The Creators: From Night City

Page 418

Their escape was not smooth.

Even though their bodies, which appear normal, are infused with the most advanced cybernetic technology of 'Soviet Petrochemical' and even the Russian Federation, the enemy's firepower is just as fierce as their numbers.

In particular, those burly men wearing special powered armor took violence to the extreme.

Maxim is a veteran who has been on the battlefield. He has witnessed missile bombardments, white phosphorus bombs burning everything, and even large groups of mechanized legions repeatedly churning their own flesh and blood in a 'mud pit' of tens of square kilometers. He has seen all kinds of cruel weapons that would never appear in mainstream society, but he has never seen anyone use a heavy high-explosive grenade as a submachine gun.

Violence, it was just too violent.

Compared to them, Caucasus Heavy Industries' philosophy of being big, bulky, and durable is simply not worth mentioning.

Fortunately, the other side intended to leave him alive, and in just a few rounds of combat, Maxim only lost his forearm and his weapon.

The two were like rats whose nest had been filled with boiling water, running around in a panic, but they could only temporarily slow down the approach of death.

Surrounded by special forces personnel, the two were gradually driven to the designated blockade point.

The rooftop, filled with air conditioning units, emitted an incessant buzzing noise. Two agents arrived there with their last hope, only to find, to their despair, that a team was already waiting for them.

Vincent's expression was cold and stern, his eyes lowered, and the mantis knife that had sprung from his arm indicated that he had no intention of talking to the other party.

Behind him, a team of elite special forces, armed with guns, were already poised to strike.

Boss Jiang stood behind the crowd, leaning on his cane, personally watching the final outcome of this encirclement and pursuit.

Maxim and Svetlana exchanged a glance, knowing that this was their final, life-or-death moment.

The Sinweistan is activated, and in a world that has slowed down, two top agents flank Vincent from the left and right.

Their goal was simple: avoid prolonged combat, make contact and leave immediately, launch a surprise attack on the leader behind the enemy, and seize a sliver of hope.

But as soon as the two took two steps, a burst of bright golden sparks suddenly erupted from the electronic tendons in their legs, which then spread throughout their bodies with lightning speed.

The two agents felt a sudden numbness throughout their bodies as their prosthetic bodies were silently locked in place.

"Bang~"

The two heavy cyborgs, thrown out from their high-speed dash, slid headfirst to Vincent's face, a sight that made him twitch at the corner of his mouth.

This is rough concrete; even a bulletproof face can't withstand such continuous scraping. After all, an artificial face is still a face, not some kind of brake pad.

"Take him away!"

Boss Jiang, who casually locked the two men's cybernetic bodies, showed no emotional fluctuation whatsoever. It was perhaps too much respect for the enemy that he had to personally deal with the two agents.

Even interrogation was waived. Since mastering the dream of 'Ya Nan', Boss Jiang's understanding of the human spirit and soul has skyrocketed.

Once the two are in a 'sweet' sleep, the fragile soul of a mortal is essentially defenseless against him, able to take whatever he wants.

…………

Cleaners were once a persistent problem in Night City.

Even after Anti-Entropy took control of Night City, they were not all wiped out.

Although most of the scavengers who lived in Dogtown were wiped out by Anti-Entropy, the remaining forces eventually escaped Dogtown and disappeared into the dust.

In other areas, such as Haywood, Westbrook, and even the affluent North Oaks, the presence of street sweepers has not disappeared.

Without buying, there would be no killing.

Compared to the guns and cannons of "reverse entropy," the high rate of return has spawned batches of social "food waste," like swarms of cockroaches that seem impossible to eradicate.

However, the massive infrastructure spending by [Anti-Entropy] during this period has ultimately played a very positive role.

The cleanup of Dogtown, which resembled ruins, and the restart of the construction of Taiping Prefecture provided Night City with a large number of jobs, absorbing most of Night City's unemployed population. In addition, various [Anti-Entropy] manufacturing factories sprang up like mushrooms after rain in the northern industrial zone, making the employment environment in Night City excellent.

It's safe to say that as long as you have some strength, you'll never go hungry in Night City these days.

Who were the street cleaners in the past?

Thugs, the unemployed, the jobless, the bankrupt, the homeless, and even those who have fallen into depravity due to a lack of business.

