The Creators: From Night City

However, East Construction Company and Tom Selvig would not mind such things. They were paid for the work, and even if the warehouse was used to store corpses, it would be fine to give it to them after completing the contract.

Tom Selvig is a rare fat man in Night City.

Fat is a symbol of wealth in Night City.

Long-term consumption of high-tech and hard-core products such as synthetic meat can easily lead to malnutrition and dietary problems. Ordinary people live in poor conditions, and many people cannot even guarantee their daily food supply, which further aggravates the problem of malnutrition. Facing a high-pressure living environment all day long, the lower-class people have no food to eat. Coupled with excessive prosthetic implants, groundwater and acid rain pollution, it is undoubtedly a fantasy to expect overnutrition.

Only a small group of people who are rich and have free time can accumulate enough fat.

However, richer people often do not allow themselves to be obese. Advanced technology has made losing weight a simple matter. In order to maintain their appearance, these upper-class people who are usually well-dressed will spend a lot of money to implant various cosmetic prostheses, do body sculpting, and various expensive maintenance just to maintain an excellent appearance.

And fat, something that the lower class people desire but cannot get, is even less likely to appear on their bodies.

Unless it is required by special hobbies or profession.

Tom Selvig, with a big belly, was standing in front of the warehouse door directing the project dispatch.

He was able to reach the position of supervisor not by relying on any connections, but by being cold-faced, ruthless, and slick, with strong professional qualities, and standing out from the crowd of people.

Kidnapping is David's area of ​​expertise.

With Jiang Bing, the underworld master, guiding the way ahead, David's identity transition from a high school student to a mainstay of Night City was smooth and rapid.

When kidnapping someone in Night City, the key is to get the idea right first and get straight to the point. You have to clearly state your purpose at the outset to avoid unnecessary exchanges of fire.

So, when David put the cold muzzle of the gun against the opponent's lower back, Tom Selvig also showed that he was very experienced.

"Friend, what do you want to do?"

David poked the opponent's fat with his gun, causing a wave of flesh to surge.

"A few questions, then I'll leave. Hello, I'm fine, everyone."

The fat foreman followed David to the corner. His face was covered in sweat, perhaps due to nervousness or obesity.

"Are you two edgewalkers?"

David didn't answer. Instead, he imitated Jiang Bing's demeanor in his memory and asked with a half-smile, "Kadar Garcia, do you know him?"

As soon as I asked this question, I didn't expect the other party to visibly breathe a sigh of relief.

"Huh~, I thought you were the ones my wife was looking for."

The middle-aged man with an unhappy marriage shook the flesh on his cheeks and nodded his head rapidly.

"My workers are very hardworking guys."

"Where is the man?"

"I don't know, maybe he's crazy, maybe he's dead." Tom said calmly.

This answer aroused David's interest.

"Why do you dare to say that?"

"Hey, this kind of thing happens all the time. This isn't the first company I've worked for. I can only say that this kind of thing happens everywhere."

"Inhibitor." Lucy returned to her usual coldness in front of outsiders.

Tom Selvig's expression changed slightly. After weighing the pros and cons, he finally spoke, "I don't know how you found out, but there's definitely something fishy going on."

He turned around and looked around, and felt that this corner was not hidden enough, so he took the initiative to lead the two of them inside.

"The items were distributed uniformly by the company's logistics department, and they were required to be delivered to every employee. That's when I knew."

This chosen worker has no intention of being on the same page with the company, just like the scoundrel who leaked the company's dirty laundry to tabloid reporters before leaving.

"The inhibitor looks like the real thing, but I asked other people in the company to secretly check the source and found no record of this batch of goods being purchased."

Even the act of colluding with other company employees and secretly preserving evidence is similar.

"During that period, the company was about to lay off employees, but it didn't want to lose money, so it had to use various methods to force employees to resign on their own." At this point, the chosen worker seemed to be extremely disgusted with the company's behavior.

"But some employees refused to leave. I heard that this made the senior members of the board of directors very anxious and angry."

