The Creators: From Night City

"That's right." Jenkins sat back in the comfortable and soft boss chair, his prosthetic eye shining slightly, and the large screen behind him projected a slightly bent spoon.

"A bar spoon?" Valerie asked, puzzled.

"To be precise, it was the weapon the assassin used to kill Lord Lai Xuan, but it was intercepted by Adam Hammer in advance."

"Are you kidding? Who would use a spoon to assassinate someone?" Valerie held a high position in the counterintelligence organization. She had seen all kinds of sophisticated and superb assassination methods, as well as a variety of weapons that were either exquisite or ingenious. This was the first time she had seen an ordinary-looking spoon.

"I don't believe it either, but it's the truth."

"Did the murderer use some kind of electromagnetic projector?" Valerie pondered for a moment before offering her opinion. "That's a good idea indeed. The electromagnetic projector could be disassembled and mixed in with other miscellaneous items to pass through security."

"That's the problem." Jenkins drank the wine in his glass and said something that made Valeri unbelievable.

"According to Adam Hammer's description, this spoon, which is as powerful as a bullet, was thrown out by someone."

"Thrown it out?!" Valerie thought she was hallucinating and couldn't help but repeat it.

"By a bartender."

"Interesting." Valerie thought quickly in her mind, "Does he have a special type of prosthetic body installed?"

"That's unpredictable. The incident happened so quickly that there was no time to conduct a deep scan. The other party had already disappeared."

"Did Adam Sledgehammer fail to capture this man's face? Or is this man's identity a fake?"

"Just as you guessed, the face is fake and the identity is fake." Jenkins leaned back in his chair and gave his answer.

"That's normal. How could I use my real identity to do something like this?"

"The Special Investigations Department has concluded that this assassination attempt was primarily aimed at Mayor Lucius Lane. The purpose was most likely due to his recent proposal to re-equip the Night City Rapid Reaction Force with technical support."

Valerie, who had already looked up relevant information on the way here, also understood the trick.

"Has it been confirmed that the shooter was from Militech?"

"When a person dies, even though his body is clean, it's still not completely clear."

"Listen, V," Jenkins said solemnly, lowering his voice. "I'm definitely going to lose Abernathy's job, but I'm not the only one eyeing it, so I need to make some achievements to keep the position of Director of Special Operations."

"Because of Lord Lai Xuan's assassination, the entire Night City branch is investigating whether there are any traitors within their departments. You happened to be in Frankfurt during the incident, staying out of the situation. Therefore, you are the most suitable person to investigate this bartender."

"I understand." If Jenkins wants to be promoted, the safest way is to show his achievements related to assassination.

"Keep working hard, V. If I could take Abernathy's position, my current position would be yours." Jenkins was so skilled at painting a rosy picture for Valerie that it became almost instinctive.

"Of course." Fortunately, this pie is really possible to achieve, and Valerie's enthusiasm is really mobilized.

Jenkins opened a drawer, pulled out a chip and pushed it in front of Valerie.

"All the information is here. Remember to destroy it after reading it. This matter is highly encrypted."

Valerie picked up the chip quickly and put it into the interface behind her ear. Her artificial eye lit up, and she quickly browsed the data in the chip and carefully analyzed the connections.

After a while, she blinked, pulled out the chip, broke it in two and threw it on the corner of the table.

"Do you have any ideas?" Jenkins asked.

"The bartender's identity acquisition method and the NCPD officers who had close contact with the bartender are both good opportunities for breakthroughs."

"Of course, I'll grant you Class A clearance. Go ahead and do it, but this must be done in secrecy in the early stages. After all, there are many people eyeing this position. These useless people who only know how to fight among themselves are not good enough to get things done, and they can be very bad at it."

"I understand. Then I want to apply for more investigation funds and find people outside to do it. Unless it is absolutely necessary, this matter will not go through the company." Valerie naturally understood that her boss was planning to sneak into the village without shooting, and do it privately, and then suddenly surprise everyone.

"That's a good idea. I trust you to do the job."

Jenkins tapped the table with his fingers a few times, made up his mind, stood up, walked to the dark corner and took out a small box. Just as he was about to open it, he thought again and simply picked up the whole box and placed it in front of Valerie.

At the other party's signal, Valerie opened the box, revealing stacks of packaged Euro cash inside.

