Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 918, Section 128: Jefferson

"I want to talk to you."

As Carl left Afterlife and walked down the street thinking about grabbing a bite to eat before heading back to Dogtown, a message arrived on his phone.

It was sent from an unfamiliar number.

Carl's number wasn't exactly a secret, but those who could get it generally had connections. So, after staring at the message for a few seconds, Carl didn't rush to follow up; instead, he replied with a message.

“I haven’t been taking any jobs lately, and I probably won’t be taking any in the future. If you want to find work, I suggest you contact some middlemen, or call me after I’ve finished dealing with the tedious stuff to talk business.”

Carl had barely sent his reply when he received another message from that number.

“I’m not talking business with mercenaries, KK. I’m talking business with the current king of Dogtown.”

To talk to the current king of Dogtown.
So he wasn't the type to ask me to take on jobs.

"Is it about trade or company registration? If so, I'll give you a phone number so you can contact my people to discuss it."

"I'm not talking to you about that kind of thing. There are some things that can't be said over the phone, can we talk about them offline?"

Should we discuss this in person?
Carl looked at the information, and it seemed to him inexplicably strange.

They said they wouldn't talk to me, all mysterious and they wanted to talk offline. It sounds like they've already planted someone there to ambush me when I get there.

Although ordinary traps are unlikely to endanger Karl now, who knows if some people have specially arranged an 'anti-KK package' for him? They can just casually arrange to meet him offline; he's not the kind of young student who likes to challenge others to fights.

"Meeting is fine, but since we're going to be face-to-face, it's not fair that you get to know me while I don't know you. I need to know who's contacting me first."

Carl was sending a message that appeared to be a question, but he was already prepared to immediately trace the line in the opposite direction if the other party said no.

After all, if you meet in person and only ask him to give his trust, that in itself is a dangerous sign, tantamount to saying 'this is a scam'.

Since that's the case, he might as well take the initiative and personally go to meet this elusive 'friend' with a gun.

If he wanted to meet in person, then Carl went to see him in person. Wasn't that polite enough?

Just as Karl was ready to make the tracking, the person on the other end of the communication only hesitated slightly before revealing Karl's identity, and at the same time, a call came in.

"I am Jefferson Peralez."

Along with this message, the call was connected by Carl, and what appeared on the screen was indeed the Jefferson Perales that Carl knew.

Is Jefferson Peralez, the mayoral candidate for Night City, now?

Carl watched Jefferson Perales, who looked slightly nervous, on the other side of the screen, feeling somewhat surprised.

He had assumed that the person making this mysterious contact and wanting to "do business" with him would be a company representative or an arms dealer, but he never expected it to be a politician.

In his memory, he had never had any interaction with this Mr. Jefferson.

However, since the other party explicitly stated that they wanted to speak with the 'King of Dogtown,' and considering the other party's potential future mayor of Night City, Karl stared at the image on the screen for a moment, carefully examining it to confirm that the communication was not disguised, before finally speaking:
“Jefferson Perales, I know you.” On the other end of the screen, Jefferson was also staring at Karl’s face, and hesitated, “Your face now seems a little different from the KK I remember.”

"Just some basic disguise."

Karl's expression shifted slightly, briefly reverting to his true appearance. After the other party had a clear look, he quickly returned to his original state and said:

“Go to the Spanish restaurant in the city center. I’ll be waiting for you there. I’ll only wait for you for an hour. If you don’t arrive after an hour, then this is the end of our communication. I will not contact you again.”

Jefferson seemed to want to say something, but Carl had already cut off the communication.

Karl put away his phone and stretched slightly.

So busy! It feels like things are just one after another.
Fortunately, I was planning to have a meal anyway, so it wouldn't hurt to wait for Mr. Jefferson while I was eating.

However, it's unclear why a mayoral candidate would bypass normal channels and contact him in this way.
Mayor, Dogtown.

Carl pondered for a moment and seemed to have some idea of ​​what Mr. Jefferson was planning to do.

What constitutes a politician's outstanding achievements?

Economic growth? Decreasing unemployment? Or increased immigration? These are all important, but ultimately they all boil down to one fundamental issue—territory.

Dogtown, a lawless area still marked as 'outside Night City' on official maps, is undoubtedly a tempting but hot potato. If anyone can 'take it back', their name will be written into the history of Night City.

By then, not only will running for mayor be possible, but even re-election will not be impossible.

In Dogtown today, the decision to return Dogtown to Night City can be made with just one person's approval.

That person was none other than Karl, the King of Dogtown.

so.
Carl understood the situation.

He treated this as a politician's "achievement gift".

While Carl did indeed have the idea of ​​bringing Dogtown back to Night City—after all, Carl wasn't like Hansen, who ruled over a small town—he valued the things and changes that Dogtown could create by integrating into Night City. However, this didn't mean that Carl was willing to bring Dogtown back and treat it as a political achievement.

He was curious to see what kind of price Jefferson Perales would offer him.

While sitting in the Spanish restaurant, before Karl's potato omelet arrived, he saw a familiar figure he had just met on the phone getting out of a car at the door.

However, Jefferson Perales wasn't the only one at the restaurant entrance; he was accompanied by a woman.

When Jefferson Perales appears in public, he is usually accompanied by a woman, his wife Elizabeth Perales.

She is a remarkable woman who met and fell in love with Jefferson while they were studying law in college, and is now a great help to him in his daily life and politics.

Carl also recognized the woman's face, but the woman accompanying Jefferson Perales today was not his famous wife, but a girl who looked to be just over 18 and still had a somewhat naive air about her.

(End of this chapter)