บท 7: Crime Permit
"So, he just moves his finger and takes a million euros from us? On what basis?!"
As expected, V was furious.
Leo could only reply with a sigh, "On the basis that he's the president of the Veterans' Association, which New America regularly provides with retirement pensions. Do you think New America would give pensions to people who have no value? They've definitely earned it. But with that money comes matching responsibilities and power."
"Why does every job have to be so complicated? We've got time now, so explain it—and this seems a far cry from the 'covert operations' Zhu Shen mentioned, right?"
"First off, no one refuses money, so the idea that money can make anything happen holds true everywhere. But Mr. Knott only agreed after hearing it was about Kang Tao. Clearly, he already had an interest in Kang Tao, which is good news—because he's backed by New America, and New America and Militech are basically inseparable.
So, the second point: Only by involving him can we meet the requirements for a covert operation. New America, a major player in the Rust Belt region, is the key to bypassing NetWatch and taking down a Kang Tao employee. Without this approval, we'd have APD knocking on our door as soon as we stepped outside.
You and I are nobodies, two street kids with no value. But if we're working for them, at least we have a chance to be used as a bullet, rather than getting caught in the gun and thrown into the water."
Whoosh.
On the highway, cars whizzed by, and an increasingly frustrated V was driving fast.
All these intricate details were hard for her to grasp—she'd much rather be fighting Knott in an octagon than dealing with this.
"But the deal you made with Knott seems to sell out Zhu Shen."
"Heh, maybe it's betraying Kang Tao, but Zhu Shen—what did he ask for? Cai Pin dead and the goods delivered to the headquarters. He didn't mention anything about the design plans. He knows the risk of information leakage, and as long as we don't say anything, he won't know.
We're betraying Kang Tao but not our client, and the client? His requests are being met without betraying the company. Even if Kang Tao figures something's up one day, everyone plays it by the book, and everyone's happy."
V's brow furrowed even more: "So you're saying he suspects we might pull a trick, but he's okay with it? And if it gets exposed later, he'll just pretend nothing happened and keep investigating? Isn't that adding to his workload?"
Leo shrugged, "He gets to keep his job, or he gets shot by an old colleague—what would you choose? Even 007 overtime is a blessing; at worst, he gets to take revenge on Cai Pin."
The red light came on, and the car stopped at an intersection. V was silent for a moment, and the two quietly listened to the traffic report.
"Red light, no crossing; red light, no crossing."
After a while, V slowly said, "So, all middlemen are heartless bastards. I'd never want that job."
Leo silently thought to himself: Or maybe you just can't handle it? You hothead.
"What are you thinking? You're not bad-mouthing me, are you?" V glanced over, "And here's another question: if all we needed was network support, why didn't we just go to the Network Professionals Union?"
"Because they're backed by NetWatch. NetWatch and Kang Tao aren't in competition. On the contrary, Kang Tao is one of NetWatch's primary clients, so there's no reason for them to cross Kang Tao. Secondly, to put it simply, the Veterans' Association is regulated in terms of illegal armed actions, while the Network Professionals Union is regulated in terms of illegal network actions.
That's the compromise they have to make for their paycheck—and lastly, take a look at the weapons in the back of the car.
The Veterans' Association can't take direct action, but they've got plenty of gear, and if anyone investigates, they won't trace it back to us."
Leo said as he adjusted the backrest and lay back comfortably, "Consider it a gesture of goodwill on their part. Later, just say the weapons were stolen, and no one could find the thief."
After hearing this long explanation, V summarized with a frown: "So basically, New America uses benefits to keep them from using their skills to cause trouble, and they agree because, while the money's less, it's stable.
Damn, what a place—I'm starting to regret coming to Atlanta."
"I thought you'd already regretted it."
V shrugged and looked out the window, "The scenery here is nice, no weirdos playing with sex toys in the streets, no gunfights. But now… the city with the lowest crime rate in the nation, a million-dollar crime permit… heh.
