Chapter Twenty-Two: Nobody Understands NCPD Better Than I Do

The bullet leaving the chamber precisely shattered the shoe.

The glittering shards inside the shoe spilled out, scattering across the truck bed.

The driver was startled by the gunshot. Thinking there was a shootout nearby, he quickly floored the accelerator and sped away.

Only after the truck had completely disappeared from sight did Su Xiao rise from the ground and sling the Ice Storm Sniper Rifle over his back.

He called Jack and V over.

"All right, we can head back."

"What?" Jack looked utterly dumbfounded.

That was it?

It was over just like that?

They hadn't emptied several magazines or killed anyone, and this was enough to complete the job?

His face was filled with disbelief.

V, however, seemed to have guessed something and fell into thought.

The driver brought the truck to the border checkpoint and waited to leave the city.

He felt himself all over. Not a single part was missing, and he had no additional wound gushing blood.

He couldn't help but let out a huge sigh of relief.

He sat in the truck and patiently waited for the inspection.

He had hauled cargo from All Foods Factory and sold it in the Badlands.

He had made that run countless times.

He knew the procedure by heart.

There wouldn't be any problems.

"Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!"

Just then, the alarm suddenly shrieked like it had gone mad.

The border guards treated it as a major threat and raised their guns, aiming at the truck.

"Get out of the vehicle!"

"Stay put! Don't try anything funny!"

"Put your hands where I can see them! Now!"

The driver had no idea what was happening. In his confusion, he was roughly dragged from the truck and forced to the ground.

"Search it thoroughly!"

The border guards opened the cargo compartment and began a carpet search.

But after turning the cargo compartment upside down, all they found was the food being transported from All Foods Factory.

Everything appeared normal.

A veteran guard seemed to think of something.

He drew a knife, slashed the truck tire, and cut it open.

Sure enough, he found package after package of glittering shards hidden inside the tire.

The driver, pinned to the ground, turned ashen.

This was royally screwed.

He had botched the job.

Even if he didn't go to prison, the Vortex Gang wouldn't let him off.

The border guards, however, didn't care what the driver thought.

This was a major accomplishment.

One of the subordinates excitedly moved to call the company and report it, but the station chief stopped him.

"Wait. Don't report it yet."

"Chief?"

The subordinate looked at him suspiciously.

The station chief had other plans.

This truck bore the insignia of All Foods Factory.

All Foods Factory was Brick's territory within the Vortex Gang.

The Vortex Gang was divided into many factions, and Brick was only one of its leaders.

If they reported the matter,

the company would at most offer some words of encouragement and a reward before considering the matter closed.

What good would that do?

The station chief therefore had a better idea than reporting it.

If he used this as leverage and made Brick hand over a portion of the profits,

wouldn't that be wonderful?

"You go back down there and keep an eye on the man. Keep an eye on the goods too. Once this is settled, I'll make sure you get a share of the benefits."

The subordinate nodded.

Although he didn't understand everything, he went out excitedly after receiving the station chief's guarantee.

The station chief stayed where he was. In his mind, he carefully considered how to deal with Brick, going over his approach several times and deciding it was flawless.

Just as he was about to call Brick, a call came in.

It was Mayor Ryan.

The station chief's expression changed, and he suddenly had a bad feeling.

And as it turned out, he was right.

Mayor Ryan's first words were:

"I heard the Vortex Gang at All Foods Factory is smuggling glittering shards in trucks. Is that true?"

The station chief's mouth went dry.

Only then did he realize that there was a mole among the border guards working for the mayor.

It had to be the mayor's mole who had tipped him off.

Since that was the case, he couldn't deny it.

Night City had no military.

Aside from NCPD and the Riot Control Unit, which were still under City Hall's authority,

everything else had been outsourced to corporations.

The border checkpoints, for example, were staffed by Military Technology.

The station chief was a Military Technology employee too.

The company had appointed him directly as station chief, and City Hall didn't pay his salary, so naturally he wasn't afraid of Mayor Ryan.

But if the mayor reported this to Military Technology,

he would no longer be able to extort Brick as he had planned.

That would be extremely frustrating.

"You did an excellent job handling this. Thanks for the effort. However, you don't need to worry about what comes next. I'll have NCPD deal with it. You can get some rest."

Chapter Twenty-Two: Nobody Understands NCPD Better Than I Do

The station chief nearly coughed up blood.

This was the last thing he wanted to see.

He had stopped his subordinate from reporting to the company because he didn't want the company getting involved.

He hadn't expected the company to stay away while Mayor Ryan showed up instead.

The process was different, but the result was the same.

If he did nothing, not only would his plan fall through, but someone else would take the credit for the achievement.

Suddenly, inspiration struck him.

"Wait, Mayor Ryan. I think there may still be room to resolve this."

"Hmm? Go on."

"All Foods Factory has always provided food for Night City's lower classes. Their profits are already substantial, so there's no reason for them to take such a risk. I suspect a few unscrupulous people under Brick may have done this secretly without his knowledge."

"And?"

"I don't think we need to send people in for a raid. We could summon Brick and discuss this together. Since it was his subordinates who committed the wrongdoing, let him clean house himself. Of course, he'll still have to pay a fine as a warning to others."

Although the station chief's words sounded as if he were pleading for mercy,

anyone with a little sense knew that a border checkpoint chief would never plead for a gang leader.

In truth, his words were a tactful reminder to the mayor.

If they acted too aggressively, the result would be that nobody gained anything.

It would be better to demand benefits from Brick.

Of course, the station chief knew that with Mayor Ryan getting involved, the mayor would take the lion's share.

Forget eating meat—even gnawing on a bone would be good enough for him.

But even so, it was better than getting nothing.

You eat the meat, I gnaw the bone, and let that old bastard Brick drink the soup.

Everyone would be happy, and that was what really mattered.

Mayor Ryan's leisurely voice came from the other end of the call.

"I understand what you mean."

The station chief couldn't help feeling excited. "Then, Mayor, you..."

"But I refuse! As the mayor of Night City, I stand irreconcilably opposed to evil. How could I collude with it?"

Mayor Ryan spoke with righteous passion, as if his awe-inspiring integrity were about to burst out of his rear end.

"In light of the fact that you uncovered such a large shipment of glittering shards and provided vital information, I'll pretend I didn't hear what you just said. But don't make me remind you again next time."

After saying that, Mayor Ryan ended the call.

Irreconcilably opposed to evil?

The station chief's mouth twitched, and a mocking expression appeared on his face.

He had climbed to his position through bloody power struggles within Military Technology.

How could he not understand Mayor Ryan's intentions?

Although Night City was an independent city that belonged to no country,

it wasn't a dictatorship, in the end.

Ryan had held the mayor's seat for quite some time.

He had been accused of taking corporate money more than once.

In fact, he had already lost the people's support during the previous election and should have stepped down long ago.

New America had "helped" him.

The previous Night City election had taken place during the Unification War.