The other forty-five percent guarded Corporate Plaza and City Center.
Less than five percent were responsible for maintaining order throughout the rest of Night City.
It was clear that NCPD was stretched painfully thin.
That was why, in Night City, petty theft barely counted as a crime.
If Jack hadn't been messing with a rich man's car, Stints might even have turned a blind eye for old times' sake.
Of course, simply letting them go wasn't an option either.
First, he would rough them up a little to teach them a lesson.
Then he would dump them beside a trash can.
Just as Stints was about to do that, someone unexpected appeared.
Chapter Seventeen: That Accent Was at Least Colonel-Level
"These two are the thieves? Ordinary street trash?"
A suited man with an accent at least on a colonel's level walked over.
Stints covered his face for a moment.
"Damn it, why is he here?"
Fujioka Kaoru was a wealthy man from Japan, with more money than everyone in Heywood combined.
He owned one of the four Rayfield Lake Maiden Sword supercars in the entire city.
He was also the suited man Su Xiao had seen on the computer earlier, the one who advocated hunting down poor people.
Stints didn't want Fujioka Kaoru getting involved.
Rich people like them had never treated the poor as human beings.
If Jack and the girl fell into his hands, they might not make it out alive.
So he hurriedly said, "They've been apprehended, Mr. Fujioka. We'll take them away now."
But Fujioka Kaoru's next words took him by surprise.
"You're wasting your time. I don't have time to testify in court or cooperate with your investigation."
Stints froze.
He could hardly believe this rich man was being so reasonable.
Then he cautiously asked, "You... you mean we should let them go, sir?"
"I mean throw them into the ocean. Keep them handcuffed and break their legs, so they won't float back up later."
After dropping that line, Fujioka Kaoru left with his two bodyguards, who looked like sumo wrestlers.
Stints glared at Fujioka Kaoru's back.
It took all his willpower not to spit.
He knew it. All these rich people were cut from the same cloth.
"You all... understand?"
Stints gave his men a meaningful look.
Once Fujioka Kaoru was gone, how would he know whether they had really thrown the two of them into the ocean?
These rich people were insufferable. They were public servants, not his subordinates, yet he still spoke to them in that arrogant, overbearing tone.
The officers holding the two of them drew their batons.
Just as they were about to strike, a cylinder suddenly flew over from nearby.
A blinding white light erupted from the ground, swallowing everyone's vision.
The world before their eyes became nothing but a vast white blur.
Then several more cylinders of different shapes flew over.
This time, they were Smoke Grenades.
Hiss!
Green gas quickly spread through the area.
"Damn it, do they have accomplices?"
"Don't shoot! I repeat, don't fucking shoot!"
Stints shouted in panic.
His own people were all around them.
If someone opened fire, the odds of hitting one of their own were much higher than hitting the enemy.
Amid the chaos, Jack felt someone pull him to his feet.
His eyes had been blinded by the flash as well.
But he could guess it was Su Xiao.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Go get her."
"Are you sure, Jack?"
As Jack had put it, he only worked for reliable fixers.
So there had to be nothing wrong with this job Wakako had given him.
The only explanation for NCPD showing up so quickly was that girl.
She must have been carrying something that had triggered an alarm.
That was why NCPD had arrived so fast.
"Completely, absolutely, and definitely."
Su Xiao went over, hoisted the girl's arm over his shoulder, and helped her up.
The girl was startled and instinctively tried to resist.
"Don't struggle. I'll get you out."
The effects of the Flashbang Grenade and the smoke released by the Smoke Grenade wouldn't last forever.
They had to leave before that happened.
Su Xiao supported the girl as he led the way.
Jack followed close behind, and the three of them retraced their route.
They took the elevator back to the alley outside the rear entrance.
Jack's vision had recovered somewhat.
He forced himself to stay alert and led the way.
But Su Xiao stopped him.
"Don't go that way. This way."
Su Xiao pointed not toward the alley's exit, the way they had come.
Instead, he pointed toward the back of the alley.
There was a trash can there.
By stepping on the trash can, they could climb up to the vehicle ramp above.
Jack climbed up first, followed by the girl.
Su Xiao came last.
By then, the NCPD officers had also chased them out.
Without a word, Su Xiao threw another Flashbang Grenade down.
Ignoring the screams below, the three of them flagged down a taxi and quickly left, vanishing into the dazzling neon glow.
The three got out not far from Wolf Bar.
Jack and V's eyes were still somewhat uncomfortable.
But they could walk without any problems.
The girl sincerely thanked him. "Thank you. If it weren't for you, I might not have gotten out."
The girl held out her hand.
"I'm V."
Su Xiao shook the girl's hand.
He pointed to himself, then to Jack. "Su. Jack."
V's eyes widened in surprise.
"Jack? Don't tell me your surname happens to be Wells?"
"Good guess."
"Then what is Mrs. Wells to you?"
"She's my mom. Wolf Bar is her territory."
Jack rubbed the back of his head. "Wait, you look familiar. Have you been to Wolf Bar before?"
"I took the car theft job at Wolf Bar. It was Kirk's gig."
The moment he heard the name "Kirk," Jack's brows twisted into a frown. "How did you end up working with that piece of shit?"
V's expression grew complicated, and her face filled with helplessness.
Of course, she knew that Kirk was a piece of shit too.
There was more than one fixer in the city, and Kirk was one of them.
But Kirk was definitely the worst fixer of them all, without question.
The jobs he offered were high-risk and low-paying, and his intel was either fake or nonexistent.
As a result, very few mercenaries in the city were willing to work with Kirk.
If there was one thing he was good at, it was talking.
He could spin the wildest tales and paint the most extravagant promises.
Sometimes, he even made people wonder whether the guy had come straight out of a corporation.
After all, when it came to making empty promises, no one could beat a boss.
"Peppy owed him a huge sum of money and couldn't pay it back, so I stepped in."
"Hey, did that smooth-talking Kirk really run you around in circles like that?"
"Everyone says he has a gang backing him."
Jack laughed as soon as he heard that.
"A gang? No, no. Listen, I know gangs, and I can swear on my chest that they've never even heard of Kirk."
"Come on, let's settle the score with Kirk properly. We can't let that bastard think he can screw over people from Heywood and get away with it."
Chapter Eighteen: You've Backed Yourself into a Corner, Kirk
The three of them returned to Wolf Bar together.
They washed up and tidied themselves first.
Then they went to see Peppy.
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