Chapter 112

"Three of yours."

The veteran Security Department from Arasaka, who was in charge of patrolling the Lijiang area, pulled off the backpacks and shoulder bags of the two men David had knocked unconscious. After checking that there were no bombs or booby traps and removing the bottles of liquor with tampons and rags stuck in them, he patted David on the shoulder and said, "Be mindful of your image. Go check inside the patrol car, rookie."

David blinked belatedly, "Oh... oh? Oh!" with a hint of excitement.

Is this the unspoken rule?

David quickly jumped into the armored patrol vehicle, carefully selecting the cash from the information he had gathered from Katsuo.

It wasn't much, but he estimated it to be a few hundred euros, which was enough to make him happy.

The first pot of gold from gray income in life.

Compared to the Nomads and Maelstrom who work as foremen at the Watson North Badlands site and have no money to be made from, these urban natives, unsurprisingly, are street urchins who have been paid by certain companies to do errands and have a fair share of the profits.

This is one of the reasons why Security Department employees have many additional sources of income when they are on field duty.

"Sir, inspection complete."

After taking what he thought was acceptable, David stuffed the stolen goods into the trunk of the patrol car.

The seasoned sheriff glanced at it as he passed by and thought, "Wow, quite restrained. He only took the cash. He didn't touch the Separate Chip, medicine canisters, methamphetamine crystal powder, or anything like that. He only took the Lexington and its matching ammunition box."

"I heard you live in the Lijiang area?"

"Yes, sir, we just moved here not long ago. Before the housing prices went up."

Reaching the base of the 'Rebirth' monument, David picked up the high-pressure spray paint can that had rolled onto the ground and looked with emotion at the Arasaka clover symbol carved on the marble surface, the miniature bust of a woman with hair carved with gold thread and a woman with blue mohawk hair, oh, and a round, short, bald figure.

Chief Executive Vera, Executive Director Michiko, and Deputy Mayor Wilton.

Undoubtedly, this monument is newly erected.

This is to commemorate the new treaty agreement reached between Arasaka and the Night City government at the Konpeki Plaza in January 2076.

There are two interpretations of why it is named 'Rebirth': one is that it embodies a bright future, and the other is that it refers to the Lijiang scenic area itself. This area, which ranks at the bottom in both the Heywood Economic Index and the security level, has indeed benefited greatly from this agreement, as if it has been reborn.

With the Valentino Gang wisely withdrawing, the Six Street Gang's rule collapsed, the Scavengers' kidney-donating incidents decreased, and in the new monthly statistics, the economic index is still unknown, but Heywood ranks first in terms of public safety.

"You picked a good time," said the seasoned sheriff.

David just gave a simple, honest smile.

Continue on duty.

As dusk fell, the holographic advertisements on the streets remained dazzling, but compared to the daytime, more neon lights lit up amidst the interplay of light and shadow, mingling with the fading sunlight and casting dappled light and shadow across the metal forest of the streets and alleys.

"Sir, will we send troops in retaliation directly? The council member...?"

As night fell, before leaving work, David and his team dispersed three or four more groups of Arasaka opponents who were trying to storm the Lijing Scenic Area to attack and question the truth of the assassination of Commander Vera in this model area of public security. David then asked thoughtfully.

After the news of the assassination attempt on the board member was made public, the Night City Security Department became much busier. He could no longer follow the established procedures and had more time to himself, and finally began to practice the company culture—working overtime.

As a newcomer, based on the need for training and exposure to various types of work, in addition to working with Katsuo and Xiaofu in the Badlands to monitor the Nomads and intermittently eliminating the clueless Maelstrom of the Luan Dao Society, David's original rest time was directly assigned to duty in the Lijiang Scenic Area because his David lived there.

Watson and Heywood were running back and forth.

David had very real feelings about it.

Night City is in even greater chaos.

Violent protests were happening everywhere.

Supporters of the Free State and Arasaka, and supporters of Washington and Militech, frequently engage in full-blown brawls in the streets, even in city halls and Corporate Plaza, resulting in daily deaths. Hospitals and Black Market Cybernetic Doctor are also overflowing with wounded. The authorities are completely exasperated by this "Death Lottery."

