The NCPD officer looked a bit annoyed—probably not his first time being stopped with such a question today. But when he saw Arthur's face, his expression changed a little.
"You didn't hear?" the officer said, jerking his thumb toward the blocked road ahead. "Another anti-corp protest. Someone tagged the Civic Center with 'Saka Rats Out' and lit up an AV with a rocket. Now the suits are crying about safety, so we have to lock everything down until MaxTac clears it."
Arthur cursed under his breath.
Another protest? Night City was really becoming a pressure cooker lately. The moment corporations started losing grip on something, the people below found the courage to throw bricks.
"I swear," Arthur muttered, pulling out another cigarette and lighting it. "You try to make a clean buck in this city and a rocket comes flying out of nowhere."
David leaned against the hood of the car, glancing at the smoke trails in the distant sky.
"Should we take the side roads?" he asked.
Arthur shook his head. "Nah. We're done for the day. Let Kang Tao's suits handle the legal fluff. We've got what we need."
He turned and started walking toward a nearby alley. "Let's head back to the factory. I've got a feeling we're gonna need to tighten things up soon."
David hesitated, then followed. "You think the protest's gonna spread?"
"I think," Arthur said, flicking ash onto the sidewalk, "Night City's been quiet too long. Between Arasaka's rats, Kang Tao's 'help,' and the pharm corps choking on our sales... someone's bound to set fire to the fuse."
David nodded slowly, watching the smoke curl above the skyline.
And somewhere in the shadows of the city, another plan was already in motion.
---------------------------------------------------
Visit our Patreon for more:
patreon.com/Samurai492