Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 586 199. Changes in the City

"Good evening, everyone. Welcome to News Channel 54 tonight. Today, Night City has seen a major personnel change that has attracted the attention of the entire city. After many years of service, NCPD (Night City Police Department) Chief Carter has officially announced his retirement, ending his 25-year law enforcement career.

During his tenure, Commissioner Carter was committed to maintaining law and order in Night City. Despite the complex urban environment and endless criminal problems, he led the NCPD to achieve remarkable results in many major cases.

At today’s retirement ceremony, Chief Carter delivered a moving farewell speech, in which he said that the future of Night City requires a new generation of leaders to meet increasingly complex challenges, and called on citizens to continue to support the work of the NCPD;
At the same time, NCPD Deputy Chief Johnson officially took over the position of Chief, becoming the first chief to be promoted through normal procedures since Night City's independence. Deputy Chief Johnson has served in NCPD for nearly 30 years and is well-known for his decisive decision-making ability and forward-looking response to high-tech crimes. His appointment is widely regarded as an important step for NCPD to move towards discipline.
In his inaugural speech, Chief Johnson emphasized that he will work to strengthen the NCPD's connection with the public while using the latest technology and cutting-edge weapons to fight crime. He also said that in the future, he will focus on street violence, cybercrime, and illegal activities of gang forces;

The citizens of Night City have different reactions to the appointment of the new chief. Some have high expectations for Johnson's ability and believe that he can bring new hope to the city; others are taking a wait-and-see attitude towards the future of NCPD, worrying that the city's security problems will be difficult to improve in the short term. But no matter what, our city will welcome a new NCPD chief today, a meritorious chief born in Santo Domingo. "

Sitting in the restaurant, Carl listened to the latest news and calculated the time in his mind, while Oliver next to him had already counted on his fingers the service hours of Mr. Johnson.

"Almost thirty years. I remember Mr. Johnson is 47 years old this year. Does that mean he became an NCPD officer when he was almost 18 years old, just after he came of age?"

Oliver calculated with some surprise: "I remember that Mr. Johnson was a patrol officer in the Santo Domingo District for 16 years. The time he spent as a patrol officer almost accounted for half of his time as a police officer."

"Roughly the same."

As Karl was speaking, he heard other people in the shop next door discussing the news.

"Chief Carter. Oh, so Johnson isn't the chief yet? I almost forgot about this. Over the past year or so, all I've heard about is what Johnson, the NCPD, has done with his men, and how he wiped out several gangs of scavengers. I almost forgot there's a chief."

"Isn't this the guy who upgraded the equipment of the NCPD patrolling the streets? Damn, the weapons they carry are almost as good as those of corporate security guards. If I had seen the NCPD patrolling the streets so well when I was a kid, I might have tried hard to learn in the community school and see if I could get in."

"Come on, that's only now. In the past, wouldn't there be many NCPD officers killed by gangs and thugs on the streets? If you had wanted to become an NCPD back then, you might not have survived until now. Now we can occasionally have a drink in a nice restaurant, and the normal working hours are only 17 hours a day, with two days off a year. Are you still not satisfied?"

"Of course I am satisfied, but I always feel like I've missed something."

"Then you can let your nephew try to get into the NCPD. I remember your nephew's grades were pretty good. His grades might not be good enough to be a company dog, but they're more than enough to get into the NCPD.

I happen to have some connections here. Do you know the special operations team in the NCPD? It's the one that reports directly to the chief. I used to have some friendship with one of the police officers there. I can help you to get in. You may be able to join them. The treatment in that team is the best among the best, and the equipment is said to be not much worse than that of the terrorist squad."

"I heard that the troops are responsible for carrying out dangerous missions, but I only have this one nephew."

"Danger? Let me tell you, others may not know this, but I have some incredible news."

Although the two people who were talking lowered their voices, their words still reached Carl's ears clearly.

“I heard that.”

"What did you hear?"

"That special operations force is working for KK."

"KK!" The person who heard the name subconsciously raised his voice in surprise, but he immediately reacted and glanced around. After confirming that the two men and one woman who were the closest to him had not noticed this side, he continued to speak in disbelief:

"Are you talking about that KK?"

"There's a second KK in the city? Guess why there are fewer and fewer gangs in the city that dare to mess with the NCPD recently? Even the Uzumaki Gang and the Tiger Claw Gang, which used to be the most troublemakers, haven't caused any trouble for a long time. I've even seen the Sixth Street Gang with flattering smiles on their faces as they greeted NCPD officers. Now even those snub-nosed corporate dogs have learned to stop their cars and accept questioning when they see the NCPD."

"No wonder. I have to discuss this with my nephew when I go back today. This kid is smart and might be able to accomplish great things in the future. Brother, I have to thank you for today. I'll buy you the next bottle of wine, so feel free to drink."

"Come on, it's just your salary, but it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, okay."

Oliver also heard the conversation between the two. After hearing them start talking about family matters, he looked at Carl, his eyes clearly full of questions.

"The Uzumaki Gang has been fighting internally recently because of their boss, and it hasn't ended yet. The emperor of Arasaka behind the Tiger Claw Gang is dead, so how dare they be so arrogant again? You know this, Six Street Gang. You are a businessman, and you don't smile when you make money?"

Carl went right to explaining the strange rumors in the city, but T-BUG interrupted at this time: "What about the company dog ​​thing?"

"Um"

Carl himself had no idea why, so he guessed and answered hesitantly: "Because NCPD is really useful now?"

"So it has nothing to do with you at all, right?"

Oliver complained speechlessly: "Mr. Johnson has jumped four levels in two years and has become the director. If it has nothing to do with you, then why didn't Mr. Johnson get promoted so much in the past 20 years?"

"A long-term accumulation of experience?"

"Just be modest. Now think about it, you chose Kenshin the first time you chose a gun. Maybe you were too modest."

"Let's try to explain it in Chinese, right?"

Carl, a young man with an ordinary appearance, looked out the window, his eyes sweeping over the NCPD patrolling the streets and the citizens walking on the streets who did not show any tension after noticing the NCPD, and even had a relaxed look on their faces.

He pondered for a moment and whispered:

"Maybe... I did make a small contribution to making this city a better place, but I think it's mainly due to the efforts of people like Mr. Johnson in the NCPD."

Carlton paused and continued, "Without their persistence and dedication, those who were helped by them and decided to join NCPD and pass on the concept of helping others to this day might have disappeared long ago."

(End of this chapter)