This was a good start.
"Get in. I just got a job. I'll tell you about it on the way."
Winding Street, a vulgar place filled with desire.
Surrounded by towering buildings, it was just like the other places in this city where sunlight could never reach.
Filthy and gloomy.
Su Xiao parked the car by the roadside.
The four of them walked past a holographic cherry tree.
Electronic cherry blossom petals drifted onto their shoulders.
"What's the client's name?"
"Bryce Stone. Know him?"
"Isn't he the priest from the television station? What happened to him?"
Jack had once been a member of the Valentino Gang, which believed in God, so he paid close attention to Bryce Stone.
He was dedicated to helping society's underprivileged and solving their spiritual and psychological problems.
He helped them break free from their dependence on alcohol and other addictive drugs.
Even more commendable was that most of his help was free of charge.
A person like that was naturally deeply respected and loved.
"His son was brutally murdered."
"Fuck! Which bastard did it?"
"I don't know, but someone recorded the whole thing and made it into a Black Market Dream."
"A Black Market Dream? What's that?"
Jack only knew about braindances.
He had never heard of Black Market Dreams.
Actually, Jack didn't really like braindances all that much either.
For one thing, he had a girlfriend.
He naturally had no need to perform piston movements against a virtual doll.
For another, compared to doing something harmful to his body, he preferred lifting weights in his spare time.
Su Xiao frowned as he watched the Sex Dolls twisting their bodies nonstop in the shop window.
"A Black Market Dream is a record of criminal activity—rare sexual fetishes, violence, sadomasochistic fantasies, and even death are among its most common themes."
"The people who record Black Market Dreams are often forced to perform, and the footage is rarely edited."
"Because Black Market Dreams contain the dark emotions and primal thoughts of criminals or victims, experiencing those emotions is extremely dangerous. There's very little barrier between the recorder and the end user, so the experiencer may suffer severe psychological trauma as a result."
Chapter 49: Why Do Braindance Chips Like to Use Little Umbrellas as Packaging?
"Fuck, that sounds a hell of a lot more dangerous than an ordinary braindance." Jack slapped away a male Sex Doll standing by the roadside and trying to solicit him. "Then why watch this crap? Are they sick?"
"Even if we find it difficult to understand, there's no denying that Black Market Dreams have their own established audience."
"People who are used to ordinary daily life and want to find some excitement, or people with unusual fetishes—those are the kinds of people who like these subjects."
"In short, Black Market Dreams are quite popular among those people. They're also a steady source of income for various criminal organizations, and some have even established famous brands of their own."
"Black Market Dreams aren't circulated on the open market. They can only be experienced privately or in secluded locations run by gangs."
At that moment, Jack spotted a blind spot.
"Wait. You said the client's son on this job was murdered and then made into a Black Market Dream. So are we here to find that Black Market Dream?"
Su Xiao nodded, then shook his head.
"Yes and no."
"What we need isn't an edited Black Market Dream, but the original footage, with not a single cut and the entire process preserved."
"Only the original footage can contain clues about the bastard who killed the child."
Lucy asked doubtfully, "The original footage? Doesn't that usually never make it onto the market?"
"That's true, but I know a dealer who sells Black Market Dreams here on Winding Street. We can start with him."
Deep in Winding Street.
A Corp Dog furtively slipped into a hidden space beneath a bridge.
Under the bridge, he found a dealer wearing a trench coat and sunglasses.
"Hey, got any fresh stuff that hasn't been used yet?"
"I only sell special varieties here, buddy. What flavor are you looking for?"
"Something that'll make my knees go weak and my nerves explode."
"Then you've come to the right place, brother. Bare-knuckle boxing, intense gunfights, torture in a dark room, dismemberment..."
"No, I mean that kind of thing... You know."
"You mean sexual fetishes?"
"No, you definitely know what I mean."
"No, I don't. If I could read minds, would I still need to do this?"
"I really want to know... what killing... feels like."
The dealer glanced at the uneasy Corp Dog in front of him.
So that's what he came here for?
Ordinary gunfight braindances weren't exciting enough for him anymore. He wanted to experience the real thing?
"You should've said so sooner. I thought you meant something else. I've got a classic recording from the last corporate war. If you don't like war movies, I've also got armed robberies..."
The Corp Dog chose a category.
The dealer took a disposable little pouch resembling a small umbrella from inside his trench coat.
The Black Market Dream chip was inside.
The two reached an agreement. The Corp Dog paid, then left.
The dealer crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
That was another easy payday.
Money came faster than selling himself.
At this rate, he would soon be able to own a house of his own in Charter Hill.
Just as the dealer was indulging in his dream of crossing the class divide, approaching footsteps disrupted his thoughts.
He looked up, then froze.
This time, the people approaching weren't alone. There were four of them.
So many people were here to buy braindances?
He instinctively sensed that something was wrong.
But he couldn't figure out who would come looking for trouble with him.
The gang that managed this area was the Tiger Claws Gang, and he had paid his protection fees.
Suppressing the urge to flee that kept surging in his heart, he forced a smile.
"How can I help you?"
V and Jack silently moved to the dealer's left and right, blocking his escape routes.
Su Xiao stood in front of him.
He wore a friendly smile.
"I'm looking for a braindance, the adult-rated kind."
Seeing the way the four were positioned, the dealer couldn't help panicking. "Y-you're cops?"
Although Night City was a city of sin, it wasn't truly a lawless place where no one cared what you did.
If the people surrounding him really were NCPD, they had the authority to send him away for questioning.
"No. We're customers. What, someone's giving you money and you don't want it?"
The dealer collected himself.
He looked at Su Xiao suspiciously.
If they really were NCPD, there would be no need to waste words with him.
His trench coat was packed with Black Market Dreams.
If they arrested him and searched him, they would have all the evidence they needed.
The dealer gradually calmed down and returned to his merchant persona.
"What do you want?"
"I heard there's a Black Market Dream on the market recently about a child being murdered. Do you have it?"
The dealer's eyelid twitched, and he hurriedly denied it.
"No, I don't. Sorry, try somewhere else."
"Oh? In that case, forget it."
Su Xiao turned around and prepared to leave.
Then, as fast as lightning, he suddenly lunged forward and slammed the dealer against the wall.
The Power Gauntlet pressed against the dealer's neck. Su Xiao had barely even exerted any force.
Yet the dealer was already being crushed until he could hardly breathe.
His face gradually turned purple.
Only when he felt that he could no longer breathe did Su Xiao release him.
The dealer fell to his knees.
He rubbed his neck.
He gasped for breath.
Su Xiao crouched in front of him. "Do you have it now?"
"Cough, cough cough... Yes, yes... I remember now. The one about a child being murdered, right..."
When the dealer looked at the group, especially Su Xiao, his eyes were filled with obvious fear and panic.
"Y-you're here because of that child?"
"You don't need to know that much. You do what I tell you to do."
"First, hand me the Black Market Dream chip."
The dealer didn't dare refuse to cooperate.
He had chosen to sell his goods under this bridge precisely because it was secluded and had few people around.
Besides, it wasn't as if no one had seen him.
Even if there were.
Before you continue