The Creators: From Night City

Page 267

In any case, since the 1960s and 70s, in order to alleviate the pressure on public prisons, the US government has opened up some prison management rights to the market. Although Night City is an independent city, most of its systems still follow the American system, so private prisons are not uncommon.

'GEO'? Private prisons are among the most luxurious places in the world.

This high-class prison, with its excellent service and exorbitant fees, is a quality choice that only truly important figures can afford.

The prisoners here are mostly high-ranking political prisoners, corrupt officials, financial fraudsters with large sums of money in their hands, or heads of various gangs and powerful groups who come here to escape trouble.

“All you need to do is send the NCPD executives to prison, send them here, and leave the rest to me.” The blue-eyed man tapped the table, leaned back on the sofa, and smiled.

"And the compensation?"

"Your security company will take over the policing of Night City."

"So generous?" Jiang Bing was quite surprised by the offer from Mr. Blue Eyes.

"Your workers' mutual aid association has done a good job at Coronado Farm during this time, and I think it can do even better."

Mr. Blue Eyes spoke eloquently: "Those people at City Hall are willing to give up maintaining order and stability in Watson District and Coronado Farm District just to make their finances look better. All they care about is money. We are different. We care about order and making Night City a better place."

"Do you know what the price is for becoming better?" Jiang Bing chuckled and shook his head.

"This came at the cost of tens of millions of euros in monthly expenditures."

【Reverse Entropy】The security company located on the Coronado farm has hired over a thousand former NCPD employees who were laid off. Their current monthly salaries are far higher than when they were in the NCPD. All of their salaries combined amount to tens of millions of euros per month, while the visible benefits they bring are almost negligible.

Of course, [Reverse Entropy] did this mainly to pursue stability in the Coronado Farm and the hidden benefits of having more say on the streets, but it doesn't mean that Jiang Bing was willing to do something at a loss.

Or he can't make Mr. Blue Eyes think he's willing to do a losing business.

"The contract fee will cover your costs; I can guarantee that." The blue-eyed man, backed by the Ye Group, was no ordinary person; his wealth and influence were not just empty words.

“But we have to wait until Jefferson Perales sits on the mayor’s seat, right?” Jiang Bing asked rhetorically.

"This does not affect your initial investment; after all, no business can operate without taking risks."

Mr. Blue Eyes placed a data chip on the table and handed it to Jiang Bing across from him, saying, "Right now, there is a very good opportunity to enter the Watson District, and I believe you will not refuse."

"In exchange, remember our deal."

The blue-eyed man pointed to a brochure advertising 'GEO' private prison with his right finger, then got up and left.

………………

Good people are the cancer of a sinful world; they must either be removed or perish along with the evil. There is no other choice.

River was cleaning his gun, his old friend.

This is a modified revolver based on the Prelude. It's a beautiful little guy with an engraved barrel, a gold-plated matte grip, and of course, reliable power.

He called it 'True Detective' to remind himself to keep pursuing the truth.

He carefully wiped it clean, placed it within easy reach, and started the car.

Just a few blocks after the car drove out, as it passed the alleyway he frequented, he spotted a Villeroy & Bochum V5000 Courage parked on the side of the road.

He stopped the car, placed his hand on his old companion, hesitated for a moment, and finally grasped it in his hand before getting out of the car.

The high-hanging streetlights were very bright, making Rivers squint.

The same image also showed an Asian face leaning against the car, smoking.

That was his partner, Han.

At this moment, the other party's 'coincidental' appearance here has basically confirmed what River was thinking.

"You've always known there was more to Jamie's death than met the eye, haven't you, Han?"

Han's aged face flickered in and out of the smoke, his not-so-robust body seemingly completely obscured by the smoke.

“People forget many things in their lives, River. Why don’t you try to forget this, turn around and go home to get a good night’s sleep? When the sun rises tomorrow, it will be a new day for you, for me, and for everyone.”

"Were you involved in this?" River had already raised his sidearm, practically pressing the muzzle against his partner's forehead.

