Chapter 30: Tie Him Up First!
Chapter 30: Tie Him Up First!
As Li Ang boarded the Delamain AI car and left the club, members of the Maelstrom gang also boarded an identical Delamain car, passing him by.
Royce sat in the backseat, fiddling with his tech pistol, imagining the scene of blowing someone's head off with a single shot.
"Boss, are you really going to risk your life for that brat, Wu Dong? I feel like something's off about this," Dum couldn't help but ask.
"Hmph! Do you think I'm that stupid? Of course, we'll tie up that fat pig Lucius first! If the Tyger Claws dare double-cross us, I'll spill all their secrets!" Royce growled in his raspy voice.
From the very moment Royce accepted this mission, he had no intention of playing it straight. His real plan was to squeeze the Tyger Claws for all they were worth before going into hiding to cool off.
After all, crossing the head of the NCPD precinct was far less risky than crossing the Tyger Claws. Royce knew very well which of the two was the greater threat.
If he provoked the Tyger Claws, at worst, he'd be hunted by their gang forever. Hiding in the All Foods factory, what could they possibly do to him? But angering the NCPD? That could get his ashes scattered.
"Brilliant! Boss, you're too smart. I bet Brick will have to step down soon to make room for you," Dum flattered with a grin.
"Hmph, I don't need him to step down. When the time comes, I'll tie him up and throw him to the Scavengers. The rest won't be my problem," Royce sneered maliciously.
Brick, one of the minor leaders of the Maelstrom gang and the boss of the All Foods factory in the Watson Industrial District, had long been a target of Royce's ambitions. He was merely waiting for the right moment to seize leadership.
"Boss, you're amazing!" Dum continued to flatter him.
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Meanwhile, in another Delamain AI car, Li Ang, seated in the backseat, received a message from the AI Red Queen.
[AI Red Queen has successfully infiltrated the Delamain subnet. It is currently collecting image and audio information. You may search for keywords to retrieve relewant content!]
"Damn, this thing is too useful!" Li Ang couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
Before heading to the club, he had specifically chosen a Delamain AI car and inserted the AI Red Queen's chip into it. In less than thirty minutes, the Red Queen had successfully infiltrated Delamain's internal network, becoming a covert intelligence-gathering tool for LA Corporation.
'Search for images and audio related to Lucius.'
Thanks to his system, Li Ang could communicate with the AI Red Queen without speaking aloud.
[Understood. Found 4,399 entries related to Lucius Ryan. Automatically categorized into: sexual, business, political, personal...]
'Uh… Search for the most recent content related to Lucius.'
Li Ang wasn't interested in spying on Lucius's personal life but found the AI Red Queen invaluable for gathering information and secrets.
[Understood. The most recent content related to Lucius is from three minutes ago.]
Immediately, the Red Queen projected a video and audio feed into Li Ang's mind, revealing the Maelstrom gang's plans to kidnap Lucius.
Li Ang pondered briefly before deducing the Tyger Claws' motives. Their plan to assassinate Lucius and frame the Triads served two purposes:
1. To plunge the Watson District into chaos, allowing Arasaka Corporation to intervene under the guise of restoring order.
2. To eliminate the Triads from Night City entirely—a scheme perfectly aligned with the Tyger Claws' style.
Li Ang's thoughts deepened. He needed to find a way to save Lucius's life, but it had to be done strategically. The emergency locator chip he gave Lucius included a manual SOS function that Lucius could activate himself.
Unlike Trauma Team's emergency chips, which required detecting injuries before activating, this chip was far more practical. After all, fatal danger often strikes too quickly to wait for detection. Allowing users to activate the device preemptively greatly increased their survival chances.
"Maine, we're not going back to Little China yet. Stop nearby and call Lucy, Rebecca, and the others. Let's keep an eye on Lucius," Li Ang instructed.
From the front seat, Maine asked hesitantly, "Boss, are you planning to assassinate him?"
Li Ang was briefly speechless at Maine's odd train of thought but ultimately decided to explain. "I got word someone might target Lucius."
"We'll stay here and observe."
"Who would be stupid enough to go after a city councilman? That's insane!" Maine was skeptical of the intel.
Li Ang didn't elaborate, simply urging Maine to notify the team to gather in Westbrook.
In truth, the upper echelons of Night City had always been fraught with turmoil. Even mayors weren't immune to the manipulations, constraints, or assassinations of various factions.
Night City's founder, Richard Night, was assassinated in his own apartment. Some claimed it was gang violence, others a corporate conspiracy, but the truth remains one of the city's enduring mysteries.
"One thing's for sure: if Lucius dies at the hands of gangsters, the nearby gangs will be wiped out by corporate armies," Li Ang remarked, imagining Arasaka's private security forces descending upon Night City to exterminate the gangs.
If it came to that, any deals he made with Lucius would amount to nothing, and both the Coastal Belt and Industrial District would fall into Arasaka's hands.
"Lucy and the others are on their way. They'll be here in about fifteen minutes," Maine reported after ending the call.
"Alright, let's wait here."
This ambush and kidnapping plan by the Maelstrom gang was the perfect opportunity for Li Ang to test the rescue speed of his company's emergency response teams.
Recently, Li Ang had used corporate credits to acquire ten Atlas hovercars, forming ten rapid-response teams modeled after Trauma Team.
Each team consisted of two pilots, two medics, and two security personnel, armed with G-58 Dian Smart SMGs.
Though Lucius was also a platinum member of Trauma Team, their hovercars were still outdated military models from Central America—slow and cumbersome compared to the more advanced Atlas hovercars.
Greater speed and efficiency were the key advantages of LA Corporation's response teams.
With this in mind, Li Ang couldn't help but smile. If his teams reached Lucius before Trauma Team did, the ones panicking next might just be Trauma Team's executives.
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