Trust the system

[During the journey through the Badlands, the battle-worn vehicle developed a minor problem that needed fixing.]

[Spend a certain number of tech points to carry out repairs.]

[Note: The host must possess adequate repair skills.]

[Requirement not currently met.]

That evening, the vehicle in the Cyberpunk 2077 world broke down, and Lier stayed up through the night learning auto repair.

Fortunately, engineering knowledge was somewhat easier to grasp than scientific research. He consulted materials from both worlds and relied on V's impressive hands-on abilities-such as grabbing electrical wires with her bare hands.

Her subdermal armor provided some electrical insulation, and she could even use her cyberware to diagnose the current as it passed through her body...

She was basically a human voltage tester.

At last, the two of them fixed the vehicle-though they still hadn't figured out what was wrong with it.

Vehicle technology in the Cyberpunk 2077 world differed somewhat from modern technology. First, the fuel wasn't gasoline. Second, quality machines like the Behemoth Armored Vehicle had extensive internal circuitry for Personal Link connections.

Vehicles in the real world didn't have circuitry that complicated.

After they removed one of the two armored cargo containers at the rear, the vehicle could move again. Lier figured that maybe the junker had taken a few tumbles, causing its load to crush the power circuits.

They were back on the road, though the interior was a little more cramped.

[Cyber-Armored Vehicle Repair acquired (beginner).]

[Tech points +50]

[Tech points spent on issuing repair instructions deducted.]

[Tech points -5]

[Current tech points: 535]

[V: This is Militech's best-selling armored vehicle? What a piece of crap. Good thing we'll reach the Badlands in another day and a half. We'll have to find someone to trade us another ride.]

[You: I'm going to sleep.]

[V: Go sleep yourself to death.]

With matters settled on that side, Lier returned to the main world, where things were still a headache.

Skye was an orphan with nowhere to stay. As it happened, as her boss, Lier had room for one more person in his family's apartment.

The apartment had two bedrooms and a living room. The living room connected to the kitchen and was fairly small, but at least there was space for a couch. Turn it sideways, and someone could sleep on it.

The problem was that Skye was a girl, physically close to Lier's age-

What would his mother Maya think?

Awkward. Very awkward.

It wasn't that she looked down on Skye for being an orphan who had dropped out of school.

On the one hand, she believed Lier didn't have long to live and only wanted him to enjoy the time he had left.

On the other hand... Skye had had a hard life too, orphaned and homeless.

Lier wasn't the sort to miss that. He saw through his mother's thoughts at a glance and held his forehead. "Mom, here's the thing. I'm planning to start a little business in my spare time, to... do something for the other people in the neighborhood.

"Skye knows a bit about computers, so I asked her to help."

Honestly, with a mental age of several decades, he really wasn't that sensitive to this sort of thing-

To him, Skye really was just a little girl. Maybe in another five or six years, that would be different.

Skye had no idea what was going on. All she knew was that this gentle lady, who still retained her beauty, was a great cook.

To hell with fast food!

So she tucked into her meal without a care in the world.

The moment he brought that up, the conversation shifted. Any concern about relationships paled beside the danger to his life.

"Lier, you've grown up," Maya said worriedly. "I understand that you want to do something for your family and the neighborhood, but this... what happened today was too dangerous!"

"But even if I did nothing, they'd still rob us. Mom, they won't stop until we're driven out."

Lier spread his hands. The logic was simple.

Yes, there were plenty of simple truths in the world, such as the need to resist oppression.

You got bullied-why didn't you stand up for yourself?

You stood up for yourself, and your money got stolen-why couldn't you protect your money?

You protected your money and got beaten by the robber-why didn't you just give him the money and keep yourself safe?

Round and round it went. If you surrendered what was yours at every step, it seemed that eventually you'd have nothing left but your life.

Maya knew that too.

"Mom, I know you're worried about me," Lier continued, "but I'm eighteen now."

In Latveria, an eighteen-year-old man who didn't want to be a serf under a feudal lord became a rebel.

So Maya really did understand him.

Just then, Skye suddenly spoke up between bites. "Boss, are you already an adult? If not, should we throw you a party?"

Lier glanced at the bottomless pit. "I turned eighteen three days ago. I'd just gotten out of the hospital."

"Uh... okay." Skye kept eating without giving much thought to what getting out of the hospital meant.

"All right..." Maya said. "I just want you to keep yourself safe, understand?"

"I understand. Get some rest, Mom. You need to look after yourself too. Oh, and remember to take your phone when you go out."

Lier had modified Maya's phone so that he could even switch it on remotely when it was powered off, ensuring she wouldn't be unreachable.

Under the current circumstances, Lier didn't think their opponents would resort to coercion like kidnapping, but it was better to be cautious.

Just then, a message from Matt appeared on Lier's Cyber-Eye:

"The car's downstairs. Let's head to the NYPD together."

