Jefferson stifled the pain and stared into Lille’s eyes, "What else do you want to see?"
"Co this way."
Lille opened the room where Brick and his group had been hanging out.
"There’s nothing else, here are the instigators of this internal strife, the bosses and seconds-in-command of the Vortex Gang, and a rebel, though that guy is already dead.
How to deal with them is up to you—
As long as Watson North District remains like this, there’ll always be a boss of the Vortex Gang, I don’t mind making a fortune out of it again...
But that doesn’t quite fit with your ideals, so as a professional, I need to ask for your opinion."
Just as Jefferson’s head had started feeling a bit better, it began to hurt again.
He instantly saw Jostar inside, a fledgling with a sowhat vacant expression, but the Eyes of Golden Fla prosthetics on his face left no doubt he was from the Vortex Gang.
In his scanner, Lille had uploaded all the information about the boy—
[Na: Yoshida Hirokazu]
[Age: 16]
[Dropout record...]
A boy who had just dropped out, the sa age when Jefferson had been preparing to leave Night City for college.
"Why did he join the Vortex Gang?"
"Haha! You won’t believe it!" Brick shouted from the wall, "This kid initially wanted to join the Tiger Claw Gang, but they’ve shrunk back into their shell!
But those pimping bastards, there’s still so prospects in our Vortex Gang!"
Prospects? Turning into cyber-crazies?!
"...What about your family?" Jefferson walked into the room, slowly approaching Jostar.
"I know!" Brick continued, "His old man ran off as soon as he was born, his mom is a good woman—
Really, though she is one of those, at least she raised him till he was 16!"
Jefferson frowned, looking at Brick’s detestable face, and seeing this, Lille imdiately shut Brick up.
Jostar, with his slow nerves, recalled this scene.
He spoke slowly, "When I went to the brothel... I wanted to pick soone, and I ended up picking her..."
"Why did you drop out, why go to such a place?" Jefferson didn’t understand.
Brothels are dirty and chaotic, filled with addictive drugs, gangs, even potential abduction by Scavengers!
Why couldn’t he just finish his studies honestly?
"Oba... my ex-girlfriend despised for being poor, having no money, I thought studying was useless, it was better to find a job early.
I had no suitable prosthetics, no one would hire , but when I ca ho, she had run off with soone else!
Just because that bastard’s dad is a corporate dog!"
Jostar’s face beca animated—
"I wanted to join the Tiger Claw Gang, I wanted to beat that bastard!" he said, his emotions flaring up before sinking again, "but the Tiger Claw Gang was gone..."
But there was another problem, his girlfriend was gone, yet he still had a ho to return to, he ran out only after picking his mom in a brothel.
So...
"Why did you go to the brothel?"
Jostar’s expression once again beca blank, he dumbly said, "I... I also wanted to buy soone to love ."
The room suddenly fell silent.
Jefferson didn’t know what to say.
At this point, Carter on the wall spoke up, "What about your mom? At least she didn’t leave you on the doorstep the mont you were born, only returning after decades to ask you for a smoke."
"Just then, a corporate dog picked my mom away, he had lots of money, he said it right in front of that he was choosing her..."
"Damn..." Carter remarked, "Don’t worry brother, once we get our prosthetics back on, we’ll go out and vent your anger, though you’re kinda unlucky..."
Lille shut this guy’s mouth as well.
Suddenly, Jostar looked up and said cheerfully to the two big brothers on the wall, "I’ll do it myself, just get so strong prosthetics when the ti cos..."
The two Vortex Gang big brothers looked on with admiring eyes—or rather, with admiring changes in the light.
Jefferson watched the three’s Eyes of Golden Fla flashing at the sa frequency of red light, communicating in ways he couldn’t understand, and he felt it all beca even more absurd.
This was completely cyber madness!
But why did he feel... after close contact, they weren’t as scary as he thought?
They even seed a bit pitiful.
The headache suddenly worsened!
With quick reflexes, Lille supported him, "That’s all, I guess you probably want to tell this Vortex Gang newbie that love can’t be forced with money.
But save your energy, we all know many things can’t be forced, but everyone acts like they’ve lost their minds.
Settling the bill is simpler, don’t you think?"
"I..." Jefferson gasped for air, the system began to malfunction rapidly...
But he clung tightly to Lille’s arm, having sothing on his mind to say, yet he always couldn’t express it!
The pain peaked at that mont, the more he wanted to speak, the stronger the sensation of touching a boundary beca—
Finally, he thought about Lille’s last words, settling the bill is simpler!
[Transfer: 3,083,000 Euros]
[Account balance: 3,084,123]
Bang.
Jefferson fainted.
[Lille: Damn... keep an eye on the people outside, our financier just passed out after paying the money.]
[V: What do you an, are they scamming? Did these 3 million cost him his life?]
[Jack: Damn, these people really play tough...]
.....
"Break down the door!"
Bang!
The iron door was kicked open by a massive assault trooper!
The security team, bearing the SSI mark, imdiately started their breach, pouring in like a surge of fish!
