The Creators: From Night City

Page 392

The shantytown is as the name suggests.

In the complex north of the now-dilapidated Batti Hotel, tens of thousands of Haitians live. These refugees, who have lost their homes forever due to rising sea levels, have taken root and flourished here.

This kind of foreign community is extremely exclusive, and the experienced Detective Fury is well aware of this.

Based on his past experience as a detective, he would definitely sneak into the village, avoid firing his gun, try to develop his own informants within the community, and then unravel the mystery to achieve his goal through unconventional means.

This process is usually very long, often ending in failure, and involves frequent life-threatening situations, while the informant fee is usually paid out of pocket.

But this time is different.

Or rather, the police in [Reverse Entropy] are inherently very different from those in NCPD.

At the entrance to the shantytown, five police cars brazenly stopped on the road.

Fury got out of the car carrying the "Standard Riot Sweeper," followed by a string of team members.

In the past, when they were in the NCPD, the standard equipment for officers was usually classic small-caliber pistols such as the M-76e Omaha, M-10AF Lexington, or Uni-President, whose firepower was no match for that of criminals.

Police officers have to pay for their own firearms, but due to their limited financial resources and channels, the best firearms they can access are only automatic weapons like the Copperhead and Ajax, which is still not as good as those from well-connected gangs or fringe figures.

This puts police officers at a disadvantage on the streets.

However, the concept of "reverse entropy" doesn't cover this.

With ample funding and deep pockets, the Taiping State Police Department equipped every patrol officer with a full set of bulletproof uniforms, and their standard weapons were all the 'Enforcer' and 'Riot Suppressor' series of self-developed heavy firepower.

With the heavy equipment on his shoulder, Fury felt a surge of courage on his first call.

But when he thought about the underlying concept of "reverse entropy," his initial courage immediately doubled, turning into complete confidence.

"You damn cops, what do you think you're doing? This isn't a place for you." Several Haitians blocked Fury's path, glaring at the group of people in police uniforms.

"Bring out the person in charge here." Fury lit a cigarette and held it in his mouth.

"Hey, you guys won't listen to me calling you dead cops, huh? What, do you really want to become 'dead' cops?"

A black man with dreadlocks pouted, his face full of arrogance.

"[Anti-Entropy] If you need anything, contact him." Fury flicked his cigarette ash, successfully silencing the other party with a single sentence.

Looking at the gang henchmen, their faces contorted with frustration and their expressions shifting like a rainbow, yet still bowing their heads to inform their boss, Fury felt an immense sense of satisfaction.

What is a violent institution? This is what a violent institution should be!

What kind of life were we living before?

Before the Entropy Reversal took over Taiping State, the Voodoo Gang ruled the Haitian community there, and its leader was Maman Bridget.

After Jiang Bing slaughtered all the Voodoo Gang's elite members, including her and Placid, the Voodoo Gang declined.

The existence of [Reverse Entropy] directly suppressed them, preventing them from advancing an inch into the northern region of Taiping Prefecture. All those who dared to commit crimes faced the brutal retaliation of [Reverse Entropy].

On the other hand, the existence of [Reverse Entropy] has created a large number of jobs, causing many Haitians to leave their communities and join the [Reverse Entropy] family.

In this situation, the Haitian community's feelings about "reverse entropy" are quite complex, bordering on both love and hate.

Those who live a down-to-earth life love it; those with ulterior motives hate it.

"I am Toussaint Joseph. What brings you here in the middle of the night, [Anti-Entropy]?"

The person in charge was an elderly fellow with a thin face and slightly narrowed eyes that gleamed under the light.

"River Ward, Senior Superintendent of the Pacific State Police Department."

Fury glanced at the time and stated his purpose crisply: "46 minutes ago, at the intersection of Gaodi Street and Huangye Resort, two thugs robbed an employee of [Anti-Entropy] at gunpoint and fled into this place."

The detective pointed to the dirty, chaotic shantytown behind the other person.

"Hand over the people and the things, and nothing will happen today."

Chapter 805 Never Compromise!

The old man stared intently at the detective's equally dark face, then turned to glance at the group of police officers standing with guns beside the police car, his face ashen.

"The person you're looking for isn't here, detective. There are only Haitians with guns here, and their unwavering determination to defend their homeland."

