CYBERPUNK: Travel to 2075

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"Your breakfast."

"Karl, have you already gone out?"

Oliver, still groggy after being woken up by Karl, stretched his feet out and nudged Jack, who was sprawled beside him. He rubbed his eyes and noticed the large bag in Karl's hand.

"What's for breakfast?"

"Sushi set. Both are large portions."

"Sushi sounds good…"

Jack yawned as he woke up, his nose catching an unusual scent. He sniffed the air and followed the smell.

"Karl, why do you smell like blood?"

"It's on the news."

Karl pointed at the TV, which was showing a live broadcast from the NCPD. The report described a heroic police confrontation with a cyberpsycho. The location? Downstairs.

"You ran into a cyberpsycho!?"

Oliver snapped fully awake, scanning Karl's body for injuries. After confirming he was unharmed, Oliver let out a sigh of relief. "Man, you've got the worst luck."

"Luck? That's not the right word."

Karl placed the takeout sushi containers on the table in front of Oliver and Jack.

"I handled the cyberpsycho myself."

"Huh?"

How does a simple errand to buy breakfast end with fighting a cyberpsycho?

As Oliver and Jack peppered him with questions, Karl strolled to the vending machine, grabbed two bottles of water, and began recounting the events.

"You weren't dragged into it—you chose to get involved," Oliver said after hearing the story. "Sianwistan, Mantis Blades, subdermal armor... You're insane to take on an opponent like that. You must have a death wish."

Oliver couldn't help but admire Karl's bravery. If he had encountered a cyberpsycho on the street, he would've run without hesitation.

"It's not bravery. I needed the money. Although for just 10,000 euros, I can't even recover the cost of the weapons I used," Karl replied with a hint of regret.

"If this happens again, call us next time," Jack interjected. "It's too dangerous for you to handle alone."

Karl nodded, appreciating their concern. "I just wanted to test my instincts. I won't take risks like that again."

He wasn't reckless by nature. The experience of facing a Sianwistan was enough for now. If he had to face another in the future, he'd ensure his prosthetics were upgraded—or sharpen his skills in Dreamlink.

After tossing the bottles of water to Oliver and Jack, Karl suddenly remembered the chip he'd pocketed.

"Speaking of which, I also grabbed a chip from the cyberpsycho. It's risky to plug something like this into my neural system. Oliver, can I use your computer?"

"Go ahead," Oliver replied, opening the sushi container with Jack.

Karl headed to Oliver's room, plugged in the chip, and began reading the data. It loaded quickly, revealing a simple text log.

However, the communication record was odd:

'The cherry blossoms born from chrysanthemums and roses have arrived in the City of Night Glow.'

Karl understood "City of Night Glow" referred to Night City, but the rest was cryptic.

What did chrysanthemums, roses, and cherry blossoms represent? Flowers?

The use of "born" suggested a person—or perhaps something else entirely. The message likely indicated that someone had arrived in Night City, but beyond that, the meaning was unclear.

Karl frowned. Why would a cyberpsycho carry this kind of message?

Though the information was vague, Karl committed it to memory. Over time, he had learned that even seemingly useless data could become valuable when cross-referenced with other intel.

After securing his findings, Karl joined Oliver and Jack, grabbing a few tofu-skin sushi rolls they'd saved for him. While eating, he idly browsed the web and stumbled upon a car-sales website.

"Isn't that the Old Captain's website?" Oliver said, sipping water as he noticed Karl's screen.

"Old Captain?"

"Yeah, he's well-known in Santo Domingo. Used to be a corpo. Quit his job because he hated corporate systems and now runs a used-car dealership," Oliver explained.

"All used cars," Jack added. "Mostly vehicles people are desperate to sell—or those salvaged after the owners were killed. The prices are pretty cheap if you don't mind that."

"Really cheap," Karl muttered, scrolling through the listings. Many cars were priced below 10,000 euros, and even the higher-end models seemed affordable.

He leaned back, considering. "What do you guys think? Should I buy a car? It'd save me from cramming into public transport."

"A used car?" Jack peered at the screen. "What if it breaks down?"

"You can trust the Old Captain's cars," Oliver reassured. "The ones he personally handles are clean. Just avoid listings from other sellers—they're the ones you need to worry about."

Oliver had seen the Old Captain's website plenty of times, like most street kids in Santo Domingo. Cars and powerful weapons were hard to resist.

"Any recommendations?" Karl asked, overwhelmed by the choices and flashy descriptions.

"Let's start with a four-seater," Oliver suggested. "Even if we drive separate cars most of the time, it's better to have space for group missions."

After browsing for a while, Oliver pointed at a listing. "What about this one?"

Karl's eyes widened in recognition. It was a car he'd ridden in before.

[Sky Hera EC-D I360]

Known for being sturdy and reliable, this vehicle was available on the Old Captain's website for just 31,000 euros. The "almost-new" label came with a grim backstory: the original owner had been gunned down by street thugs before even driving it off the lot. With no breadwinner, the owner's family had been forced to sell the car.

"This one's solid," Oliver said.

Karl didn't hesitate. "Let's do it."

And just like that, he decided on his first car in Night City.

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