Reaver, in the police car, was startled—
No way, did Burger King really dare to kidnap Perares?!
It wasn’t just him; the other officers in the squad all tensed up, but before they could ask for instructions, the chief’s directive arrived.
[Colridge: Just make a symbolic move.]
Boom!
The door fra shattered, and the next second, the SSI security that had just burst in were all catapulted out!
Jack, clad in a Linear Fra, slowly walked out, gripping a burly man by the neck, while the tactical squad outside aid their guns...
Zoom!
The guns were all severed in an instant!
And as the sniper across the building was about to fire, his gun exploded in his hands from a bullet!
Lille, carrying Perares in both arms, walked out of the house. A piece of concrete conveniently fell from the shattered wall, and Jack, with one hand, deflected a huge rock and hurled the burly man out.
The SSI team was instantly in disarray, and NCPD officers uniformly exited their vehicles, reaching for their guns at their waists...
But then the dozen Mackinaw gun trucks parked nearby also swung their heavy machine guns!
The atmosphere beca incredibly tense!
"Don’t get excited, I also don’t know why Congressman Perares suddenly passed out. The mont he entered, he complained of a headache, said it might be due to too much work pressure."
Lille scanned the SSI team on the ground, found the person in charge, and looking down, continued, "It seems you don’t care much about Congressman Perares’ health."
"We..."
Suddenly, Lille threw Jefferson over to a guy nad Wallace who, caught off guard, imdiately caught Jefferson.
SSI’s team was deeply connected to Jefferson’s headache, but Lille couldn’t possibly abduct soone right in front of NCPD’s faces.
After all, Jefferson still had a wife watching at the side, and forcing him to stay would an a direct confrontation with the Terrorist Mobile Team.
Now wasn’t the ti, nor was there a suitable reason.
SSI dared not talk back any further, hurriedly helping their people retreat, urgently placed Jefferson back in their dical vehicle, and imdiately left the scene.
Watching the floating car leave the scene, Lille thought to himself: Jefferson is truly a good person, but... incomplete.
I hope that after this, his mind would beco increasingly... free and complete.
Given that he struggled to transfer money even before fainting, Lille was still very willing to give him a hand.
Reaver in the police car received orders from the chief, donned his police cap, and walked over.
"Quite a spectacle, looks like Congressman Perares passed out before he could even ntion NCPD. How did you pull that off?
How could you even scare a Congressman of that stature into fainting?"
"Don’t talk nonsense, it’s just too much work pressure." Lille handed over two Separation Chips, "The content is enough for you to settle matters.
The Vortex Gang’s criminal thods, involved cases, and personnel are all the cruelest and still unsolved ones.
Another chip has car license plates, locations, and I might take action against so companies, better keep your people away if they see it."
Reaver clicked his tongue: "You realize this is a threat to NCPD, right?"
"Yes," Lille nodded, "I am threatening NCPD, but if you comply, you’ll find it’s a win-win."
"Aren’t you afraid the chief will turn against you?"
"Don’t worry." Lille shook his head, "He won’t turn against , I guess he will even ask for my contact information."
"You might guess..."
[Chief Colridge: I need to confirm so details with the contractor, have him leave a contact.]
Reaver was incredibly surprised—his sentence was interrupted with a slap in the face!
"...Right."
"It’s also in the second chip, let him check it himself."
Reaver looked at Lille, having many words and questions internally, but in front of so many colleagues...
Let it be.
He nodded, gave Lille a aningful look, turned around to hand everything over to the chief, and then returned to his own car.
In the passenger seat, Old Han seed to be dreaming until the car started, when he suddenly turned to Reaver:
"You can’t miss this chance! Reaver—Reaver... REAVER!!!"
The convoy slowly left the dilapidated house, following the road, gradually leaving the ravaged Watson North District.
And as they left, the sun gradually rose.
Sunlight landed on the damaged streets, on the derelict ruins, overshadowing the flas.
The terrified holess ca out of their hiding places, cautiously observing their surroundings, as residents in the buildings peered through windows, assessing the street.
The NCPD left, the Terrorist Mobile Team left, gunfire ceased, the battle paused.
The internal war of Vortex Gang was over—they knew it.
But who would control the new order?
The question was soon answered as Mackinaw convoys bearing the Wanderer’s mark made their way into the area, led by...
That sa Armored Mackinaw.
Atop the vehicle, V and Jack excitedly counted the money they earned this ti, pondering what they could afford, but after a while, V looked towards Lille, a sly expression in his eyes.
And Lille, with one hand out the window, felt the unique morning air and sunrise, belonging only to this industrial zone, this area that endured a night of gunfight.
The sll of gunpowder mixed with industrial exhaust, choking yet intoxicating.
Sunlight pierced through the ionized air, incredibly dazzling.
The arrival of Mackinaw cleared up one uncertainty in people’s minds but raised more questions—
Why did they appear at this mont?
What role had they played in this riot?
What about Vortex Gang?
And most importantly—
What kind of order would they bring?
The questions were nurous, but in ti, they would all be revealed.
And now, it was ti to welco the dawn.
"This job is done."
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