The Creators: From Night City

The ceiling light in the car suddenly turned on, emitting brilliant light and illuminating Jiang Bing's true face.

"Sabul Lyric, do I need to remind you that you still owe me your life?"

The elderly female agent suddenly remembered what Jiang Bing had done. Having seen his combat prowess, she knew that even with a gun in hand, she would be doomed, so she relaxed her tense body from the bottom of her heart.

"What does Mr. Sabul want to see me about?"

"I'll give you a great opportunity." Jiang Bing reached out and knocked on the car window glass beside him, and the door locks opened automatically the next moment.

This scene made Meredith's eyes twitch. It meant that there was at least a very powerful hacker lurking somewhere nearby.

"Let's talk outside. After all, this isn't the place for serious discussions."

The streetlight cast a cone-shaped light, but the two of them tacitly hid in the darkness on the side, with only a cigarette butt emitting a red light.

It was a "Cowboy" brand cigarette, one of the many high-end cigarettes developed by Mr. Hands. The raw materials were provided by Jiang Bing. Unexpectedly, it has penetrated into every aspect of Night City.

"I have to raise the price for Hands for the next batch of goods," Jiang Bing thought to himself.

"It must have been a rough time lately, Meredith Stout. Your backer has fallen, and the new head of operations, Keenan Thorston, has a lot of opinions about you." Jiang Bing spoke accurately and described the other party's recent situation.

"Mr. Sable, in what capacity are you speaking to me, Arasaka, or Kantō?"

"But no matter which force it is, if I disappoint Mr. Sabur, I will not betray the company."

"Neither." Jiang Bing retreated to the upwind side to avoid the intrusion of secondhand smoke.

“I’m speaking to you as an angel investor.”

Meredith Stout obviously did not believe Jiang Bing's words, but it didn't matter. If you want to convince others, as long as you put real money and benefits in front of them, the other party will naturally complete self-examination.

"I have information about Arasaka Soul Slayer." Jiang Bing didn't bring his cane this time, so he could only snap his fingers to replace his signature cane-tapping action.

The next moment, the interface of the female agent's professional military technology internal combat system suddenly became distorted. When it returned to normal, a document had already been displayed on her built-in head-up display.

Meredith Stout was horrified beyond words. There was only one explanation for what had just happened: the hacker had unknowingly broken into the internal version of ICE used in military technology and invaded her brain.

Since the other party could transmit a file without her noticing, he could naturally burn her brain with just a thought.

So the well-trained agent obediently studied the contents of the document.

"A researcher on the Relic project!" Meredith exclaimed, "This Yoshida is such a jerk!"

"He can also be in your hands." Jiang Bing continued.

The female agent has come to her senses.

"what do you want?"

"A person's life."

"Who?"

"Lucius Lane."

"The mayor of Night City, did he provoke you?" The female agent frowned. "You think too highly of me. Not even Keenan Thorston dared to touch him."

"He's the mayor of Night City." Meredith enunciated each word.

"I understand." Jiang Bing snapped his fingers again, and an audio file suddenly appeared in the Meredith system.

"I'll pay more." Jiang Bing said.

Chapter 420 The banquet begins

The audio records in detail the dirty conversation between Lucius and Arasaka. Mr. Blue Eyes has carefully edited it to ensure high energy throughout and every segment is explosive.

"I have set up the promotion class for you." Lingyin Selina has firmly blocked the nearby communications to ensure that no one can transmit any information without her authorization.

"Our good mayor's life is in exchange for Yoshida's life. The mayor is in the same boat with the mayor. The mayor is in the same boat with the mayor. The mayor is in the same boat with the mayor. The mayor is in the same boat with the mayor. The mayor is in the same boat with the mayor. The mayor is in the same boat with the mayor. The mayor is in the same boat with the mayor. The mayor is in the same boat with the mayor. The mayor is in the same boat with the mayor. The mayor is in the same boat with the mayor. The mayor is in the same boat with the mayor.

"As long as you seize the opportunity, I believe you will be able to replace Nan Sawston soon."

They are all adults, and Jiang Bing doesn't need to explain the risks and benefits in detail. Meredith Stout will weigh the pros and cons herself.

She didn't reply, only a little scarlet dot grew brighter in the darkness.

After a while, the other party threw the cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it with her high heels.

The female agent had obviously made a decision.

"Cooperation is fine, but I need to meet the person first."

Jiang Bing had no objection.

........................

No matter how rotten the quagmire, a white lotus may grow; no matter how rotten the ncpd team is, there will always be one or two righteous people.

At first, Free Ward thought there was no brighter future than becoming a detective in the NCPD. However, when he actually became a detective, he found that sticking to his ideals in Night City was always much more difficult than just getting by.

He has to struggle in the moral quagmire every day. Either he sticks to his principles or he sells out his conscience and goes along with the crowd.

Fortunately, he is an adult and knows that the world is not black and white, but a delicate gray. He will compromise, be reasonable, and try his best to stick to his principles. This is why, although he is not liked by his leaders, he has a good relationship with his colleagues.