But aside from those born with bad genes, most people definitely don't like this immoral job at first, and given other options, everyone will make a rational choice.

This creates an awkward situation.

Night City's cleaners are running out of manpower, with consumption far exceeding recruitment, resulting in a situation where income is not enough to cover expenses.

Yes, in Slot Lan's eyes, the lives of the cleaners and the victims are like those organs that have been given commodity attributes—goods, business!

As the mastermind behind the entire Night City scavenger group, Slot Lan doesn't have many scavenger teams under his command. On the contrary, he ostensibly runs a high-end freight company, employs office staff with clean resumes, and frequents bright and tidy high-end office spaces. He seems to have nothing to do with scavengers who dissect human bodies and get covered in blood.

But he is indeed the nominal 'leader' of the Night City cleaners.

This is mainly because he effectively controls the upstream channels for selling stolen organs.

Controlling the channels for selling stolen goods is tantamount to having absolute power in this shady industry.

After all, distribution channels are the reason why they are king!

Chapter 853 The Truth About the Cleaners

However, even the best channels need a platform to operate.

The grand stage of Night City now clearly belongs to [Reverse Entropy].

"Hey! This is private property, you can't trespass."

The receptionist at the entrance was beautiful and had a sweet voice; hiring her cost Slot Lan quite a bit of money.

In other words, you have to sacrifice at least seven-tenths of your healthy kidneys every month.

The other party's sweet smile and excellent appearance could enhance the image of his company and also somewhat reduce the menacing aura.

Unfortunately, the storefront is mainly for show and has little practical use.

Amidst the commotion, the door to Slot Lan's office was kicked open.

The group filed in.

Slot Lan, sitting in his luxurious executive chair, turned around and saw that it was a group of police officers. He breathed a sigh of relief without making it obvious.

Fortunately, it wasn't the worst-case scenario.

He signaled to his bodyguards not to make any rash moves.

“Slot Lan, I am Agent Vincent of the Pacific State Police.”

“I have an arrest warrant for you issued by the Night City court, accusing you of espionage, organ trafficking, murder, and plotting terrorist activities.”

"Turn around, put your hands behind your back, stay calm, and don't make any sudden movements."

Vincent, dressed in a police uniform, shook the arrest warrant in his hand and continued, "I advise you not to do anything rash."

However, his tone of voice didn't sound like advice at all, but rather like encouragement.

However, Slote Lang, who prides himself on being a brain eater and an upper-class elite, naturally wouldn't fall for his tricks.

"I want to see my lawyer."

The neatly dressed capitalist wore a polite smile and looked extremely relaxed.

After all, he had taken multiple precautions to protect all the business he handled, and given his wealth, the worst that could happen was that he would just have to spend some time in Night City's prison.

He was more afraid of a neurotic cyberpsychopath or a group of outcasts rushing in than a policeman, who would just shoot him in the head without saying a word.

Slot Lan was confident that he had a good chance of winning by playing the game of high society and maneuvering within its rules.

"You will see it. Now come with me."

Vincent smiled maliciously.

The brand-new interrogation room in Taiping Prefecture finally welcomed its first guest.

This wasn't Slot Lan's first time in jail, but it was the first time he'd ever seen a police station that was so professional and organized.

There are no slovenly, obese police officers wandering around the house with half a pizza, no clerical staff flirting and fooling around, no Mewtwo, no drugs, no stimulants, and no trash-strewn, lazy, and privileged people.

The police station was very busy, with officers performing their duties. Every now and then, sirens would ring and police cars would speed away. It looked and sounded like a perfectly normal police station.

But this is undoubtedly very unusual in Night City.

The interrogation room door opened, and Slot Lan raised his eyebrows slightly, glancing sideways at the officer who had arrested him as he led the two into the interrogation room.

The leader was a very capable woman, with a single-edged shovel, long purple hair, and a face that practically exuded the aura of a corporate dog.

But he couldn't understand the young man with the cane at the very back.

“Slot Lan, male, 45 years old, divorced, studied at Novomosmo (one of the major cities in the Russian Federation) City University in his youth, pursuing a double degree in bioengineering and international trade. During this period, he gained an in-depth understanding of the social structure, bureaucratic system, and operation of the upper elite of the Russian Federation through part-time work-study programs.”

Slot Lan simply raised his head without saying a word. This information was semi-public, so it was not surprising that the other party could find it.

