[TN:todays Chapter]
Pacifica District.
The Voodoo Boys, local troublemakers, are a group of people who are fond of tinkering with the wide web.
The Netruuner in the connection hub started trembling violently, and as the lights flickered, the connection broke.
Splash!
A black woman suddenly rose from the icy water in a freezer on the table, casting a mist of droplets around her.
Beside her stood a tall, grim-looking black man, who handed her some clothes as she exited her deep dive.
"How'd it go? Find anything useful?"
"The data barriers are tough, but he couldn't move either. Besides that, I found something interesting—the Netwatch seems to be calling in backup. Besides that brainless Animal guards they have, they've also called for reinforcements."
"Still brainless?"
"No," Brigitte replied, stepping out of the freezer, water dripping from her netrunner suit. She took the clothes handed to her and headed to another room.
[TN: Fuck the voodoo boys I always kill them those backstabbing bitches]
"This time it's a hacker. Probably a rookie. Send someone to find him. Watson North District, Megabuilding H11."
"We're short on people as it is, and we still need to keep an eye on the Animals. We'll have to go through a Fixer."
Brigitte stopped, thought for a moment, and said, "Skip Hans this time. That old guy's on his way back, so let's give him a chance to pave his own way. We might need him later."
"Got it."
"So you burned down your own place."
V and Leo were neighbors, so she also had to put up with the blackout.
The five-thousand-plus euros for the property damage were a minor issue; the real problem was that the connection hub burned down, along with a heap of other equipment.
Leo nodded sheepishly. "I couldn't help it. That's just the nature of cyberspace—riddled with danger at every turn."
"Yeah, right."
The two of them sat in the pitch-black room, with only the neon lights from the skyscrapers outside offering a bit of illumination that shone on the wall by the window.
It was quiet. V glanced out the window, then sneaked a look at Leo.
"So now, no TV… just sleep."
With that, she got up and walked over to Leo's bed, plopping down on it.
Leo's bed was surprisingly neat, with no signs of use.
"Your bed is surprisingly clean."
"I usually sleep on the couch. I read books and study there, and when I get tired, I just crash."
"Impressive." V reclined on the bed like a starfish, spreading herself out. "I'll sleep here tonight; feels like this bed might be better than mine, so I'll give it a try."
She raised her head a bit to look at Leo.
"Well, suit yourself."
Leo dragged over his connection hub from the dark living room and kept tinkering with it.
"What are you doing?"
"Seeing what parts are still usable. This is corpo tech, so it's worth studying."
V jumped up and smacked Leo on the head. "What are you even researching?"
Leo rubbed his head. "I'm broke, alright? Plus, this job requires a cyberspace entry. I'm just trying to maximize what I have. You go to sleep—I won't disturb you."
"You're such a…"
[Communicator: Bryce]
[Bryce: You still alive?]
[Bryce: Good. Listen, the Voodoo Boys just tried attacking my data wall again. I have to stay here.]
[Bryce: I found you a colleague at NCPD. He's a cop who often deals with the Tyger Claws gang; I'll send him over.]
[Bryce: You know what to do, right? Investigate any cybercrime related to Cloudtop. Report any leads immediately.]
[Bryce: And remember—no lawbreaking.]
[Profile: River Ward]
[Affiliation: NCPD]
[Rank: Detective, Grade 2]
Leo snapped back to reality, gazing out the window and saying, "We start work tomorrow. Now we're outsourced auxiliary police."
V squinted at Leo for a moment before lying back down. "You're an idiot. I'm going to sleep."
"Fine, go to sleep."
V rolled her eyes and spread out on the bed again, eventually drifting off, vaguely aware of the clicking of components beside her, like white noise.
Leo, meanwhile, worked quietly in the dim light from the window, disassembling the connection hub, analyzing and documenting its parts—
In the dark, he heard V's soft snores. The clicking sounds grew fainter.
The next day, River Ward sat up straight, waiting.
He was looking for a netrunner to help him investigate the Tyger Claws' illegal operations.
But the netrunners in the police department were all too busy with official duties; no one cared about petty illegal business on Japan Street—who cared about people willing to buy and sell? And street runner? Who'd do a job for an NCPD officer?
Especially against the Tyger Claws?
So, with no budget, no backup, and a poor reputation, River's current predicament was bleak. But he was a straightforward guy—despite the endless challenges a cop in Night City faces, he kept a positive attitude.
Finally, he'd actually managed to find a hacker.
Hans brought over a plate of fried chicken. "Five bucks says that hacker's just messing with you. What merc would take on an NCPD gig posted on a public network?
[TN:Is this Hans? They mention him earlier so the translation is right]
If you want this done, go through a Fixer."
River shook his head. "I don't trust Fixer. Why use them when we have our own network? What's the point?"
Hans had long accepted River's idealism. He started eating a chicken wing. "That's just how things work in Night City, man. You know it, but you're just stubborn as a mule."
Hans gave a small grin as he looked at his own wound. "I just hope it won't turn out like last time. Almost didn't make it… Look at this scar."
"Alright, alright, no need to show me. I'm not investigating the 'lizard people' again!" River sighed.
"Hmm, nice to see some sense." Hans kept eating, one hand on River's shoulder. "But I bet you just realized there's no way you're transferring to Mexico."
Then River said, "They're here."
Hans froze, the chicken wing halfway to his mouth. "Uh… someone actually took a job from the NCPD website? Suicidal much?"
The official NCPD site was a mere formality; street mercs distrusted the NCPD, and middlemen further muddied the waters.
Fixers charged fees, which most people understood, but a few didn't. Occasionally, a rookie unable to find a better avenue would take a job directly from the official site—and these jobs were usually thwarted by well-connected Fixers.
No one wants the Fixers to lose out on their cut, and the Fixers make sure no one bypasses them.
But who would be so stubborn?
Bang.
Just as Hans was mulling it over, he saw a huge guy accidentally slam his head into the doorframe—the restaurant's doorframe actually broke on impact!
"What the… Why's the door frame so low?" The huge man—Jackie—rubbed his head. "Boss, what's up with this door?"
"Inside, please. Sorry about that. The frame got wrecked a few days ago by some idiots driving Mackinaw," the boss explained, getting angrier as he spoke. "Those morons shouldn't buy big cars if they can't drive them!"
"Oh."
Jackie murmured and followed V and Leo to the table, asking quietly, "Wasn't us, right?"
Leo shook his head. "What kind of question is that? We've never rammed a restaurant."
V scanned the room, spotting their client in an instant. "Found him. I could smell that cop stench from two miles away."
So, the three of them sat across from River and Hans—
Two awkward-looking police officers across from them.
Leo spoke, "Pleasure meeting you two. We're the professional team you requested."
The two officers remained silent. Leo frowned. What was this?
This was supposed to be his first interaction with River—and their identities should be very obscure.
Thinking back to the border wall, Meredith had indeed released some clearer videos.
Had they been recognized?
Looking at the two officers, Leo confirmed that they were, in fact, looking at Jackie.
Jackie was equally puzzled, picking up a handful of chicken wings from a plate. "You don't mind if I have some, do you?"
As he munched, Hans's hand on River's shoulder tightened as his expression shifted to one of horror.
They blurted out together:
"The Wasteland Cook!"