In reality, both V and Lucy were upset for no real reason.
After all, Huangban had been hunting Peter all over the city, and when he disappeared for two days, they feared the worst. They had genuinely thought Huangban had used some hidden power to capture him.
But after all their worrying, they found out that Peter had simply been helping someone and then traveled all the way to the Badlands to get a car.
After arguing for a while, they realized their concern had been unnecessary.
"Next time, whatever you're doing, at least send a message to me or Lucy first," V said, arms crossed. "So we don't freak out for nothing."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. My bad this time," Peter admitted quickly, nodding. He didn't feel like kneeling on a washboard, but the situation wasn't looking good for him.
Ding~
Peter glanced at his phone. It was a call from Philip.
"Hello? What's up, Philip?"
"Boss! Our game is blowing up! It's completely gone viral!" Philip's voice was filled with excitement.
"Calm down. Take a deep breath and explain properly," Peter said, trying to keep his own excitement in check.
"Boss, we've already sold 300,000 copies in Night City alone! And in other parts of the country, we've sold nearly 40,000 more!"
Peter was stunned.
He had expected the game to do well in Night City, but now it was spreading across multiple cities in the country?
Most places outside of Night City didn't even have great living conditions, and Super Dream games weren't exactly easy to market.
But the game had exploded overnight? He had underestimated its appeal.
"Boss, we need to expand our servers. They're completely overloaded every day!" Philip continued.
"Alright, expand them," Peter said without hesitation. "Get a server that can handle five million concurrent players. If you run out of funds, let me know."
Peter wasn't worried about money. If funds were tight, there was always the deep pockets of Huangban, who had practically been throwing money at him.
"Our account is looking solid right now, Boss. I just wanted to get your approval before moving forward."
"Good. Go ahead, but just keep me updated when you make big decisions," Peter said before chatting with Philip for a few more minutes and then hanging up.
V, who had been listening, raised an eyebrow.
"Peter, which game studio is this?"
She knew he had bought a studio, but she hadn't been with him that day.
"It's the one I picked up a while ago. They're making a killing. Philip just called to ask if they could expand the servers," Peter explained.
He had originally priced the game at five euros—not too expensive but not cheap either. A meal in Night City only cost about one euro, so spending five euros on a game was a little pricey but still within reach for most people.
"How much have you made?" V asked curiously. She figured making over 100,000 would already be a miracle.
"Probably around three million euros."
"Three million, huh? Not bad—wait, what?! Three million?!"
At first, V nodded like it was nothing, but then her brain processed the number, and she practically jumped in shock.
"Are you telling me you made three million euros just from selling one game?"
"Yep. And this is just the beginning. We're still growing," Peter said casually.
V felt dizzy.
"V, are you seriously about to faint over a little money?" Peter teased, amused.
"A little money?! Peter, have you completely lost your sense of value?!" V exclaimed.
To her, making 300,000 from the last job at the Arasaka Tower had already put them in the top five percent of Night City's earners.
But now, Peter's game studio had pulled in ten times that amount in just a few days.
And the game was still selling. Who knew how much it would make in the coming months?
"The money stays in the studio for now," Peter clarified. "Philip and the team need funds to expand."
That made sense. With money coming in, it was time to upgrade their workspace. Working out of a small apartment wasn't ideal anymore.
They needed an office—preferably a whole floor in a good location.
Buying office space in Night City would cost about 500,000 euros. On top of that, they needed better equipment for game development.
After expenses, their liquid cash would be around two million euros. Then, Peter had to distribute 10% of the earnings to Philip and the core team, which meant another 200,000 gone.
After covering the costs of producing new chips—around 350,000 euros—they were left with about 1.45 million in profit.
As Peter finished explaining this to V and Lucy, V's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Without worrying about work... endless shopping sprees..." she mumbled dreamily, already picturing her luxurious future.
If Peter had heard her thoughts, he would have laughed.
Sure, 1.45 million euros was a lot of money, but in the grand scheme of things, it was still pocket change compared to the real power players of Night City.
People like Lai Xuan handed over a million euros without blinking, like it was just a casual expense.
Ding~
At that moment, Peter's phone buzzed again.
He frowned. Not just anyone could get his number. Someone important must have gone through Rogue to reach him.
"Hello?"
A smooth, elegant voice answered.
"Hello, let me introduce myself. My name is Elizabeth. My husband and I are facing a difficult problem, and I believe you're the right person to help us."
Peter's mind immediately processed the name.
Elizabeth.
As in Elizabeth Peralez.
Of all the mysteries in Night City, her husband's situation was one of the strangest.
Jefferson Peralez was a powerful politician, and behind him, someone—or something—was pulling the strings.
Even in the original Cyberpunk story, no one ever figured out exactly who was controlling him.
The biggest clue came from the final conversation with Jefferson, where, if you looked carefully, you could spot a man with piercing blue eyes watching him silently.
This same Mr. Blue Eyes later appeared in the "King of the City" ending, instructing V to carry out a mission in the Crystal Palace.
But the game never revealed who he truly was or what his real motives were.
Now, Elizabeth was calling Peter directly.
"I don't think we've ever met, Ms. Peralez," Peter said carefully. "And I doubt I've had any interaction with your husband either. So why reach out to me?"
Elizabeth's voice remained calm and composed.
"I've done my research. You have a reputation for handling... unusual problems. This is one of those."
Peter leaned back, thinking.
Something was off.
The Peralez case was a dangerous rabbit hole. If he accepted, he might uncover secrets that some very powerful people wanted buried.
But turning down an offer like this?
That was just as dangerous.
"Alright," Peter said after a pause. "Tell me more."
---
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