Bab 21: Chapter 21: Deeper Into The Net III
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Chapter 21: Deeper Into The Net III
...........
The money in M's account is not something X can touch because it would easily lead to him, so he threw it somewhere else, and that was just the start.
There are people that look similar to each other in Night City. In fact, there are a lot lot of people that look exactly the same.
Night City is decently big after all, with a population of seven million, so there must certainly be a few individuals that look exactly like Johnson.
Hell, cosmetic surgery in this age is so advanced that you can basically look like any want you want.
In fact, that's how these kinds of websites manufacture lookalikes, some in the shape of celebrities.
Therefore, even if these torture videos and braindances come out, it wouldn't normally attract attention... If the commissioner wasn't M.
However, everything changes by virtue of M being behind the commissions, and they will know he's behind them because they have been keeping an eye on M's account.
Once the product is complete and made public, they will realize that M is straight up humiliating them, staining their name like few have done before him.
That's not something that can be allowed.
The bounty being used to commission such things would've had an obvious and reasonable explanation if not for the clear humiliation of Johnson, money laundering.
The money goes to the websites, then soon reaches the hands of those behind them, the Maelstrom.
However, the blatant aggression and humiliation made things suspect. Staining the Tyger Claws' name by torturing lookalikes of Johnson.
It would tarnish the Tyger Claws' reputation if they didn't respond. To gangs, their face and reputation are above all.
The reputation they seek to preserve is that they are not to be fucked with. If you compromise their interest in any way, they'll strike back harder than you can even imagine.
Thus it's apparent that such a blatant provocation will lead to a deadly conflict against the websites.
And if we consider the influence and power of the Tyger Claws, it becomes clear that the website will eventually fall, and the people behind them will be hunted down.
That's what would make the Tyger Claws suspicious, and maybe work against X's plan to lead them to shut down the websites.
However, the ones behind are the Maelstrom, and that changes everything and almost throws the suspicion entirely out of the window.
The maelstroms are a group of cyberpsychos, and their atrocities are more than you ever imagined.
They're also extremely aggressive and give no fuck about nobody. They despise everyone but their AI overlords and are universally hated by all other gangs.
They're hated exactly because they're known to pull stuff like this, and gangs tend to avoid conflict with them because they seemingly don't care about their own life.
'Done,' X thought in his mind as he started cleaning up his laptop, eliminating any and all traces of his mischief.
No, he even went further and altered some of the hidden fingerprints he left behind to point toward the Maelstrom.
Suddenly, more than a dozen terminals appeared on X's machine, commands being written at unreal frequency.
X was not only cleaning his traces and modifying them, but he was also clearing his computer of anything related to his current actions.
The direct neural link changed X's life. Everything became so much easier and way better, bringing a smile to X's face, 'Beautifully done.'
X seemed awfully sure that the Tyger Claws would take action against all of these sites for a very reasonable basis.
Even if the Tyger Claws realize that they are being manipulated, they will still gladly follow along because X gave them an excuse.
Sure, they might hunt him down later for daring to manipulate them, but they would still use the valid excuse to take down the sites.
The Tyger Claws are a gang that focuses more on business, so they must have a lot of similar sites.
No, they certainly have many similar sites, so what happens now that X provided them an excuse to take down the competition?
They'll not only take the excuse, but they will also increase its validity, giving them a unique advantage that the Maelstroms won't have, corporations' support.
Every gang is one way or another in cooperation with the corps, the latter providing them with a lot of help for their services.
However, the corps won't help the Maelstrom considering they are the ones that started the conflict.
Therefore, the Maelstroms will have to operate without corporate support in this conflict while the Tyger Claws will have support.
Only time will tell if everything will go as X planned as such a grand operation cannot happen overnight.
Hence why X went on to deal with investigative gigs till Vik arrived, "Good morning."
Soon, Vik arrived, letting out a yawn before nodding at X, "Morning."
"Thought about my proposition?" X spun around with his swivel chair and asked.
