Cyberpunk: I'm Not a Scavenger - Chapter 64: The Threat (Patreon)

Officer Han wanted absolutely nothing to do with this mess.

It wasn't as though he didn't know how much dirty business was tangled up in the case. But the order from above had been unequivocal: Jae-Hyun Lee had to die.

The NCPD officers sent this time weren't part of the main force either, although at least they'd brought a selection of weapons. Whether they could accomplish anything was anyone's guess. If shooting started, though, it would certainly make a bigger scene.

Did the precinct chief seriously expect them to take down Jae-Hyun Lee?

What a joke.

The warehouse doors suddenly opened, revealing a nightmare of scattered corpses and blood-soaked floors. Some of the rookies were so frightened that their hands trembled around their guns.

"Hey! Which one of you is in charge?"

A voice called down from the second floor.

The officers looked up, and their faces changed immediately. Several of them recognized Pantheon. He'd caused more than enough trouble in Night City lately to earn himself a place on a certain NCPD list.

The officers looked at one another, each hoping someone else would step forward. Nobody wanted to say the wrong thing and get shot by that lunatic.

"Are you deaf? I asked you a question!"

Han gave a helpless, bitter smile and reluctantly stepped out.

"Hello, Mr. King. Is there something we can help you with?"

Pantheon rubbed his chin. Something about the man looked familiar.

A trench coat and those tiny sunglasses. Wasn't that Officer Han, River's partner?

"You here looking for Jae-Hyun Lee?"

Han studied his expression for a moment, then decided to tell the truth.

"Yes. Would you happen to know where he went?"

Pantheon shook his head with an expression of profound regret.

"You're too late. He just ran off. If you hurry, you might still catch him."

Han didn't believe a word, but he put on an understanding look anyway.

"I see. We'll go after him right away."

"Hold on." Pantheon stopped them, a faint smile playing across his face. "What's the matter? Don't believe me?"

"No, no, of course we believe you! We just don't want Lee getting away."

Cold sweat streamed down Han's back as he forced himself to smile.

"Chasing him won't help. He's still got a Half-Ghost Mask from the Tyger Claws protecting him."

The officers looked even more miserable at the mention of a Half-Ghost Mask. Several had already begun inventing excuses to get themselves out of the situation.

"Don't worry. That man's going to die today. You have my word."

Pantheon spoke with absolute confidence, gesturing toward the bodies littering the warehouse.

"But I'm a little concerned about all this loot. What if some idiot with no sense decides to steal it?"

He gave Han a broad smile, waiting to see what the officer would do.

An old fox like Han had no trouble understanding the hint. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mr. King, leave this little matter to us. You should get back to your important business."

"That what the rest of you think?"

Pantheon swept his gaze over the other officers.

"Absolutely! Mr. King, your work comes first! We'll look after everything here!"

"Don't worry, Mr. King! I'm a professional. My mother used to work for REO!"

The officers weren't fools. They knew exactly which choice offered the best chance of survival.

Pantheon nodded in satisfaction. He'd acquired a team of free laborers, and the police no longer had to worry about whether they'd live to see the sunrise. Everyone won.

As for the possibility that the NCPD might keep his loot?

Unless the precinct chief was a complete idiot, not a single eddie would go missing. Pantheon might even receive a little extra.

Lee was certainly going to die, but the things he possessed could still prove useful.

Another car arrived outside the warehouse. Before it had even stopped, Rebecca jumped out.

"Hey, old man! Dragging us out of bed this late? You'd better pay extra!"

"Sure. Same deal as last time. You can each pick one thing from inside."

Pantheon didn't care about such a small expense. Watching Rebecca bounce around, however, gave him another mischievous idea.

"Rebecca, did you know that in the Dwarf Kingdom, everyone goes home the moment it gets dark? They believe getting enough sleep helps you grow. And since you're up all night, every night, it's no wonder you never get any taller."

Rebecca's face went bright red. She grabbed the enormous gun she'd named Guts and chased Pantheon with it.

Maine couldn't be bothered with their antics. He simply led the others away.

Pantheon had called them in to guard the scene in case any of the NCPD officers lost their heads and did something stupid. The pay wasn't spectacular, but neither was the work, and Pantheon had thrown in a few little perks.

With Maine's crew keeping an eye on everything, Pantheon intended to head home and get a good night's sleep with Lucy in his arms.

He hadn't driven far from the warehouse when someone blocked his way again.

The sight of the gang members standing across the roadway made him want to floor the accelerator and run the whole lot down.

Unfortunately, control of his vehicle had already been taken away from him.

"Placide, are you in such a hurry to meet your Voodoo god in heaven?"

Pantheon's voice was cold and threatening.

The newcomers were none other than the Voodoo Boys, the gang that ruled Pacifica.

In 2062, rising seas and catastrophic floods caused by climate change had submerged Haiti. Some of the Haitian refugees had come to Night City as cheap labor to help develop Pacifica.

Then the Unification War broke out. With Pacifica situated south of Night City, close to the battlefield, the district lost its last real hope of development.

The new Voodoo Boys, formed by Haitian immigrants, took control of the area. Over the next decade or so, Pacifica became Night City's largest hub for telecommunications fraud.

"King, you've crossed a line. Pacifica belongs to us."

Placide folded his arms, crimson streams of data flickering through his cybernetic eyes.

"Oh? Then what about those Animals over there?"

Pantheon pointed toward the beach. Several Animals who had been working out furiously looked distinctly uncomfortable under the sudden attention.

Night City's remarkable matchmaking had paired the Voodoo Boys, masters of hacking, with the Animals, who had replaced their brains with muscles.

What good was being an elite netrunner when your opponent could just come over and beat you senseless in person?

Placide had no answer to such an obvious point. After struggling in silence, he finally managed to mutter, "That's our business. Nothing to do with you."

"So you want to settle this with a fight?"

Pantheon spun his Wingman around one finger. Everyone in the Voodoo Boys group felt the murderous intent rolling off him.

"Hmph. Consider this a warning. If you enter Pacifica again without permission, the gods will bring their punishment down on you."

"Oh, really?"

Pantheon sneered. How drunk would someone have to be to spout nonsense like that?

All the cyberware in Placide's body probably weighed less than the scraps of brain matter Adam Smasher still possessed.

"You might not be worried about yourself, but what about your little girlfriend and your other friends? Trust me. You can't begin to imagine what we're capable of."

With that, Placide led his men away and released his hold on Pantheon's vehicle.

Pantheon's face went dark, and the corner of his eye twitched.

Ever since arriving in Night City, he'd never been humiliated like this.

How was he supposed to strike back at those bastards?

As he searched his mind for a solution, a logo suddenly caught his eye in the rearview mirror.

Revere Courier Services.