Chapter 427: Meeting Old Friends

"Here's 20 euros in cash. Your suggestion is very good. You should use this cash first for this investigation. Don't use the company's account. This is safer."

Looking at the box of unusual cash, Valerie knew that her boss had obviously used his own private money to get a promotion.

But money is money, and both cash and electronic accounts can be used equally. What the other party said is right, and it is indeed safer not to use the company's account.

"clear"

So she quickly closed the box, stood up and left without any hesitation under the other person's slightly distressed gaze.

………………

Kabuki district.

Valerie quietly drove a Quartz EC-L R275 and turned onto the creek loop road.

Under the dim sky, although the surrounding buildings are covered with various advertising signs, the classic neon line sign of the Ritz Bar is still clearly visible.

A pink chick with twin ponytails holding a battle axe, with a skull tattoo on her butt, repeating the seductive action of lifting her legs and kicking forward.

Valerie stopped the car. For the sake of concealment, she did not drive the hovercraft, but the smell of her corporate suit and the company dog ​​on her body was still obvious and hit her nose.

"Looks like trouble is coming." The person on duty at the main entrance of the bar today was Rita Wheeler, the door girl of the Mox Gang.

"No, it's no trouble. I'm just here to have some fun." Valerie looked at the other man's exposed body with interest. "I have an appointment inside."

"That's great. We welcome everyone to come and play." Rita Wheeler shouldered the baseball bat and moved out of the way.

"Welcome to Sister Liz, have fun. Also, don't cause any trouble in there. That's my advice."

Valerie pushed open the door and walked in, wondering when the Mox Gang had become so tough.

Turning around the corridor, waves of electronic music hit you in the face. The Ritz Bar lobby has obviously changed to a new decoration style, and the overall width has been expanded a lot. There are many booths and green plants in the planning area, which makes it look much more high-end.

Of course, the scantily clad sex dolls coming and going, the people swaying to the music on the dance floor, the people hugging each other in the booths, the rows of people sitting in the Mewtwo area constantly twitching their bodies, the customers who come to sell sex have not changed for thousands of years.

However, there are obviously many more security personnel with serious faces, well-equipped and tough temperament in inconspicuous places such as the corners of the venue and the monitoring room.

"That's strange. When did the Mox Gang have so many more men? Could it be that they were recruited by Tiger Claw?"

While Valerie was keenly pondering her discovery, she walked to the corner of the hall where the person she had an appointment with was already waiting there.

"I thought you were lost. What's going on? Don't you come to this kind of place often? V, haha, I've been waiting for you for a while."

Jack was lying leisurely in the booth, greeting everyone in a very relaxed manner.

"Liz's place is quite small in Night City, so we should meet at 'Dark Matter' next time," Valerie joked.

"Oh, Mi querida amiga (my dear friend), you are still as sharp-tongued as before, but you have been involved in so many lawsuits that you don't even need to wear smoky makeup because of your dark circles." Jack looked at his friend's haggard face and teased with concern.

"That's what it's like to work in Arasaka. When it gets busy, you have to work non-stop for months." As she spoke, Valerie yawned loudly.

She hasn't had a proper rest for a long time.

"I feel like you've sold your body and soul to Arasaka for a little money. If you keep going like this, the chances of you dying suddenly are greater than the chances of you being killed by your competitors."

"Jack, you've become more arrogant recently, even though it's just a small amount of money. You're no longer as hungry as you used to be." Valerie and Jack have known each other for a long time. They have a close relationship. Valerie has often asked him to do shady jobs for her, and she knows a lot about each other's past.

Listening to his old friend's teasing, Jack smiled nonchalantly, "La vida es una montana rusa (Life is like a roller coaster), I can't always have bad luck."

He gestured for a waitress in a brightly colored suit to come over and whispered a few words to her. The waitress looked at him suspiciously until he emphasized his point again and again before turning away.

"From the way you sound, it seems like the great Jack Wilson has become quite successful in the past few days. What have you been up to lately? Are you still hanging out with the Valentino gang?"

"In fact, I found myself a permanent job. I don't know if you know Anti-Entropy, but I'm currently an expatriate employee of theirs."

"The one from Badlands?" How could Valerie not know about this organization that appeared out of nowhere?

"Yes, they have good benefits and are free to work."

While the two were talking, the waiter brought two glasses of wheat juice and placed them on the table.