Five minutes

River waved his hand to interrupt the other person's impassioned speech, and emphasized again, "You only have five minutes."

The blatant threat immediately created a tense atmosphere between the two, and many figures emerged from the building behind the old man.

"So what if it's been five minutes? With just a few guns and the few people you have, what are you going to do?" Toussaint Joseph said with a grim face, while the Haitians behind him pulled out all sorts of firearms.

“You’ve forgotten that I still have this skin on my body.” River adjusted his uniform, the '∞' symbol representing [Anti-Entropy] on his chest gleaming under the lights.

"Do you know that with just a thought and a text message from me, dozens of landing pods containing 'Apostles' will rain down on us in less than two minutes? They're not as easy to talk to as I am." River spoke arrogantly, feeling incredibly pleased with himself.

When he was a junior detective, others always used their power to suppress him; now, the tables have turned.

"The main reason your Haitian community can still exist in the Pacific is that you have never made a mistake, so, Toussaint Joseph, don't give [Anti-Entropy] any reason."

Despite Rivers's words, Toussaint Joseph remained hesitant.

This is because today's matter is not simply about arresting two petty thieves, but a power struggle.

If people are taken away, it means that the Haitians of Taiping Prefecture have completely submitted to the tyranny of [Reverse Entropy], and from then on, they will be subject to the other party's jurisdiction and control.

This is something that many community 'managers' who achieve upward social mobility and financial freedom by exploiting their suffering compatriots cannot tolerate.

However, if the person is not taken away, the consequences are equally obvious.

The blade of [reverse entropy] is not necessarily ineffective.

Rivers simply stared coldly at Dusan, whose expression was wavering, without saying a word. He waited until the five-minute time limit was about to expire before gently tapping his wrist to remind him, "Time's almost up."

But Dusan remained silent, his expression growing increasingly calm as time passed.

He has already made his choice.

"We will compensate you for all the stolen items, no, double the amount."

But this is not the answer River wanted, nor is it the answer that [Anti-Entropy] wanted.

"Dusan Joseph, do you know, this is my first call since I started working."

Du Sang looked at the detective with a grim expression, wanting to say a few conciliatory words to appease him and make him back down. However, as soon as his gaze fell on the detective's face, he noticed that the special micro-vision lens in the detective's left eye socket was flashing with the light of a communication device.

His heart sank!

River wasn't lying. Not to mention two minutes, not even twenty seconds had passed before light came from the chaos!

A small anti-gravity shuttle pierced the thick night. Before the shuttle even arrived, two beams of light shone directly onto the open ground.

As Rivers had previously stated, this was the first time the Pacific State Police had responded to a call, making it a significant operation where only success was possible.

Therefore, there were already troop transport ships carrying fully armed 'Apostles' hidden in the night sky, ready to be deployed at any time.

Toussaint Joseph felt a bitter taste in his mouth, but with the die already cast, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and signal everyone to raise their guns and take cover.

He can only gamble that the other party will consider the company's image among the people of Night City and will not massacre a large number of civilians.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Four boarding pods plummeted from the sky, crashing directly onto the hard ground. The next second, the pod doors opened, and fully armed 'Apostles' strode out. The moment their thick boots touched the ground, their weapons spat out deadly flames.

Various explosive bombs are naturally the main force, since the safest way to deal with highly cybernetic enemies is to blow them into pieces.

There was no negotiation, no compromise; these 'apostles' seemed to have come solely for slaughter.

After landing, they quickly formed a small wedge formation and advanced forward while firing their guns.

There was no mercy, no pity, no hesitation, no doubt.

The bomb at this moment demonstrated the attitude of [Anti-Entropy] and the will of the Black King.

Never compromise.

Death descended with each boarding pass. From the moment the first 'Apostle' crashed to the ground, the nature of today's conflict escalated from capturing a few petty thieves to directly eradicating the unstable elements within the Haitian community and completely unifying Taiping State.

In reality, one cannot tolerate another sleeping soundly beside one's bed. As River said, [Anti-Entropy] has been eyeing this place for a long time, and all it needs is a reason.

Today, we have a legitimate reason to act.

More apostles joined the battle and headed into the Haitian community. They would use the intelligence they had already gathered to eliminate all unstable elements within the community and kill any who dared to resist along the way.

