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Chapter 56 c
🕑 Added 2025-03-14 16:34:10 +0000 UTCChapter 56 c
Elizabeth’s hand trembled around her phone, her face utterly devoid of expression. “Go on, I’m listening.”
“Your husband’s polling numbers might be higher than Mayor Rhyne’s right now, and he’s got a strong showing with the public—but until the final results are out, even a lead this solid can’t be taken for granted. I’m sure you know that without me saying so.
“I have something that could help you widen that lead—something that would increase public support for your husband and put even more distance between him and Mayor Rhyne.”
“What is it?”
“Apologies, but I can only show it to Mr. Jefferson in person.”
Elizabeth had come from a more privileged background. She didn’t share Jefferson’s genuine empathy for the city’s underclass the way he did. While Jefferson, a true idealist with grassroots origins, sincerely wanted to improve the lives of those at the bottom, Elizabeth simply saw it as a gimmick to secure votes. She didn’t truly care about the underprivileged.
Leo worried she might use whatever happened at Redwood Psychiatric Hospital to her advantage and then turn on him—burning the bridge once she’d gotten what she wanted.
Elizabeth hesitated. This private number wasn’t something just anyone could get hold of. If the caller had managed to find it, he was probably telling the truth—and not just making a random call out of boredom.
“Hold on.”
Before long, another line connected. A new voice joined in.
“This is Jefferson Peralez. Elizabeth told me you have something for me.”
“That’s right, Mr. Peralez. I know you’re extremely busy, so I’ll be brief—just have a look.”
Leo switched his holo-call to video sync so that Jefferson and Elizabeth could see exactly what he was seeing. While contacting Regina for Jefferson’s number, he had moved into the patient ward, so he now stood in that area.
He gave them a clear view of the warren-like patient rooms. Thanks to Redwood Psychiatric Hospital’s devoted ‘care,’ the people here—far from recovering—had been driven to utter despair. Especially glaring was the damning evidence recorded on the chief physicians’ and the hospital administrator’s terminals. Jefferson looked ready to explode.
“How could they do something like this?!”
He slammed his fist on a desk, outraged by how severe the situation was at Redwood.
“Rage won’t solve anything,” Leo reminded him. “Right now, you need calm rationality rather than letting your anger run wild.”
“You…you’re right, but I need time to gather my team and figure out our next move.”
“Whatever you plan, you need to send people here first. I’ve dealt with the hospital staff, so there’s no one left to take care of these patients. They need your help.”
Jefferson’s heart skipped a beat. Only then did he realize that Leo wasn’t a hospital employee—he wore no Redwood uniform. Besides, Redwood was a place that wouldn’t let outsiders wander in freely, least of all into the wards or the chief physician’s office. Yet Leo was roaming at will, pulling up confidential files, and no guards had come to stop him.
Jefferson wasn’t stupid. He quickly put the pieces together.
“I’ll send someone right away—no, forget that. I’ll go myself. Elizabeth, help me make arrangements.”
After speaking to his wife, he turned back to the screen. “By the way, I haven’t thanked you yet. Without you, I never would’ve known how appalling conditions are at Night City’s ‘health center.’ You’re a merc, right? Might I ask your name?”
Leo smiled. “Another time. If we ever work together again, I’ll tell you then.”
…
“Hello, Night City! As always, I’m here to take an interest in your business!”
“On today’s program, we’re going to dig into Biotechnica and dissect what this company is all about.”
“Some of you might not be familiar with Biotechnica. Simply put, it’s a corporation specializing in genetic engineering, biotech, pharmaceuticals, and microbiology research.”
“It was in Biotechnica’s labs that top global experts made a groundbreaking discovery, pulling the world back from the brink of an energy crisis.”
“What discovery was that? CHOOH2, a synthetic alcohol derived from genetically modified wheat.”
“This patent made Biotechnica a key player in the energy market. Even now, they still hold exclusive rights to this product, giving them complete control over the energy industry.”
“They also have a major presence in food production; big outfits like All Foods rely on Biotechnica’s protection.”
“But all of that is old news now. Because just yesterday, Mr. Jefferson Peralez made a secret visit to Redwood Psychiatric Hospital—and discovered some shocking truths.”
“It turns out Redwood colluded shamelessly with Biotechnica, using its experimental drugs on patients!”
“When this story broke, the whole city was stunned. Biotechnica’s stock price plummeted ten percentage points, with experts warning the freefall might continue.”
“My advice? Sell, sell, sell! The faster you offload, the less your losses. Of course, you could choose not to sell—maybe even buy up shares while everyone else is dumping them. If Biotechnica manages to salvage its reputation and restore investor confidence, a stock price rebound could be right around the corner.”
“That’s all the juicy tidbits for today. Night City, see you next time!”
Jackie switched off the car radio, unable to hide a grin. “Ten points down. I don’t play the market, but that sounds like Biotechnica’s in deep trouble.”
“With the things they did in Redwood, they deserve to drop by a lot more than ten points.”
Even though he wasn’t there in person, Leo could imagine the chaos erupting at Biotechnica’s tower in Corporate Plaza. Share prices were easy to push down but far harder to bring back up. That was no longer the concern of Leo and the others sitting in the car, though. They were there for something else.
Two days earlier, they had escorted Brice—traumatized beyond measure—out of Redwood. He had been in a near-catatonic daze, so they handed him over to Regina’s people in Watson. Regina promised to help him recover. After a long day, the group had gone their separate ways.
Leo figured that would be the end of the matter. Yet, earlier this very day, Brice showed up alongside Regina, trembling as he begged Leo and the others to do one last thing. He was willing to give them his entire life savings to kill the man responsible for murdering his son and having him locked up in that asylum—the culprit named Ichijo Daisho, who lived in North Oak.
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North Oak was different from anywhere else in Night City. It was the city’s newest district and an exclusive residential area for the wealthy. No gangs, no poor folks.
Fifty years ago, however, it was nothing like this. Back then, aside from some arid hills northeast of the city, it had been a massive refugee camp and slum after Night City’s urban center was hit by a tactical nuke in 2023. This situation persisted until the early ’50s, when the corporate-backed City Hall launched an armed purge of the area.
The corporate PR teams and media they controlled called it a “war on crime,” but it became a byword for corporate brutality and prejudice. Once the security forces subdued the slums and razed them to the ground, a few years later, North Oak turned into the most coveted real estate in Night City.
Initially, many wealthy people refused to buy land that had once housed the homeless, but after years of PR maneuvering, the entire episode was more or less forgotten.
Now North Oak was home to corporate CEOs, hedge-fund managers, investment bankers, and celebrities of the braindance, music, and movie industries. Security here was tight, and outsiders weren’t welcome.
The entire area consisted of sprawling estates, some even boasting their own micro-ecosystems and artificial landscaping. Arasaka’s private residence and Kerry Eurodyne’s villa were both located here. Whether you were a corporate owner or a rebellious rock star, all that mattered was how much money and fame you had.
Naturally, every citizen of Night City fantasized about living here someday.
…
A Delamain cab drove into North Oak. The roadside security cameras were hacked to register it as a friend. The cab rolled to a stop on a small side road. A few hundred meters away, they could see a brightly lit estate. Hired Arasaka security patrolled the grounds, performing their duties faithfully—Arasaka and Militech didn’t just sell weaponry; they also provided private security services, and plenty of clients trusted Arasaka in particular.
“Damn… They sure have money to burn,” Jackie muttered. “Guess they’ve been squeezing the people for a long time.”
