[TN: two chapter for missing friday]
Back when he first met Bryce, NetWatch had issued three assignments. Leo chose to investigate a Tyger Claws brothel—and while he was at it, he chopped off a few claws too.
Of the remaining two jobs, one was to take down the Voodoo Boys, and the other involved a hacker who was investigating Deputy Mayor Holt.
This time, Bryce reached out to Leo about the latter.
[Bryce: A netrunner disappeared in Westbrook. We tracked some residual data and it suggests he might've gone to North Watson.]
[Bryce: His name is Dante. If you've got any info on him, I'm not expecting it for free.]
[Leo: Haven't seen that name, but Royce was in contact with a hacker going by "D@nt3_InF3rn0."]
[Leo: Location was near the southern edge of North Watson, close to Charter Hill.]
[Leo: But the data's corrupted. You folks are the experts—give it a shot yourselves.]
[Bryce: Huh. Not even asking for payment this time? That's new.]
[Leo: Yeah, about that—I need to check a batch of network equipment serials and their associated organizations.]
[Bryce: …I'll send you a list. Look it over yourself.]
The Maelstrom gang had their own network, and all their gear came from jacked corporate convoys.
Once they got their hands on something, they used it immediately—didn't care about the origin or bother to sort it.
But Leo had a habit of cataloging large batches of gear—grouping them by certain criteria, analyzing their tech features and design logic.
People can lie, and actions taken without full information can be deceptive too.
But habits and thought patterns often show themselves in the details.
The devil, after all, is in the details.
Sure, the crates Maelstrom stole had all kinds of labels, but in Night City, it was common to see Arasaka transporting Militech equipment or Militech shipping Kang Tao gear.
No matter how sharp Leo was, he couldn't just glance at a box and know who it truly belonged to.
He still had to cross-reference more authoritative, high-accuracy intel to properly log and sort everything.
[Lil' Octopus: Boss, inventory list's done!]
Leo skimmed the classification logic and final inventory report.
124 types of cyberware components, including neural interfaces, muscle fibers, synthetic skin layers, and sensory enhancement modules.
236 completed cyberware units—all modified or cracked by Maelstrom—ranging from basic to high-end custom pieces. Most notably, tons of "Golden Eye" optics; the gang even had their own full production line.
Over 240 firearms and melee weapons meeting military-grade standards, including gang-modified "prototype" models.
112 hacking and theft tools with a wide range of functions: custom software bundles, breach devices, surveillance bypass gear.
Vehicles? All garbage trucks. Any good rides were either sold off immediately or blown to bits in the gang's internal wars.
No point logging them—they were all sent to the Old Captain for scrapping.
The stolen goods came from 29 multinational megacorps and 69 local companies, covering everything from pharmaceuticals and cyberware to weapons trafficking—
Even fully civilian items like synthetic food processors were sitting in the warehouse, waiting for buyers.
And the buyers? Mostly local folks looking to start their own businesses, each tied into a wide web of connections.
Now, these buyers had to go through Aldecaldos, who was enforcing a new set of terms drawn up by Leo.
For all of Maelstrom's chaos and madness, they were still a highly organized major gang, with top-tier tech skills and exceptional combat capabilities.
Taking over such a massive trove of resources was a complicated task, so Leo decided to speed things up by building a detailed and comprehensive database.
Want the next chapter done too? Or need this polished for novel formatting?
[Leo: Pick one sample each from the neural enhancers, musculoskeletal enhancers, skin mods, and sensory boosters. Send them to Redshirt Psychiatric Hospital.]
[Lil' Octo: Got it!]
[Leo: Once that's done, start prepping the test network.]
The data would be transmitted interdimensionally with planar encryption. As long as enough antennas were set up, anyone authorized by Leo would be able to access the network.
Just like the corps do—centralized data handling and efficient organization.
Cross-referencing missing equipment lists from NetWatch also helped Leo trace the origins of Maelstrom's gear, understand their technical approach, and reinforce network security with an extra layer of awareness.
At Redshirt Psychiatric Hospital, the Aldecaldos were climbing ladders, using lift equipment to mount antennas on the building.
Strictly speaking, this was illegal.
But just like corporate employees get certain exemptions, illegal factions, once they meet specific conditions, often find people just look the other way.
If the law doesn't see it, then it doesn't count as breaking it.
Outside the All Foods factory, Brick yanked an antenna on the roof into position, then carefully climbed down from the signal tower.
[Brick: Done! But why does it have to point up? Shouldn't it face wherever the signal's strongest?]
[Leo: Who helped you set that up? That's an omnidirectional antenna! The direction it's pointing is actually the worst for signal.]
Brick turned to Dum Dum with a glare. "You bastard! You told me you read in an Arasaka manual that the antenna needs to point toward the comms source!"
Dum Dum stammered, wanting to argue back but lacking the technical chops. "I... I found that manual chip in the trash…"
"In the trash?! You got played, dumbass!"
[Leo: Enough. Payment's at the drop point. Go home and study properly.]
[Brick: Got it, got it.]
Even the infamous Maelstrom were now playing nice and working like honest laborers.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Carter, carrying a heavy load of rigging equipment, looked every bit like a hardworking construction worker—and hated it.
Grumbling, he asked, "So… this is it now? We just do this crap every day?"
"What, you got a better idea?" Brick shrugged. "Besides, don't you think this guy really knows how to make money?"
"…And?"
Brick smirked and pulled a chip from his pocket. "We learn how to make big bucks from him. Then—bam—we kick him out."
"…And how far have you gotten with that plan?"
"I'm on the part called 'How to Make Long-Term Money.' All our old tech was garbage—we only cornered the market 'cause we had big fists. That doesn't work anymore!"
Brick patted Dum Dum. "See? Even setting up antennas is a learning opportunity. Learn what you can."
Carter stared at him like he'd lost his mind. "What the hell are you even talking about? Are you possessed or something?"
"Possessed my ass—I'm still the damn boss of Maelstrom!"
Clang! His metal finger jabbed Dum Dum's metal shoulder with a metallic bang.
Dum Dum mulled over what Brick said. "Wait… but boss, what if someone starts muscling in and shaking people down here?"
"Then it's go-time!" Brick spat viciously. "Anyone pushing trashware dies. The market's already tight—screw unfair competition!"
Carter slapped Brick's hand away. "So we really are stuck doing forced labor every damn day? Screw that!
I'd rather jump off this roof than work like some wage slave—I need thrills!"
Right then, Brick got a new message from Leo.
[Leo: I heard there's some guy named Gottfrid over there, selling black-market braindance. Take care of him. That's on you guys.]
[Leo: I've sent a cyberware upgrade pack too. Use it.]
[Leo: Oh, and it counts against your debt.]
[TN: It's that father-son duo, I always kill the son first so the father can suffer, then I kill him.]
"Well, speak of the devil. Our 'forced labor' includes knocking heads. Time to blow off some steam," Brick grinned. "And we get new upgrades too!"
Carter immediately changed tune, gazing longingly at his full-metal body. "Alright… let's give it a shot."
[Leo: One more thing. The upgrade pack requires neural stability. You can only use Black Lace during a specific time window.]
Brick's smile vanished.
[Brick: Bro… you don't seriously buy into that 'drug addiction' crap, do you? I pop Black Lace all the time—sometimes ten hits a day! Never got addicted!]
[Leo: Cool. Then no upgrade pack for you.]
[Brick: I was joking! Totally joking!]