The Creators: From Night City

Page 263

“The weapons in your bag pose no threat to the three of us. I suggest you don’t take them out, Carter,” Valerie easily pointed out the other party’s plan.

“What do you want from me? And I have no reason to help you, since you’re no longer one of Arasaka’s people, nor are you my superior anymore.” Carter didn’t react to Valerie’s words, but instead retorted with feigned composure.

“Guess what I’ll do to you if I tell them you secretly informed the Counterintelligence team about Jenkins’ travel schedule,” Valerie threatened.

"Ha, that reason won't threaten me. You don't know, do you? That old bastard Jenkins is long gone."

Chapter 508 Choices, Dignity, and Demeanor

"What?" Valerie was genuinely surprised. It seemed that the assassination of Arasaka Yorinobu was more complicated than she had imagined, and even her superiors had not escaped the purge.

Her mind was racing, but Valerie's face remained expressionless. "It's alright. I know a lot more about these kinds of things. For example, you secretly reported the personnel changes of the counterintelligence department to the intelligence department. No matter who took over the counterintelligence team, I believe they wouldn't tolerate a traitor like you."

Carter was caught off guard and suddenly pulled his hand out of his purse, where he found a "United" pistol.

Vincent glanced at the other person, and suddenly a sharp mantis knife sprang from his arm, its sharp edge gleaming under the lamplight in the darkness.

"Are you sure you want to fight us? With this thing, right here?" Valerie pointed to the prosthetic clinic next door, her meaning clear.

Carter gritted his teeth and stomped his foot, letting out a muffled groan of resentment, but still lowered the gun in his hand.

What do you want to do?

“Simple. Just check the intelligence department for information about the ‘prey.’ It shouldn’t be difficult for you.”

Carter gave me a knowing look and said, "You might as well let me die. If this is discovered, not only me, but my family will be in trouble. You should know better than me the 'disciplinary rules' for dealing with moles in the intelligence team."

“You have no choice.” Valerie’s tone was cold, confident that she had the other party completely figured out.

"Either work for me, or be treated like a bug and eliminated by Arasaka without any dignity or respect."

Carter's expression suddenly returned to calm.

"No, I have a choice."

He slowly cocked the 'Unity' and, under the increasingly serious gazes of the three men, pressed the muzzle against his temple.

No one can take away my dignity and respectability.

This is his answer, his solution to the current predicament.

This was the last act of defiance from a nobody like him.

“Oh, Amigo (friend), don’t be impulsive.” Jack immediately reached out to signal the other person not to go to extremes.

Valerie, however, looked him up and down with her beautiful eyes, as if she were getting to know this nobody who had no presence in the Arasaka Tower all over again.

Instead of trying to persuade the other party, she took a different approach and asked a question that no one expected.

"Poverty must be unpleasant."

Carter's excitement was suddenly dampened.

"With your current salary, after deducting the fixed monthly expenses for employees within Arasaka University and paying off your student loans from Arasaka University, I believe it will only be enough for basic daily expenses, and you won't even be able to afford a decent meal."

"That snail-shaped car was probably given to you by your mom. I bet you didn't even have enough money to fill it up with gas. And every night you have to cross the entire city center just to get back to your cramped home in Watson District to rest. This is all because you don't have the money to rent an apartment in the city center. And your level will never meet Arasaka's housing allocation requirements. And every day at dawn, before you've even woken up, you have to force yourself to get up early because you have to be on duty early. There's a ton of work waiting for you to do."

“In Arasaka Tower, you don’t even have a fixed workstation. You can only work in the corridor. Everyone treats you like a handyman, doing the heaviest work but getting the least pay. And if anything goes wrong, you’re always the one to take the blame. Am I right, Carter Smith?”

Lies don't hurt, truth is the knife.

Valerie's sharp words instantly left the other person battered and bruised, and even the hand holding the gun was trembling slightly.

"I bet you're worried about how to pay for your sister's medical expenses, because you're unsure if the detective will cover it, since strictly speaking, he has no responsibility."

"The burdens of life are about to crush you, Carter. You're about to have nothing left: family, work, life, and your own body. Instead of thinking about change, you're still clinging to your ridiculous dignity and decency."

Valerie is like a devil who understands human nature, emitting seductive and alluring sounds, or like a guiding star, casting a guiding light to illuminate the path forward for others.

"Don't you know that in this city, true dignity has to be earned, even if it means facing death, and true self-respect requires strength to protect, not having that ridiculous gun pointed at your equally ridiculous head?"

In the deathly silence, Valerie continued to speak.

