David Martinez felt that something was off.
No, rather, he had felt that something was off ever since he left home.
David Martinez lived in Megabuilding H4 in the Santo Domingo district, an apartment building where most residents were low-level workers. Used to the tired, numb stares of people after work, David could keenly detect unusual gazes.
Like those of addicts, thieves, or, like now, people with some other purpose in mind.
Someone had their eye on him.
David trusted his instincts. Those instincts were what had helped him grow up safely in Night City while his mother was too busy to look after him and he had no gun on him.
David quickly swept his gaze over the street, eventually noticing an NCPD officer patrolling nearby.
Among the NCPD, patrol officers had the highest casualty rate and were the least sought-after position. Still, it had to be said that their presence did, to some extent, keep the streets safe.
Though these days, Santo Domingo was probably more under the control of the Sixth Street Gang.
David walked toward the NCPD patrol officer, hoping the NCPD's deterrent would make whoever might be following him back off. Whenever something happened before, he had done the same thing—either find the Sixth Street Gang or the NCPD. Rotten as they both were, compared to the lowest street thugs and the Scavengers, even the Sixth Street Gang and the corrupt NCPD seemed so friendly to ordinary citizens.
That trick, which had always worked before, did not seem to be working very well today.
David felt that even after approaching the NCPD patrol officer, the sensation of being watched from behind had not faded. Instead, it had grown stronger.
The person behind him was not afraid of even the NCPD. They were no ordinary street