Carl's cheat-like ability was summarization. Now, as he recalled everything that had happened since arriving in 2075, that power linked it all into a single thread, hanging every event that could be connected through reasoning onto it.
He started with the cargo.
Maelstrom had caused trouble in Kabuki, Tiger Claws territory.
Maelstrom had hijacked cargo the Sixth Street Gang was transporting through Watson District.
Maelstrom had hijacked cargo belonging to Blanca's company in Watson District.
Militech field investigators had come today to ask Old Hauler about cargo being transported from Heywood to City Center. Militech had lost cargo.
He paused there.
Which company did Blanca work for?
Carl sent Blanca a message, asking which company she worked for.
'What is it? Planning to have me do more work for you? I rather appreciate mercs like you.'
'Just looking into my employer's background. Think of it as building connections.'
'Why are you suddenly interested? Did you learn something from Faraday?'
Blanca seemed to have some time on her hands. After chatting with Carl for a few moments, she revealed her identity, something she had never actually concealed—Carl simply had never asked.
She worked for Militech.
Then the half-mechanical-faced man's questions to Old Hauler about the missing cargo might have been connected to Blanca selling information about transport vehicles from inside the company.
The timing certainly matched. Thinking back to Juanito, Blanca's subordinate and enemy at the company, he had said something once.
'Destroy the evidence from this shipment if you want. I've got as much of it as I need.'
The evidence of Watson District transport routes being sold had been destroyed by Carl, Oliver, and Jack. That had also been Carl's first job from Blanca. Juanito saying he had as much as he needed probably meant Blanca selling transport vehicle routes was not her first time doing it, and Maelstrom had been her partner back then.
Following that logic, the Militech cargo being transported from Heywood to City Center had likely also been hijacked by Maelstrom. After all, Watson District was right next to City Center.
But if that was the case, it was a little frightening.
To summarize.
Maelstrom had provoked the Tiger Claws, the Sixth Street Gang, Militech, and if they had hijacked the cargo in Heywood, possibly even the Valentinos gang.
Ninety-nine percent of Maelstrom were lunatics, but lunatics were still people. They still understood what death meant. Unless they were deliberately seeking death, there had to be some purpose behind this string of frenzied hijackings.
Considering that during Blanca's first job, Maelstrom had casually tossed the goods they stole to Devil, a low-ranking officer, what they wanted was probably not evidence from corporate employees like Blanca.
Then what were they looking for?
For some reason, an image from the rescue mission involving the Scavengers suddenly flashed through Carl's mind.
It was a blurry image of ACPA.
Everyone in Night City knew that Maelstrom and the Scavengers were birds of a feather. Maelstrom worshipped cybernetic modification. After replacing their own parts, they often tossed the removed pieces—or the corpses of comrades who had died unexpectedly—to the Scavengers to pay their debts. If that ACPA image had been extracted by the Scavengers from a chip found in a dead Maelstrom member's body...
Was there a connection, or was it nothing?
Carl tried hard to recall any other information he had about those gangs. Then he suddenly remembered the cyberpsycho he had encountered a few days ago.
That cyberpsycho had seemed to mutter something about Tiger Claws. Whenever he did, his mind clearly became a little more lucid. The words "Tiger Claws" must have been immensely meaningful, even important, to him—important enough to grant him a moment of clarity even in a cyberpsychotic state.
And the place where that cyberpsycho had snapped had happened to be Kabuki, Tiger Claws territory.
That cyberpsycho had carried an information chip. Its contents were:
'The Sakura born of the chrysanthemum and the rose has arrived in Night City.'
The Tiger Claws were a gang made up of Japanese descendants. Most of them, or their parents before them, had once been Japanese. The gang was steeped in Japanese culture, and even their phrasing tended toward Japanese conventions.
He would analyze it using that mindset first.
Japan had no official national flower, but there were two flowers that could be considered as such: the chrysanthemum beloved by the imperial family, and the cherry blossom beloved by ordinary people.
If flowers represented social status, then the chrysanthemum should refer to someone noble, while Sakura should refer to the common class. Then what was the rose?
The rose was America's national flower.
Carl felt as though he had grasped something.
Interpreted through the flowers, it meant that a noble Japanese person and an American had produced a Sakura—a commoner, no longer considered noble because one parent was American.
And this Sakura, someone of Japanese blood, had already arrived in Night City according to intelligence from that cyberpsycho, who had most likely come from the Tiger Claws or been connected to them.
The Tiger Claws were a Japanese-descendant gang. There was no way they could run rampant through Night City without some corporate shadow behind them. Just as the Sixth Street Gang Oliver came from worked for Militech-backed fixers, and had originally been formed by retired American veterans.
Militech stood behind the Sixth Street Gang. As for the Tiger Claws, there was only one company in Night City.
Arasaka.
Later, the job was set to begin at the Arasaka Waterfront Transport Port, where outsiders were forbidden.
The job was an escort.
Escort whom?
Sakura?
But if it was Sakura, why would Faraday, who had Militech ties, receive this job?
The rose.
Could it be the rose's influence?
Did the rose want to protect her child, Sakura?
If he linked that line of thought together, this matter reached into secrets that should not be known.
Arasaka and Militech, mortal enemies, had actually joined forces briefly for this job. How noble was the chrysanthemum's background? How powerful was the rose's identity? How important was Sakura's identity?
To summarize.
First piece of information: Maelstrom appeared to be searching for something, and they were willing to provoke gangs and corporations alike for it.
Second piece of information: Sakura, most likely his protection target, had an extremely important identity involving both Arasaka and Militech.
Transport intelligence.
Cargo shipments.
Personnel.
Could Maelstrom's target be Sakura? If it was Sakura, where had they gotten the nerve? If Sakura's identity was truly so special that Militech and Arasaka were willing to cooperate for it even once, how could Maelstrom dare offend the strongest and second-strongest corporations in the world?
Unless...
Carl thought of Blanca and Juanito.
Just as Militech's offices were not united due to internal power struggles, not everyone in both corporations necessarily approved of this arrangement. Maelstrom might have accepted a contract from one of them, just as they had accepted Juanito's contract from Militech.
Information on Militech and the Militech-connected Sixth Street Gang might have been sold by Blanca and Juanito. Then among Arasaka and the Tiger Claws, could there also be a "Blanca" and a "Juanito" who opposed this temporary alliance?
The information had been summarized.
Would the job turn out like that?
Carl found himself looking forward to the confirmation ahead.
Whether he was merely overthinking out of boredom or had uncovered the truth, he would know soon enough.
If he had really guessed right...
ACPA.
Then things were getting interesting!
Before you continue