The Giant Corporations that Started in Night City

Chapter 102: The Commission

After hanging up the phone, Li Ang turned to see Lucy approaching him cautiously. Concerned, she asked, "What's going on? Weren't we supposed to go to the moon to relax? Why are you still working?"

Li Ang shook his head and replied, "No, Lucy, this isn't work. I'm just chatting and making a few deals while relaxing. These are small things, not tiring at all."

Though his words might seem pretentious, they reflected the reality of someone like Li Ang—a top-tier corporate magnate. For him, exchanging interests with others could easily result in mutual profit.

Unlike the low-level gangsters fighting to the death over factory rejects worth a few thousand euros, Li Ang's world didn't involve close combat. Such tasks were left to lone mercenaries, robots, soldiers, or fighter jets.

For the elite, negotiations sufficed. Even when talks broke down, it was mercenaries, not CEOs, who bore the brunt of violence. And even if a mercenary did reach a corporate boss, it usually ended in coercion rather than outright violence—forcing the executive to sign unfair contracts.

Extreme cases, like Arasaka using the Soulkiller to assassinate Militech's CEO, were rare exceptions.

"Lucy, look! We're almost at the Crystal Palace!"

Lucy was about to continue the conversation when Rebecca, sitting by the window, excitedly shouted.

The architectural marvel known as the Crystal Palace—featured daily on television, elevator ads, and graffiti posters—was now right before their eyes.

Suspended at the Lagrange point 380,000 kilometers from Earth, the massive space station resembled a spindle, its surface shimmering with neon lights like a delicate crystal standing in the vast universe.

The cost of living here was a hundred times that of Earth. Even the cheapest beverage was priced out of reach for the average person. Beyond its exorbitance, the Crystal Palace also housed a pleasure district called Eden, where the wealthy indulged in every imaginable luxury.

Free from Earth's laws, the Crystal Palace became a haven for retired gang leaders. Making money illegally on Earth and spending it legally in space was perfectly rational.

After a smooth docking process, Li Ang and his companions arrived at the station's terminal, where a high-ranking executive from the Orbital Aerospace Corporation warmly greeted them.

"Mr. Li Ang, welcome to the Crystal Palace!"

The greeter, Aaron Guthrie, was one of the managers responsible for the station's operations. Acting on orders from the European Space Agency (ESA), he had come specifically to welcome Li Ang.

Although the ESA was typically aloof and prestigious, they knew how to treat a "cash cow" well. Aaron's presence wasn't just out of respect for Li Ang's position as a Trauma Team shareholder; it was also because Li Ang was interested in acquiring an aerospace port, effectively delivering money to Orbital Aerospace.

For wealthy clients, the profit-driven Europeans were always hospitable.

"Mr. Li Ang, this must be your first visit to the Crystal Palace. I'd be happy to show you around the popular attractions here. With your wealth, you could easily enjoy yourself here for centuries. Apologies if I seem overly focused on finances—it's a professional habit. I hope you don't mind."

Aaron made no attempt to hide his money-centric worldview. Li Ang didn't mind. After all, the poor had no place in the Crystal Palace.

"The world revolves around profit. Compassion and charity are for Jesus, not us," Li Ang remarked. He didn't judge Aaron's materialism since he himself wanted it all—both money and power.

"Well said, Mr. Li Ang! It seems we see eye to eye."

Aaron's mustache twitched as he smiled and led Li Ang down an exclusive VIP route. "First, I'll take you to the museum to see the latest art and artifacts. I guarantee these human treasures will leave you in awe."

The Crystal Palace wasn't just a hub of hedonistic luxury; it also housed humanity's finest art and relics.

Unpredictable conflicts on Earth had prompted many museums and collectors to send their valuables to the Crystal Palace for safekeeping and exhibition.

While media outlets claimed these exhibits were merely high-quality replicas, most people knew the truth: the real treasures were in the Crystal Palace, while Earth held the fakes.

---

Night City, Corporate Plaza.

V had been feeling irritable lately. Apart from the incessant chatter of Johnny Silverhand, now he had Goro Takemura, a lone wolf consumed by thoughts of revenge, to deal with.

During this period, Takemura had been persistently pleading with V, urging him to accompany him to Arasaka's board meeting to expose Yorinobu Arasaka as the real culprit behind Saburo's murder.

But V only wanted to rid himself of Arasaka's troubles as soon as possible. He had no interest in helping Takemura or getting entangled in the Arasaka family's internal strife.

Staying alive and moving forward was V's top priority.

To avoid Takemura's incessant harassment and earn some extra cash on the side, V accepted an assignment from Jefferson, a Night City councilman.

This job was one of the few that suited V perfectly. It didn't require him to fight with gang members or cause trouble—he only needed to uncover the truth about certain events.

If Li Ang suddenly needed V's assistance, he could easily step away from this task to prioritize Li Ang's requests.

Soon, following the location provided by Councilman Jefferson, V arrived at the main entrance of Night Corp's headquarters.

"You're V, right? I'm Sandra Dorsett, an employee at Night Corp. Councilman Jefferson is currently busy upstairs. I'll take you up."

At that moment, a female employee wearing a sleek black suit and sporting short, tidy blonde hair approached V and offered to lead him upstairs.

As soon as V saw the woman, he immediately recognized her—the corpo woman he had rescued from the Scavs.

Sandra Dorsett!

It was through connecting his data nanowire to Sandra's neural port that V had contracted residual AI data.

Because of this, V had a vivid memory of this corpo woman.

"Ms. Dorsett, do you remember me?"

Following closely behind Sandra, V asked.