"Carter Smith, the 'silent clown' among your colleagues, the most insignificant nobody at the bottom of Arakawa, I want to ask you, in this life, have you ever wanted to change your life, change your current situation, change yourself? Have you ever thought about truly fighting for yourself?"

"I've thought about it more than once. I'm working myself to the bone every day, desperately trying to survive in this cannibalistic city." Carter sighed deeply, his eyes reddening, whether from long hours of overtime or genuine emotion, it was hard to tell.

"So, whether I am here or not, people like you will be crushed into mincemeat by the structural oppression of this distorted society, as long as you don't change and don't dare to fight back, sooner or later." Valerie calmly stated the cruel truth of society.

"One hundred thousand euros, a high-paying job. Follow me, and I can also take care of your family. They will disappear from Night City. I guarantee that no one in the Arasaka intelligence group will find a single hair on their head. You should know my capabilities."

After the beating, Valerie immediately brought out carrots.

Seeing that the other party seemed hesitant, Valerie immediately increased her bet.

She took out a small handful of pre-prepared money chips and spread them out in front of Carter.

"I believe you know what this is."

“Anonymous cash chip, fixed amount of 9000 euros.” Carter may be poor, but he is certainly knowledgeable.

"Five coins, a deposit. This money is enough for you to find a flight and send your family to Atlanta or other new American cities. You don't believe me, but you should believe it."

Valerie extended her hand in front of the other person.

"Whether you are swallowed up by this distorted society in silence, or reach out and seize this opportunity to embark on the road to success, it's all up to you, Carter Smith, an ordinary little man in Night City."

The night was quiet, and for a moment only faint gunshots came from the distant, empty night.

"An unknown nobody, or a household name?" Valerie quietly stretched out her hand, uttering her final whisper.

Carter's tired face was full of weariness, but his bloodshot eyes seemed to be spitting fire. He finally put down his gun and clenched the chips tightly in his hand.

"name"

He said so.

Chapter 509 The Unspeakable Past

In the corridor outside the clinic, Jack was playing the role of a clever student.

He sat diagonally opposite Vincent in front of Valerie, his expression solemn, but his eyes couldn't suppress the mischievousness.

"A nobody, or fame? What would you choose, Vincent, the nobody from Night City?"

"Jack!" Valerie was almost overwhelmed.

"How did you come up with all this, girl? It feels like you hit the nail on the head. Do you have any background information on him?" Jack was very curious about how Valerie could say those words.

“A bit of keen observation.” Valerie pointed to her prosthetic eye, casually revealing some of the bloody truth: “plus some firsthand experience.”

"Oh, Losiento (sorry), I didn't know..."

“There’s nothing to apologize for, Jack.” Valerie let out a soft breath, a hint of weariness showing on her usually strong and aloof face.

“You know Jack, I was born into a corporate family in Charter Hill. When I was a child, I was considered one of the elite in Night City. But later, my parents disappeared without a trace because of the Arasaka mission, and our family fell into poverty. I could only work hard to study at Arasaka University. When I first graduated and entered Arasaka, I was just like the person in the room, an insignificant nobody.” Valerie waved her hand indifferently, rarely revealing a little of her heart to her two friends.

“So I’ve been through all of what he went through, except I didn’t accept my fate and I dared to fight back. Jack, Vincent, this world is a bitch, it’s either you fuck her or she fucks you.” Valerie stretched out her index finger, as if she were pointing fingers at the world.

"So I quickly became the second-in-command of the counterintelligence department and gained a place in Arasaka Tower. But others will never know what price I paid for it, how many bullets I took, how much blood I shed, or how heart-wrenching the phantom pain after my bones were removed during the prosthetic modification. They will never know the lingering pain of those wounds in the middle of the night."

"This is Night City. This city will always make you despair, but it will also always leave you with a glimmer of hope to turn things around, as long as you dare to bet everything on the table."

Valerie used her cool prosthetic fingers to smooth her long hair that had fallen in front of her eyes, so that she could see everything in front of her better.

She saw a homeless man, a street thug from Haywood, and a company dog, sitting or standing in the stained hallway.

For a moment, all three of them remained silent.

Fortunately, Rivers' return broke the silence.

Human joys and sorrows are not the same for everyone; those involved often only find others noisy.

But Rivers felt sad for the world.

The living cannot speak, the dead open their eyes, the kind die in sorrow, and the wicked celebrate with toasts.

Whether out of grief or in response to Valerie's probing gaze, Fury's expression was bleak.

"I think your guess is correct."

"There are other hidden circumstances surrounding Jamie's death."

“I believe he was under close surveillance in the period leading up to his death. He didn’t send me any messages before he died. I initially thought it was because he was pessimistic, disappointed, and disillusioned with the world, but now it seems that all his external communications were probably being monitored.”

