Chapter 172: Truly Exaggerated +(extra)
Scheletro_Fumante
*Wink* *Wink*
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"Phew."
Breathing out a puff of white mist into the chilly night air, Karl watched as the vehicle carrying the Dangerous Girls detective and Kenichiro disappeared into the distance. Then, he turned to look at Jed beside him.
"You're not planning on leaving yet?"
"I should at least stick around until the goods are delivered properly, don't you think?"
Jed pointed to the items securely strapped to the back of the robotic dog, which he had wrapped and transported to the outskirts of North Oak. "Since you're not even complaining about half the meat being gone, the least I can do is provide good service until the end."
"Honestly, I think the fried pork cutlet you cooked for me and Kenichiro in that bastard's kitchen more than makes up for it."
Karl recalled the taste with a satisfied expression. "Your cooking skills are worth the apology. You completely got rid of the gamey taste, the crispiness was just right—it was the best pork cutlet I've had since coming to Night City."
"Glad you liked it."
Hearing Karl's praise, Jed looked a little embarrassed. Cooking an ordinary meal in a room still reeking of blood hardly seemed like something worthy of such compliments.
"No need to be modest about it. Even my boss praised your cooking."
Karl smirked. "And he did it with that deadpan face of his, too. Saying 'it tastes good' with a straight face like that… it's almost like he became a completely different person. Amazing."
Thinking back on it, Jed felt that Karl's ability to casually request a meal in a blood-soaked mansion was far more impressive.
"Haah."
Karl let out a yawn, starting to feel sleepy. Ahead of them, an NCPD Enforcer was slowly approaching.
"You're too slow, Johnson."
"I haven't even mentioned how you hijacked the NCPD communication line and rerouted it to your own terminal, Karl."
Johnson stepped out of the Enforcer. "I gave you access to the dispatch channel for monitoring, not so you could just use it however you like. I expected you to eavesdrop, not directly take calls."
"So, you've taken care of everything?"
"Of course I have. But damn it, Karl, you get an idea and act on impulse, and I'm the one stuck cleaning up the mess for half an hour."
Johnson gave Karl a weary look. "Next time, don't pull something like that, alright? Most things, I can let slide. But writing reports? That's the real nightmare."
"Sounds like you just didn't study hard enough back in the academy, Johnson."
"Even if I had, writing bureaucratic reports is a nightmare for everyone."
Johnson sighed and motioned towards the Enforcer with his thumb. "So, how about it? Want me to give you two a ride back?"
"Just take Jed. My friend's already on the way to pick me up. Oh, and take the meat on that dog with you."
"Meat?"
Johnson glanced at the neatly secured packages on the back of the robotic dog. His expression shifted slightly.
"You're not asking me to dispose of another corpse, are you? Rich people's bodies are a pain in the ass to deal with."
"Relax. Trauma Team showed up and took his corpse away not long after he died. This is just pork. That bastard wasted half of it, but the rest was properly stored. You should take it back and have a barbecue with your squad. Think of it as my way of saying thanks for the trouble I put you through."
"Pork."
Johnson glanced at the large bundle strapped to the back of the robotic dog as it walked over, realizing that when Karl said pork, he wasn't talking about the synthetic kind—this was the real deal.
Swallowing hard, Johnson muttered, "You know this counts as bribing an officer, right?"
"Forget bribery," Karl waved him off. "I've been meaning to bring you some homemade braised pork for a while now. But when I called you back then, you were too busy dealing with police work. Take this back for your squad to enjoy. Besides—"
Karl spread his hands. "Would it really be strange for the NCPD to accept a bribe?"
"Not like I was gonna refuse," Johnson replied, lifting the heavy bundle of pork with surprising ease. He casually tossed the over 100 pounds of meat into the Enforcer's holding compartment—normally reserved for prisoners. "If you keep helping us out like this, my squad's gonna be so grateful they'll want to become your personal security force."
"Isn't the NCPD already a collection of private forces divided by whichever faction pays them the most?"
"You're not wrong," Johnson admitted. "But I used to think my squad wouldn't end up like that."
Letting out a sigh, he shook his head. "I managed to resist corporate influence, avoided bending to the top brass… but turns out, the one I didn't account for was you. Now, anytime you need something, my guys might show up faster than I do."
"Come on, Johnson," Karl smirked. "You call that a private army? What, should I have ignored the only cops who actually do their jobs and started handing out favors to those lazy bastards who take bribes but never lift a damn finger?"
"That's where you're wrong, Karl. You might think you're just helping us out of goodwill, but we owe you for this."
Johnson gestured for Jed to hop into the police car. "In Night City, someone who genuinely helps others without expecting anything in return… that's rare. Hell, it's damn near legendary."
The door shut. The window rolled down. The engine rumbled to life.
"Just don't forget—we can help you too."
"Same goes for us, Karl!" Jed leaned out from the passenger seat, waving. "If you ever need anything with logistics, don't forget about us. Everyone wants to return the favor!"
As the Enforcer turned the corner and drove off into the night, Karl shook his head, amused.
"Damn, that's dramatic."
He ran a hand over the synthetic fur of the robotic dog that had nestled up beside him.
"When Oliver and Jack get here, we'll get T-BUG in on it too. We'll all figure out a name for you. And while we're at it, I'll add some extra gear—make sure you're properly linked up. That way, I won't have to keep setting up security measures in my car every time. You'll be my built-in watchdog."
Couldn't rely on anti-theft devices alone forever. A proper guard dog was the way to go.
At the very least, this was still technically a dog… right?
Karl studied the robotic canine a little closer. The synthetic leather and faux fur gave it a distinctly black-and-white color scheme.
Like a… husky?
No, something was off about it. If anything, its color pattern reminded him more of…
A panda?
A panda dog? What a weird-looking thing.
Its dopey, harmless appearance was completely at odds with the fact that, in combat, it was as strong as a professional security operative. The machine gun mounted on its back could output firepower on par with Militech's Model 31 Heavy Machine Gun.
"Man… the level of tech in these bio-mechanical animals is seriously insane."
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