Starting From Night City

Su Xiao raised the Power Gauntlet.

Bullets bounced off the Power Gauntlet.

He fired another shot.

Finishing off the Vortex Gang member who dared to fight back.

Blood sprayed from his face, splattering his companion next to him.

The last Vortex Gang member did something incredibly foolish, and also the most taboo thing in combat.

He turned and fled, exposing his back to the enemy.

He scrambled out of the narrow alley on all fours.

Before he could even show a relieved expression.

Suddenly.

A blade pierced through him.

He froze.

Slowly looked down.

He tried to do something.

But his body had no strength left.

Su Xiao pulled the Katana out of his body.

He collapsed like a puddle of mud.

Without the strength to even move a finger.

In his gradually fading eyes, the reflection was Su Xiao's elegant back as he sheathed his blood-soaked katana.

Su Xiao returned to the previous factory area.

The few remaining Vortex Gang members had already been dealt with by V, Jack, and Lucy.

"I've checked the surveillance cameras in the factory. Those two Black Market Dream editors are inside, and they don't know what's happening outside yet."

"Let's go, we'll give them a surprise."

Gottfried's Black Market Dream editing studio was located in the deepest part of the factory.

It seemed like editing Black Market Dreams was indeed profitable.

Besides hiring Vortex Gang members as bodyguards.

Two Sentry Turrets were also installed on the path leading to the studio.

Entering the studio, Gottfried and his son, Frederick, were still engrossed in editing Black Market Dreams.

They were completely unaware that four outsiders had entered their studio.

Jack stepped forward, intending to wake the father and son.

Su Xiao suddenly reached out and stopped him.

He walked between the father and son and approached the display cabinet against the back wall.

The display cabinet was filled with Black Market Dreams edited by the father and son.

He casually scanned the labels.

Including, but not limited to, animals and humans, piercing compulsions, excessive suicide stimulation, bondage death, and so on.

As Su Xiao browsed the Black Market Dream labels on the display cabinet.

The father and son, immersed in the world of Black Market Dreams, suddenly started conversing.

"Stop, stop right here."

"But he hasn't..."

"What are you thinking? Doesn't it feel like stabbing a pillow?"

"Okay, rewind one frame, enhance the pain feedback and the taste of rust..."

"Little Freddy, you're truly talented!"

"Cut the part with the sweat smell."

"No, we have to keep it. Some people are into that... Let's make two versions, one with sweat, one without, hehe."

"Brilliant, Dad."

Su Xiao nodded towards Lucy.

Red light flashed in Lucy's eyes.

In Gottfried and Frederick's Dreamworld, a large line of text was written in scarlet font--

"Time to get up, gentlemen, the sun's shining on your butts!"

The father and son were jolted awake from their Black Market Dream edit.

They saw four strangers standing in the room.

Frederick, terrified, yelled for security.

The older Gottfried, however, was much calmer.

"Stop yelling, little Fred. If security were still around, they wouldn't be here. What do you want?"

"You guys run a father-son shop?"

Su Xiao had seen businesses passed down from father to son before.

But it depended on the situation.

Dragging his son into editing Black Market Dreams was akin to bringing your son into the drug trade.

It wasn't unheard of.

But no decent parent would do such a thing.

Gottfried retorted, "If someone wants to buy, we make it and sell it. It's just business. If we don't do it, someone else will."

Anyone with a shred of decency couldn't stomach Black Market Dreams.

And Jack, who believed in God, was furious.

"Not everything can be considered business! It's bad enough others record this stuff, but you help edit it? What's the difference between you and an accomplice?"

Gottfried didn't dare argue and could only concede verbally, "You... you're right. You're right."

The pressure from Su Xiao and the other three was immense.

Frederick, struggling to breathe, instinctively tried to ease the tension, "Do you have any special requests? Or are you looking for some legitimate, high-quality merchandise?"

Gottfried quickly told his son to shut up, "Freddy!"

Seeing their trembling state, Su Xiao decided not to waste any more time.

"A pastor's son, a murdered Black Market Dream, ring any bells?"

"Which pastor? We just received a batch of material from some young boys, but they didn't say who their dads were... Can you remind me?"

"Bryce Stone, a traveling pastor from News 54, his son is Bobby Stone, twelve years old when he died."

"How old did you say that child was? And... his appearance, and how he was killed?"

"You bastard--!!"

Su Xiao stopped the enraged Jack.

He didn't want Jack to beat Gottfried half to death in his fury.

"Dad, I know which one he's talking about, BD_9430."

V didn't say another word and walked past them.

On the display cabinet, he found the chip Frederick had mentioned.

"This is it. Here, take it and leave quickly. We... we absolutely won't tell anyone you were here, we swear!"

V returned to Su Xiao's side.

A faint smile appeared on Su Xiao's face.

"Who said we were leaving?"

Gottfried wanted to step forward and shield his son.

But he feared his actions would provoke Su Xiao and the others, so he didn't dare move.

He could only ask with a mix of confusion and unease, "You got what you wanted, what else do you want?"

Su Xiao took the original chip from V and dangled it in front of the father and son. "Who killed the pastor's son? And who gave you this original footage?"

Gottfried replied almost immediately, "We only care if the footage has flaws. We don't concern ourselves with who filmed it."

"You're not going to tell the truth, are you?"

Su Xiao moved away from Jack, no longer stopping him.

Jack lunged forward.

He tackled Gottfried to the ground.

Then, raising his fists, as big as cooking pots, he began raining blows down on the man's head.

With just three punches, he left the old man with a crooked mouth, bleeding profusely.

Frederick next to him wanted to step forward and help.

But after looking at Jack's arm, which was thicker than his thigh, he chickened out.

He only dared to beg for mercy from the side.

Chapter 52: Really? I don't believe you.

"No! Please stop! Don't hit him anymore! If you keep hitting him, my dad will die!"

"Don't you guys like editing Black Market Dreams? Don't you enjoy it? Why can't you accept it when the content from a Black Market Dream happens to you?"

Jack wasn't a complete lunatic.

Although he couldn't stand Gottfried.

He only punched him three times before stopping.

It wasn't because he was soft-hearted.

It was because he was afraid that if he beat Gottfried to death, Su Xiao wouldn't be able to question him.

Gottfried, ignoring the blood flowing into his mouth, quickly begged for mercy, "Don't, don't hit me, I'll talk, I'll tell you everything!"

Jack disdainfully pulled him up from the ground.

Gottfried took two steps back and wiped the bloodstains from his face.

"I really don't know who sent the original film... Wait, wait a minute, don't hit me again, I really... I don't know."

"Are you playing me? This thing couldn't have fallen from the sky."

"Please believe me, the original film was found on the ground in the factory area some time ago, but we don't know who threw it in."

Su Xiao crossed his arms. "What about the surveillance cameras? You have cameras installed everywhere here, don't tell me you don't have any surveillance records."

Gottfried gave a wry smile. "We can't find anything even by checking the surveillance. The other party hacked into the surveillance system and remotely shut down all the monitors before throwing the item in. There's nothing in the surveillance footage."

Seeing that no more valuable information could be extracted from the father and son.