Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 943, Section 153: Four Thieves
Carl didn't actually take on many jobs involving theft, not because he wasn't good at the theft that occurred during the company's power struggles.

Although Carl wasn't as good at stealth as the top agents in the past, he was more than capable of doing some routine intelligence gathering tasks. Because of this, he was very familiar with the theft process and was naturally good at identifying whether a theft was taking place in the footage.

After watching the surveillance footage for just a few seconds, Carl was certain of one thing: his house was being burgled.

He did not rush into action.

Carl felt a mix of amusement and exasperation that the thief had stolen from him.

He was worried about the safety of his belongings and whether they were being targeted by thieves, which is why he came back home. Well, as soon as he got home, he stumbled upon a theft in progress.

Yes, the theft is underway.

These petty thieves had no choice but to strike at this crucial moment: almost a month after he returned from Dogtown, and he was delayed by temporary mayoral affairs.

Carl quickly spotted his target in the street footage—a plain pickup truck.

This vehicle will circle the area almost every day, with four men and women getting off and entering the skyscraper, staying for about an hour each time.

However, Carl could not find their records on the tenant list, nor could he find any registration of their use of any facilities in the building.

Today, they have stayed for more than an hour.

These thieves were very clever when they scouted the place, knowing how to disable the Carl family's alarm system and main surveillance cameras. But as clever as they were, they were a bit clueless and forgot to erase the video recordings of them walking around the private elevator all day.

They would lurk around the door every day, occasionally pulling out tools and fiddling with them, probably figuring out how to hack into the room with the private elevator.

After nearly half a month, they finally figured out the approach a few days ago, and after studying it in the elevator for a few more days, they finally decided to take action today.

This 'spirit of inquiry' is indeed worthy of 'praise,' but unfortunately, Karl was speechless.

Their approach of focusing solely on the key points while ignoring the details means that even if Carl hadn't happened to return today, they would have been exposed sooner or later once the theft was discovered and the surveillance footage was reviewed.

Unless they flee Night City immediately after this heist and hide to the ends of the earth—otherwise, the value of what they stole is enough to keep countless people chasing them until they die.

However, it's also possible that this was their original plan.

In the surveillance footage, the faces of the four thieves were all very blurry, clearly due to the use of some kind of masking technology.

However, they also failed in this aspect because they only used cheap, temporary shielding.

They probably couldn't afford the high-end equipment like the Kijiroshi Optical Prosthetic Eye with its advanced anti-detection capabilities. They only used a time-limited shielding system, and they might even feel a bit reluctant to use it, because they only activated it when they were almost at this super skyscraper.

Therefore, Carl only needed to trace back along the surveillance network to reveal their true appearance to him through cameras in more distant neighborhoods.

These thieves, who kept messing things up, were locals from Watson District, and then...
There are four minors.

Judging from their identities, they were all typical street kids, orphans who grew up on the streets.

The luckiest children like these can get into nominally free 'public' community schools thanks to their parents' meager inheritance;
The very few outstanding individuals might become entry-level employees in the company, enjoying the 'blessing' of working twenty hours a day.
Those with slightly better luck can survive on the streets, joining a local gang or simply working for a small, low-level gang to make a living. As for those with average or terrible luck...
He wouldn't live to that age. Carl's feelings were complicated, but he still dialed the NCPD's number.

He wouldn't show extra kindness just because the other person is a minor. As long as they are human, they should take responsibility for their mistakes, regardless of age. Similarly, he would treat these people who are racking their brains to figure out how to act with the utmost seriousness.

Even though Night City has improved somewhat, it's still not enough.

Carl remembered Jefferson Perales' dream—to make education affordable for street children and to enable them to live a good life.

Because Jefferson himself was a lucky guy who came from the streets and struggled step by step to where he is today, he longed even more for children like him to have the same opportunities.

I've become a better person, so I want to help more people who used to be like me become better.

It seems I need to help Mr. Jefferson even more in terms of financial support.

Compared to the Night City that the wandering AI desires, Carl can't say which Night City is better as a city, but he knows which Night City is better for people.

"Someone has to do it."

Karl sighed softly, then composed himself.

In the blink of an eye, he unlocked the elevator and, while regaining control of the surveillance, quietly disabled the devices of the four teenagers, preventing them from noticing that control had changed hands.

He then stepped into the elevator, but instead of going straight to his floor, he chose to stop on the floor below—a floor marked for maintenance.

"Let's walk up."

Carl made up his mind and stepped into the maintenance area.

Honestly, the dust here is really thick. If Oliver and Jack came, they would probably have another fun experience of crawling through the dust.

As Carl began his leisurely ascent up the stairs, the four young people upstairs, who had taken the elevator and spent an hour painstakingly cracking the basic lock on the high-rise apartment building, were basking in immense joy.

They were given only two hours, and half of that time had already passed. The talented young woman in the team, who had some hacking skills, had to exert almost all her strength to successfully infiltrate the area without triggering an alarm.

They only had one hour left to act carefully and cautiously—but that did not dampen their excitement in the slightest.

For them, who grew up on the streets, everything before them was like a mouse falling into a rice jar.

Looking around, everything seemed good, and everything was worth taking.

For these young people who have spent their lives struggling on the streets, earning a thousand euros a day is enough to make them happy for a while. This time, they finally made up their minds after hearing that even a team like KK was not going to be back from Dogtown for a while. They emptied all their savings, put together a set of worn-out gear, and decided to gamble everything on their future.

At this moment, success seems to be just one final step away for them—reaching out their hand.

(End of this chapter)