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Chapter 20 - fate

It's been 15 days since Felix arrived in this world.

David still attends Arasaka Academy.

Because of her pride, Gloria saved the money Felix gave her for David's future.

Every day, Felix took on a job and collected large sums of money.

His name—or rather, his hunter codename—was known everywhere.

At least in the underworld.

This time, he allowed himself a break and decided to explore the city.

He wandered around Little China, observing his surroundings.

But then, a call came from David.

[David: Hey felix, please come to the academy fast, mom's gonna kill me!]

[Felix: Hhh… What happened, David? I'm coming.]

[David: Well... let's say I might've accidentally infected the academy system with a virus.]

[Felix: Fuck, David. Goddammit. Didn't your mom give you enough money? I'm coming.]

[David: Please hurry!]

Felix quickly called a Delamain cab.

Half an hour later…

Felix stood in front of Arasaka Academy.

He entered through the front gate but was stopped by security.

Two large men stood in his way.

With a mocking tone, the guard asked, "Where do you think you're going?"

Felix smiled at him. "I'm a relative of David Martinez. There must be some kind of misunderstanding."

The guard stepped back. "Please walk through the scanner."

Felix passed through an X-ray-like device—it showed he was clean.

Then, he went straight to the principal's office. Inside were both Gloria and David.

Felix sat across from the principal.

The principal seemed uneasy upon seeing Felix—he'd received reports about him from Arasaka.

Everything he read pointed to one thing: this man was a lunatic.

"Mr. Felix, David used illegal software, and the system crashed. Fixing it is going to be expensive," the principal said.

Felix stared at him seriously. "Principal, you're misunderstanding something—we don't have a money problem. But you should keep an eye on your son. David's been bullied by others. This is Night City—you never know what might happen. One day, your kid might end up in a braindance on some back alley."

Cold sweat dripped from the principal's forehead. "What do you mean, Mr. Felix? Are you threatening me—or mocking Arasaka?"

Gloria stepped in, pulling Felix by the arm. "Felix, please… for my sake."

Felix nodded and decided to remain silent.

In short, the principal wanted David to take a break.

Felix got angry—he briefly considered killing the principal—but changed his mind.

They left together and got into Gloria's car. Felix sat in the front seat, David in the back.

The atmosphere inside the car was so tense it could've fogged up the windows.

Felix leaned forward, watching the city pass by, but his mind was elsewhere.

David sat quietly in the back—not a word from the usually chatty boy.

Gloria spoke up: "David, I've sacrificed so much for you, but then you go and install illegal software and crash the Arasaka Academy system." Her eyes welled up.

David muttered, "Did you ever once ask me what *I* wanted to do?"

Gloria could no longer hold back her tears.

Felix turned his head—and spotted someone in a pink vehicle holding a machine gun.

To the left, a corp vehicle.

Felix knew it was a setup.

He drew his CAD. Gloria's eyes widened when she saw it.

Without saying a word, Felix shot the gang member in the head.

The man's skull exploded instantly.

All the other gang members stuck their heads out of the car in a panic.

Felix, still silent, pulled out a grenade and tossed it into the pink vehicle.

Then he yanked the car's handbrake.

They came to a screeching halt just as the pink car exploded in a thunderous blast.

Gloria was in shock—she couldn't speak.

David stared at Felix—this man had just blown up a car in seconds.

Gloria couldn't take it anymore and passed out.

Felix picked her up and laid her in the back seat next to David.

Then he drove them home.

Inside, Felix felt something strange—he had changed Gloria's fate.

**Santa Domingo – Gloria's home.**

Felix laid her in bed and checked her vitals.

David sat anxiously on the couch, eyes red.

Felix entered the room and, seeing David like that, sat beside him.

There was tension in the air.

"Thank you," David said, his voice heavy with sadness.

"It's nothing. I just did what had to be done," Felix replied.

David was angry—even though they were alive, the fact that he was so powerless hurt him deeply.

"Bro… is human life really that worthless?" David asked.

Felix's eyes widened. He hadn't expected that question from David.

"David… people always ask themselves questions. Why am I alive? What's the meaning of life? It's all foolishness. Life has no meaning. Why are you alive? Because you are. What's the meaning of life? There is none."

David stood up, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"I reject that. Human life can't be that worthless. Look at Night City—people die every day. Do none of them matter? If you weren't there today, mom and I would've died. Is it really that simple?"

Felix sighed.

"Look, kid, even science doesn't have an answer for the meaning of life. Sometimes I thought maybe some being out there created me just as a cruel joke. But there's one thing I'm sure of—nothing can survive death. Look around. Everyone wants to be remembered. Everyone wants to be a Morgan Blackhand. Why? Because they don't want to be forgotten. That's all it is."

David sat back down. "Then I want to become a legend too. I want to leave my mark—I don't want to be forgotten."

Felix looked into David's eyes.

"No one does. But people will forget you eventually—that's inevitable. My best advice to you? Don't fear death. Many scholars have sought answers in death. And when they died, they didn't worry like the others—because they finally had their answer. So don't fear death. Live—for yourself, and for your mother. But never forget about death."

Thus, another day ended in Night City.

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(Hey everyone, this is your author speaking! I just wanted to say hi. Lately, I've been reading Tolstoy's *Confession*, and I wanted to reflect some of the thoughts and philosophy from that book into the conversation between David and Felix. Hope you liked it! Don't forget to leave a comment and toss me some Power Stones! Best regards – Your Author)

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