He recently took on a big job, responsible for the security of a business dinner.

To be honest, he didn't really like doing this. He would have to stand there like a pillar all day long. It would be more refreshing to just go to the streets and catch a few scavengers.

But he had to stay at the entrance of the banquet with his partner, Officer Han, and look for possible dangers.

The one who gave the order was NCPD Chief Jerry Forte, the one who assigned the task was his direct superior, and the ones who needed to be protected were the mayor, deputy mayor, and other high-ranking politicians and business leaders in Night City, as well as Arasaka's leader, Yorinobu Arasaka.

Although Arasaka's security personnel have checked the entire banquet hall several times, the NCPD still needs to make the appropriate gesture to the outside world.

At the very least, the image of ncpd must be maintained to avoid affecting the stock price by being too wasteful.

Han is a typical old fox, with a slack demeanor and a casual look as he observes everyone coming and going. Coupled with his lazy posture as he holds his lunch box and leans against the police car, he looks like a man who is just trying to get by.

"Sometimes I really question what these bigwigs are thinking every day. Can eating, drinking, dancing, and messing around every day make Night City a better place?"

"Maybe." Han picked up a piece of 'honey pickled tangerine peel chicken' with a fork and stuffed it into his mouth, enjoying the sweet and sour taste bursting in his mouth, and couldn't help nodding slightly.

"Han, I believe that with your wisdom, you must have some unique insights into this." Fury stroked his bald head, his dark face full of negativity brought by boredom.

"I don't know if Night City will become a better place, but everyone attending the party is definitely better off than the two of us."

"Partner, if you're really bored, I have a box of donuts in my car. I can give you two." Han fully demonstrated what a Night City misfit is.

The banquet venue is right next to the Civic Center, in Independence Hall, located on the River Walk at the end of Martin Luther King Boulevard. This place is close to the sea and has beautiful scenery. At the same time, it is surrounded by municipal agencies. There are not too many idle people coming and going on a daily basis, and the security is much higher than other hotels and banquet halls.

Several fighters in black and red suits hurried past the duo and disappeared into the bustling media team.

These are all Arasaka's agents. In order to ensure the safety of Arasaka Yoshinobu, Arasaka's special operations team is fully mobilized this time. Fury dares to bet that there must be more than one Arasaka sniper lying on the commanding heights of the surrounding buildings.

Soon, under the siege of media cameras, the sun of Night City, Mayor Lucius Lane, walked out of Independence Hall with Deputy Mayor Wilton Holt, Boss Fury's boss Jerry Forte, and a group of city councilors, and wrote a series of articles in front of the media. The most important content of the articles was that Lucius paved the way for his deputy Wilton Holt in the next mayoral election.

To this end, he did not hesitate to publicly publicize his praise for Wilton Holt many times, and he praised him highly and supported him wholeheartedly.

Same thing this time.

Soon, it was time for the guests to arrive. The media personnel tactfully retreated to both sides of the red carpet and took frantic photos of the motorcades that arrived one after another.

The purpose of a banquet of this scale is naturally not to eat. Every move of everyone carries the strongest political significance.

The specific banquet process is naturally carried out step by step, and the essence has remained unchanged for thousands of years.

As usual, Wilton Holt and Lucius were in charge of welcoming guests at the entrance and exchanging brief greetings.

The guests who arrived first enjoyed appetizers and snacks in the area outside the banquet hall, held a short cocktail party, and chatted casually, waiting for the real bigwigs to arrive.

In such occasions, there are naturally strict requirements on the order of appearance. Generally speaking, the later one appears, the more distinguished one's status is.

As the protagonist of the banquet, Arasaka Yorinobu will undoubtedly be the last to appear.

Only when he arrives can the banquet officially begin, otherwise everyone will have to wait obediently in the cocktail party venue outside the banquet hall.

Fury hated the insincere courtesy of these politicians the most, which made him, a detective who had been working at the bottom of Night City for many years, feel jealous.

Instead of wasting time, he might as well help the victims find their missing relatives. Even if he killed a scavenger, it would be better than standing there stupidly.

"Han, I'm going to walk around the banquet hall. You keep an eye on the outside."

Han Ze had already started a fight with Donut. He waved his hand, indicating that his partner could do whatever he wanted.

The two of them, along with other NCPD personnel stationed outside Independence Hall, were simply transferred in to keep up appearances. Arasaka Security was world-renowned for its professionalism, and had long since taken over the security of the entire banquet hall. Although Fury had some opinions on this, the mayor didn't care about the impact of this loss of sovereignty, so why should a small detective like him worry about it?

He just wanted to hold on until the dinner was over as he had a lot of things to deal with.

Chapter 421 Arasaka Yorinobu's First Appearance

After passing through the security gate, Fury entered the cocktail party venue, chose a corner to stand in, and used his prosthetic eye to scan the situation in the hall and check for danger.

As a responsible detective, even though he was extremely reluctant, he still did his job diligently.

