From Gotham to Night City, my infamy is known to all.

Lucy had changed back to a proper sitting posture and was sitting obediently in a corner of the sofa.

Leo took two clean glasses from under the coffee table and poured juice for the two of them: "Don't be nervous, Miss Lucy, I mean you no harm."

Lucy disagreed with this statement. He might not have had any malicious intent to sell himself to Arasaka, but she could clearly see his malicious intent to lust after her body!

Having wandered alone in the dark side of society for years, she had seen many people like this.

Normally, she would choose to avoid them, but if the other party had malicious intentions, she would teach them a lesson, and she has even killed quite a few.

But this is the first time I've encountered a desperate situation like today, where I can neither fight nor run away.

She didn't even want to drink the juice he poured, fearing that something might have been added to it...

Unfortunately, circumstances were beyond her control, and she had no choice.

Under Leo's watchful gaze, she reluctantly picked up the cup and took a small sip.

Freshly squeezed orange juice with a shelf life of only seven days tastes really good; its rich yet refreshing fruity aroma is a flavor that additives simply cannot replicate.

"How about it, not bad, right?"

Leo was very happy that the newly captured "bird" opened its mouth to eat.

The way to a woman's heart is through her stomach. He'd tried this on V, and it worked wonders!

He drank a large glass of wine himself, relaxed on the sofa, and casually turned on the TV.

Watching Leo switch channels on his own, searching for a show he liked, Lucy stared down at the juice in her hand, feeling a moment of daze.

who am I?

where am I?

What am I doing here?

She was completely bewildered, not because of the juice, but because her experience after being "arrested" was nothing like what she had imagined.

"I...I don't understand, why are you arresting me?"

Leo couldn't find anything interesting, so he switched to channel 54 to watch fashion anchor Gillian Kuroharasaka.

He heard Lucy's words, but he couldn't say it directly—ah, there's no other reason, I just want your body and want to keep you as a mistress.

He could only give a perfunctory reply: "You know about what happened in the eastern suburbs without me having to tell you. As the person in charge of that area, I was caught in the crossfire and became a suspect of Arasaka. They came to my door, which made me a little unhappy, so I decided to retaliate and make them unhappy too."

"I didn't expect that the investigation would lead me to you unintentionally, so I thought I'd like to have a chat with you."

After listening, Lucy had mixed feelings.

First of all, the use of the word "please" seems inappropriate, as she was captured by the red-haired mercenary.

Secondly, if the company is having a hard time finding someone, shouldn't they be patient and restrained, or simply admit defeat and give in?

What kind of thought process is it to retaliate directly?

Aren't you afraid of dying?

So, does that mean she was actually implicated by Arakawa?

Chapter 341 Leo: "On the very first day we met, I immediately corrected Lucy's bad habits!"

Having lived on the run for many years, Lucy considered herself quite worldly-wise, but she had never seen anything like this bizarre encounter before.

Her intuition, honed through life-or-death crises, failed to detect anything amiss; the infamous Night City King beside her seemed to harbor no ill will towards her…

There's something strange about it, but I can't quite put my finger on what's strange about it.

She tried to get information out of him, but Leo brushed her off with nonchalant remarks, only giving her a perfunctory reply like, "We'll talk about it after dinner."

After a while, the elevator doors suddenly opened, and three beautiful women came in together.

The first one was a blonde beauty with... the exact same appearance as V.

They might be twins.

In the middle is a sweet, cat-like girl who goes straight to a small room not far away as soon as she enters.

Behind her was a female homeless woman, easily recognizable by her clothing and demeanor; her hip circumference was truly dizzying to look at.

Swish—

As I pondered this, the door to the room next to the entrance opened.

Two real cats ran out of the room and frolicked all over it.

In the blink of an eye, the room was filled with a warm and harmonious atmosphere, which made Lucy, who was new to the place, feel very uncomfortable.

Her brain began to shut down because it couldn't understand what was happening, leaving her looking dazed, pitiful, and helpless.

Vera's maternal instincts were activated, and she took the initiative to approach her: "You must be Lucia? These past years have been tough for you, haven't you? You must have suffered a lot?"

A pair of warm hands gently stroked Lucy's hair, leaving her completely bewildered: What's going on now?

Immediately afterwards, Sasha also chased after the cat, and the two cats looked at the strange visitors with curious eyes.

The cybernetic cat in particular even gave her a dangerous feeling.

“Young Miss…” Sasha rested her chin on her hand, staring intently at her face without blinking, “Indeed, your expressionless face exudes a noble and elegant air!”

She used an adjective she saw online.

""

Lucy blinked slowly, feeling like she truly couldn't understand this world anymore...

Fortunately, this embarrassing situation of being stared at didn't last long—they all ran into the kitchen to help, but the modified cat was still there... well, seemingly scrutinizing her.

Lucy felt awkward for a moment when a cat stared at her with such a human-like gaze, then suddenly realized that the cat looked familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before.

A moment's recollection brings to mind a series of photos I often see online. After careful comparison, the source of this sense of déjà vu becomes clear.

"Death Wish, you have one here too..."

She frequents hacker forums and naturally knows which cat is the most popular among hackers.

Honestly, the cat in front of me has a pretty intimidating presence, and the resemblance is incredibly high.

Leo pressed down on the tiny creature struggling with his fingers, then glanced at the Cyber ​​Cat: "This is Death Wish, the one from Bartmos."

Lucy rolled her eyes, not believing it at all.

Bartmouth has been dead for over fifty years. What kind of cat has such a long lifespan?

Leo didn't mind, purred the black cat a few times, and then turned back to watch TV.

