Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 485 98.2077
"The mayoral election will begin soon. Who will the new mayor be? Is he another puppet supported by Arasaka? Please pay attention to News Channel 54 for the latest updates."

"Night City's law and order are gradually improving. What's the secret? An exclusive interview with NCPD explains the changes in the city in ten minutes."

"In 2077, the new American election is coming to an end. Rosalind Miles may be re-elected as president. Does this mean that the new United States has ambitions to further invade the free and democratic Night City? WNS has recently invited political analysts to analyze this for the citizens of Night City."

In his afterlife, Carl listened to various news broadcasts on TV and drank some ice-cold sweet tea, but they felt nothing substantial.

It's already 2077, and the news is still the same. News 54, which is supported by military technology, and WNS, which is supported by Arasaka, are attacking each other. There is no nutritious information.

Christmas is on December 25th every year. Basically, after Christmas, the new year is approaching. After Christmas, Carl's team had a good rest for a while. Today, Carl thought about taking a job, but when he arrived in the next life, he found that everything seemed to be the same as before the rest, with no change.

"Would you like anything else?"

Seeing Carl drinking a cup of sweet tea alone, the bartender Claire came over and said, "Laisheng's snacks can be updated recently. There are quite a few new things."

"It seems there are some changes, what are they?"

"Fried onion rings, fried chicken nuggets, or something like that?"

"I remember chicken was illegal."

Carl complained: "Is Roger starting to ignore the laws of Night City now?"

“It’s still synthetic chicken in name only.”

Claire winked at Carl:

"Isn't this the goods delivered by Jade from the logistics center you introduced a few days ago? The price is fair. Rogge thought about it and felt that there would always be self-righteous young mercenaries who wanted to try to show off, so he ordered some to test the waters. You know what, the efficiency is really good. Rogge even ordered more after seeing the sales volume."

"Does Rogge still care about this little money? No wonder she is said to be the top middleman in the city. She makes money from the young mercenaries. She just bets that one of them thinks it's illegal to eat real chicken and looks cool, right?"

Karl shook his head: "But it's a bargain for me. Give me one and I'll give some money to Roger."

"One serving of fried chicken nuggets, noted."

Claire nodded and was about to leave when Carl suddenly remembered something and asked, "Speaking of which, how is the racing going? I heard from Oliver and Jack a few days ago that there seemed to be an accident. Is everything okay?"

"It's not a big problem. My husband's driving problem was saved by Jack and Oliver. Anyway, he will never touch this kind of thing again. It's time for him to retire. He is now the top racing champion in the city. We brought him into the industry. There's nothing to regret."

'Is this about Jack and Oliver winning the championship?'

Thinking about how they drove back in the dirty Hera, Carl actually found it hard to imagine how a street racer could have turned their modified Hera into that state.

With Oliver driving and Jack assisting, Hera was almost damaged in the battle. The intensity of street racing is really high. It's a good thing that Claire retired.

Carl is now almost used to Claire being the bartender in his next life. If something unexpected happens and someone else is replaced, he won’t know what he likes when he orders food.

Just as he was thinking about it, Carl felt someone approaching. He turned his head and found it was Mann.

"Hey, Mann." Carl nodded slightly at Mann: "Are you here to take the job too?"

"Yes, I drank too much at your house a while ago. It seems that the alcohol has corroded my nerves. I went back to adjust myself for a few days, and then I dealt with some small matters. That's why I thought about coming to visit in the next life. And then I met you. Have you rested well and come to take the job?"

"That's about right. I told you that you drank too much recently, but you didn't believe me and kept drinking."

Carl thought about how it took two days to clean up the clutter, and then thought about how almost one-third of the clutter was made up of wine bottles. In fact, to some extent, he still admired these people's drinking capacity.

It was only the wine that mattered. If it had been the kind of wine that the gang members drank, Mann would not have suffered neurological damage that day but would have needed to be rushed to the emergency room.

"You should control your drinking in the future."

"I understand. As a mercenary, it is necessary to keep a clear mind. But that was the happiest day since I came to Night City. I had to drink well."

Mann was telling the truth. In Night City, where a gunfight could break out at any moment and where you couldn't relax for a moment, he could have fun with his friends all night and drink without worrying about danger. This was the only time he had such an experience. He let go of all his worries and had a happy experience for once. It was so addictive that he drank a little too much without realizing it.

However, Mann is still full of pride about his drinking capacity: "But I didn't win the drinking contest that day. Although I didn't realize it, I think I was the only one standing afterwards."

"Yeah, you were the only one standing in that circle."

There was one thing Carl didn't say, like the final winner was T-BUG or something like that.

It's really weird. The last time the balls were named, T-BUG drank more than Oliver and Jack. Carl thought T-BUG drank less and it was just a coincidence. But now he finds out that T-BUG is the type who has no reaction to alcohol. It makes people wonder if she had a kidney replacement to assist detoxification.

Mann, who didn't know what Carl was thinking, smiled when he heard Carl say that he was the one standing in the last circle. "I told you Jack and the others can't beat me. I'll have to laugh at them next time we meet."

Mann was halfway through his speech when he realized something and looked around: "Speaking of which, why are you the only one here today? Where are the others?"

"Go work for NCPD as a temporary staff member. It's only the beginning of the year, and a lot of people probably think that the new year brings new opportunities, so they all come out to try their luck and make some money. Are you interested? If you are, I can recommend you a job. You can catch some people and get paid."

"Okay, send it to me. It's not bad to make money just by passing by."

"Karl."

Just as Mann and Carl were chatting, a voice sounded around them, accompanied by the sound of footsteps.

"I have a job I want you to do."

"Me, not us?"

Hearing the voice, Carl already knew who the person was, and turned his head in surprise:

"Is it stipulated that only one person can do this? Then you have to explain this job properly, Roger."

The person who came was Roger, the owner of the Next Life Bar and the top middleman in the city.

(End of this chapter)