Unfortunately, NCPD is problematic, and we dare not forcefully regulate it.

It goes without saying who the operators and supporters are behind these incitements and extreme political acts.

"That's not your business. Do your job, rookie." The veteran sheriff patted David hard on the shoulder and said sternly, "Three monkeys imply four don'ts."

After the veterans and their colleagues left, David took off his winged helmet, rubbed his hair, and turned to walk towards the skyscraper Apartment building not far away.

His new home is now settled.

The entrance to Building 17 features an automatic door with a columned porch.

"Welcome back, Mr. Martinez."

Only a poorly intelligent AI-synthesized female voice echoed from the front desk.

There was very little graffiti on the interior walls; although old, they were clean. The floor was spotlessly swept, and trash was neatly bagged. There was no filth or dirt in the corners. The lobby had been treated with deodorizer and air freshener. It was far better than that run-down place, Santo Domingo.

NCPD patrol cars were parked outside.

It is said that due to the upgrading of the Lijing area and the relocation of a large number of junior employees of companies, developers and investors are eager to make a move. If it weren't for the sudden assassination of Director Arasaka, the construction team would probably have already started renovating the front desk and public facilities of the Apartment building.

18th floor, ta-da.

David stepped out of the elevator.

Before arriving home, he tidied up his tactical gear from his bags, removed his firearms from their ready-to-fire mode, put on safety, and walked to room H913. The neon-projected nameplate read: [Martinez]. As he prepared to swipe his card, he asked, "Is this Mr. Martinez?"

"Huh?" Someone called me?

David looked puzzled, turned around, and saw a young woman who had come out of the elevator bowing slightly to him.

She is of Asian descent, of medium build, with black hair tied in a short ponytail with bangs, wearing oval frameless glasses, and her hands are folded in front of her abdomen. She has a scholarly air about her, and her facial features and temperament are very gentle.

Behind him followed a shy boy wearing a stand-up collar, button-down Arasaka Academy uniform.

She looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, and was looking at him with a little excitement.

"Who are you?"

"Excuse me for bothering you, my surname is Tang, and I work in the research and development department of Arasaka. I recently moved to Lijing District and live at No. H918. This is a small housewarming gift." After saying this, the gentle woman took out a gift box from her bag and handed it to David.

"From the R&D department?"

David paused for a moment, then quickly waved his hand, "My mother and I... cough, my mother and I only moved here recently. No need to be so polite."

Ultimately, David couldn't resist his new neighbor's politeness and accepted their housewarming gift.

It was buckwheat noodles and red bean soup. In Night City, that's considered a relatively expensive meal.

"Um, senior, did you also graduate from the Arasaka Academy?" asked the shy boy wearing the same frameless glasses.

"Yes." David nodded. "I graduated less than two months ago. I joined the Security Department. I was on duty at the Lijiang Scenic Area today and just got off work."

"Wow! Having an older neighbor... No wonder everyone says the Lijing area is safe; my mom and many of her classmates want to move here..."

After exchanging a few simple pleasantries and seeing off Mrs. Tang, David unlocked the door and went inside.

"Sigh..." He sighed as he looked at Gloria, who habitually covered herself with a coat and lay down on the sofa to sleep.

David reluctantly picked up his mother and laid her flat on the larger master bedroom floor, pulling a blanket over her. "Looks like Mom's been working overtime too," he said, rubbing his forehead.

His mother said she was still young and didn't want to quit her job and stay home to be cared for by him. What could he do?

Given the current situation in Night City, putting aside the deaths, the intense close-quarters clashes between protest supporters will inevitably lead to a large number of injuries. Gloria works at the Night City Medical Center, so she's bound to be busy, probably even more so than him.

Thinking this, David sat down on the sofa, quietly took off the tactical pouch from his waist, shook out the collected banknotes, and was about to count Maine when Gloria sat up, her eyes flashing with orange light.

"The medicine, do you need it now... so urgently? For a new commission... hmm, I understand, for something like this, you can never have too much... Are you sending someone to pick it up? Okay. The new medicine, I had David buy an extra batch, it's right here... ah?!"