Before long, breakfast was served.

The enticing aroma made Lucy's mouth water.

It was a lavish and sumptuous breakfast, with a large plate of golden-brown, fragrant pan-seared veal steaks as the main course, accompanied by seasonal vegetables sautéed in olive oil, herbs, and minced garlic.

On the side were several perfectly roasted lobsters with crispy skin and cheese, and steaming hot beef bone soup.

The dessert served with the meal is fruit salad, as well as a variety of freshly squeezed juices.

The only odd thing was that each dish contained ingredients like red dates, goji berries, and ginseng, which seemed a bit out of place.

What kind of family eats this for breakfast?!

Lucy's family of origin was already quite well-off within the upper class, but she was certain that her own family didn't usually eat this lavishly.

These incredibly expensive ingredients are usually only served at banquets or when entertaining VIPs.

Putting everything else aside, the value of this breakfast alone is enough for a team of mercenaries to carry out a high-risk mission. The rumor that L has so much money he doesn't know what to do with it is indeed true!

Leo woke up 15 minutes early today, his stomach was already growling with hunger, and he couldn't wait to start eating as soon as he shouted "Dinner's ready!"

V played the role of a virtuous wife and loving mother, serving him a full bowl of thick soup, which was full of the essence that had been scooped out from the bottom of the basin—bone marrow and ginseng roots, and the like.

Vera greeted Lucy warmly, telling her not to be shy.

As everyone picked up their bowls and chopsticks, their boiling appetites almost overwhelmed their reason, forcing Lucy to join the feast.

Eat, eat, eat—so be it, a death meal is better than a starving one.

Lucy ate the best meal she had in years of exile, and the tension in her heart gradually eased with the bloating and pain in her stomach.

After the meal, the women quickly cleared the table and gathered together again.

All eyes turned to the only unfamiliar face—Lucy.

"Why are you all looking at me like that... no, why did you bring me here?"

Lucy's rhetorical question made perfect sense, and everyone turned to look at Leo.

After thinking for a moment, Leo chose a playing style with less resistance:

"While investigating Arasaka, I stumbled upon information about you, the wanted criminal Arasaka. Following the clues, I found a strange project called the Junior Hacker Training Center. I wanted to know... uh, are you alright?"

To everyone's surprise, his straightforward words seemed to have inflicted a real wound—Lucy's rosy face turned pale after she finished eating.

Not only that, her body was also trembling slightly.

This scene looks familiar; it's like I've seen it somewhere before.

Leo's gaze inadvertently swept over Sasha, and he suddenly remembered that Sasha had also experienced something like this before—it was a post-traumatic stress reaction!

She's been out of the loop for years, but she's still terrified at the mere mention of this organization's name. It seems her childhood trauma is quite severe.

Just as he was taking out the first-aid kit from under the coffee table, preparing to find a sedative spray for emergency use, Lucy recovered on her own.

She rested her hands on her knees, panting heavily.

After a long while, as if she had finally broken free from that fear, she mechanically raised her hand and took out a pack of women's cigarettes from her pocket.

With trembling fingers, he pulled out a cigarette and then fumbled for a lighter.

After several clicks, a faint flame appeared. She leaned over, lit the cigarette, took a deep drag, let the smoke swirl in her lungs, and then slowly exhaled.

The smoke swirled around her, as if forming a thin veil between her and the real world, slightly separating her from the terrible memory she had just experienced.

The pungent smell of nicotine (V) filled the air, causing Leo to frown slightly.

He knew Lucy was feeling unwell and needed some comfort, so he gave her time to take a puff of her cigarette. When she was about to take her second puff, he decisively snatched it away and stubbed it out in the empty glass.

Lucy stared at him, mouth agape, for a moment before finding her voice: "Even a death row inmate has the freedom to smoke a cigarette, right? What exactly do you want...?"

Hearing her slightly hoarse voice, Leo put down his medical kit, picked up a can of iced cola, and tossed it to her.

"Smoking is not a good habit. That was the last puff. Prepare to say goodbye to your bad habits and your dark past. From this moment on, you are under my protection!"

Chapter 342 Kushinada Luxina, forcibly recruited into the team!

What does it feel like to be promised protection?

If it were a teen idol drama, it would be a very romantic scene.

If it's a children's film, then it should be a very heartwarming scene.

If it were… well, there are no ifs. Hearing this from a man she had just met, Lucy found it all absurd.

Let's not even talk about whether it's cringeworthy or not. It's really abrupt for two strangers to suddenly say something like that.

If it were an ordinary man in front of her, based on the way he looked at her just now, Lucy would think that he was lustful and had ill intentions!

But this person is L…

YoungMoney!

The most prominent figure in Night City recently.

He has no shortage of money, women, soldiers, or connections. Judging from his achievements, he is definitely a man of great wisdom and resourcefulness. There must be a deeper meaning behind his actions!

Kangtao... Could it be that they really have something big going on, and it's related to Arasaka?

Lucy racked her brains but couldn't think of any other possibility.

She instinctively reached for her cigarette case again, but Leo snatched it away and threw it into the trash can.

"If you're under too much stress and need to relax, you can try running, exercising, hitting a punching bag, watching a Mewtwo movie, or playing a game. Any of these relaxation methods are much better than smoking and drinking."

Leo pointed to the iced cola in her hand, indicating that it was also a possible solution.

Lucy glanced down at the cold aluminum can in her hand and casually placed it on the table.

Just kidding, I was stuffing myself with the mindset of eating my last meal, and now I really can't drink a single drop...

"What right do you have to tell me what to do? Do you even know me?"