20 Is Getting Interesting

Chapter 42: Things Are Getting Interesting

What Karl possessed, arguably a golden finger ability, was summarization. Now, with the help of his memories, this power connected all the events he had encountered since arriving in 2075, linking together anything that could be considered for thought or connection.

Let's start by summarizing the cargo.

The Maelstrom were causing trouble in Kabuki, which was Tiger Claws territory.

The Maelstrom hijacked cargo the Sixth Street Gang was transporting through the Watson District.

The Maelstrom hijacked cargo belonging to Blanca's Corporation in the Watson District.

An external investigator from Militech came today to ask Old Hauler about the transport of goods from Heywood to the city center. Militech had lost cargo.

Let's pause here.

Which corporation did Blanca belong to?

Karl sent Blanca a message, asking which company she worked for.

'What's up? Are you planning to do more work for me? I really appreciate mercenaries like you.'

'Just understanding the client's background. Consider it me building connections.'

'Why the sudden interest? Did you find something out from Faraday?'

Blanca happened to be free and, after a few casual remarks with Karl, revealed her identity, which she had never hidden, though Karl had never asked.

She worked for Militech.

So, if that's the case, could the half-mechanical-faced man asking Old Hauler about the lost cargo be related to Blanca selling information about transport vehicles within the company?

Considering the timing, it was about right. Recalling Juanito, Blanca's subordinate and enemy at the company, he had said something.

'It's fine if the evidence of this transport is destroyed. I can get as much as I want.'

The evidence of the Watson District transport being sold was destroyed by Karl, Oliver, and Jack. That was also the first commission Karl had taken from Blanca. His statement about getting as much as he wanted likely referred to the fact that Blanca selling transport routes wasn't a first-time occurrence, and at that time, Blanca's partner was the Maelstrom.

By this logic, the Militech cargo hijacked from Heywood en route to the city center was likely also hijacked by the Maelstrom, as the Watson District is right next to the city center.

But if that's the case, it's a bit frightening.

Let's summarize.

The Maelstrom had provoked the Tiger Claws, the Sixth Street Gang, and Militech. Furthermore, if they hijacked the cargo in Heywood, they might have also provoked the Valentinos gang.

Although 99.9% of the Maelstrom were lunatics, lunatics were still just lunatics. They understood the concept of death. If they weren't deliberately seeking death, then there must be some purpose behind these frenzied heists.

Considering that during the first Blanca mission, the Maelstrom casually handed over what they had stolen to Devil, a minor executive, their objective might not have been evidence from corporate personnel like Blanca.

So, what were they looking for?

For some reason, an image flashed through Karl's mind from the mission where he had to rescue someone and deal with Scavengers.

It was a blurry picture of ACPA.

Everyone in Night City knew that the Maelstrom and Scavengers were birds of a feather. Maelstrom members were fond of cybernetic modification. After modifying themselves, they would often hand over removed parts or the bodies of former companions who died unexpectedly to Scavengers to pay off debts. What if that ACPA image was something extracted by Scavengers from the chip of a deceased Maelstrom member?

Was there a connection, or no connection at all?

Karl tried hard to recall any other information he had about these gangs. Then, he suddenly remembered the cyberpsychotic he had encountered a few days prior.

The cyberpsychotic seemed to be mumbling about Tiger Claws. When he mentioned Tiger Claws, his state of mind seemed to improve slightly. The word "Tiger Claws" must have been very significant, even important, to him, to the point of causing a moment of clarity even in his cyberpsychotic state.

And the place where this cyberpsychotic had an episode happened to be Kabuki, territory of the Tiger Claws.

This cyberpsychotic carried an information chip with the following content:

'The Sakura, born from the Chrysanthemum and the Rose, has arrived in Night City.'

The Tiger Claws were a Japanese-descended gang. Most of their members' parents or their own past were Japanese. The Tiger Claws were also filled with Japanese culture, and their descriptive terms leaned towards Japanese customs.

Let's analyze this from their perspective.

Japan doesn't have a national flower, but there are two flowers that could be considered national flowers: the Chrysanthemum, favored by the imperial family, and the Sakura, favored by the common people.

If we interpret this by the status represented by the flowers, the Chrysanthemum should refer to someone noble, and the Sakura should refer to the common class. Then what about the Rose?

The Rose is the national flower of America.

Karl felt like he was on the verge of understanding something.

If we interpret this using the flowers, it means that a noble person from Japan and an American gave birth to a Sakura, who, because their father or mother was American, was considered to be of the common class and no longer of noble status.

And this Sakura, possibly with Japanese ancestry, had arrived in Night City, according to the intelligence from the cyberpsychotic who was likely from or related to the Tiger Claws.

The Tiger Claws were a Japanese-descended gang. It was impossible for them to wreak havoc in Night City without some corporate backing. Just like Oliver's Sixth Street Gang worked for fixers with a Militech background, and originally was a gang formed by retired American veterans.

The Sixth Street Gang was backed by Militech, and for the Tiger Claws, there was only one corporation in Night City.

Arasaka.

Later, the mission began at the Arasaka Waterfront Transport Port, an area where outsiders were not allowed.

The mission was an escort.

Escorting whom?

Sakura?

But if it was Sakura, why would Faraday, with his Militech background, have received this mission?

Rose.

Could it be that Rose's background is involved?

Does Rose want to protect her child, Sakura?

If you connect these thoughts, this matter touches upon a hidden realm that should not be known.

The sworn enemies Arasaka and Militech have briefly united for this mission. How noble must this Chrysanthemum's background be, how powerful is Rose's identity, and how important is Sakura's identity?

Summary.

First piece of information: The Maelstrom seems to be looking for something, and for it, they don't hesitate to provoke various gangs and corporations.

Second piece of information: Sakura, the likely target of protection, has an extremely important identity, involving Arasaka and Militech.

Transporting intelligence.

Cargo.

Personnel.

Could Sakura be the Maelstrom's target? If it is Sakura, where do they get such audacity? If Sakura's identity is truly so special that even Militech and Arasaka are willing to unite for it, how dare they offend the world's strongest and second-strongest corporations?

Unless...

Karl thought of Blanca and Juanito.

Just as there are internal office struggles within Militech, it's possible that not everyone on both sides of the corporations agrees with this mission. The Maelstrom might have accepted their employment, just as they accepted Juanito's employment from Militech.

If Militech and information related to Militech from the Sixth Street Gang were sold by Blanca and Juanito, then within Arasaka and the Tiger Claws, could there also be a 'Blanca' and 'Juanito' who disagree with this temporary alliance?

Information summary complete.

Is this what the mission is about?

Karl looked forward to the verification later.

Whether he was overthinking things out of boredom or if it was the truth, time would tell.

If he guessed correctly...

ACPA.

That would be quite interesting!