Seems like beautiful places are fake, and real places are ugly."
"Nice summary, that's exactly it."
Looking at the grand and beautiful buildings outside, the spotless streets, who would have thought that what was considered crime hadn't actually decreased? It's just become legal.
Leo said, "Think it over—are you staying here, or going back to Night City? Either way, before we pick up Mr. Zhu, I need you to recommend a ripperdoc. Someone from Night City, with good skills, and most importantly, someone trustworthy."
"So that's why you wanted the physical channel? Nothing will happen, right? I don't want to get him involved."
"It won't—just providing medical support, and Atlanta's law enforcement can't cross into Night City. You heard Knott; he can access our medical reports. The people here can't be trusted."
The so-called physical channel was essentially a secure, privately-controlled link—unless NetWatch came snooping. In this world, theoretically, only NetWatch had the authority to conduct cross-domain communication.
In simpler terms, bypassing this is illegal and dangerous unless it's reported to NetWatch.
However, since Knott provided this channel, as long as it doesn't involve sensitive information, no one will care. This is also why Knott sees potential in a long-term partnership with Leo—
Because if Leo ever uses the channel for something classified, Knott will know.
If things ever go south, Knott can simply hand over the information, helping NetWatch and New America seize Leo's illegal gains, and he'd only be slightly out of pocket.
V thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I do have someone in mind."
"Old Vic, long time no see—how's business?"
"Same as usual, V. Didn't expect you'd still remember to call me. Made it big?"
"Uh, it's complicated, but I need a small favor—can you remotely check out some cyberware for us? It'd be great if you could…"
"If I could be your remote ripperdoc? Usually, I wouldn't take on something like this, but looks like you're about to make a name for yourself.
Where's the equipment?"
While V talked to Vic, Leo connected his personal link to the device port.
[First use of personal link]
[Technology Points +10]
[Current Technology Points: 60]
The equipment here was old-fashioned—a large surgical table, numerically controlled surgical tools, connectors, and so on.
All the device data was displayed on Leo's cyber eye, ready for him to access with a mental command.
In 2077, ripperdocs typically used cybernetic arms as surgical tools, but for now, Vic would have to control them remotely.
Leo introduced himself, "Hello, Viktor. V recommended you, said you've got the best hands and are trustworthy. I'm Leo, nice to meet you."
"Hmm, you seem like a straight shooter. Nice to meet you too."
V scoffed, "Straight shooter? Vic, you're off the mark this time."
"Alright, your friend is my friend. Hook up the equipment."
Leo was a bit overwhelmed.
While his learning ability had significantly improved, it had only been less than ten hours since he arrived in this world. The actual study time was under four hours, and most of that was spent reviewing medical examination reports.
In the Cyberpunk world, cyberware is just the surface; the real core lies in the cyberspace and the countless network protocols and interfaces.
He thought he could handle it, but now it seemed he might need a little help.
Glancing at V, who was already lounging on the sofa eating chips, Leo knew that as the team's brain, he had to handle this himself.
[Network Hacking Technology (Beginner Level)]
[Learning progress: 1%]
[Mastery requires 80 Technology Points]
[Note: Includes all technical skills needed for entry-level hacking.]
Leo clicked his tongue; he couldn't afford that. He had to settle for something more manageable.
[Cross-LAN Network Channel Setup (Beginner Level)]
[Learning progress: 30%]
[Mastery requires 14 Technology Points]
[Note: A basic skill within hacking, used to establish remote channels.]
[Technology Points deducted]
[Current Technology Points: 46]
A flood of knowledge entered his mind without any discomfort. Leo smoothly activated the necessary interfaces on the machine and connected to the physical channel provided by Knott—
The signal tower was right above them. In fact, this modest apartment was a gift from Knott to Leo.
Vic tapped the armrest of his chair, "Nice work, got your signal. Let's see, send over the machine data, and I'll give these old relics a checkup."
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