Dragon Clan: Lu Mingfei Doesn’t Want to Become a Night City Legend

Chapter 24 [Legendary Mercenary L]

The factory lights were projected onto the inner river of Night City, and the shimmering light illuminated the dirt and moss in the drainage pipes. Looking down, everything was dark and gloomy.

Lu Mingfei walked along the river and soon found his destination.

The huge human figure leaned against the fence on the river bank. His familiar yellow jacket glowed slightly even in the dark, attracting attention and revealing the graffiti behind him.

Like a bolt of lightning cut vertically, the fluorescent green is very eye-catching at night.

"That. Senior David."

"Qiwei invited you, right?"

Lu Mingfei approached cautiously, but when he was still five meters away from David, the other party told him his purpose in advance.

David looked at the turbulent water in the darkness and said calmly, "I think you can sense that I don't really want you to join my team."

".To be more precise, I feel that Mr. David, you don't want me to become a cyberpunk."

"."

Lu Mingfei's sincere answer finally attracted the man's attention.

Raising an eyebrow, David turned to look at Lu Mingfei and asked as if he was amused, "Why do you think so?"

"Because my prosthetic doctor at home has the same expression. He doesn't want me to get involved in these dangerous things."

“But you feel like you’re involved,” David added.

"Well, I have to pay back the money and ensure Old Wei's safety. To do this, I need to become a mercenary, and then... uh, gain power?" Lu Mingfei felt a little ashamed when he said the latter part, and scratched his cheek with a blush.

"Well, I originally thought you were too young to get involved, but when I think about it, I'm not much better."

David leaned against the railing, and the attributeless ejection system on his arm was very eye-catching.

"I had to become a cyberpunk because of some family issues. I—"

".Well, I know. After all, you seem to be quite famous in Arasaka Academy, David."

"?!"

For the first time in the conversation, David looked surprised.

"Wait, Arasaka Academy? You!——" David's eyes suddenly widened, "Ah! Is that why you keep calling me 'senpai'? I was wondering why this name is so weird!"

"I roughly know what happened to Senior David before. I should be your student in the next term. I skipped a grade because you dropped out." Lu Mingfei looked strange.

David sighed, "What a coincidence."

"Yeah, I was bullied by Tanaka too."

"What a coincidence."

"I became a wanderer because of my parents' death."

".What a coincidence."

The two looked at each other.

The atmosphere suddenly became weird.

The atmosphere changed from that of a strange mercenary boss and the innocent residents of Night City to that of seniors and juniors from the same alma mater.

David gradually let go of the sense of oppression he felt as the leader of a powerful force, and looked at Lu Mingfei with a more friendly look.

"Yes, yes, Mr. David, you are a legend of our Arasaka Academy. By the way, the reason why Tanaka bullied me was because of you, David-senpai. What did you do?"

".For your imagination." David seemed reluctant to mention this topic.

"I swore I would complain to you next time I saw you, Senior."

"Sorry," David said crisply. "But, having said that, I don't see any reason to stop you. But don't look so confident. Just because you have the right reasons to be a cyberpunk doesn't mean you're qualified."

David was impartial and said, "Strength is only one part of the story. Mercenaries without goals and obsessions will not last long."

Even if you have an obsession, you may not live long, David thought.

He shook his head and said, "Anyway, Lu Mingfei, why did you become a cyberpunk?"

".Because even though I can't decide my own death as a cyberpunk, at least I can choose who dies."

Lu Mingfei once again repeated the [cheating answer] that Lu Mingze had given him.

This answer made Rebecca quite satisfied, and David was also satisfied with it.

David smiled exaggeratedly.

"That's right! Everyone becomes a mercenary out of a desire to "not lose to this world." Live with style and die with honor."

Lu Mingfei breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the man so happy.

But just then——

"But that's not what you really think, is it?"

"."

A huge moonlight hung high in the sky above Night City, and the pale light fell on the spires of the buildings, casting long and sharp shadows that divided the center line between Lu Mingfei and David.

"I can't see that kind of desire on your face. You're the type who drives yourself crazy for others more than yourself."

".Yeah?"

Lu Mingfei was a little nervous. He felt that his rampage in Night City was because his life was threatened.
"Well, let me ask you a question, Mingfei. This is a famous saying that was popular among middlemen a long time ago."

David was getting excited, and he didn't know why. Although he was a famous new mercenary, he was willing to talk so much to Lu Mingfei, a complete stranger.

"--Legend or ordinary person?" "What?" Lu Mingfei didn't understand.

David's back was facing the light of the distant city. The outlines of his face and body became extremely clear. At the same time, the details of his facial features began to blur. Only his eyes were so bright that Lu Mingfei couldn't look away.

