Chapter 71: Melissa and Behind the Blue Eyes

Melissa immediately pulled out a pair of bright silver handcuffs from her belt, her eyes fixed on Arthur.

Then, glancing at the two boxes in his hands, she declared, "NCPD Senior Inspector. I have reason to suspect you are engaging in an illegal transaction. You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say can and will be used as evidence in court."

Arthur blinked. "…"

Great. Just great. I've really gotten myself into trouble now.

Without hesitation, he threw the Uzumaki Gang's box at Melissa.

"As a model citizen of Night City, I just witnessed a criminal transaction and stepped in to prevent it. Please, take this filth away, dear officer."

Melissa wrinkled her nose in disgust and tossed the box back to him. Then, to Arthur's complete surprise, she put the handcuffs away and wrapped her arms around his.

"I don't want that kind of thing. But you did agree to a date, didn't you? When's that happening? How about today?"

She batted her eyelashes at him. "I'm off duty today, and I'm in the prime of my youth and beauty."

Arthur felt his stomach drop. While the warmth of Melissa's touch was pleasant, the fact that she was the captain of the NCPD's Terrorist Mobile Team made him break out in a cold sweat.

Why couldn't my love interests be like Lucy or Rebecca? Why do I get Melissa, of all people?

Seeing the determined look on her face, Arthur realized he had no way out. If he refused, she might actually arrest him and throw him into a mental ward under the pretext of cyberpsychosis.

And while Arthur had nothing against the people in Night City's mental hospitals—they were quite the entertaining bunch, after all—he was sane. He didn't belong there.

With a sigh, he nodded. "Fine. I have some free time today. Let's get this over with."

Melissa's face lit up.

Arthur shook the box in his hands and said, "Before that, have your colleagues come pick up this junk. You know I never use these things. It only ruins people's lives."

Melissa didn't hesitate. She tore open the Uzumaki Gang's box, ripped the packages apart, and dumped everything into the sewer.

Arthur watched the substances swirl down the drain and thought, Well, the fish in Night City's river are going to have quite a trip tonight—if there were any fish left, that is.

He smirked. "It seems NCPD corruption is worse than I thought. This makes me deeply concerned about our city's leadership."

Melissa rolled her eyes, still clutching his arm as she pulled him toward Concord Park.

"Spare me the political speech. Are you planning to run for mayor or something?"

Arthur chuckled. "Now that you mention it, 'Mayor of Night City' does have a nice ring to it."

Melissa gave him a pointed look. "If that's your goal, you should prepare for corporate assassination. The megacorps don't take kindly to independent leadership."

Arthur paused, remembering something.

The mayor of Night City… Wasn't that guy supposed to die next year? In 2077, the current mayor was found dead in a club. And ten years later, a man named Jefferson tried to run, only to have his memories altered by a mysterious force known as Blue Eyes.

Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose. The more he thought about Night City's political landscape, the more his head hurt.

No one truly knew who—or what—Blue Eyes was.

But Arthur had his suspicions.

If he had to guess, Blue Eyes wasn't human.

More likely, it was an advanced AI. A free AI, one that had escaped corporate control.

He sighed. This theory led to even bigger, messier problems—ones that tied back to the infamous Soulkiller program, an invention of the legendary hacker Alt Cunningham.

Even so, Arthur was certain that Blue Eyes had nothing to do with Ultra, the rogue AI currently locked away in an abandoned server.

No, Ultra had other priorities. Like having an intimate reunion with Johnny Silverhand.

Arthur shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.

This whole situation was a tangled mess. It involved legends like Morgan Blackhand and Adam Smasher, megacorporations like Arasaka and Militech, and even the global Net itself.

Best not to dwell on it too much right now.

Meanwhile, Melissa was practically skipping beside him, dragging him along like an excited schoolgirl.

She glanced back at him and teased, "Come on, Arthur! You're on a date—at least try to look like you're enjoying it! Otherwise, no girl will ever like you."

Arthur snorted. "And yet here you are, chasing after me."

She rolled her eyes but grinned nonetheless.

Despite himself, Arthur couldn't help but smile.

They wandered through Concord Park, a place rumored to be the burial site of radioactive waste.

Arthur, however, dismissed it as just another urban legend.

Arasaka wouldn't go through the trouble of secretly burying hazardous materials in a public park. If they had waste to dispose of, they'd simply dump it into the ocean. After all, corporate laws didn't apply to megacorps.

There weren't many people around, so Arthur decided to grab a snack from a nearby convenience store.

Just as he was about to pay, he felt someone step on his foot.

A soft voice immediately followed.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—"

Arthur turned around and saw a girl bowing repeatedly in apology.

She had short, silvery-white hair and striking blue eyes—eyes that seemed far too deep, as if hiding secrets.

Arthur narrowed his gaze.

There was something… unnatural about this girl.

Melissa, on the other hand, had already puffed up her chest, ready to scold her.

"Hey! Watch where you're—"

The girl looked up, meeting Arthur's gaze directly.

For a moment, the world seemed to slow down.

Arthur felt a chill run down his spine.

And then, just as quickly, the girl smiled, her expression shifting to something entirely different.

"Oh! You're Arthur, aren't you? I've been looking for you."

Arthur froze.

Melissa raised an eyebrow. "You know him?"

The girl giggled, tilting her head. "Of course. We've been destined to meet."

Arthur clenched his jaw.

Something told him this was no ordinary girl.

And that their meeting was far from coincidence.

To Be Continued…

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