Cyberpunk: I'm Not a Scavenger - Chapter 46: A New Day (Patreon)

“Good morning, Night City!”

“Yesterday's Body Lotto ended with a grand total of sixty dead!”

“And thanks to our 'Ultimate Killer,' King, thirty-four of those were his work alone!”

“Looks like you all lost your bets!”

...

Stan's boisterous voice suddenly cut through the crisp chirping of birds.

Pantheon rubbed his head and climbed out of bed. Beyond the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows stretched a lush woodland scene, with birdsong echoing through the trees. He waved a hand and switched off the holographic projection.

Yawning, he wandered over to the counter, poured himself a glass of water, and retrieved the sandwich Lucy had left for him in the microwave. He ate breakfast while watching the news, curious to see what else had happened in Night City.

Just then, a black cat padded over with an elegant gait, meowing and rubbing affectionately against his legs. Pantheon had named the stray he'd taken in Mochi.

He picked Mochi up and gave the cat a few strokes, earning a contented purr. After enjoying his share of feline affection, he opened two cans of premium cat food for his little companion.

Something about that didn't seem quite right.

Pantheon looked at the real fish in Mochi's bowl, then down at the sandwich in his hand, whose ingredients were anyone's guess. He fell silent, contemplating the injustice of it all.

Mochi was a remarkably considerate cat. Seeing his silence, the cat generously nudged the bowl toward him. Pantheon raised a hand to decline the offer, and Mochi finally settled down to eat in peace.

Feeling a little conflicted, Pantheon moved aside and opened his contacts. Several people had left him messages.

Lucy: Kiwi picked up a gig, so I've gone to the base with her.

Pantheon sent back a random reaction image to let her know he'd seen it.

The base now housed a dedicated netrunning room alongside his laboratory and workshop. All the large servers taken from the Maelstrom base had been moved there. Using that equipment, Lucy and Kiwi had worked together to build a formidable data fortress for the team.

With that much computing power and security, the two could handle far more than before. Besides, the team didn't have gigs every day. It was only natural for its members to take on work of their own.

Jackie: Chico, let's grab a drink at the Afterlife tonight! Heard Maine's crew just landed another big payday.

Pantheon: OK.

Jackie's infatuation with the Afterlife was obvious. Ever since his first visit, he'd barely set foot in his old favorite bar.

Pantheon could also guess why Maine's crew wanted to celebrate. The fight against Maelstrom hadn't made only Pantheon and his own team famous. Maine and the others had attracted plenty of attention from fixers as well.

Pantheon's asking price was astronomical. Compared with him, hiring Maine's crew looked like a bargain.

He kept scrolling through his messages.

What did that old hag Wakako want now?

Wakako: King, you've landed me in another huge mess without so much as a warning. An NCPD officer was found dead in his own home. Even the chief of the Kabuki precinct called me personally.

Well, damn.

Pantheon's gaze drifted away. Come to think of it, that might actually have been his fault.

Maybe I should kill the precinct chief too.

The thought flashed through his mind, but of course he was joking. He wasn't some serial killer who resorted to violence over every little inconvenience.

Far away, the precinct chief suddenly felt as though his body's thermostat had gone haywire. Why did he keep alternating between hot and cold today?

After a moment's thought, Pantheon typed out his reply.

Pantheon: Put the blame on me. If the NCPD has a problem, they can come talk to me.

He doubted they'd have the nerve. To most Night City residents, the NCPD was little more than a gang with legal authority. Its officers collected protection money like any other gang and were every bit as corrupt and shady.

Only naive youngsters who'd never experienced the real world still believed the NCPD would uphold justice for them.

The investigation he'd asked Regina to conduct had also produced results.

Regina: Jacob Miller used to be a passionate young man. He wrote plenty of articles criticizing the corporate system and joined street marches and protests.

Regina: I don't know what happened to turn him into the man he is today.

Pantheon shook his head and sighed. Night City was full of people who'd been ground down by reality until they could no longer get back on their feet.

Jacob had deceived him, but in light of his past, Pantheon decided to spare his life. That didn't mean he'd let him off without consequences. Rather than leave the man free to cause more trouble in Night City, he could put Jacob's name to better use.

Regina: We've finished inventorying everything recovered from the NCPD officer's house and the Scavengers' hideout. It's worth over a hundred thousand eddies in total.

The Scavengers weren't fools. Pantheon knew Jae-Hyun Lee had already taken most of their valuables with him.

After some thought, he decided to return the money he'd taken from Callum and add enough of his own to bring the total to two hundred thousand eddies. He entrusted it to Regina, asking her to help the families of the innocent victims. He hoped it would make their lives a little easier.

Just then, Mochi finished eating and jumped into his arms. As he stroked the cat, Pantheon delivered his verdict on Jacob.

Pantheon: Jacob extorted nearly sixty or seventy thousand eddies from Callum. I'm not going to make him pay that back.

Pantheon: Publish an article under his name exposing all the NCPD's dirty business. Give the people of Night City something to laugh about. Throw in a few digs at the Tyger Claws and the Scavengers, and don't forget the corporations.

Pantheon: For the sake of the articles he used to write, book him passage to Washington or London. Tell him to get lost and never come back.

He knew perfectly well that an article like that wouldn't change anything. At most, it would give Night City residents something to talk about.

As the saying went, the weapon of criticism could never replace criticism by weapons.

If he truly wanted to change the NCPD, or Night City itself, it would take direct, forceful action. A few toothless statements on the Net wouldn't accomplish a thing.

Pantheon closed his comms and stretched until his joints crackled. He stood, and Mochi hopped onto the table.

At the wardrobe, he selected a black trench coat to wear over his polymer-fiber bulletproof vest. His Malorian and Wingman hung at either hip.

“I'm heading out, Mochi. Behave yourself.”

The black cat jumped down, its slender tail swaying as it accompanied him to the door.

Pantheon took the elevator straight to the underground garage. Alongside the fortress-like Merrimac "Warlock" and Roman's Indian Scout stood several fine vehicles El Capitán had given him.

Today he chose an inconspicuous Thorton Mackinaw MTL1. After all, a big shot ought to drive something befitting his status.

The enormous, drab machine rumbled out of the garage and carried him toward Santo Domingo.

It was still early. He intended to stop at the base first, fine-tune his 'new toy,' and check on how the two netrunners were getting along with their gig.