"Three hours, twenty-seven minutes, and sixteen seconds. We've hit the limit."
After forcibly disengaging high-speed mode, Xiao reached up and touched the operating system embedded at the back of his neck. Although his superpower had absorbed all the heat produced by the Sandevistan, the high-speed operating system itself was still under tremendous strain.
After all, under normal circumstances, a prosthetic like the Sandevistan could only be used for a little over ten seconds.
Being able to maintain high-speed operation for three full hours was already the result of Xiao's advancement to the Golden Core Stage and multiple rounds of evolution. For ordinary users, even a few minutes would be the absolute limit.
With a single thought, countless streams of cyber aura surged in, instantly repairing the damaged Tyrant System.
Although the Tyrant System hadn't been in use for long, Xiao was already quite satisfied. A mass-producible mechanical technology that could grant speed comparable to a black-coated locomotive was nothing to scoff at.
If it wasn't perfect yet, then he would simply keep optimizing it.
One day, he would develop a permanently active Sandevistan.
Bathed in neon lights, Xiao walked slowly down the central street, his mind racing as he considered how to further extend the operating time of the Sandevistan.
BANG—!
A deafening crash suddenly erupted overhead.
The glass façade of the Biotechnica building shattered from the inside, fragments raining down like crystal snow.
At the same time, a girl in hacker tights and a cropped pink top was hurled outward, her body hurtling straight toward Xiao.
"???"
Sensing that she wasn't one of his followers, Xiao calmly sidestepped without even breaking stride, narrowly avoiding her trajectory, then continued forward with his head lowered.
"Sasha!!"
Inside a nearby vehicle, a tall, muscular Black man with heavy prosthetic augmentations stared at the falling girl, his voice trembling with despair.
At that height, no one could save her. The impact alone would kill not only the victim, but anyone foolish enough to try to catch her.
All he could do… was watch her fall.
"Sasha? Maine!"
The moment Xiao heard the name slip from the man's mouth, his memories were instantly stirred—along with the image of the girl who had only existed in a music video, and the tragic storyline of Edgerunners.
"So we're already at this point in the plot…"
In the next instant, Xiao vanished.
He reappeared in front of the falling Sasha, seized her by the collar with one hand, and stopped her descent dead in its tracks.
The kinetic energy vanished instantly.
Sasha, who had been ready to face death with a smile, felt no pain at all. She wasn't even falling anymore. For a moment, she wondered if she had already died.
"Open your eyes," a slightly deep voice said calmly in her ear.
"Now's not the time to sleep."
Sasha cautiously cracked one eye open.
What she saw left her stunned.
She was being held in midair—like a kitten—by a tall man.
"Meow…?"
The two locked eyes.
Embarrassment instantly flooded Sasha's face, and she reflexively tried to play it cute.
"Meow meow~ Hurry up and put me down! The Biotechnica goons are coming!"
Xiao tossed her lightly onto the ground and spoke in warning.
"Get in the car. Shake off the Biotechnica drones!"
On the other side, Maine finally snapped out of it. Seeing the rapidly descending aerial vehicles, he floored the accelerator and rushed toward them.
"o(^＠^)o That was way too close! Thank you so much, handsome!"
Having cheated death, Sasha was even livelier than before. Sitting in the car, she laughed brightly as she thanked Xiao.
"It was nothing," Xiao replied casually.
"But what exactly did you do to attract this much attention from Biotechnica?"
"It was just a job—"
Maine cut in before Sasha could answer.
Even though Xiao had saved her, his clothes and prosthetics were clearly expensive, and he lacked the gritty, desperate aura of someone scraping by for three meals a day.
The relaxed, unhurried air he carried in his bones made it obvious—they weren't from the same world.
"Oh, mercenary work. Got it," Xiao said with a knowing nod.
Keeping missions confidential was standard practice in the mercenary world. Often, aside from the captain, no one even knew the full details of the job.
"You seem really strong," Sasha said suddenly, leaning closer and studying him with curiosity.
"Times have changed, little sister," Xiao replied with a grin.
"As long as you've got money, you can be as strong as you want."
He tapped the brain–computer interface on his neck. A silver-white chip gleamed clearly beneath the skin.
"A… dimension chip?"
A flash of envy crossed Maine's eyes.
Among cyberpunk mercenaries, dimension chips were legendary—famous for both their ability to support unlimited prosthetic installations and their outrageous price tags.
In just half a year, the rise of dimension chips and the Mechanicum had produced a wave of modification fanatics across Night City. Some had reached levels of full-body conversion rivaling even Adam Smasher himself.
Even if most of them used low-end parts, the sheer stacking of prosthetics was enough to shake the city—and even give rise to several new heavy hitters.
Now, having a dimension chip was basically a ticket into the Afterlife bar. Without one on the team, you didn't even qualify.
As for Maine's newly formed mercenary crew, they barely had enough to survive—buying a dimension chip was pure fantasy.
"Mm."
Xiao nodded lightly, confirming it.
"Oho~ A rich young master!" Sasha teased.
"Xiao," he said, extending his hand with a smile.
"CEO of Wapol toy company, and the developer of the dimension chip."
Silence fell instantly.
Maine and Sasha both froze.
They suddenly realized something terrifying.
The man in front of them wasn't just a corporate dog—he was the top boss of the corporate dogs.
More importantly… Xiao.
The Xiao of the black market.
The Xiao whose companies supplied nearly half the weapons circulating through Night City's underground.
Compared to other megacorps, Xiao's reputation among ordinary people was actually decent. His background as a Heywood kid earned him plenty of goodwill among mercenaries.
To many low-level street kids, he was a living beacon—proof that if you worked hard enough, you could become someone like Xiao.
"Holy shit… what kind of divine luck is this?" Sasha covered her mouth in disbelief.
"If Pyrrha saw you, she'd probably get so excited she'd jump you on the spot!"
She never would've imagined running into a living legend so casually—the weapon god of Night City, in the flesh.
"It's not that exaggerated," Xiao laughed modestly.
"I just know how to mod a few weapons."
He seemed to enjoy her reaction, but quickly shifted the topic.
"So," he asked lightly,
"what exactly did you steal from Biotechnica? Maybe I can help you blackmail them for a really big payout."
⭐ Enjoying the story?
You can read ahead and support the translations by joining my Patreon! Your support helps me update faster and take on more projects. Thank you for reading!
Read up to 50 chapters ahead!
patreon.com/AminaSims