6 Chapter 3 (Part 2)

"Who's barged in now?" A disgruntled voice echoed from the depths of the store. "Marco, you need something?" The shopkeeper's tone softened significantly from a few seconds ago. He looked like a typical, not-so-young Chinese man, with a small bald patch on the crown of his head and thinning grey hair at the sides. His facial hair was equally sparse, and his slanted eyes held a suspicious squint. He wasn't particularly large in stature, just slightly taller than my companion. Notably, one of his legs had been replaced with a prosthetic, vaguely resembling a real limb.

"Old Li, he needs clothes. The kid's willing to trade his own," the Latino gestured towards me, stepping aside.

"Hmm... Let me see." The Chinese man briskly approached and began feeling the fabric of my clothes, nodding to himself. It wasn't long before he returned to his spot, calculating something using old wooden abacuses. I never thought I'd see such relics in a world of progressive futures.

Then, the elderly Asian disappeared into his back room, and after a few minutes, emerged holding a complete set of clothes. "I'll swap his junk for these and add 135 eddies," Old Li said, waiting expectantly. After a moment, I realized what he was anticipating.

"Aren't you ashamed, you old stump? Look at this. It's clearly worth more than your synthetic junk. Plus, it's intact, no visible holes. Sure, it smells unpleasant, but that can be fixed - 140 eddies!" My companion stated firmly, crossing his arms.

And so began the age-old dance of haggling, or more accurately, the game of 'Screw Your Neighbor'. The two haggled over every buck. I had to step aside while Marco and Li settled their financial disputes. It was amusing to witness such a legendary confrontation, but after about ten minutes, they finally reached an agreement.

"150 ededdies and not a cent more! My final word, you little scoundrel!" The Chinese man, clearly pleased with himself, seemed to have nothing better to do than to amuse himself by giving Marco a hard time, who seemed to be literally steaming with frustration.

"I swear, one day I'll sneak into his house and throttle him," grumbled the teenager, glaring sideways at Old Li.

"I'm still here, you scoundrel," the shopkeeper chuckled. "What's your name?" He turned to me, apparently.

"Alex."

"Alex, is it?" Old Li scrutinized me with an unreadable gaze, then smiled warmly. "Pleased to meet you. My name is Li Peng, but you can call me Grandpa Li." He crossed his arms over his chest and gave Marco, who rolled his eyes, a stern look. "Come on, let's get you changed."

Grandpa Li led me to a small fitting room, where I quickly changed. I neatly folded my old clothes and left them on a nearby stool. Checking myself in the mirror, I was generally pleased. The clothes, although not new, felt quite comfortable. The only obvious drawback was my growing body. Clothes would need to be bought larger, and to my relief, Grandpa Li understood this perfectly, selling me slightly oversized attire. The outfit consisted of sturdy jeans, a black long-sleeved t-shirt, and a jacket of the same color.

"Already changed? Quick, aren't you? Well, if you're done, don't disturb my work," the Chinese man waved his hand, indicating it was time for us to leave.

"Thank you," I said gratefully, bowing my head. Marco might not notice, but Grandpa Li helps him as much as he can. I doubt other merchants would be as kind to street kids. He not only gave us money but agreed to a trade, which says a lot.

Li Peng didn't react to my thanks, but I thought I saw the corners of his lips twitch into a satisfied smile. Leaving the shop, my companion led me towards the very dumpsters we were headed for. Surprisingly, the guy was silent, deep in thought.

"Something wrong?" I asked the teenager, touching his jacket sleeve.

"Just thinking... Old Peng was unusually talkative today. Normally, he grumbles about everything and constantly curses the 'claws' that interfere with his business," the Latino elaborated.

"Guess we got lucky," I shrugged.

"Now, pay attention," Marco circled a dumpster and crouched near some boxes. "See this?" He pulled a long, multi-ended copper wire from the container. Seeing my nod, he continued, "This is a copper cord. Radio-electronics dealers buy these. If you bring them a lot, you can make a good profit. Luckily, we got here first today, so we need to grab our find and deliver it to the buyer quickly."

"Are there other groups of kids?" I asked the dark-haired youth, who was quickly sorting through the box, setting aside what he deemed valuable.

