his apartment today, so he had personal experience.

(End of this chapter)