A 'Voice of Dogtown' hovercar, painted with an ∞ symbol in the center of a microphone, landed immediately afterward, and several film crews from 'Taiping Daily News' jumped out of the vehicle and began recording the battle scene.

This scene looks like it was all planned in advance.

"Boss, should we retreat now?"

River's team members were somewhat at a loss. Although he was also a veteran NCPD and had participated in several street fights before being optimized, he had never seen a battle of this scale, which was like that of a regular army.

“No, don’t forget our purpose here.” River pulled his beloved 'True Detective' from his holster, trying to forget the battle situation ahead.

This is not something he needs to manage, nor is it something he can manage. He is just a policeman, and what he needs to do is to handle his case well.

As a special film crew followed him, River raised his arms and shouted, "Grab your gear and come with me to catch those two petty thieves!"

Although "shantytown" is a nickname, the name still gives a glimpse into the internal environment.

When construction in Taiping Prefecture was halted, a large number of high-rise buildings that were nearly completed were indeed left behind. The main structures of these buildings had been completed, and there was certainly no problem with people living in them.

However, most of these buildings only have a main frame and are never put into use, so decoration is out of the question.

Without doors, windows, glass, water, or electricity, the Haitians living here have to do everything themselves. The uneven skill levels make this place look like a post-apocalyptic wasteland, or as if it has just been swept by a typhoon.

Ironically, Taiping Prefecture does have owners (although most of the former investors have withdrawn their funds, a small number of people still have their investments tied up in their own hands; some have been bailouted by the Ye family, and some have been classified as bad debts by the city hall, but it is certain that they all have owners). However, after these refugees have been entrenched here for several years, they have taken it for granted as their new home and consider themselves the owners, using this as a reason to repel the city hall's eviction agents on numerous occasions.

However, no matter how much they claim to be the owners, this place cannot escape the truth that it is a refugee camp.

Dirt, disorder, and poverty permeated the entire community, including the room where the two thieves were hiding.

The wooden door was even hastily pieced together with tape, allowing the lead policeman to easily smash it open and rush inside.

"Hands up!"

"Do not move!"

Two robbers, their mouths smeared with cream, stared dumbfounded at the burly men crammed into the room. With dozens of dark gun barrels aimed at them, one of them didn't even dare to swallow the cake in his mouth, fearing that he might cause some misunderstanding and be riddled with bullets on the spot.

Looking at the manpower and firepower in front of him, which was more than enough to deal with the cyber psychopaths, the leader of the thugs raised his hands and forced an ugly smile.

"I wonder if there's some misunderstanding here?"

Chapter 806 Night City's Feast at Hongmen

I leave work at 6 PM and change out of my repair department uniform.

Ethan Williams was making meringue, while James went to buy a few bottles of beer.

After finishing their meal, the family of three set off for the Taiping State Police Station.

They were going to identify the criminals.

The police station is located in the very center of Taiping State, north of the Taiping State Jingxin Bible Church.

This is a five-story building that looks quite ordinary.

However, the sign for the police station at the entrance gave it a touch of solemnity.

The Williams family, hosted by River, met the two robbers in the interrogation room through thick one-way glass.

To be honest, it's really terrible.

The iron bars, chairs, and handcuffs gleamed coldly under the lights, contrasting sharply with the two men's swollen, battered heads, giving the impression of strict enforcement of the law.

"Don't misunderstand, we didn't do it." Facing the strange looks from the victims, Rivers explained to James with a serious expression.

“The injuries on these two men’s faces were inflicted by the other Haitians in the detention cell; it has nothing to do with us,” River said, ignoring his role in the propaganda and simplifying the matter.

James, of course, chose to believe him.

Fortunately, although the two men were bruised and battered, they were easily identified by the Williams family. Since the other party was basically caught red-handed, this procedural step, which was more significant than practical, was quickly and successfully completed.

"Officer River, what kind of punishment will they receive? Detention?" James asked indirectly, somewhat worried about being threatened by the two men.

River led the three to the evidence room and explained in response to their questions: "They committed more than just this robbery. Kidnapping, extortion, murder, rape, theft, and serious bodily harm—multiple crimes combined. You probably won't see them again in your lifetime."

When it comes to human rights, Night City's laws do not include the death penalty; no matter how serious the crime, the maximum sentence is a few hundred years in prison.

But it doesn't matter, as long as we have [reverse entropy].