[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer":3,"chapter-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-244":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Cyberpunk: Cross-dimensional Science and Engineering",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1151735,1495,"Chapter 244 - 226 I’ll Handle What NCPD Won’t","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-244",244,"\u003Cp>[David: \"Boss, we’ve got the guy and are heading to the location you gave us.\"]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Lille: \"Any trouble?\"]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[David: \"Some, but it’s been handled.\"]>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Lille: \"Good job.\"]>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille had already brought the person into Reaver’s safehouse by then—a small, abandoned shack on the edge of Saint Domingo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After checking the surroundings and the network environment, Lille sent a message to Reaver:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Lille: \"This place isn’t bad, when are you coming?\"]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Reaver: \"I found that cop you told me about, I’ll be there soon.\"]>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Reaver: \"You’re the first one to say this place isn’t bad. NCPD doesn’t fund us, I paid for everything myself. It’s ugly, but definitely safe.\"]>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Lille: \"I meant it’s safe.\"]>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mercenary from the Tiger Claw Gang kneeled in the living room, his face bruised and his prosthetics still trembling due to malfunctions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ivan sat properly on the sofa, even seemingly afraid to breathe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>V rummaged through the refrigerator, pulled out a pack of Rainbow Scorpion-tailed Lion, and tossed it to Jack, then continued searching. Jack opened a can and started to distribute the drinks, chewing on the high-energy biscuits that Lille had given him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille gestured Ivan towards the Scorpion-tailed Lion and took one for himself: \"Drink up, take a break.\"]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tha... thank you.\" Ivan, truly famished, grabbed whatever was on the table and guzzled it down as though he were a desert wanderer famished for nourishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tell me what you were doing in the Geisha District, and how you got involved with the Tiger Claw Gang.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I... I’m from booth 13, initially dealing in, well, normal Super Dream Devices, I’m licensed, you can check with the city office, the number...\"]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Enough, I don’t care about that. What did you do for the Tiger Claw Gang?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I...\" Ivan seemed to find it hard to speak, \"I delivered goods for them, and supplied them too.\"]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille raised an eyebrow: \"Is it the kind where if they don’t tell, you pretend you don’t know what they’re doing?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ivan silently nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And then that cop named Anna found you?\"]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\" Ivan nodded, \"Boss... I really didn’t... sigh, the Tiger Claw Gang said if I didn’t work for them, they’d wreck my stall and I wouldn’t be able to do business in Night City.\"]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Enough, no more explanations, I don’t want to hear it.\" Lille shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had seen far too many small fry like Ivan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Lille turned to the mercenary: \"What about you? Were you part of the crew kidnapping people on the street?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Lille deactivated the prosthetic interference, causing the mercenary’s body to collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The previously locked prosthetics had been forcibly sustaining his battered organs—pain, fatigue, and stiffness left him between wanting to live and wishing to die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he was still broken, he at least found some relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If his tear ducts still functioned, he could have shed copious tears—but sadly, he had no tears left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before he could relax for long, he found himself locked in the same head-to-ground position again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That fear surged through his brain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>V, observing the mercenary trapped in a state of living death on the floor, remarked, \"Sometimes I think there’s a good reason why the net monitor tightly controls hackers.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not many hackers can manage this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exactly—awesome, Lille.\" V sat next to Lille and heavily patted his shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille ignored V, unlocking the mercenary’s prosthetic: \"Alright, talk. If you don’t tell the truth, you know what will happen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mercenary sobbed tearlessly—he might not have the bodily function to support it, but his mind longed to weep bitterly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was involved, I helped the Tiger Claw Gang transport fake people...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What’s a ’fake person’?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The gang calls those they kidnap ’fake people’, I’ll tell everything!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then go ahead...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang bang bang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door was knocked, and Lille gestured to pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ivan suddenly tensed: \"Who is it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Our client.\"]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door opened, Reaver entered, followed by a black female cop, both dressed in police uniforms—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing them, Ivan suddenly jumped up—though without legs, he didn’t get very high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was shocked, scared, and angry, his eyes darting everywhere, as if he might jump out the window and flee the next second!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the mercenary on the floor seemed to sigh in relief...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fuck, why did it have to be the cops!\" Ivan looked around, then slumped down as if drained of life, \"It’s over...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, this female cop was Anna Hamill, the one who had caught him and promised him safety in exchange for his testimony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anna angrily: \"You know it’s over?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ivan furiously: \"You’re fucking asking me?! Fuck you, I trusted you and you just fucking sold me out?!