"Not just kids, Alex. Local homeless people also don't mind scavenging something from the trash. Sometimes you can bump into one if you're not careful and don't leave in time. Always look around, or you might get a painful kick in the backside, and that's the best-case scenario," the teenager chuckled. "Some groups even wait for others to do the dirty work. They sometimes patrol near the electronics store, waiting to swoop in."

"So, you pair up for safety, right?" The realization suddenly hit me. It's indeed easier to fend off other groups together than alone.

"Bingo!" Marco snapped his fingers. "You catch on fast."

I wasn't idle either. Picking up a nearby box, I started sifting through it, making sure to scan the area every five seconds. Some items were unfamiliar to me, but in those cases, I simply tossed them into the box for my partner to inspect. He nodded in approval at my actions, not hesitating to explain if an item was particularly valuable.

We finished after a few minutes. Everything of any value was packed into a small cardboard box, which he then handed to me. The box was a bit awkward due to my height, but I managed to get a good grip on it. Once I had a comfortable hold, Marco pointed out where we needed to go. I didn't complain about carrying the box. The teenager had his priorities straight and was effectively acting as my bodyguard. Being older and bigger, he could definitely fend off trouble better than I could.

"See that shop over there? That's the place. Sue Mitchell runs it. She's sharp-tongued, so better keep quiet if you don't like something," the teenager pointed at a young woman idly sipping a steaming drink, standing at her desk. She occasionally glanced at the screen of a small tablet propped up to her left, seemingly oblivious to her surroundings.

Sue, to my taste, was quite attractive, even her mechanical arms didn't detract from her overall appearance. Long dark hair, partially tied back, green eyes, and smooth facial features. Her figure was also impressive.

"Sister Sue, we're here for you," Marco suddenly snatched the box from my hands, causing me to almost fall, and placed it beside the bored-looking woman. She lazily shifted her gaze from him to me, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. "This is Alex. New team member, I'm showing him the ropes." Hearing Marco's explanation, Sue rolled her eyes

and leaned smoothly against the wooden counter, examining me intently. Her gaze was heavy, but unfortunately, I was far from being the kind of kid who'd be intimidated by that.

"Hm, an interesting specimen," the beauty peered at me for a good ten seconds, then waved dismissively. "Alright, what do you have there?" Sue pulled the boxes with protruding wires towards her and spent about a minute sorting through the electronic junk. After she finished her assessment, she swept the parts back into the box with a universal boredom and dropped the box to the floor, glancing at Marco who leaned casually against the counter. "120 eddies," she announced her verdict. "You brought in a pretty decent haul today."

"I'm surprised myself. By the way, do you know why the streets are so quiet today? Hardly any cabrones around. It's too peaceful, and I don't like it," Marco shrugged, addressing his companion.

"It's been like this since yesterday. The 'Claws' are searching for something, or rather someone. They've already blown up a few black hideouts, but it seems their search hasn't yielded the desired results yet. You know me, I don't care as long as it doesn't scare off my customers," Sue casually waved her hand, taking a small sip of her hot drink. "Maybe for once we'll get to live in peace." She smiled and leaned back in her chair. "I see the kid's got corporate ID implants. Arasaka custom build, expensive stuff, and usually made to order." Sue squinted, posing an uncomfortable question for me. Honestly, I didn't expect her to be so knowledgeable about local augmentations.

"My parents worked for a corporation, but they were killed by gangsters. Marco picked me up," I answered briefly, trying not to divulge too much.

"Hmm, well, Marco's a kind soul, so I'm not surprised." Mitchell seemed to suspiciously drop the topic, and I even thought she might have recognized me. I wasn't sure if my suspicions were correct, but I hoped it was just my paranoia acting up. "Alright, if you get another haul like this, bring it here. What about the other guys?" She raised an eyebrow, resting her chin on her hand.

"They're busy, as always," the teenager smiled, accepting the stack of folded bills. "We should probably get going, don't want to bother you any longer."

"Drop by if you need anything," Sue winked at me and then returned her attention to the tablet, ignoring our colorful duo.

"We're damn lucky today, amigo," Marco put his hands behind his head, strolling calmly among the bustling crowd.

"Hmm, is it really such a lucky day?" I turned my head to him, observing his spirited expression.

"I'd say it's one of the best. Usually, the whole team only gets about thirty eurobucks, but today, Lady Luck herself decided to grace us with her presence. At this rate, we might even save up enough for an ID implant."

"Speaking of the implant, is it normal for my body to itch where it's been installed?"