"The Combat Events? I did... I can do it but it's just not worth it. It will attract more trouble than it's worth," Vik shook his head.
X's proposition was to host underground cybernetic showcase events. Customers who get certain high-end augmentations at Vik's clinic could be eligible to compete in cyber-enhanced competitions.
The competition would mainly revolve around boxing as that's Vik's specialty, something he's well known for.
Viktor was once a heavyweight boxer in Watson and a member of Night City Devils, competing in the Watson Boxing Grand Prix.
He eventually came in second place in the finals, and that's despite having no implants.
That's why X saw an opportunity and he informed Vik of his thoughts.
"You've got a lot of aspirations, that's why I've got to tell you a cruel truth about this city... You can not make it unless you've got a backer," Vik brought his chair closer and sat before X.
"You give most of your earnings to the backer. Otherwise, the very next day, you will have people knockin' on your door and looking for trouble."
"And that's not the worst of it. What people are most afraid of is no one knockin' on their doors, meaning no business, and that's what you'll get for not getting a backer's approval."
"Before you push your luck too much, seek a backer, preferably someone you can trust, and don't reach for the sky and expect anything other than putrid pollution in Night City." Vik ended his speech there.
"Any recommendations?" Nodded X before asking.
"El Capitán, Muamar Reyes... He's as far as goodness goes in fixers," Vik seemingly expected that, very much prepared as he instantly brought out a card, "Make a great first expression."
"Thank you... You've helped me a lot, and I've yet to return the favor," X muttered as he took the card.
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Bab 22: Chapter 22: Home I
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Chapter 22: Home I
...........
"Thank you... You've helped me a lot, and I've yet to return the favor," X muttered as he took the card.
"Hey, just think of it as an investment, one that's already paying off... And we're friends, are we not?" Vik smiled and shrugged it off.
"We are," X smiled and nodded. "Speaking of recommendations, I want to finally get myself a home, any suggestions for a cheap place?"
"Well, you can get yourself a coffin for only 20 eddies a night, although I heard that people that live in them have a tendency to pursue real coffins, so maybe not..." Vik couldn't help but let out a laugh as he joked.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure the roof is a better home than the coffins. I don't have to contemplate suicide on the roof, just the need for an AC," X chuckled.
Coffins are unfortunately a real type of housing in NC, cheap housing units mainly found at airports and cheap hotels.
They are containers no bigger than a bed, which provides a time limit to be used via payment, like a coin-operated machine.
Coffins... Coffins are remarkably populated, almost as much as real coffins.
"I don't think you can afford anything in Corpo Plaza and City Center. There are affordable places in the bad side of Heywood, but again, the bad part is that they lie in the bad parts of Heywood."
"The only options really are anywhere around here, in Little China and Kabuki, or Japantown." And those were Vik's suggestions.
"Places under the Tyger Claws' control, but close enough to here," X must've had the same thought process as Vik.
"Honestly, you should look for a place in Japantown, it's completely under the Tyger Claws' control."
"Here in Watson, even in territories under the Tyger Claws' control, there are still standard conflicts against the Maelstrom." Advised Vik.
"Yeah, I don't want to be anywhere near the Maelstroms... I will look for a place in Japantown... I do wanna know though, why do you trust the Tyger Claws so much? Is there any deeper reason?" X wondered.
"No deeper reason, it's just their preference for business that makes them a bit more trustworthy, but don't get me wrong, no gang is truly trustworthy," Vik warned.
"Keep what I am about to say as a code of conduct for when you make deals with gangs... The Mox is the most tame. Then I'd say the Valentinos, Tyger Claws, 6th Street, and Animals can be reasoned with."
"VDBs only care about themselves, never to be trusted. And at the bottom of the abyss are The Maelstrom and Wraiths. Yet somehow, the Scavs are even worse." Vik illustrated.
"Have you ever dealt with the Maelstrom? What are they like?" X wanted to hear from someone with first-hand experience.
