Chapter 186: Braindance Recording

As the NCPD officers finished cleaning up, Karl stepped up to Johnson, about to bid him farewell— when a nervous-looking officer cautiously approached them, holding something in her hands.

"Something wrong?"

Johnson, who had been ready to speak with Karl, glanced at the officer, his tone noticeably more serious than when addressing his other subordinates.

"Did you find anything?"

"No, Sergeant… it's just that—"

The officer, a young woman around Oliver's age, hesitated, casting a wary glance at Johnson. From the way she addressed him, it seemed she was his junior— possibly even a relative.

"Use my official title at work!"

"Yes, sir— Sergeant Johnson!"

"Good."

Johnson nodded, then continued:

"So? What is it?"

"I, uh… recorded a braindance of the whole thing."

"Huh?"

The moment the word 'braindance' was mentioned, Johnson's expression darkened— Meanwhile, Karl's sharp eyes snapped toward the recording device in her hands.

The young officer, clearly intimidated, lowered her head slightly and lifted the braindance recorder, offering it to them.

"Originally, I was just recording for duty logs… but with Karl and MaxTac involved, I figured this BD might go viral…"

Street-level braindances of gang fights were already in high demand— But a BD featuring Karl and MaxTac?

That was gold.

Not only was it recorded from a third-person perspective, making it a perfect spectator BD, but since there were no illegal elements, it could easily reach a broader audience—

Hell, it might even hit the top of Night City's BD charts this month.

Karl caught the implication immediately.

"So you're looking to sell it?"

"Yeah. The NCPD sells BD footage from duty logs all the time— but the money…"

The officer glanced at Johnson, hesitating before finally admitting the real reason.

"It can help grease the wheels for Sergeant Johnson's promotion."

"What?"

Johnson froze, his face twisting in disbelief.

"Grease the wheels? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Uncle, you don't seriously think you got promoted to Sergeant just for doing a good job, do you?"

The young officer lowered her head slightly, her tone almost sympathetic.

"Uncle, you're way too honest. If you don't pay, there's no way they'd promote you."

"You've been stuck as an Inspector for years. You never suck up to the higher-ups, never brown-nose, never grease palms. To them, you're just a reliable tool."

Johnson's expression shifted as he processed her words.

"Wait… are you saying my promotion… was because of you?"

Wasn't it because he handled the cyberpsycho cases well? Wasn't it because he earned it?

"I wasn't going to tell you. But since Karl's involved, I need his permission to sell this BD. Otherwise, I wouldn't even bother explaining this to you."

Then, as if realizing something, she added:

"Did you ever wonder why I always asked you for extra cash? Or why Dad is constantly struggling with money? Or why some of your team members always seem to be 'handling personal business'?"

Johnson's breath hitched.

"It's because we've been pooling funds to bribe the higher-ups— So you could finally get promoted."

The moment those words left her mouth, Johnson instinctively scanned the surrounding officers, searching for any sign of denial.

But every single one of them…

Had their heads down, pretending not to hear.

"That bastard Deputy Chief… That smug asshole who called me in, praised me for finally 'wising up'…"

It finally clicked.

"I thought he was losing his goddamn mind." As Johnson stood there, momentarily lost in thought, the young officer turned her expectant gaze toward Karl.

"Mr. Karl, is it okay?"

Karl thought for a moment, then casually replied:

"I don't mind… Just don't tag it as a 'cyberpsycho' case. Or if you do, make sure you specify it was those MaxTac guys."

"Thank you so much!"

Despite being older than Karl, the officer's demeanor was nothing short of reverent— Her eyes lit up with excitement.

"This BD is going to be huge! If we sell it, we might even get enough funds to upgrade our gear or— better yet— push Uncle's career further up the ladder."

"Huh… Having someone you know climb the ranks in the NCPD…"

Jack, who had just walked over, having overheard the entire conversation, couldn't help but comment:

"Kinda feels like you're placing your own guy inside the force."

Then, shaking his head in amusement, he added:

"Weird feeling… I used to get chased around by the NCPD all the damn time."

"Jack, you pull some shit in front of me, and I'll still book you."

Now somewhat composed, Johnson shot him a pointed look.

"You were one of the biggest troublemakers in Heywood. If we weren't on friendly terms now, I'd have warned you ages ago."

"Relax, I'm on the straight and narrow these days."

Jack grinned, then shot a playful look at Karl:

"Right, choom?"

"Yeah, sure… You don't even believe yourself."

Karl scoffed, then sighed.

"I really don't wanna be the one bailing your ass out from Johnson's station— that'd be embarrassing."

Then, turning back to the young officer, Karl nodded:

"When the BD is ready, send me a copy. I've seen some of your NCPD duty recordings before— loved Episode 4, the one where you went full-auto on Maelstrom. Good quality. Great entertainment.

...Wait, do you even have my contact?"

"No, I don't. Can we exchange numbers?"

Karl chuckled—

After dealing with fixers all the time, who always seemed to know his number and address without him ever telling them, it felt strangely refreshing to be asked.

After swapping contacts, Karl turned back to Johnson and the NCPD officers, giving them a casual wave.

"Welp, nothing left for us here. See you around, gents."

"Hold up, Karl— one last thing."

Johnson called out, then sent over a payment transfer.

"You almost forgot to collect your cut."

Karl checked his balance.

"Ten thousand eddies. All accounted for."

As a merc, that meant this gig was officially closed.

Karl threw a lazy wave as he and Jack slid into the Thornton Hera—Oliver already revving the engine.

"Ping me if another gig like this pops up, Johnson."

As Johnson watched the car speed off, he turned his gaze back to the unconscious Andy— Now restrained, sedated, and prepped for transport.

"A good gig, huh?"

With a heavy sigh, Johnson muttered:

"Tell me, Karl… Who the fuck else would go through all this trouble—take on MaxTac, even—just to get some poor gonk justice… for 10K eddies?"

.

.

.

📢 Important Announcement! 📢

From now on, there will be 20 chapters ahead available on Patreon for early access! 🎉🔥

Also, we're excited to announce our new translation of the Harry Potter fanfiction: The Rebirth of Harry Potter! ⚡📖

🔗 Join here: www.patreon.com/c/MrMagnus👤 Patreon name: SrMagnus

Thank you for your support! 🙌