The state of Hell's Kitchen had a great deal to do with the local precinct chief's inaction.

The precinct chief was actually appointed by the mayor. Although the mayor could appoint him directly, he still had to consider whether the city council would object.

And the council member representing Hell's Kitchen had gotten into office with Kingpin's backing.

Financial support, private intimidation, and other methods both legal and illegal-getting involved in politics counted as a smart move for a mobster.

At the current level of corruption, Kingpin couldn't quite control the precinct chief yet, but getting the city council to install a harmless incompetent was no problem.

And now, sitting in front of Lier was Precinct Chief Milton Robinson.

"Tell me, why did you get into a fight?"

Milton set his cap on the desk and settled his bulky belly into the chair, which creaked beneath him.

Matt slapped the hard drive straight onto the desk.

"This was a home invasion and robbery. The suspects may have been carrying illegal firearms. We acted in self-defense. This was not some mutual brawl."

Milton froze. What a pain. Now I've got to work overtime, and it involves gangs, too.

One look at his expression told Lier that expecting him to submit the evidence to the prosecutors was probably too much to ask.

New York wasn't Gotham, after all-at least not the New York of this period. Maybe one or two low-ranking officers had ties to Kingpin.

But the precinct chief wasn't at that point. He simply didn't want the hassle.

And he was a coward. His family didn't live in Hell's Kitchen; he was just afraid gangs really might be involved.

"All right, I'll review it. What a nuisance..."

Lier frowned deeply. This was the worst-case scenario: a cop who wouldn't do his job. He wasn't even willing to call in a subordinate to deliver the evidence to the prosecutors.

With no one curbing Kingpin's covert expansion, his influence would grow day by day, bringing even more corruption.

That kind of corruption was a virus. When people neglected their duties, it would eventually seep into the very marrow of the system-which was why dereliction of duty was a criminal offense.

Just then, Lier spotted a middle-aged man with graying temples walking briskly across the street. Amazing. There were still cops these days who voluntarily worked overtime in the middle of the night.

His Kiroshi Cyber-Eye easily picked out the officer's name badge-

George Stacy.

The commissioner of the New York City Police Department!

No matter the universe, George Stacy was a police chief so upright he bordered on rigid!

"Chief Stacy!" Lier immediately raised his hand and called out to stop him.

George paused and looked toward Lier and Milton. The latter immediately stood, though he was a little unsteady on his feet.

"Chief Stacy, I'm handling a mutual brawl that took place in Hell's Kitchen..."

"It was a home invasion and robbery! They were carrying illegal firearms, too, and nearly killed someone!"

A voice entirely at odds with Lier's dying body burst out of him. He was trying to sound more agitated.

"Precinct Chief Robinson, that apartment building houses eight families-over twenty people, including women and children!

"They picked a time when the men weren't home, smashed through the doors in broad daylight, and fired a gun to threaten everyone!

"This happens in Hell's Kitchen every day! The evidence is right here! This wasn't some gang brawl!"

On the contrary, the gangs in Hell's Kitchen had been getting along beautifully lately. They were all united around the contracts Kingpin had secured, making a fortune.

George frowned as he listened-

Honestly, public safety in Hell's Kitchen had always been a difficult problem.

But evidence was often lacking, and most fights turned out to be gang brawls. How was he supposed to police that?

If civilians were being threatened, however, he needed to take a look-

In short, George Stacy was a consummate professional, a member of society's elite with a strong sense of justice.

That meant his sense of justice was also the particular kind found among the elite.

If Robinson reported that the fights and public-order incidents were all gang-related, he would believe Robinson and punish both sides equally.

It didn't matter how many of those dregs of society died. Ideally, they'd all beat each other to death.

Yes, he disliked Robinson's laziness, but he still recognized him as a colleague and trusted him as much as possible.

By contrast, if someone grabbed his leg in the street and tearfully complained that Hell's Kitchen was hell on earth, and that criminals had broken both his legs yesterday...

He might suspect the man had gotten his legs broken while taking part in a brawl himself. Damn gang members.

He trusted the system more than public opinion. That was Chief Stacy.

But evidence was part of the system too.

George picked up the hard drive and asked with mild interest, "You know me?"

"I've seen you on TV. Uh... maybe somewhere else too?"

George gave Lier a searching look. "I heard all the public security cameras in Hell's Kitchen were broken..."

"Of course this wasn't recorded by a public camera," Lier answered immediately. "It's footage from a private camera. We don't have the ability to retrieve footage from public cameras, after all.

"But... I think the public cameras probably caught some footage too."

That's unusual. Though that was what George thought, he knew what he needed to do.

If things really were as this kid described, Chief Robinson might be guilty of dereliction of duty.

"Chief Robinson, I'm very interested in this case. You two, I need witnesses. I assume you wouldn't mind serving as witnesses?"

Matt was quite surprised. Lier patted him on the shoulder and said:

"Of course not."