Cyberpunk: Spartan Walker

Chapter 51 Ye Shi ([-])

Inside the Arasaka Building.

There was a knock on the office door, and Rano looked up from the pile of documents.

"Please come in!"

A man in Arasaka uniform walked in, put a stack of documents on Lano's desk and said, "Manager, this is the personnel requirement raised by the Security Department."

Lano took the document and scanned it carefully. Suddenly he frowned and said loudly: "Why do you still need to ask the NCPD for the violent terrorist mobile team? Are there not enough people in the task force?"

The subordinate quickly lowered his head and said softly: "The task force was completely wiped out during the briefing. It will take some time for the people sent from the headquarters to arrive, so..."

"Oh, it's really troublesome." Lano slapped the document on the table, "What action made the higher-ups spend so much time on it?"

"I heard it was an attack on another company. Things suddenly took a turn for the worse. The people above can't wait any longer and will take action tonight. Moreover, people in the security department are spreading rumors that there is a guy over there who is not easy to mess with. ." The subordinate's hands were clenched tightly.

"Huh~ Go down and remember to send me the report." Lano glanced at him and said, "Don't be so nervous. Not everyone in the company is so hard to talk to."

"Yes, thank you manager."
-
In the evening, neon street, ramen restaurant.

After telling Elizabeth that she had some clues about what was going to be investigated, she uncharacteristically asked Tommy to come here to talk to her alone, before she arrived.

He looked into the ramen restaurant and saw that it was crowded with diners. They were noisy, the soup was splashing, and it was a lively scene. It was a perfect place to have a secret conversation.

[The company building where Kamano Nana works is nearby. Why don’t you go and play with Elizabeth after you finish explaining to her? 】

【Um?Ellie, what nonsense are you talking about? ] Tommy pushed aside the curtain at the door of the ramen shop, stooped slightly and walked in.

【I didn’t see enough last time. ] Her voice was full of teasing.

【.I will hand you over to Military Intelligence Bureau [-] when you get back. 】

He found a remote, uninhabited corner and sat down gently. He didn't want to damage the chair.

Waiting for others has been a boring thing since ancient times. Tommy played with the chopsticks in his hand carelessly. It spun rapidly and jumped up from time to time, tearing the air apart at extremely high speeds and making a terrifying whistling sound.

Suddenly, the movement of his hand stopped, and the chopsticks were slightly bent due to the drastic change in speed - the head-up display of the helmet flashed twice and returned to normal.

[Tommy, there was an unknown signal source trying to hack you, and I intercepted it. 】

【Oh? 】

[Incoming call: unknown number]

[That’s it, connect it. ] Ellie reminded.

【Who? 】The chopsticks in Tommy's hand started spinning again.

【How could you stop me? ] The other party's voice was hoarse like a loom spinning a piece of rag. Even the most experienced female workers would shake their heads and walk away.

[I'm going to hang up the phone. 】His brows furrowed, the visitor was not polite at all.

【.We don’t care what you tell him, or what you want to do or how you do it, you can’t change anything. 】The other party paused for a while, and then warned Tommy.

【so what? 】The chopsticks in his hand already had a whirring sound.

[We know who you are, remember, this is a warning, don’t disturb us next time. Also, she is very special, but it doesn’t help. The fire you played has ignited the little patience we have left. 】

[Hang up]

Who is the "she" the other party mentioned?
[Ellie, can you trace the origin? 】

[The other party's counterintelligence methods are relatively strict and require a lot of time. 】

【good. ] Tommy nodded.

The rotating chopsticks in his hand stopped and he tapped on the dining table repeatedly until half a minute passed.

A "rumble" of thunder suddenly sounded outside the ramen restaurant. The voices of the surrounding diners disappeared for a moment, then became lively again, and the conversation turned to the upcoming rain.

Call Rebecca directly?No, this is too weird.

[Call: David]

【Tommy?What's up? 】The voice on the other side was very surprised. After all, he had left the team for quite some time.

[Nothing's wrong, is Rebecca here? 】

【Are you there?Why not just call her? 】 Onomatopoeia of "咻~" and "咻~" came from David's side.

[It’s not convenient. Is she okay? 】【Great. ] David's voice became increasingly confused.

The chopsticks left the table and started spinning quickly.

【It’s so noisy! !Shut up!Are you a brat? ! 】Rebecca's screams, the muffled sound of a human body being kicked hard, and childish screams suddenly came from over there.

It seems that there is indeed no problem on Rebecca's side.

[Thanks David. 】

【Uh-huh. 】

The communication was cut off, and Tommy looked at the door of the ramen restaurant. Why hasn't Elizabeth arrived yet?Forget it, make another call.

【Call: Kamano Nana】

【elder brother? 】The light voice contains joy.

[Nana, is everything okay over there? 】

Raindrops fell outside the ramen restaurant, and pedestrians on the road began to run.

[It’s okay, what’s wrong? 】

【nothing. ] Tommy paused, [Can I check your company's recent business records? 】

[Yes, you can check it on the Internet. 】

[Well, I mean the more secretive kind. 】

【Uh】

[It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter if you can’t find it. 】After all, Nana Kamano is just a voice actor, and she doesn’t usually have much contact with the company’s affairs. It’s normal that she doesn’t have authority in this regard.

[No, no, it can be found. I’ll call you later~]

[Thanks, Nana. 】

[Brother, you’re welcome~]

Nothing happened on either side, so what exactly does "she" mean?
"I'm sorry, Mr. Price, I'm delayed for something." Elizabeth finally appeared, panting and sitting across from Tommy, grabbing the glass of water in front of him and taking a swig.

After she took a breath, Tommy asked: "Why are you here, not at your house?"

The chopsticks in his hand stopped and were gently held in his hands.

"Because I have something to confess, and I can't let Jefferson know about it." Elizabeth held her forehead with one hand, leaned her elbow on the table, and subconsciously touched her pocket with her right hand, but found nothing.

"Well, what's the matter?"

"Actually, I discovered what happened to Jefferson a long time ago. His personality changed in front of my eyes. He suddenly became another person." Her right hand holding the glass trembled, along with the contents inside. The water was also sloshing slightly.

There was a sudden thunder outside the store, and the water in her cup splashed out, followed by a heavy downpour.

This "thunder" sounded a bit like an explosion, but explosions were common in Night City. It might be a cyber madman who committed suicide, so Tommy didn't think much about it.

"One time I told him that we should go visit the grave, but he actually told me that he was an only child!" Elizabeth's voice trembled, "At that moment, I began to feel something strange. Someone must be changing us. But I don’t know who did it, how or why.”

Tommy decided to tell them the truth in order to attract more help.

"It's night." Before he finished speaking.

[Tommy, NCPD received a report that there was an explosion in a building. 】

【What's wrong? 】 Tommy was a little strange. Logically speaking, Ellie shouldn't remind him in such a fuss.

[The police are rushing towards Nana Kamano’s company. 】

"Mark the navigation point." He suddenly stood up, and his suppressed angry words made Elizabeth startled. She did not dare to interrupt him.

[It’s marked, go quickly! 】

After locking the target, he ran towards the door of the store.

Elizabeth looked at the dining table blankly, and the powder from the chopsticks was spread out on the table.

(End of this chapter)