Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 921, Section 131: A Father's Responsibility

Does Dogtown lack a legal advisor?

Of course it's lacking.

Nowadays, there are very few people in Dogtown whom Carl can consult.

Aside from the KK team, most of the others simply provided services to Carl in matters related to their own expertise.

For example, there's Mingzhi, who comes from the counterintelligence department and is skilled in intelligence gathering and counter-espionage, and who has also been a spy himself; and Gago, who majors in finance.

If we broaden the scope of loyalty and relationships, there are also sliders related to network programs, and Hanz who can assist in mercenaries and special affairs.

Even if you include them all, you still can't gather a single professional legal person.

Or rather, while Hans could do it, Carl's relationship with him was merely one of cooperation and familiarity; he didn't truly consider this Pacific intermediary as one of his own. As for others...
Dogtown is a lawless place. If Hansen had legal experts under his command, Dogtown wouldn't be so chaotic and subject to change at any time. Even the employment contracts signed by the hounds were created by Hansen using his personal power and influence.

The legal effect of that contract is almost equivalent to the strength of Hansen's power. If you want them to make laws, they might actually be able to come up with a powerful force like the Animal Gang that makes laws.

Xizi and her group of former Pheasant Faction members were selected as defense and combat troops. They were the elite team that Hanako and Saburo chose to fight against Sei-nobu.

In the clash between the two sides, the law was of no use whatsoever; it was a fight to the death. In such an environment, legal professionals were naturally useless—in fact, neither side had any legal professionals on their side throughout the entire confrontation.

Even if other former Pheasant Faction members later joined Karl, most of them were combat and management personnel. As for legal matters, although the company has a professional public relations department to put on a show, it hasn't really trained many people. Otherwise, Michiko Arasaka wouldn't have opened an agency outside of the company.

In corporate struggles, the law is a matter of name only. While it may have some use, it is mostly based on the premise that both sides are equal or nearly equal in strength. When a real conflict occurs, the law is of no use whatsoever.

But it's useless in times of conflict. In other words, the law is still very useful when there is no conflict.

That's exactly what Dogtown is lacking right now.

Carl can't exactly lead Dogtown in waging a 'unification war' against Night City, can he?

“I do need a legal advisor.” Carl tapped his finger on the table, his gaze lingering on Zechi for a moment before turning to Jefferson. “Mr. Jefferson, I understand your intention. If you wish for Miss Zechi to work for me, I would be very happy to accept—I am willing to offer three times the market rate and provide comprehensive security throughout Dogtown.”

He shifted his tone slightly, speaking calmly:

“However, since this is a ‘deal,’ I’d like to hear about the other part—besides giving Miss Zechi a high-paying job, what do you hope to get in return?”

“You’ve already given it to me in the deal.”

To Carl's surprise, Jefferson Perales didn't seem to be trying to use his daughter's position in exchange for anything. He looked visibly relieved: "All I need is for you to guarantee my daughter's safety within Dogtown."

"Ensuring Miss Zechi's safety is all that's needed."

A hint of curiosity flashed in Karl's eyes.

He had assumed that Jefferson Perales had come to him to use Dogtown as political capital, and had devised various possible negotiations and responses for him. However, he never expected that Jefferson Perales was just there to find a job for his daughter.

While this might be seen as a case of parents' hearts aching for their children, Zechi's resume is quite impressive. Even if she didn't work for Carl, her past experience at the Columbia Advisory Office should have provided her with no trouble finding a job, unless...
Just as Jefferson Perales said, all Carl needed to do was guarantee Zechi Perales's safety. If this was a deal, then all Carl was giving up was the guarantee of safety. The fact that the daughter of a mayoral candidate needed to seek asylum by working in Dogtown could only mean one thing: Jefferson Perales foresaw a danger far beyond the realm of political struggle.

This danger was not only enough to threaten his daughter's life, but also made him feel that even his status as a mayoral candidate could not provide sufficient protection.

"This isn't a harsh condition. Working for me, I naturally have an obligation to protect her. I can accept this condition, but..."

Carl paused briefly at Jefferson's momentary tense expression before speaking again: "I need to know exactly what she needs to be wary of."

If Zechi were in danger and had to come to him for protection, serving him in the way he worked, Carl could accept it. But even if he accepted it, he had to know what kind of danger Zechi might encounter, to the point that even her father, Jefferson, couldn't protect her.

If it's a really troublesome matter, then Carl will have to go to the person's house to talk and see if he can resolve the issue so that this rare legal advisor can work properly for him.

Of course, not every troublesome matter is acceptable. If Zech caused an accident while driving under the influence and is worried about retaliation from the victim's family, and therefore needs Carl to quell the situation, then Carl can kick Jefferson and Zech out right now.

However, it's unlikely that Jefferson would seek him out for such a life-or-death matter.

When Carl asked what to be wary of, Jefferson's face showed a hint of confusion and bewilderment, and then he spoke almost in a whisper: "I don't know."

"You do not know?"

Carl had a strange feeling about it.

They felt their daughter was in danger, so they came to me for help. Then I asked them what danger she was in, and they told me they didn't know.

You think this is a high-quality Q&A?

Faced with Carl's questioning, Jefferson nodded heavily.

“I just sensed danger.” His voice was hoarse. “A growing threat. I had a feeling that if things continued like this, something bad would happen to Zechi, so I had to come to you.”

He stopped beating around the bush, raised his head and looked directly at Karl, his eyes a mixture of confusion and fear:
"I feel like I'm no longer myself."

"No longer yourself?"

“It was only after Zechi came back that I realized the problem.” Jefferson’s fingers unconsciously tightened. “My memory doesn’t match her description. I’ve forgotten a lot of things—I even forgot that I have a brother;
I don't know why this is happening, I don't know what's going on. But I can feel myself changing, gradually becoming a different person.

His voice trembled:

“My memory is like a blank, and I am being changed by something. I am scared, scared that Zechi will suffer the same thing, but I don’t even know who the enemy is or why all this is happening.”

Listening to his father's trembling words, Zech reached out and gently grasped Jefferson's cold hands. This gesture seemed to give him a sliver of strength. He raised his head, staring intently at Carl, his eyes a mixture of despair and a last glimmer of hope.
“I don’t know what happened to me—maybe some kind of strange illness, but all the test results are normal. Maybe someone tampered with me, but I can’t find any trace of it.”
"Maybe when I wake up tomorrow, I'll be a complete stranger to myself, but before that," his voice was hoarse, "I have to make sure my daughter is safe."

"This is a father's responsibility."

he said.

(End of this chapter)