He saw etiquette staff humbly and politely checking invitations; he saw CEOs of well-known local companies, presidents of chambers of commerce, and well-known investors surrounding state and city government officials and representatives of business organizations and showing their courtesy; he saw several representatives from the Russian Federation, major Eastern powers, and even international organizations tentatively exchanging views with each other; he saw political columnists from mainstream news websites and TV hosts holding special interview passes hunting targets with ulterior motives; he saw political consultants moving quietly among the crowd, providing strategic advice to politicians; he saw lobbyists carefully hired by representatives of major energy, medical and other industries taking the opportunity to contact decision makers and influence their decisions.

Although he did not like these scenes, there was nothing unusual about them.

At the small bar next to the main bar, a bartender wearing a burgundy vest caught his attention.

"What would you like to drink, officer?" the other party asked as he methodically cleaned the water stains on the bar.

Fury became interested. His many years of career as a detective gave him a keen sense that something seemed to be wrong.

This judgment was entirely based on intuition, but his cautious style prevented him from missing any possibility.

"Any recommendations?" The detective leaned against the bar and took the opportunity to look at the other person carefully.

He had a well-proportioned body and wore a standard service personnel suit. There was no space for him to carry weapons, and no signal from any combat prosthesis was detected.

In summary, there is no danger.

"I recommend the 'Old Fashioned' cocktail, which is Piper's whiskey, a sugar cube, bitters, and a pinch of orange peel. Just mix it straight for the most original flavor."

'That's a very professional answer, befitting a bartender,' Fury thought.

"Why did you recommend this to me? I thought you would recommend some martinis or something?" the detective continued chatting.

"It's one of the oldest cocktails, ancient, perfect for old-fashioned people like you."

"Oh, thank you for your concern." The detective wanted to roll his eyes in protest, but he was still interested in the wine recommended by the other party.

"Even though I don't agree with you, give me a drink. The city government is paying for it, so I'd be wasting my time if I didn't."

The bartender smiled and his pristine hands began to work.

Place a sugar cube in the bottom of a rocks glass, add 2-3 drops of bitters and a small amount of real water, and use a pestle to gently crush the sugar cube until it is completely dissolved to form a syrupy base.

60ml whiskey, the bartender gently shakes the glass to mix the liquor and syrup. The whole process is slow and elegant, with a natural charm.

"He is definitely a famous bartender, and one who has been in the industry for many years." Fury looked at the other party's artistic bartending movements, and this thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

2-3 large ice cubes were placed in the glass, and the bartender stirred it clockwise along the wall of the glass with a bar spoon, while chatting with the detective.

"You seem quite unused to such occasions, sir."

"Uh, was I being too obvious?" Fury frowned suspiciously.

"I just have a pair of sharp eyes." The detective then realized that the other person's eyes were natural flesh eyes and had not been modified with artificial eyes. This made the last doubt in his heart disappear without a trace.

You know, in today's society, the rate of prosthetic transformation is completely equated with combat effectiveness. Even if some sabotage actions are to be carried out, no organization would be stupid enough to send a "monk" over. He probably can't even calculate the ballistics of the gun.

The bartender gestured to the beverage assistant who was bending over to add ice cubes, lemon slices and arrange the drinkware, and asked him to bring some orange peels over.

Looking at the female barista's eyes and hands, which were clearly transformed by prosthetics, Fury thought to himself, "If there really is a criminal, at least he'd have to have the same level of prosthetics as her."

The bartender took a piece of orange peel, rubbed the edge of the glass with the peel, and gently put it into the glass, then pushed it to the detective.

"An Old Fashioned cocktail, please."

The cocktail tasted good, but Fury did not drink too much. After confirming that there was nothing unusual here, he drank the whole thing, savoring the unique bitterness of the bitters, and turned around to continue checking other places in the venue.

"I thought we were exposed." Finding a moment when no one was around, Lingyin Selina, wearing a black suit vest, a slim skirt and a white shirt, leaned against Jiang Bing and muttered softly.

Because someone doesn't have a brain-computer, even if Zero Sound Selina's hacking skills and the prosthetic components in her body are powerful enough to break into the brain-computer of anyone else at the scene, she still has to communicate with Jiang Bing on a physical level.

"This detective has some stuff, but not too much." Jiang Bing acted like a veteran who had been immersed in this business for many years. While talking to his accomplices, he did not stop the tool in his hand from flying up and down, and quickly mixed glasses of Martini, Manhattan, Smoked Godfather, Electronic Zombie, or Virgin Mojito according to the drink menu.

Of course, there are also weird cyber-style cocktails such as Data Flow, Pain Killer, and Mechanical Heart, which are popular among curiosity seekers.

"Have people from Military Technology sneaked in?" Zero Sound Selina couldn't conduct a deep scan without restraint in such a situation. Relying solely on her artificial eyes and experience, she really didn't find anyone from Military Technology preparing to assassinate her in the scene.

Jiang Bing didn't even raise his eyes, gently shaking the cup with his left hand, and tapping the corner opposite with the spoon in his right hand. Lingyin looked in the direction and found that there was a band responsible for the live music.