He couldn't help but furrow his brow.
"What's going on?
Kidnapped... is someone demanding ransom?
I could get the money, if you're willing to let yourself be blackmailed."
Arthur couldn't think of any other explanation—after all, the one abducted was a man.
But silence was still the only answer he received.
Staring at the girl who sat dazed, his patience was wearing thin.
"Uh... ah...
Say it...
What exactly happened?"
He raised his hand, palm open before her, urging her to speak.
Calling him over so early just to sit in silence was ridiculous.
Seeing this, Vik shook his head helplessly, stepped forward, and placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder.
"Maybe... she just needs to organize her thoughts. Give her a moment."
Lucy was indeed torn. All she knew was that David's disappearance was tied to a company.
But... in this city, anything involving a company was enough to make people keep their distance.
Even the closest ones—family included—wouldn't necessarily go up against a company for someone. Especially not... for just a friend.
Fear gnawed at her—fear that Arthur would refuse.
Among the Edgerunners Lucy knew, only Maine's crew and Arthur's group remained.
But Maine's crew had already retired. And knowing Maine's hot-headed nature, he'd probably just get himself killed.
Now, it felt like only Arthur could pull off a miracle.
But... why would he help her?
Or maybe, she thought, she could deceive him—like she had back when survival meant lying just to get by.
It had only been half a year, but that way of life already felt far behind her.
Her empty gaze slowly refocused as Jessica, having received the message, pushed open the door.
Unlike Arthur, she wouldn't wade through the rain without a thought.
She carried a transparent umbrella, streaked with rain, droplets falling onto the dark floor.
Everyone knew Jessica's father had been killed by a company. The loss had almost broken her completely.
But she had moved on, into a world where trust could be chosen—and there was no going back.
Lucy had a rare intuition.
Her past alone wasn't enough to make her whole. For a long time, the old Lucy had been nothing more than a shape molded from suffering and fear.
Suppressing the turmoil in her heart, Lucy finally lifted her swollen eyes.
"I don't know the reason either, but it looks like David was taken by a company.
It seems to have been a fixer's trap. We'd done a few jobs for him before, and there was never any trouble."
No one had a good response to such a sudden ambush.
It was like strolling down the street when a stranger suddenly stabbed you.
She touched her chin thoughtfully. The fixer was surely long gone by now. Beyond knowing it was a company, there were no real leads.
"Why would anyone just kidnap someone for no reason... and go to such lengths?
The company wouldn't bother with something so pointless. So... there has to be a reason."
Lucy shook her head bitterly.
"We don't know the reason. At least I don't...
For safety, we never accept jobs tied to the company..."
Her words left the room silent.
Right now, they were staring at a dead end. If you didn't even know who the enemy was, all you could do was swing at thin air.
As they exchanged glances, it was Vik's deep, steady voice that cut through the silence.
"Actually... complete uncertainty is also a kind of intel.
There are only so many with a motive—it's easy to narrow down."
Arthur shot Vik a strange look.
That kind of reasoning—convincing at first but hollow on closer thought—felt oddly familiar.
"We could guess. Militech, maybe?
That kid had experimental Militech cyberware installed. Maybe they found out.
Or...
You guys really screwed Biotechnica over. Did they uncover something?"
"It shouldn't be Biotechnica. If they wanted revenge, they'd be after me or V."
Arthur stood from his chair, adding,
"As for Militech...
Hmm... forget them for now."
He waved dismissively, glaring at Lucy's haggard face.
"In the end, sitting around guessing is useless.
And don't look so miserable. Babysitting someone else's problem—it's becoming routine for me anyway...
It always ends the same, fine, whatever..."
Turning his head, he gestured toward the clinic door.
"Let's go. Check the scene of the incident. Maybe we'll find something."
After tossing those words to Lucy, he quickly turned back and pushed Jessica, who had jumped up from her chair, back down into it.
"You're not coming!"
For safety, all her netrunner gear was stored at Vik's clinic, including a professional netrunner pod indistinguishable from a MedPod.
Truth be told, Vik was the one acting more like a nanny.
He also had to watch over Gloria, who sat nearby, blank-faced. Since yesterday's incident, she seemed like a completely different person.
Out of caution, Vik had given her a full-body checkup. Thankfully, nothing abnormal was found.
It was just that she hadn't really "grown up from childhood." Her nervous system was repairing, and some differences during that process weren't unusual.
Arthur bent down and picked up the umbrella Jessica had left leaning against the floor.
He shot her another sharp glare—the girl couldn't even sit still.
"I told you... you're not going.
I'm taking the umbrella."
He wasn't trudging through the rain to look cool—those days were long gone. He simply didn't have an umbrella.
Behind him, Lucy followed slowly.
She had been the last to stay in contact with David. Some of their conversations might only reveal clues once they reached the scene.
Cars in Night City were as common as rabbits in a field.
Nearly every pair of legs came with four wheels.
As for Lucy's ride... it couldn't match V's sleek silver-white sports car, but among all the cars Arthur had ever ridden in, it ranked a solid second.
...
(70 Chapters Ahead)
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