Staring into those eyes, I was forced to let the voice penetrate my ears.

"Would you rather be a nobody, live a quiet life, and die in bed with a catheter inserted—or would you rather leave your name in history, even if you don't live past thirty?"

Along with David's voice, even the party music in the distance seemed to be pulled out of the brain, leaving only dead silence.

In a place where Lu Mingfei could not see, the little boy in a suit who called himself a devil was sitting quietly on the railing. He was fishing in a nearby river, but his eyes were not staring at the water. Instead, they were quietly closed, and it was unknown what he was thinking about.

Where is Lu Mingfei?

The moment he heard the question, he subconsciously and for no reason twisted his neck to look at the scenery to the side.

The place where he and David were was the inner-city river that separated the industrial land and the prosperous commercial area in Watson District.

To Lu Mingfei's left was a bustling city with commercial buildings close to each other. Holographic projections overlapped, painting the sky with company product advertisements in a cold, iron-white color.

To his right was a dead silent industrial area. There were no lights here, only dying candles wailing. People already on the edge of the cliff raised torches to light the waste. They drank beer, held up the flames, and amused themselves madly, walking on the edge of falling.

Lu Mingfei was silent for a long time before speaking.

".I know what the correct answer is at this moment, but my answer is nobody."

The boy was unusually no longer timid, but answered positively with a calm expression.

"I want to live."

"I hope the people around me can live an ordinary life, live an ordinary life, and die an ordinary life."

"It's okay to give up the chance to become a big shot for this."

It doesn't matter if I give up the opportunity to kill the Whirlpool Gang.

It doesn't matter if I give up the opportunity to kill those scavengers.

"So, to be honest, I'm also very uneasy about the interview. I don't want to be a cyberpunk. I just want to save enough money, pay back the debt, repay the favor, and then go back to being a delivery man."

"So... as a temporary worker, I will work hard for your team, but when the deadline comes, I will leave. Is that okay?"

Lu Mingfei's frankness made David laugh, but surprisingly, the mercenary leader showed no sign of being angry.

He just looked into Lu Mingfei's eyes with a complex smile that showed both nostalgia and loss.

".Sure enough, we are very similar."

"Senior David and I?"

"Yeah, and Lucy."

?

No, please stop using me as a substitute for your meal.
"Also, just call me David."

David relaxed his expression and smiled. "How you want to live is your freedom, but even if you want to be a nobody, you have to remember Ming Fei. Even if you are a nobody, you can't live without dreams."

".Do you have any, Senior David?"

"Ah, only after I became a cyberpunk." After saying that, he first motioned Lu Mingfei to follow his gaze, then raised his arm.

David was much taller than Lu Mingfei at this time, and Lu Mingfei had to look up with all his strength to see the direction he pointed.

Fortunately, that target was ridiculously large.

That is
"The moon is beautiful tonight."

“!!!” Lu Mingfei’s breathing quickened instantly. He quickly covered his chest with one hand and inserted the other hand between his legs to clamp them tightly, with an expression that was not suitable for male intimacy. “Boss, don’t do that!”

"What the hell is this?" David's mouth twitched. This was the nth time since he met Lu Mingfei that he couldn't keep up with this kid's train of thought.

".My wish is to go to that planet and take someone with me."

Lu Mingfei: "Ms. Lucy?"

"Is it really obvious?"

"Ah."

So what Lu Mingfei was actually asking was not "Who is the person who brought it?", but whether this dream was Lucy's?
After all, considering what David just said, "I am very similar to you," and "I will go crazy for others more than myself," it is not difficult to come to this conclusion.

Is the dream to realize other people's dreams?
"No? Someone who is willing to risk his life for her and wants to help her realize her dream?" Seeing Lu Mingfei lost in thought, David asked with interest.

He's not usually like this.

As the leader of the mercenaries, the impression he gives to outsiders is actually the same as Lu Mingfei's first impression - calm, stern, efficient and powerful.

But when he saw Lu Mingfei, he didn't know why he felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Is it because they are similar?

Or is it because they all have those eyes?

David couldn't come up with an answer, and just at this moment, Lu Mingfei also gave a good answer, "I don't know."

(Actually, if Old Wei had a dream, I would work hard to help him realize it. It’s a pity that he is really old and seems to have no desires or aspirations.)
The only person I care about has no dreams, or perhaps his dreams have already been realized by me?
David looked at Lu Mingfei's twisted eyebrows, smiled, and patted his back——

"Then don't think about it, we'll meet again later."

“Hey, this means…”

"Well, I passed the interview." David smiled, a rare smile. "Congratulations on joining my team as a temporary worker, L."

(End of this chapter)