Just as Arthur was about to head home for some much-needed sleep, two messages and a phone call bombarded his inbox one after another.
The first message was from Delamain.
It neatly listed the final locations of the missing vehicles Arthur had asked about, the company registration paperwork, and the patent applications he'd submitted earlier.
Arthur couldn't help but be impressed.
If he'd done this by himself?
It would've taken ten days, two riots, three bribes, and probably an armed escort just to survive the waiting lines.
But under the umbrella of a big corporation?
Less than half a minute.
Money really did make the world — or at least Night City — spin faster.
The second message came from Lucy.
She reported that she had finished modifying the factory's core program — to the point it was now as hard to crack as a top-tier neurovirus.
Of course, Lucy couldn't resist tacking on a final note, calling Arthur "the Devil walking on Earth."
Arthur smiled smugly.
High praise.
The phone call, though, was the real surprise.
Because the caller was a hot-blooded old acquaintance.
"Hey, isn't this Adecado's little princess?"
A furious roar burst from the other end:
"F**k you, Arthur! Call me that again and I'll break your legs!"
It was Panan — the wild tomboy herself.
Arthur rubbed his nose awkwardly.
Yep.
Definitely not a "domesticated horse."
More like a wild mustang with a flamethrower strapped to her back.
"Okay, okay, Panan. Calm your hover engines. What's the problem? I just worked an entire night shift, and my muscles are screaming. I'm planning on sleeping like a corpse."
"F**k you!" she snapped again, but her voice softened into a grumble.
"I need help... I'm looking for somewhere cheap to live. The rent in Night City is so high, it's like someone shoved a blood-pressure monitor up my ass!"
Arthur blinked.
So Panan ran away from Aldecaldos after all, huh?
Was Saul finally planning to purge the troublemakers?
He thought about the Adecado–Biotechnica mess brewing quietly in the background but kept his thoughts to himself.
"Well," Arthur said, shifting gears, "it depends. If you want something relatively safe, I'm currently renting in Santo Domingo.
Still a bit gritty, but not Taiping-level suicidal."
"But if you're really broke...well, you might wanna haul your ass over to Watson District."
"Just throw your luggage into one of the super-skyscrapers, squat on a semi-legal floor, and pray the plumbing still works."
In Night City, there were basically two types of residences:
One-family buildings — mini-villas for the mid-tier dreamers with their own garages and overpriced pizza subscriptions.
Super skyscrapers — massive city-in-a-box monstrosities, packed with shops, apartments, and crime, stacked so high you needed an elevator pass just to reach your living room.
Each had their own brand of misery.
Arthur explained the options.
The more he talked, the quieter Panan got.
He could feel her growing embarrassment through the line.
Clearly, she didn't even have enough eddies for a Watson squat pad.
Arthur sighed heavily.
"Alright, alright. I'll save you the speech. I'll wire you some start-up cash, Miss Proud Nomad Princess."
A second later, Arthur sent 10,000 eddies directly to her account.
Friendship Tax: Paid.
"F**k you," Panan muttered, the venom in her voice suddenly undercut by gratitude.
"...Thanks."
She hung up before Arthur could say anything sarcastic.
Arthur chuckled.
Wild as ever.
But that same loyalty would eventually doom her in Night City.
Because here?
Friendship was just another bullet waiting to pierce your skull.
Still smiling wryly, Arthur decided to capitalize on the situation.
He immediately dialed another number — Saul's.
He needed manpower.
And who better to help than a broke-ass clan desperate for extra cash?
Especially when it meant keeping their restless nomads too busy to start another political mess.
"Hey," Arthur said the moment Saul picked up, "remember that kitten I rescued earlier? Gave her some startup cash before she ran off to start a new life."
Saul laughed, sounding genuinely grateful.
"You're a good man, Arthur. Aldecaldo's friend forever!"
Arthur cringed.
There it was again — that damn 'friend' speech.
You'd think they were Arasaka royalty or something, the way they bragged about loyalty.
"Yeah, yeah," Arthur said.
"Listen. I got a small job for you."
He quickly laid it out:
He needed a small security team.
Three drivers for three buses.
They would pick up workers from Night City each morning.
Escort them safely to his factory in Taipingzhou.
Guard the site during work hours.
Then drive the workers back home at night.
Simple.
Clean.
Almost safe.
The moment Saul heard the details, he perked up like a kid being offered a free rifle.
The Aldecaldos had been lounging around their camp, drinking, arguing, and pretending not to starve for weeks now.
They needed work.
Badly.
"What's the pay?" Saul asked, a little too eagerly.
Arthur smirked.
"Oh, come on. We're friends, right? You don't charge friends full price."
Silence.
Arthur could practically hear Saul's side-eye through the comms.
"Arthur," Saul said slowly, "even friends need to buy their beer somehow."
Arthur burst out laughing.
"Fine, fine. I'll give you the 'Friends and Family Discount' package!"
"I'll pay you half of what I'd pay a corporate security firm... but you'll get three square meals, free housing in my factory, and a chance to bask in the beautiful landscapes of Taipingzhou!"
"Back in the day, corpo billionaires paid millions to build luxury resorts there, you know."
Arthur could almost see Saul rolling his eyes.
But the man was still calculating.
Night City wasn't cheap.
A steady paycheck and free room and board — even in Taipingzhou — wasn't something to sniff at.
Finally, Saul sighed.
"Alright. Deal. I'll gather a few brothers and sisters who aren't busy."
Arthur grinned wide.
Security team? ✅
Bus drivers? ✅
Workers? ✅
Factory startup? Halfway to reality.
He couldn't wait to see the look on Night City's face when he legitimately became a big shot.
[End of Chapter 78: Finalizing Security!]