[Blais, Brain Demon Gang? Didnât expect them to resurface.]
[Blais, But honestly, we had you marked as potentially from the Brain Demon Gang before; we can remove that now.]
The Brain Demon Gang was a modified gang similar to the Vortex Gang, but instead of favoring direct combat implants, they preferred skill chips.
Rather than saying they liked implants, it would be more accurate to say they preferred knowledge. In some old archives of Night City, the Brain Demon Gang was also a frequent source of cyberpsychosis, and their version of it was a special condition called "White Matter Madness."
Simply put, they knew too much, and their brains couldnât handle it.
Some high-ranking members were practically walking computers. Instead of using implants for direct combat, they preferred setting traps with their brains.
Like the Slaughterhouse, they were a modified group that operated in the Northern District. The Slaughterhouse liked blades, while the Brain Demon Gang liked skill chips and brain enhancements.
But in the end, both gangs faded away, and the Vortex Gang came out on topâ
Because they didnât refuse anything, even if it was junk picked up from the street. Knowledge, weird implants, they didnât discriminate.
And the executioner who wiped out both gangs was right in this room.
Brick wiped the extracted prosthetic eye, blew on it, and put it back into his "Flame Golden Eyes" prosthetic.
"Brain Demon Gang? A bunch of sneaky bastards; all they have left is sneakiness. Ten of them together wouldnât be a match for us.
Slaughterhouse is even worse, just a pile of shit. I donât understand if they masturbate with blades even when they sleep. Canât do without them...
Bring in some tough ones to block, and a few bullets will take them all down. Idiots still like to shout: âWithin seven steps, the blade is fast...â"
Jostar nodded in agreement, "Thatâs right, boss. This is the Vortex Gang!"
"But..." Brick changed the subject, "weâre not in good shape right now; they might actually resurface."
"Cut to the chase, whatâs the deal with this Dante?"
Lille interrupted Brickâs nostalgic reminiscing.
Right, this Dante had also appeared in the Northern District, even hung out with the Vortex Gang.
After blowing up the Vortex Gangâs turf, NetWatch scoured the Watson North District for illegal facilities and communication terminals and found an ID:
D@nt3_InF3rn0.
Though abstract, these characters did mean "Dante," especially knowing that Chu Qiaoxiâs online name was that, making it even more likely.
Brick scratched his head, "Hmm... actually, I donât really know. This kid seemed to have defected from the Tiger Claw Gang not long ago, brought a big bag of snuff, quite a rush. I think itâs called... Shimmer?"
"Itâs our product," Daikata Maekawa nodded, "Our people do have access to work in the deputy mayorâs office, but corruption...
Those officials arenât fools. I guess this kid was trying to make some extra money."
So this Dante was originally with the Tiger Claw Gang. Based on the existing clues, maybe he discovered something while working for the gang and started planning to extort the deputy mayor.
Then the Tiger Claw Gang got thrashed, so he ran to the Watson District to lay low and continue his work.
But the Vortex Gang also got thrashed, so he had to run again...
Brickâs brain seemed a bit sluggish, so Lille helped him remember: "Dante always stayed in touch with Royce."
What NetWatch found was extracted from Royceâs equipment.
Brick was stunned for a moment, then suddenly shouted: "Right! Now that you mention it, itâs possible! No wonder I donât remember giving him any turf, goddamn Royce, Iâll have his head...!"
"Boss." Jostar tugged at Brick when his voice was at its loudest, "Royce is already dead."
Brick suddenly calmed down, "Thatâs right."
So Danteâs working environment had been unstable until about half a month ago when he confirmed the deputy mayorâs office database was in Haywood, then got someone to investigate...
Then the Haywood incident happened.
[Blais, Got it. Iâll handle this Dante; you keep investigating the Geisha Market.]
[Lille, You have some free time?]
[Blais, No, this Dante might have slipped to Taiping State.]
So the next target is the Brain Demon Gang in the Geisha District...
Lille suddenly felt that this kind of investigation was too slow; he needed to be more proactive.
But there was no need to discuss this here.
"Alright..." Lille stood by the window for a while. The view from the H8 skyscraper was quite goodâ
He could see a gunfight not far away on the street, and flashes in the alley.
Westbrookâs situation was certainly not what it used to be.
"Letâs call it a dayânow, tell me about your problem."
Daikata Maekawa hesitated for a moment, then cautiously said, "The Tiger Claw Gang lost support, business is bad, no new recruits, no equipment."
"If it werenât for what Jotaro did, it wouldnât be like this now." Lille turned around, "Iâm not talking about me."
If Jotaro hadnât been exposed, the Tiger Claw Gang would still be the local tyrant in Westbrook. Though they acted outrageously, they maintained order.
The Tiger Claw Gang wasnât always rich. Before becoming a behemoth, they were just a bunch of poor people centered around Japanese immigrants.
People admired strength, desired wealth, wanted a stable security environment...
There would always be ruthless people who, apart from profit, gathered a group of people to stand out and eliminate others with the same goals. Eventually, order followed.
Daikata Maekawa remained silentâ
To be honest, until today, he always believed the decline of the Tiger Claw Gang was largely due to these crazies with ridiculous names.
But what Lille and Judy just said... he actually agreed with.
He placed his hand on his forehead, slightly covering his eyes, "Were you serious when you were talking to that brain-dead woman?"
"Otherwise, I wouldnât have asked Mako to help recruit."
Mako was the head of Cloud Peak and had considerable influence in the entire prostitution industry. Lille hoped to use this channel to encourage some who planned to do sex work to consider moving to the outskirts of Saint Domingo for labor work instead.
Unfortunately... Mako twisted Lilleâs intentions for her own selfish reasons; she was terrified and maddened by the power Lille and the others displayed.
She always wanted to climb higher, and after these events, her desire grew even stronger.
Daikata Maekawa, half-covering his eyes, said, "Most Japanese who escaped from Japan did so because they couldnât stand Arasaka Groupâs ways, many were victims of the Chiba plague.
Many people believed Night City to be a Free City, and it really is free here.
Everyoneâs thoughts are respected, desires can be fulfilled... as long as you have enough money.
But in this world, except for a few people, most are born with nothingâif you want money, you have to be willing to bet your life.
If you donât have that courage, money is just something temporarily kept in your pocket by someone else.
Money can buy many things... but the best deal is buying safety, because in reality, you arenât buying safety with money; the strong are just granting you some, because they could take it all by force.
Mako is a lunatic... she used lies to deceive a bunch of fools; she has no idea."
"Do you?" Lille retorted, "I donât think you do either."
Daikata Maekawa suddenly became visibly agitatedâhis face twisted, his hand forcefully grasping his cheek, and he growled,
"I was planning to take care of that pervert! Just..."
"Donât be ridiculous; itâs not just about that."