Getting out of bed, Gloria turned to the side and saw her son, dressed in a black Arasaka combat suit and fully armed, sitting on the sofa. Due to his Combat Cybernetic Modification, he was much taller than her and was counting money while waving at her.

"Oh."

Gloria was taken aback.

"Hey, you!" she said. "When did you get back?"

"Just got off work. I was on duty at the Lijiang Scenic Area today, so I got back quickly." David asked, "By the way, Mom, who exactly is the new drug you asked me to buy for Arasaka's combat-enhancing Combat Cybernetics?"

David might lack experience, but he wasn't stupid. Where did Gloria get the money to pay for his schooling and the rent for such a nice new house after they left Santo Domingo? At that time, his salary hadn't been paid yet.

He hadn't asked before because he didn't have the opportunity or feel comfortable asking, but now that he had the chance, he might as well take the opportunity to find out. As Security Department employee, he had been exposed to various things and realized that he had to find out whether his mother had been scammed or was being targeted by a rival company.

Gloria paused for a moment.

Seeing David's military-grade Combat Cybernetic Modification with implants to create a killing machine, she knew that David was already Arasaka security soldier, and she had to confess.

"His name is Maine, an Edgerunner, a cyber mercenary. I met him during a medical mission..." she said.

After listening to his mother's explanation, David roughly understood the cause and effect. "So, I was able to go to school thanks to Maine's help."

He believed his mother would never lie to him.

After a long while, he took off the tactical medical kit from his body, which bore the Arasaka Clover logo and a red cross.

"A new type of Flex Stimulant and inhibitor, a week's supply according to the high-intensity combat standards of Arasaka's overseas missions." David patted the medical kit and said, "Let him come and get it."

"So, why me?"

Walking along the streets of the Lijiang scenic area, Lucy felt a little irritated.

Didi.

[Maine: It's part of the plan, better safe than sorry. The Lijing area is also Arasaka's territory, and Faraday is keeping a close eye on me. Besides you, my team has worked with him many times before, and you're the most suitable. Also, there are a lot of NCPDs there, and with our gear, I don't want to be questioned. Don't worry, Gloria is trustworthy, and the journey will be safe.]

[Kiwi: Good luck with your night run!]

It's infuriating.

"This is the place." Building 17, 18th floor, apartment H913...

Wearing a hooded jogging suit, Lucy followed the directions upstairs. She kept the external jammer activated along the way to blur the images of herself captured by the security cameras, until she arrived at the door of Martinez's house.

Martinez?

It looks somewhat familiar...

She knocked on the door, sent the coded message, and Lucy waited for the door to open.

Click—

The door opened quickly, but it wasn't the red-haired woman shown in the photo Maine had given her, but a fully armed Arasaka soldier!

Lucy's eyes widened in an instant.

A look of terror on his face.

Before he could even think, the enemy's compound eye tactical goggles, flashing red light, met his gaze. From above, the enemy's raised arm, with its specially designed protective armor, deformed simulated leather, and mechanical structure, revealed a dark cannon barrel—the [Projectile Launch System].

It's over! It's too late, there's simply not enough time.

When was Arasaka discovered?

Maine misled me.

I've already saved up most of the money...

Staring at the cannon barrel pointing directly at her face, Lucy thought of many things. She especially thought of her companions who had been hunted down by Arasaka soldiers after escaping the 'Deep Dive' organization...

Is it finally my turn?

Thump. She leaned back and landed hard on her bottom.

"???" David was also a little stunned.

Wasn't Mom talking about a blond, brown-skinned, muscular man? How did he become a beautiful, white-haired young woman?

Click click.

The Projectile Launch System retracted its muzzle. David took a closer look at the white-haired girl, who looked pitiful, with a look of confusion, astonishment, and realization on her face, as if she had just survived a disaster. Hmm, she was pretty, but not as pretty as Commander Vera.

He doesn't seem like a desperado.

After assessing himself, David asked, "Did Maine send you?"

Lucy quickly replied, "Gloria's medicine."