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Chapter 56 – Goodwill from Kangtao
🕑 Added 2025-05-07 11:08:19 +0000 UTCThe answer revealed itself quickly—yes, the visitor was from Kangtao.
[Father, based on data analysis, the man in front of you is most likely an official Kangtao employee.]
Leo patted V and Jack on the shoulder and stepped forward to face the imposing-looking bodyguard directly.
"Well, since someone's invited me, I'll go take a look. Clients are always welcome, and if it's a peer, even better. Let's call it... professional networking."
The bodyguard didn't say a word, simply turned around and led the way.
Afterlife's ground-level entrance opened directly onto a parking lot. Not far ahead, the Thalys 388 Jefferson—the armored beast from earlier—was already powered up, engine rumbling.
About four or five meters from the vehicle, the bodyguard came to a halt and turned around. "You come alone. They stay here."
V was on high alert, scanning the man from head to toe.
Bad news.
Really bad news.
Even without a scanner, she could tell that his body was packed with military-grade cyberware—probably even included heavy hitters like Sandevistan or Kerenzikov.
If things went sideways, they wouldn't stand a chance.
Leo paused, then casually turned to his teammates. "It's fine. He's with Kangtao."
Hearing this, V and Jack exchanged looks and relaxed slightly. Sasha also retracted the metallic claws that had subtly extended from her fingertips.
Their mysterious client came from the East. If this was a fellow countryman, hopefully it wouldn't turn ugly.
The three stayed behind, while Leo advanced alone.
Of course, he'd already ordered Shironeko to prepare for combat. If anything went wrong, she was ready to unleash a Short Circuit EMP on all threats within range.
Fortunately, the worst didn't happen. This really did seem to be just a spontaneous meeting.
As Leo approached the car, the window on his side rolled down.
In the front seat sat another bodyguard, clearly also a driver. His sharp eyes wordlessly warned Leo: Don't try anything.
In the backseat was a middle-aged man wearing sunglasses, with the same disciplined military air as his guards.
"Get in," he said, gazing intently at Leo. "From the other side."
Leo walked around and got in on his own.
A faint leathery scent filled the cabin.
Judging from the texture, these were real leather seats—very expensive.
The bodyguard watched him through the rearview mirror, right hand openly resting on his holstered firearm.
"Ah Sing, chill a bit. Kid looks like one of us."
The middle-aged man addressed the bodyguard in Cantonese, calming him down.
Reluctantly, the man let go of his weapon but still kept a close eye on Leo.
Once seated, Leo remained silent and waited for the other man to speak first.
The man's cybernetic eye glowed briefly—clearly reviewing data. "Leonardo DiCaprio... what kind of dumb name is that? You went way too fake."
He continued bluntly: "I checked the civil database. There's nothing on you. So—who are you really, and what are you doing in Night City at a time like this?"
Leo's gaze flickered, and he smoothly switched to fluent Mandarin. "Just some unlucky guy who got kicked out by his family. Came to Night City to study—and figured I'd run a little startup as a fixer to kill time."
Half-truth, half-lie.
Clearly, it didn't satisfy the man.
But after a moment of thought, he nodded slightly. "Doesn't really matter. Just don't get in our way. Here."
He handed Leo a black card.
"My personal contact. Maybe I'll have work for you someday. Maybe we'll do business."
Leo took the card. It had a contact number and the name: [Mr. Li].
"That's all you brought me here for?"
"Yup. Heard someone from Kangtao set up shop at Afterlife. Of course I had to take a look."
"Well, now that you've seen me—what's the verdict?"
Leo didn't like always being on the passive end of conversations, so he threw the question back.
"Verdict?" Mr. Li turned slightly, his lips forming a faint smirk. "You're too clean. Clearly not professionally trained, never killed anyone. Like you said—some poor kid kicked out by his family."
"If you're not an agent or a soldier, then you probably weren't sent by us. So good luck with your little business, kid. And here's a free tip: this place isn't like back home. Always watch your back."
Leo tucked away the card and gave a quiet nod.
When Mr. Li picked up a steaming teacup and said nothing more, Leo knew the meeting was over.
As he opened the car door to leave, the man's voice drifted toward him one last time:
"Going to Arasaka Academy was a bad move. They'll never truly accept you—and we can't fully trust you either. One wrong move, and you'll be stuck between both sides. But you still have a chance. Prove your worth. At least we might still have a place for you."
"I'll give it some thought."
Leo closed the car door softly and walked back toward his team.
The escort said nothing and turned to leave.
But as they brushed shoulders, he murmured in a low voice, "Someone at Arasaka Academy's got their eye on you. Be careful."
That warning clearly came from Mr. Li as well.
Without a doubt, it was a gesture of goodwill.
As Leo rejoined his team, the armored car roared to life and sped away.
V quickly approached, her curiosity almost boiling over. "What'd you talk about? That guy—no doubt about it—he's ex-military!"
Leo watched the vehicle disappear, his thoughts drifting. They say when countrymen meet, it's a stab in the back. But Kangtao's people… had actually extended him an olive branch. Maybe even wanted to recruit him.
"Leo—?"
V elongated his name teasingly.
Leo turned back with a casual tone. "Nothing much. Just some gossipy mercs at the bar mistook me for Kangtao. And boom—real Kangtao came knocking."
"Definitely Kangtao," Sasha added. "I scanned him secretly. That smart shotgun he had? High-end military grade."
Leo shot her a look. "Don't risk that. V already said—scanning someone face-to-face is bad manners."
But this time, V didn't agree. "So they can scan us and we can't scan back? That guy wasn't nearly as nice to us as he was to you. Tch. Arrogant corpo dog."
Leo instinctively reached for the card in his pocket, still unsure what to make of it.
[Shironeko, any match on that guy?]
[Yes. Based on available data, the man you met is not the client who commissioned the chip heist in the original game.]
So Leo was right—Mr. Li was a complete unknown. No telling what his job was or why he was in Night City…