Chapter 518 River and Han

Han remained calm and composed, because he understood his partner and knew that the other party would not do such a thing.

“Don’t investigate this matter any further, River. I’m advising you as your friend.”

“Tell me! Did you?!” River grabbed his partner’s collar and roared like a wounded beast.

Han straightened his face and looked at his partner. He knew him, just as he knew every one of his partners.

He had many partners, but they either resigned voluntarily, died from stray bullets, or disappeared without explanation. Only he survived to this day, holding a position that was neither high nor low, and earning a moderate income.

This wasn't because he lacked ability, but because his family, his wife and children, needed him to hold this high position and to provide him with a substantial monthly income to maintain their ordinary life in Night City. His conscience, however, prevented him from climbing any higher.

Above was darkness. Han gazed at the night sky behind the streetlights, thinking to himself, 'Above is an ever-deepening darkness.'

He vaguely remembered seeing Rivers' face somewhere before; it was familiar, yet blurry. Perhaps it was because he was getting old and his memory was declining.

So he fell silent, keeping quiet, trying to recall where he had seen that familiar face before.

His silence also plunged River into the stillness of the night.

"I will find out the answer, Han." Rivers released his grip angrily, turned around, got back into the car, and drove away.

The car's headlights stung Han's eyes, forcing him to squint. In that instant, he remembered that face—himself from over twenty years ago.

Unfortunately, his face disappeared rapidly as the car headlights moved away, and the endless night enveloped and entangled him once again.

Seeking the truth is a thankless and arduous task, because too many people in this world have preconceived notions when they seek the truth. They are not looking for the real truth, but rather the answers they want.

River arrived at Jamie's place.

Jamie is a strange person. He doesn't have many friends, but he has no family. He's not a good person, but he's not a bad one either. He doesn't have any ideals, but he has a conscience and bottom line that most people in Night City don't have.

This is commendable.

He doesn't own much in this world, and his conscience and bottom line can't allow him to live in a big villa, so his home is located in a small corner on the 34th floor of the super skyscraper H10.

Located on the southern edge of the Watson District, sharing a street with the Geisha District, the H10 skyscraper has always been a high-frequency area of ​​friction between the Vortex Gang and the Tiger Claw Gang.

But today's situation was strange. River walked through the nearly empty passageway, turned the corner at the atrium, and even got into the stained elevator, but he didn't see a single member of the Tiger Claw Gang or the Vortex Gang in the building.

It's not surprising that the Vortex Gang has disappeared. They were repeatedly defeated by the Anti-Entropy, which migrated from Coronado Farm, and it's said that they've even lost their most important port and the Dance of Death Club.

But this is not the reason for the Tiger Claw Gang's disappearance.

This group of greedy Japanese Americans will surely seize this opportunity to encroach on Watson District's territory, as they have been coveting it for a long time.

Filled with doubt, he stepped out of the elevator.

Each floor of the skyscraper H10 is incredibly spacious, making it a veritable city within a building. It is also the most densely populated area in the entire Night City, bar none.

After all, the small apartments here are among the most cost-effective in Night City.

Rooms in less desirable locations can be rented for just a few hundred euros, excluding utilities and the cost of using the existing furniture.

However, it is a decent place to stay.

It was only a short time after nightfall, just as the nightlife was beginning.

Even the poor living in skyscrapers need entertainment, socializing, and a night of revelry to relieve their tension. Some libertines will join parties, drugs, promiscuity, and alcohol, filling their boring nightlife.

Or you could say that the people who live here only have these things, and can only get these things in Night City.

In the semi-open corridor, residents chatted in small groups, all of them seeming normal, but River had a strange feeling that they were all observing him.

He gripped the 'True Detective' in his pocket even tighter.

He had been to Jamie's place many times and even had access to his room. So, as he stood in front of Jamie's apartment, he couldn't help but recall the moments he had shared with his first partner.

The door opened automatically, revealing a pitch-black interior. Fury stepped forward, wondering if the electricity bill was overdue.

However, the dim light from outside the window shone through the metal security grille, allowing him to vaguely see what appeared to be a person sitting on the sofa.