"However, there are some situations where it is possible to reduce staffing without paying compensation."

At this point, Tom, a middle-aged man, had a fat face with a look of sympathy for his fellow man.

"If these workers develop cyberpsychosis and go crazy, and then die of the disease or are beaten to death by the terrorist squad, the board of directors will naturally not have to pay a penny."

The old ox-horse spread his hands towards the two men, his words full of sincerity.

Lucy remained indifferent and remained cautious. "Why are you telling us this? Aren't you afraid the company will come back to you and settle the score?"

"If you don't come, I won't be able to stay in this stupid company anymore." The old cow horse showed the cunning that is unique to the petty people.

"I don't know which side you're on, but it's a good thing that you're willing to intervene in the affairs of low-level workers like Kadar Garcia."

Although the old ox and horse are slick, they still have some kindness in their hearts. This level of morality is very rare in Night City.

"Anilla Pesce."

Looking at the gun in David's hand, Tom Selvig made a brief assessment and decided to tell the two of them the truth.

"I was planning to sell this information to my competitors after I ran away, but you guys got a bargain today."

"Many of the company's purchases are not legitimate, and the goods are not genuine. This person is one of the company's black market suppliers, and is considered the largest supplier."

"black market?"

David was about to ask more when Lucy interrupted him, "Pigeon cage?"

The old cow and horse nodded.

It may sound like nonsense that such a large company as East Construction would purchase things from the black market, but it is indeed a common phenomenon.

You should know that for a business to operate normally, it needs a large number of necessary materials, from small ones like office software, office supplies, and communication equipment to large ones like professional tools and equipment, drivers and patents, all of which require a lot of money.

However, the cost of a considerable number of these things is very low, and what makes them valuable is the added value of the patents and technologies they contain.

In order to reduce operating costs, many companies choose to buy counterfeit products from the black market or have small workshops imitate substitute products.

Where there is a market, there will naturally be suppliers, and where there are suppliers, a circle will naturally form.

The "Pigeon Cage" is one of the most famous black markets in Santo Domingo. David has been in the underworld for a short time and doesn't know much about it. Lucy, who spends all day in cyberspace, naturally knows all about these underworld tricks.

In fact, she not only knew about it, but also had been there many times. The hacker's packaged puppet chips were also hard currency in the black market.

Especially those low-level puppets that can sneak into doors, pick locks, peek and monitor are the best sellers.

Chapter 95: The Garbage Dump and the Garbage Man

At the Medski gas station, Jiang Bing was bored and swiping his fingers on the Good Car middleman terminal not far from the gas station.

Except for a magic dog, the vehicles on it were quite ordinary. However, the boss of the good car middleman, the old captain Muammar Reyes, aroused Jiang Bing's interest.

His evaluation of each car is quite fair and he has good taste.

This gas station was one of the places Jiang Bing frequented when he was a garbage man.

It is located not far from the east side of Night City, at the three-way intersection leading to the giant garbage disposal plant outside the city.

It is adjacent to the main road leading to the border checkpoint on one side and the main road leading to the deep garbage dump on the other side. Many garbage truckers who drive to dig for gold in shit will choose to fill up their gas here before setting off.

Jiang Bing was naturally no exception.

Just as he was getting impatient and looking at the nearby garbage mountain, lamenting the past, a Lacker 47 produced by the Thornton Company stopped beside him.

This vehicle manufacturer mainly produces daily vehicles for the general public, with an emphasis on the low-end market. Their slogan is to give you the first car in your life.

The low price leads many new drivers to buy one first to get through the bumpy newbie period.

Many financially constrained families with commuting needs will also consider their products.

However, cars from this company are not very common in Night City, but are more common in Atlanta, New America.

A middle-aged woman got out of the car, and her prosthetic eye was flashing blue light.

Needless to say, the person who came was a "microphone".

"Why are you looking for me suddenly?"

Jiang Bing took out the box from the car, which contained Victor Vido's brain-computer.

