Nobody Knows the NCPD Better Than I Do

The bullet struck the shoe dead on, tearing it open.

The glitter inside spilled out, scattering over the truck's cargo compartment.

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

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

He called out to Jack and V.

"All right, we can head back."

"Huh?" Jack looked utterly bewildered.

That was it?

They were done already?

They hadn't emptied a few magazines or killed anyone, and the job was already finished?

Disbelief was written all over his face.

V, meanwhile, seemed to have figured something out and looked thoughtful.

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

He checked himself all over. Every part of him was still there, and he hadn't gained any wounds gushing blood.

He let out a huge sigh of relief.

He sat in the cab, patiently waiting for the inspection.

Pick up cargo from the All Foods Factory, then sell it out in the Badlands.

He had made this run more times than he could count.

He knew the procedure inside out.

There wouldn't be any problems.

"Beep, beep, beep! Beep, beep, beep!"

Just then, the alarm suddenly began shrieking like mad.

The border guards raised their guns and aimed at the truck as though facing a major threat.

"Get out of the vehicle!"

"Behave yourself! No funny business!"

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

The driver had no idea what was happening. Still bewildered, he was roughly dragged out of the cab and pinned to the ground.

"Search it thoroughly!"

The border guards opened the cargo compartment and began an exhaustive search.

But after searching the entire compartment, all they found was food shipped out from the All Foods Factory.

Everything looked normal.

A veteran guard seemed to think of something.

He drew a knife and slashed open one of the truck's tires.

Sure enough, he found package after package of glitter hidden inside.

Pinned to the ground, the driver turned ashen.

He was toast.

The job was ruined.

Even if he stayed out of prison, the Vortex Gang wouldn't let him off.

The border guards, however, couldn't have cared less what the driver was thinking.

This was a major bust.

One subordinate excitedly went to call the company and report it, but the checkpoint chief stopped him.

"Wait. Don't report it yet."

"Boss?"

The subordinate looked at him uncertainly.

The chief had other plans.

The truck bore the All Foods Factory's logo.

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

The Vortex Gang had many branches, and Brick was just one of its leaders.

If they reported this up the chain, the company would, at most, offer some praise and a commendation.

And what damn good would that do?

So the chief had a better idea than reporting it.

What if he used this as leverage to make Brick share a little of his profits?

Wouldn't that be nice?

"Go keep an eye on the man, and make sure the goods are secure too. Once this is settled, I guarantee you'll get your cut."

The subordinate nodded.

Although he wasn't entirely sure what was going on, the chief's promise sent him out with excitement all over his face.

The chief stayed where he was, mentally rehearsing what he would say to handle Brick several times until he considered it perfect.

Just as he was about to call Brick, an incoming call arrived.

It was Mayor Ryan.

The chief's expression changed, and a sudden sense of foreboding gripped him.

As it turned out, he was right.

Mayor Ryan's very first words were:

"I hear the Vortex Gang at the All Foods Factory has been using trucks to smuggle glitter. Is that true?"

The chief's mouth went bitter.

Only then did he realize that the mayor had an informant among the border guards.

The mayor's informant must have tipped him off.

With that being the case, he couldn't deny it.

Night City had no military.

Only the NCPD and the Riot Control Unit remained under City Hall's jurisdiction.

Everything else had already been outsourced to corporations.

The border checkpoints, for instance, were staffed entirely by Militech personnel.

Naturally, the chief was a Militech man too.

The company had appointed him directly. City Hall didn't pay his wages, so of course he wasn't afraid of Mayor Ryan.

But if the mayor brought this to Militech's attention, his earlier plan to squeeze money out of Brick would fall through.

That would sting.

"You've done excellent work on this. Thank you for your efforts. But you don't need to concern yourselves with what comes next. I'll have the NCPD handle it. You can all take a well-earned rest."

Chapter 22: Nobody Knows the NCPD Better Than I Do

The chief nearly coughed up blood.

This was exactly what he had hoped to avoid.

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

He hadn't expected Mayor Ryan to show up instead.

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

If he did nothing, not only would his carefully laid plan fall apart, but someone else would steal the credit too.

Suddenly, an idea struck him.

"Wait, Mayor Ryan. I think there might still be room for another approach."

"Hmm? Let's hear it."

"The All Foods Factory has always supplied food to Night City's lower classes. They already make good profits, so there's no need for them to take such a risk. My guess is that a few shady people under Brick were doing this behind his back."

"And?"

"I don't think we need to send anyone in on a raid. We could invite Brick out and talk things over. Since his subordinates are the ones responsible, let him clean house himself. Of course, he'd also have to pay a fine, to serve as a warning."

Although the chief's words sounded very much like a plea for leniency, a moment's thought would make it clear that a border checkpoint chief had no reason to plead on a gang leader's behalf.

In truth, this was a tactful reminder to the mayor.

Coming down too hard would only leave them with nothing.

They would be better off extracting some benefits from Brick.

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

Never mind getting any meat; he would be lucky to gnaw on a bone.

But even that was better than getting nothing.

You get the meat, I gnaw on the bones, and that old bastard Brick gets the broth.

Everybody wins. That's what really matters.

Mayor Ryan's voice drifted leisurely through the call.

"I understand what you mean."

Excitement stirred in the chief's heart. "Then, Mr. Mayor, you..."

"But I refuse! As mayor of Night City, I stand in absolute opposition to crime. How could I possibly collude with criminals?"

Mayor Ryan spoke with impassioned righteousness, as though his noble spirit were about to erupt straight out of his asshole.

"In light of your seizure of such a large shipment of glitter and the important information you've provided, I'll pretend I didn't hear what you just said. But don't make me remind you again."

With that, Mayor Ryan ended the call.

Absolute opposition to crime?

The chief's mouth twitched, and a mocking expression crossed his face.

He had clawed his way up to checkpoint chief through the bloody power struggles within Militech.

How could he not know what Mayor Ryan was thinking?

Although Night City was an independent city belonging to no nation, it was not, after all, a dictatorship.

Ryan had occupied the mayor's office for quite some time.

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

In fact, he had already lost much of the public's support during the previous election and should have been ousted long ago.

New America had "helped" him.

Night City's last election had taken place during the Unification War.