Valerie continued reading aloud from the files and documents in her hands.

"During your studies and subsequent business dealings in the Russian Federation, you met a large number of Russian bureaucrats, mid-level managers of the military-industrial complex, and black market dealers. You also had close ties with a loose and secretive financial group within the Russian Federation called the 'Novosibirsk Group,' which was involved in multiple gray areas such as energy, military industry, and biotechnology."

Slot Lan expressed slight surprise that [Reverse Entropy] could find these things, but these things were still within his expectations, so he remained silent.

"After returning to Night City, you used your newfound expertise and connections to quickly integrate the then-chaotic underground organ and prosthetic black market. With your ruthless methods and your so-called stringent requirements for 'product quality,' you quickly unified the Night City Cleaners and gradually professionalized and internationalized the entire illegal organ trade supply chain."

“I will not answer any of your questions until my lawyer arrives,” Slot Lan said, maintaining his nauseatingly fake business smile.

"You are indeed a talented person, capable, and decisive."

Valerie completely ignored the other party's perfunctory attitude and continued to express her own opinions.

"You have established an efficient 'procurement-classification-refrigeration-transportation-sales' chain in a short period of time."

“In your planned ‘business ecosystem,’ the low-level cleaners are responsible for ‘purchasing’ on the streets, while the mid-level cleaners are responsible for initial processing and transportation. You yourself control the most critical overseas sales channels and customer relationships, making the most money while only needing to bear the lowest risk.”

Valerie tapped the table and sneered, "I must say, Slot Lan, you really are an 'excellent' businessman."

Slot Lan made no attempt to defend himself, simply leaning back in his chair and remaining silent.

“Don’t think we can’t find evidence,” Valerie shouted.

“A man named Leo Lan is sending diplomatic supplies and military parts by sea quite frequently through ‘Respectable Logistics’ company. It seems he’s doing quite well in the Russian Federation.”

Slot Lan involuntarily straightened up, but realizing that this action would reveal information, he quickly shrank back to his original position.

Leo Lan was a pseudonym used by his business.

Although he owns a freight company, he doesn't participate in the actual 'business'. This is just a cover-up. The real transaction channels and methods are scattered and hidden among various freight companies such as 'Kejing Logistics', 'Bangtie Express', and 'Sutong Logistics'.

He didn't expect that [Reverse Entropy] had already found out this much in such a short time.

But he did not try to defend himself and continued to remain silent.

He understood that saying too much would lead to more mistakes, while saying nothing would be the best course of action.

Valerie, however, easily saw through all his plans and said with pity and sarcasm, "You don't really think we'd play these 'judicial justice' games with you, do you? I never thought a bastard like you could be so naive."

An ominous premonition welled up in Slote Land's heart, causing his face to gradually darken.

Chapter 854 This Will Be a Massacre

"This case will be reported and publicized throughout, and used as a declaration of war by the new Night City government to completely crush the Cleaners. You must also go through the entire legal process and be judged by Night City law in front of the media in a 'reasonable and legal' manner."

"After all, it is too difficult to rebuild the judicial authority of Night City that has collapsed in the hearts of the people. Without enough flesh and blood and death, you can't build up something like 'authority'."

“But that doesn’t mean we have to follow the ‘rules’ with you, Slot Lan.”

Valerie slammed the paper documents in her hand on the table, making a dull thud, like a judge striking the gavel of final judgment.

"Someone like you doesn't deserve this kind of treatment."

"You can't do this! I'm a citizen of Night City, I have the legal rights to justice, and I want to see my lawyer!"

“You will see him, when we need you to see him.” Valerie’s face was icy, and the ruthlessness of an intelligence chief immediately emanated from her.

"Now, telling the truth is your only way out."

“I want to see my lawyer!” Slote Lan roared.

However, he knew perfectly well that he was now in a desperate, last-ditch struggle, like a cornered beast.

“You will see him,” Valerie scoffed sarcastically.

"But before that, experience the atrocities you have committed."

Vincent, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately pulled out a high-voltage stun gun at Valerie's signal, turned the power up to the maximum, and the bright, flashing electric arcs pierced the air with a crackling sound.

A scream more agonizing than a pig being slaughtered drifted from the interrogation room, drawing the attention of everyone working in the hall who craned their necks to peek.