"42, I have a favor to ask of you. I'd like to dig some information out of this brain machine, mainly the recent communication records."

'Mic' glanced at the box.

"Is it urgent?"

Jiang Bing sighed, "Otherwise I wouldn't have asked you out directly."

The blue light of the 'microphone' flickered, and the person behind it was obviously thinking.

"You are quite worthy of recognition among humans. I will help you."

Jiang Bing has become completely immune to 42's strange habits.

"Based on your past performance and your personality profile, and taking into account the timing and the relationship between you and me, you can take your things and go directly to my base, which is nearby."

An address was sent to the data pad that Jiang Bing carried with him. This thing could also be regarded as a smart phone, with many functions.

Jiang Bing was very surprised by the other party's reply.

"No way, you've been possessed by AI. Didn't you say before that as a pure cyber hacker, you would never meet anyone offline?"

The microphone continued, conveying 42's thoughts, "I wasn't there. It was just a branch base."

Having three burrows is the norm for these edge walkers who live on the edge of a knife all day long, and cunning hackers are even worse.

A blue light flashed in the microphone's eyes, and it threw a last word to Jiang Bing before it went out.

"You're the one who added this order at the last minute. As per custom, you'll pay for the 'microphone.'"

Jiang Bing had no objection.

After watching "Microphone" get in the car and leave, Jiang Bing started the car and drove out of the gas station according to the address on his phone.

This landfill handles almost all of Night City's garbage, and its overall area is larger than that of Coronado Ranch.

The address given by 42 is at the southernmost end of the landfill, deep inside the landfill.

Jiang Bing's car could only drive to the center of the garbage dump, and there was no road ahead for vehicles to pass.

The rest of the way can only be walked.

Fortunately, Jiang Bing’s half-year career as a garbage collector was not in vain. Coupled with his strong physical fitness, he could move forward on the bumpy garbage mountain as if he was wearing a horse with super-fast armor and walked on flat ground.

Even at this speed, it took more than ten minutes to reach the top of the towering garbage mountain.

Across the undulating garbage hills, Jiang Bing could now directly see Laguna Bay in the south and the very conspicuous dam.

The branch base of 42 was not that far away. Jiang Bing came down from the top of the mountain, walked along a steep slope in the mountains into a valley, and arrived near the base.

You know what, there are really not many people coming here on weekdays.

The terrain is rugged and remote, and the garbage inside is mostly old and rotten old stuff with little recycling value.

Now all garbage is dumped in the eastern part of the landfill, and the garbage collectors who follow the garbage transfer fleet to make a living naturally follow suit.

Jiang Bing followed 42's instructions, kicked open several bags of garbage, and sneaked into a collapsed house.

Before it became a garbage dump, this place must have been a rural farm. The valley is quite large and the terrain is very flat.

However, most of the buildings have been buried by garbage at this time, and the few corners of the buildings that are exposed have weathered and decayed over the past few decades.

In the room that was almost turned into a pigsty, Jiang Bing saw the entrance to the 42nd branch base at a glance.

There is no other reason. In this deserted social frontier, a basement door panel that is obviously opened and closed frequently is undoubtedly very conspicuous.

Jiang Bing opened the door and walked down the stairs.

The space below is not small. It turns out that the owner of the house probably wanted to use it as a wine cellar, and dug an area of ​​about 40 to 50 square meters.

As soon as Jiang Bing came down, he heard the buzzing sounds of many devices running at the same time. As the lights in the basement automatically lit up, the dark space was illuminated.

The first thing that catches your eye is the rows of neatly arranged shelves.

The shelves were filled with densely packed strange square devices, with countless cables extending from the devices, winding around and converging on the small server against the wall.

Jiang Bing glanced at the equipment in the room and couldn't help but be surprised.

Signal relay station, generator, small network server, warning machine gun at the door, machine gun sentry tower above the head. According to Jiang Bing's understanding of 42, there is probably a self-destruct device in the room.

It must have cost a lot of money to build this stronghold.