Chapter 92: Chapter 75: Angelica
[Shop - Tipsy Bikini]
"Pfft, hahaha... cough, sorry, John, I just think... hahaha!"
Angelica couldn’t hold back after listening to the whole thing.
She sat across the table, laughing happily.
"Seriously? Laughing like that, this job really got me a bit down. Feels like everyone’s got a screw loose, I spun around among crazies, almost left myself hanging with the Owl Town gang."
John looked at Gino in confusion.
She pursed her lips, shook her head without commenting, swirled her beer glass, and popped a piece of fried fast food into her mouth.
"Woohoo~"
Angelica finally caught her breath.
"It’s got nothing to do with the job, John, it’s you, you’re just too cute. If you feel down about working for Shark Coin, there’s no way you’ll survive in the city till thirty."
"Hehe."
John twitched his lips, lifted his glass and swirled it. "Mr. Vito once told me, when you’ve encountered enough crap, only the hard liquor behind the bar can understand you."
"He wasn’t talking about beer, John. When you decide to upgrade your internal organs someday, come here... I’ll show you the real world of spirits."
Angelica’s fingers tapped lightly on the table.
"In Eden City, stories are happening all the time. To live on the street, you need to keep an open mind."
She wore a leather jacket with a high collar, embellished with sequins and amber tube lights around the neck.
Angelica leaned on the table, got close to John, revealing the bikini underneath through the neckline.
She squinted her eyes, speaking lowly.
"Watch the window, John, that vending machine."
John turned his head to look over.
Through the crowd and cluttered mall aisle, he could see a vending machine under the neon sign.
It’s a product rolled out by the retail company.
Specifically sold to local forces like the Black Gold Gang, expanding their pitching business into every corner, so you can see a vending machine with blinking cheap lights in every nook and cranny of Eden City.
From adult toys to guns and ammo.
The stuff you need to survive in the city is likely behind the vending machine’s glass.
It’s powered by a continuous current or a small battery pack.
Equipped with an online data port inside, capable of calling for maintenance and notifying supporters to restock.
When it needs protection, like now...
A staggering drunk is searching for any ethanol mix within visual range he can gulp down.
He charged at the machine, punching it with a knuckleduster.
The PTU750 high-strength armor remained unfazed, the screen flashing red and yellow warning signs.
The drunk punched again.
The vending machine casing emitted a high voltage, and anesthetic gas sprayed from the alloy mesh serving as a speaker. The attacker convulsed for ten seconds before passing out on the spot.
This batch of machines was purchased and managed by the Black Gold Gang.
Patrol members quickly arrived on the scene, gave the drunkard a harsh lesson, and dragged him to a "sobering" place.
John laughed from the heart.
Angelica crossed her legs, smiling, and continued talking to him after watching the fun.
"Shark Coins are everywhere on the streets, they attract and calculate each other, causing all sorts of messy things. You can watch for amusement but don’t take it to heart."
John thought she made a valid point.
"Maybe you’re right, I’ve been a mercenary for too short a time, haven’t done much street work, this kind of thing caught me off guard a bit."
"It’s actually not bad."
Angelica grinned wickedly.
"Would you be willing to take on such work in the future?"
"You mean what?"
"Just ordinary people’s shitty stuff."
"Whew~"
John slumped on the leather seat, thought seriously, and answered. "I probably would be."
"You’re really kind."
"No, really, what drives me is poverty and boredom. The cost of mercenary life is rising, gotta make a living somehow, even a fool’s money is real cash."
John never subjected himself to moral coercion.
He never hesitated when he needed to pull the trigger.
"Running day and night now is all due to life pressures, taking on small chores like this that pay, also counts as a diversion..."
"Stubborn."
Angelica propped her chin, watching John wolf down his food.
He spoke with his cheeks puffed up. "Damn, the food here is so good I’m gonna chew my tongue off, isn’t this stuff on the menu?"
"Mmm-hmm, limited supply."
"Tastes amazing, if it hits the shelves it’ll absolutely sell like hotcakes, why do you always have me taste-test? It’s like free benefits."
John voiced his curiosity.
He was almost being raised picky by Angelica.
"A reward."
The pretty lady boss crossed her legs on the sofa, used the metal rod’s reflection to check her makeup, then smiled at Gino.
"Darling, mind lending me a lipstick?"
She puckered her lips.
Gino tossed over the makeup, flipped her the finger.
Having heard the story, eaten and drank her fill, she was ready to return to the boxing gym. Before leaving, she patted John’s shoulder and said.
"Don’t be discouraged, buddy, she’s straight, keep going."
Gino left calmly, while Angelica suddenly squinted her eyes, smiling at John.
"Interested in our ingredients?"
"What? F*ck..."
John suddenly got wary.
He stopped chewing, staring at the half-devoured sausage in his hand, hoping there’s no jelly with a tattoo.
"Don’t guess blindly, just pure animal meat."
Angelica had already stood up, putting on her dress pants.
"If you’re interested, I’m heading to the supply site, want to come have a look?"
[Side Quest: Urban Farm]