"Try it, this is authentic wheat beer. It's because I have a good relationship with the bartender, otherwise you wouldn't even see it on the menu." Jack was not bragging. As a substantive employee of [Anti-Entropy], he was quite influential in the Ritz Bar. It was no exaggeration to say that he could even get a discount when looking for a sex doll.

Upon hearing this, Valerie picked up the cold beer with some doubt and took two sips. A rich malt aroma, subtle fruit aroma and slight bitterness mixed together rushed straight to her head. The taste was soft and pure, accompanied by rich and delicate foam. As soon as the beer took a sip, one could feel the sweetness of malt and the bitterness of hops rippling between the lips and tongue, giving people a fresh and natural flavor that could not be replaced by industrial products.

"No way, this is brewed from real wheat, not those genetically modified ones."

Seeing that his friends in high positions were surprised by the wine, Jack, who had successfully pretended to be a master, laughed heartily with satisfaction.

"If you like to drink more, I'll pay for the drinks today."

"It seems that you have really become rich." Valerie teased with a smile.

"Don't just listen to me, talk about your side of the story."

Valerie pushed back her shaved hair and said, "You know about the assassination of the mayor of Night City, right?"

"Of course, it's spread all over the streets and alleys. Recently, you can find any TV program reporting on this." Jack replied.

"This matter is not as simple as it is shown on TV. The second-in-command of the company, Arasaka Yorinobu, was also at the assassination scene."

"I know about this. It was also reported on TV."

"You must keep confidential what I'm going to say next, Jack. This is the company's top secret." Valerie said in a low voice.

"You still don't trust me. No one else knows about what happened at the Mexican border. I'm famous for being tight-lipped." Jack was obviously anxious when he heard his friend say this.

"Of course I believe you, but this matter is too sensitive."

Hearing Valerie's cautious tone, Jack became obviously interested. He leaned over and put his head closer.

"Quick, tell me."

Chapter 428 The Priest and the Wolf Tavern

"Arasaka Yorinobu was also assassinated. The killer has yet to be apprehended. Not only that, but we have no clue who he belongs to or what his motives are."

"Oh my god, what happened to Arasaka Yorinobu? If he dies, the Fifth Company War will start immediately."

"I was protected by Adam Hammer, so I wasn't hurt. But my boss asked me to investigate this assassin, and I had to do it secretly."

"Is that so?" Jack sat back down.

"There's sufficient funding. My boss gave me a large sum of cash. This mission is definitely lucrative."

Has Jack made any money recently?

Make money, and make a lot of money.

But if you ask him if he is short of money, the answer is equally obvious.

It’s missing, it’s always missing.

Valerie's prosthetic eye lit up, and she passed the mission information to her friend. She held her wine glass, enjoying the rare appetite, waiting for her old friend to give her opinion.

"There aren't many clues, but I don't have any missions recently, so I can go for a run with you."

"Where do you want to start?" he asked.

"Which company does the replaced bartender belong to? I'd also like you to ask someone on the underworld, Jack. Besides, we can first go find Officer River to find out what happened."

"No problem, as for my relationship with the priest, you can rest assured."

Jack was expressing his opinion when the waist-high glass partition next to him was suddenly grabbed from the outside and a female voice was heard.

"Jack, I heard from the waiter, Jira, that someone from Anti-Entropy has arrived at the venue. I didn't expect it to be you."

The person who spoke was Liz's Mewtwo expert Judy. After joining Anti-Entropy, she had dealt with Vincent and Jack a lot.

She glanced at Valerie beside her, and her eyes lit up noticeably.

"your friend?"

"v" Valerie introduced.

"V?" Judy looked at the other person in confusion.

"Um, you may not know, I have a buddy and colleague I met recently, also named V, he's a man." Jack explained quickly.

"I see." Valerie suddenly realized.

"What a coincidence, you can also call me Valerie."

"Judy, it would be fun if Vincent were here."

"Ha, who says it isn't?" Jack teased.

The three of them chatted briefly for a few words, and then Judy returned to her basement, while Jack directly contacted the middleman, Father Sai, who happened to be free at the moment. The two drank the wine in their glasses, got up and left to do their business.

Quartz EC-L R275 goes south along the highway, passes the Civic Center, and walks along the Hanford Viaduct in Haywood until you get off the viaduct in the Valley area. Then walk two blocks to reach your destination.

'Wild Wolf Bar'