"What is the killer looking for? Something Jamie hid."

The Vortex Gang's unusual appearance in the night market, their sudden shooting, and the unusual fact that the gun was aimed at Susan—it all seemed like they had been following River all along, specifically to silence him.

"What's up, great detective? A new clue?"

"Based on the unusual actions of the Vortex Gang, I believe that Jamie has something that the mastermind desperately wants, and he has hidden it. The mastermind has not been found yet."

“A reasonable assumption,” Valerie responded.

"Do you have any ideas?"

“Of course, nothing in this world stays hidden forever,” River said through gritted teeth.

"Then I wish you success." Valerie had no intention of getting involved. The three of them had a mission to complete, and keeping an eye on Carter was the most important thing right now. They had no interest in meddling in other people's business.

The surgery was not quick; after all, the intestines had been ruptured, and the entire abdominal cavity was filled with yellow and green discharge, making it a complicated procedure.

By the time Cassius emerged from the operating room, wiping the sweat from his brow, it was already past midnight.

"She's been saved. I replaced her spleen with the best anti-rejection artificial spleen, but it's best to find a larger medical institution for proper follow-up treatment, and ideally, replace her entire digestive system." Cassius didn't mince words with Fury; he got straight to the point.

"Put the treatment costs on my tab." Despite his dark complexion, River is an absolutely decent person.

"Understood." After working through the night, Driver Ka shook his aching arms and got up to rest.

Everyone rushed into the ward.

“I’ve contacted a reputable medical institution, and they’ll send a car to pick up Susan soon. Mom, I’ll trouble you to stay with her the whole time.” Actually, even without Cassius’s instructions, Carter, a top student from Arasaka High School, had already contacted a reliable medical institution while waiting, made arrangements for the next steps, and explained the plans to his mother as soon as possible.

"That must cost a lot of money, right?"

Before Rivers could speak, Carter interrupted him, saying, "I've already paid the medical bills, Mom. You just need to accompany Susan for further treatment."

Mary, being a mother, was aware of her son's financial situation and asked suspiciously, "Where did you get the money?"

"I've been doing well lately and might get a promotion. My future boss gave me a bonus in advance, which is enough to cure my sister. You can use it without worry."

As the saying goes, money gives heroes courage and gold gives men strength. With Valerie's deposit in hand, Carter was calm and composed, displaying the qualities of a pillar of the family.

The matter is now considered closed. Given Susan's condition, she obviously cannot attend Fury's friend's funeral.

The detective apologized a few times, left his contact information with everyone, and hurriedly left to continue investigating the truth behind his friend's death.

Valerie wasn't worried that Carter would run away. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they all said their goodbyes.

Of course, she didn't tell anyone that she had secretly planted a tracking puppet on Carter.

Time is like a wild donkey galloping without stopping, while fate is like a beautiful girl outside a luxury car window; no matter how much you try to avoid her, there will always be new girls appearing.

North of the waterfront street in Watson District is the location of a large medical facility.

This was also where Carter's sister was hospitalized, and the two sides agreed to meet here.

Chapter 510 An Eye for an Eye

Heavenly Kingdom Medical, this cyberpunk-style name is neither auspicious nor inauspicious, but rather exudes a kind of beauty that suggests early ascension to paradise.

However, this is one of the more reputable medical institutions in Night City, and the prices are relatively reasonable.

Or rather, it's not too dark.

Those pseudo-middle-class individuals who cannot afford the expensive medical fees of trauma groups but do not want to gamble on street-side shady clinics will choose to seek medical treatment here.

As the saying goes, regardless of wind or rain, or economic crisis, hospitals are always bustling and thriving.

The trio of "Reverse Entropy" have been lingering in this area recently because Carter's sister is hospitalized in this hospital, and Carter naturally visits her regularly.

The days under surveillance were not easy. With only one car and three people, even though they could occasionally go for a walk, the three of them still seemed bored.

However, although the Carter people were poor, they were surprisingly capable. In addition, Valerie did not need top-secret information, so they quickly obtained the intelligence they wanted.

The person was, unsurprisingly, gone. The body had probably already been reduced to ashes, since Arasaka Tower had a professional incinerator for burning 'medical waste'.

Of course, this result was not unexpected for Valerie. Dead people are worthless, especially since Arasaka had already obtained all the information about him.

However, simply returning to report was not Valerie's style. She needed to bring back something to demonstrate her professionalism, and kidnapping an Arasaka intelligence officer to retaliate and find out exactly how much information Arasaka had obtained from Thiago became Valerie's top priority for the next step.