"Rarely, and only the ones in the initiation phase... They're not right in the head, basically a cult from what I heard. The modifications they want are usually inhuman, so stay away from them,"
Vik took a deep breath as he stated. If there is a gang that's purely evil in this godforsaken city, then it's gotta be the Maelstroms.
Most gangs do evil for the sake of money and power. The Maelstroms mostly do it because they despise everything except the metals they implant in themselves.
"Still, never let your guard down... The Tyger Claws' sex and human trafficking bizz is one of their strong suits. Don't be too 'appealing' to them." Vik cautioned.
"I've heard of men turned into boy toys by them, attaching more fully functioning cocks to them, sometimes to their mouth, and they somehow manage to make it work."
"The boy toys usually don't live for long, but they live long enough to experience what all the customers have in store for them," Vik chuckled at the ease at which he could utter such horrific words.
Night City made such things almost expected, becoming more like common sense to the ears of those still prisoners of its streets.
"That makes sense... I've also heard of a famous gigolo near Japantown that has cocks for finers, is that true?" X asked with curiosity.
"Unfortunately, it's, but the gigolo, despite being famous, is actually a failure. People merely treat him as a piece of art... He's not actually functional if you know what I mean," Vik raised a brow but still answered.
"No, I don't know what you mean, and now I'm curious since no problem was reported on the news," X was even more curious.
"It's the news, what do you expect? The problem is that his Ripperdoc fucked up his sexual sensors, so he can't last even a second,"
"However, his Ripperdoc is good at something else as he made it so he can unload through all of eleven tools... You can imagine the rest yourself," Vik laughed.
X laughed with him, "What?? Haha hahahaha... Wait, couldn't he just fix the issue? Someone with enough funds to go through the operation should have more, no?"
"That would normally be the case, but he offended someone from the Tygers he shouldn't have, so now, no one is willing to treat him, and he cannot leave NC," Vik shrugged.
"That... That's hilariously depressing," X muttered, their chatter soon cut off by the arrival of a client.
X left work early today, heading to look for an apartment in Japantown. He must've already had a target in mind because he walked with determination.
The target destination wasn't far. In fact, it was very close. He was in the district of Watson, yet all it took was a five minute walk to reach the district of Westbrook.
A quick walk east allowed him to reach Westbrook, and what do you know, the closest subdistrict to Watson, Little China; is Japantown.
Westbrook is considered by many to be the best place to live and have fun in Night City.
If you've got eddies, you come here to spend them.
And if you don't?
Well, take out a loan and pretend you're on top of the world — even for just one glorious night.
It is home to many wealthy elites, celebrities, and corporates. It is also home to Japantown, an especially important part of Night City for two reasons.
The first is that it's the cultural center for the city's sizable Japanese community.
The second is that it is the home base for most of the Yakuza families operating throughout Northern California.
It's centrally located, has limited police interference, and outsiders tend to stick out like a sore thumb.
Primarily inhabited by people of Japanese descent, Japantown during daytime is usually crowded with tourists for whom the many bars, fancy restaurants, gaming parlors, the Cherry Blossom Market, and Shinto temple are mandatory destinations in Night City.
Here one can also find the many love hotels, kyabakuras, and hostess clubs whose lights glow in thick abundance along Japantown's streets.
Clean and safe by day, this district is a perfect spot for sightseeing, and it's just one bridge away from the famous Corpo Plaza, any one of whose many hotels are perfect places to stay.
However, Japantown also has another side to it.
After dark, Japantown becomes the party district for the rich, corpos, and tourists alike.
The corpos are looking to blow off some steam after another day of the exhausting rat race.
The tourists are interested in more sublime entertainment and a wild night in Night City.
Both groups visit the same fancy brothels, lose their money in casinos, and get drunk to the point of blackout.
You'd expect the apartments in this kind of place to be extraordinarily expensive, but there is a specific apartment complex that's cheaper than usual... For quite the dark reason.
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