\"]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reaver moved between them, arms out, signaling both to calm down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wait a minute, tell me what happened, Anna, we found messages between you and him in Ivan’s mailbox. Why didn’t you protect your witness?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My witness? Yes, he provided some information, but he wasn’t worth protecting,\" Anna’s expression was cold. \"You don’t know as much as I do, if you had seen what I saw, you would wish all involved were dead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s not the point.\" Reaver shook his head, \"The point is we are police, you abandoned your witness.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hah,\" Anna’s tone was still icy, \"Five days ago, I received a similar emergency call, it was the last communication between the victim and her mother before she disappeared.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she spoke, she took out a chip and inserted it into the player on the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Tracy Owens: Mom, save me]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Tracy Owens: I might be kidnapped]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Tracy Owens: Mom hurry and save me]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ana Owens: What?! Tracy baby, where are you?!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Tracy Owens: I don’t know]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ana Owens: Where were you when they took you away?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ana Owens: Any details you can remember, Tracy, tell me]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Tracy Owens: I was at Rachel’s house for a party]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Tracy Owens: Then I don’t remember anything]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Tracy Owens: I think I’m on a ship]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ana Owens: I’ve called the police, Tracy. They are looking for you. I love you!!!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The playback ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A more intense anger spread across Anna’s face, \"Do you know how many calls like this I get?! It’s because of these bastards!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ivan curled up on the sofa, holding his head and said in agony, \"I’m sorry, I’m sorry... I really...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What good is sorry? It’s because of you all, this damn Black Superdream industry, these goddamn... things...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then what the fuck am I supposed to do!\" Ivan’s face grew fierce, \"Fuck the NCPD, when the Tiger Claw Gang was collecting protection money in the market, threatening residents, where were you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How come you don’t deal with them speeding recklessly in the streets? When they kidnap people...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two confronted each other uncompromisingly, with Reaver caught in the middle—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in terms of sheer madness, Ivan clearly was closer to breaking down, almost bellowing, \"Did you know when Tiger Claw Gang was capturing people, your cars were right beside them!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did you know when those threatened people called the police, the dispatcher was watching right beside them!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Talking about believing in the NCPD, the NCPD is the city’s last wall of protection, but what about now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Believing in you guys is fucking stupid! Now it’s not just me; my sister is going to die too!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You want to know everything? Fine, now go catch your ’good’ colleague!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rest of the room, including Old Han outside, showed subtle changes in expression:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So calling the police was useless because they were right there watching, that complicates things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room then fell silent, leaving only Ivan’s heavy breathing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anna still glared, but she clearly had less confidence now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumble of an engine sounded from outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille stepped into the argument, patted Ivan on the shoulder, and forcefully calmed him down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How come you don’t believe me? I told you, I don’t have much to do with the NCPD, I’m more of an outsource. Police don’t handle it; I handle it. Look who’s here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Ivan?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martha hurriedly entered, saw her brother Ivan without his legs and a blank look, and rushed over to hug her foolish brother tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Martha... did you... encounter any trouble?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tiger Claw Gang wanted to grab me, but the mercenary you found fixed the problem. I didn’t know you had such friends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looks like your time on the streets hasn’t been wasted.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ivan burst into tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sis... I... I’ve always been deceiving you, I’m just... just a fool messed up by Tiger Claw Gang...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Being alive is what matters, being alive is what matters.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>David, holding his side and supported by Lucy, walked to the door, gave Lille a thumbs up, his face showing a somewhat forced smile:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[David: Big bro, I didn’t do too badly, did I?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Lille: Well done, that closes this case.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After sending the message, Lille also sent one to V:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Lille: Send 20,000 Euro for the fee, they did well, give them a bonus.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[V: Tsk.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[V: This one won’t be on your head, I’ve paid.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Lille: Then make it 30,000. We might need them later, consider it an investment.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>V rolled her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Including Ivan’s own savings... the money paid by Lille even exceeded several times the price given by the client.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But no one felt it was a loss.\u003C\u002Fp>",1546,"2026-06-03T12:33:12.909Z","2026-06-03T12:33:19.802Z",1,"novelbin.me","dfcd3a71f453488605c57faa6a0540b91d059faa8fbbedc3eb6b4ee10f9f1196","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-245","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-243",1068,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cover.jpg"]