"Who?" he shouted, raising his gun.

'Snapped'

The lights suddenly came on.

Jiang Bing sat on the sofa, calmly watching the detective.

"who are you?"

“A seeker of truth,” Jiang Bing replied, flipping through a pile of old science fiction movie merchandise on the table in front of him.

"You're playing tricks. Did you kill Jamie?"

“River, I suggest you put your gun down.” A cold female voice came from behind the detective. He turned around abruptly and saw Valerie and the other two, whom he had just parted ways with.

What are you doing here?

“Just like you, investigating the truth.” Valerie shrugged and casually introduced the detective.

"This is Mr. Sabur, the leader of our [Anti-Entropy] group."

"【Anti-Entropy】!" River was very surprised. He had heard of this suddenly rising criminal force for a long time.

Out of consideration for Valerie and the other two, the detective lowered his gun: "Are you here to investigate Jamie's death as well?"

“Not entirely,” Jiang Bing began. “We’re here to find something, something he’s hidden away.”

“What is it?” River asked.

“A record, a video, or rather, a list,” Jiang Bing casually listed.

He reasonably suspected that Mr. Blue Eyes was constantly monitoring the entire city, and that he must have a deep understanding of big data analysis. Otherwise, how could he be so sure that a certain member of the Tiger Claw gang in Watson District would be connected to some of the NCPD's top officials?

Aside from big data-driven fortune telling, Jiang Bing couldn't think of any other possibility.

"Did this thing kill him?"

“That’s right, and I almost killed you,” Jiang Bing said with a smile.

River was completely bewildered by the other person's cryptic words.

Jiang Bing patted his butt and stood up from the sofa. "I have to say, your friend is really good at hiding things. This apartment has probably been searched several times, but the item still hasn't been found."

"Should I thank you for the compliment on Jamie's behalf?" River retorted with a hint of sarcasm.

Chapter 519 The Scented Secret

“No need for that, but that’s why you were able to walk all the way to this house.” Jiang Bing paused his cane and walked to the detective’s side.

"It's your time to perform, Detective. Quickly activate the tacit understanding between the two of you, find that important data, you get the truth, I get what's inside, we each get what we need, and we achieve mutual success."

"Excuse my bluntness, but you didn't really help me much, so how can it be considered mutual benefit?" River continued to speak sarcastically to Jiang Bing, mainly to test the other party's true intentions.

“River, you can look out into the hallway,” Valerie suddenly said.

The detective frowned, the strange feeling he had when he arrived returning to his mind.

He looked up into the corridor outside the door, only to find that the tenants who had been chatting and laughing earlier were now silent, occupying the entire corridor in twos and threes, and looking at him with indifferent eyes.

“Those outside are all your people,” River was shocked.

“Before you arrived, we took care of all the Tiger Claw gang members lying in ambush in this skyscraper, as well as the few ‘assassins’ waiting for you in this apartment.”

Valerie gestured toward the bathroom, and Jack, with keen insight, opened the tinted glass door, revealing several peacefully sleeping corpses piled inside.

"So River, if we wanted you dead, we would have done it long ago."

"How can you be so sure Jamie hid something in this apartment?" River asked again.

"Of course someone told us."

Valerie's prosthetic eye lit up, and a video popped up in front of Fury.

The video shows a woman with a bruised and swollen face, tearfully recounting her recent drug trafficking misdeeds and, in a tearful outburst, revealing the identity of her superiors.

"Her name is Michiko Ogata, a low-level henchman in the Tiger Claw Gang."

Valerie then sent several more communications to Fury.

The sender was a Japanese man named Inukai Yoshitoshi, and the recipient was an encrypted account named 'Samurai'.

Listen, warrior.

Just now, during the transaction at warehouse number three in the port area, a mad dog from the NCPD barked wildly with a body camera, almost ruining the transaction and also filming the scene.

Right now, that damned video recording is lying in some cop's brain, telling those guys in suits above you to get moving—that whatever they filmed should rot in the trash like his corpse. If it gets leaked, you know what will happen.