How To Live as a Cyberpunk Solver

72. ask

If you want to pick something that is hard to see in Junk Town, you can open the positive part of the self-help book. Things like love, faith, hope, and effort.

It was easy to understand what I meant when I met the vagabond who only lives today and the addict who sees tomorrow as a luxury by double digits. It was Junk Town where only the dead and dying were visible.

However, as with all things in the world, quick conclusions were disastrous. There is also a lotus flower that blooms in mud and love that sprouts in fire.

Passing by the entrance to the 23rd Street alley the twins had mentioned, Leonard doubted three times whether this was a junk town.

The scenery itself was no different from the downtown area we had passed before. The outer walls of the building, which had been repainted over and over again with paint spray, left only bizarre and dreary things, heaps of garbage piled up, beggars and vagrants at every corner, and neon lights flickering 24 hours a day. It was an ordinary junk town back alley.

“You are smiling.”

The only difference was the expression. It wasn’t a cheesy laugh that drools while drunk on electronic drugs. It was a truly happy smile that is hard to find even in rich neighborhoods.

“Is it because of that ‘philanthropist’?”

“You’ll have to meet him to find out if it’s a person or a guy.”

Leonard saw gangs gathered in twos and threes in the alley. Since it is a twins area, most of the gangs are twins, but there are rare cases of the Blast Gang, the Tiger Claw Gang, and even the Aktion Gang suffering from drug addiction.

I thought it would be bloody due to the twins’ illegal implant business overlapping in many ways, but surprisingly it was more peaceful than any other street. The gangs, with whom they had been at odds ever since they separated from Stonehead, awkwardly asked their regards and lent cigarettes. It seemed that all the rare scenes of Junk Town had gathered here.

“Is there any reason for a person like this to incite a scavenger to raid the factory?”

“There are several possibilities.”

The first possibility was an anti-corporate terrorist. In addition to the recently emerged Liberation Front, there were several deep-rooted terrorist organizations. Their main target was a factory located in a junk town. Because White Town is afraid of public security and defense facilities.

“The simplest reason is credit.”

“However, the name ‘philanthropist’ did not appear in the scavenger memory chip. Then you don’t get a penny even if you rob the factory, right?”

Leonard stared at his smart but inexperienced assistant. This is why instruction was needed.

“If you were the boss of the villain, would you reveal your real name and real name and plot things?”

“Control with a fake face?”

“The parties will think you are a real person.”

“Is that possible?”

“If you are an implant doctor who can handle the brain chip periodically, it is possible. It’s not easy to manipulate memories, but it’s not impossible either.”

The combination of personal connections to gather scavengers, skills to handle implants, and a mysterious identity made him a very strong suspect.

After wandering through a jungle-like alley for a bit, I arrived at the suspect’s residence, and an overly nice lady greeted me casually.

“Good morning, right? Did you come to see the old man?”

“Yes? no? Did you come to see the philanthropist?”

Max asked, puzzled, and it was a good answer. The old woman opened her arms wide.

“It is also called by that name.”

Leonard pushed Max aside and said.

“I am looking for a friend. I thought I might get some help because the elderly man has wide feet and knows a lot.”

It’s an attitude as if they came to collect debt rather than help, but it wasn’t strange since it was originally that kind of town.

“I am in an important operation right now, so it will take a while.”

“I can wait. Oh, as long as it doesn’t take too long.”

The lady in charge of this place nodded and handed over a chair. Leonard straightened his coat, sat down, and began his fixer-like business. So I started observing the people and things around me.

It was an ordinary family home, despite being an elderly man and a philanthropist. That, too, was mediocre by Junk Town standards.

The lowest floor of an old villa that wants to turn on electricity. Shabby furniture that looks like it was picked up from a garbage dump. Family members who seem to have more sick places than healthy places.

“You look like a patient?”

Well, it was a bit much for a family member.

They were sitting in a row in front of it as if they were using the largest room as an implant parlour.

I could see why the twins would let a strong competitor go. Each of the patients was a scavenger on the lowest floor without credit to buy an energy bar. Customers didn’t overlap, so it seemed like they were pretending not to know that they were resentful.

Of course, there must be a reason why the philanthropist Yangban behaves well. If you spread rumors and start stealing customers, even the gangster and good-natured twins won’t tolerate it.

“Oh oh! teacher!”

“Old man, old man has come out!”

“The philanthropist man! Thank you so much!”

As Leonard guessed, the large room was the clinic. A haggard old man came out with a deep smile. Leonard retrieved a picture of the brain chip and matched it with an automated analysis. It was the same person with a 97.7% probability.

“Isn’t it more normal than I thought?”

Even Max, who lacked the scanning function, had his own discernment. He had no implants except for one right arm. Very rare for his age, but on average he was a very average junk town resident.

“The ninth fixer rule. Don’t judge everything by appearance.”

“oh! It’s been a while since the rules came out!”

Leonard touched the revolver in his shoulder holster and stood up. The philanthropist, who had been taking things with thanks, looked back at the strange presence.

“this person is…?”

asked the philanthropist, a little bewildered. Is it because I’m not dressed for a place like this, or is it because there’s something that bothers me? Leonard was not quick to judge.

“I need help from the elderly. Could you please give me a minute?”

And it was made clear that there was no right of veto. It was easily possible by adding a gun to the polite request.

@

Without coercion or threat, all the guests at the charity’s house left. There were a few active gangsters among them, but when someone recognized Leonard and whispered to him, they turned white or looked very displeased and left.

“You are looking for someone?”

Leonard stood by the window and glanced out. Many of the guests did not leave the house, probably worried about the philanthropist. If this wasn’t a brain chip manipulation, it would be a really great thing.

‘Is even the manipulation of the brain chip great?’

Come to think of it, that was great.

“A friend whose tongue was cut like this, like this. He’s treated like an idiot because he doesn’t speak well, but there’s information that I’ve seen him here.”

“A man whose tongue was cut out…”

In Junk Town, getting cut here and there from getting stabbed, shot, infected, not being able to eat, etc. is common, but getting your tongue cut out wasn’t common. Leonard watched the philanthropist’s expression closely.

Considering the reason why there are only slot machines and no gamblers in gambling halls, you can guess how difficult it is to cheat high-end implant eyes. Leonard’s Hexagon Eyes detected even the slightest muscle contraction.

“I have never seen such a person. There seems to be a mistake.”

It wasn’t a lie. An implant cyborg might be able to manipulate muscle fibers, but since it was a biohuman, there was little chance of that. Leonard sat down on the couch and changed the subject.

“Why are you doing this?”

“What if you said something like this?”

“I mean fixing implants illegally. I hear you don’t even have a doctor’s license.”

The philanthropist’s face flushed slightly. It was a shame.

“I am just doing what I can. If it hurts someone, I’ll gladly take the blame, but if it doesn’t, just turn a blind eye to it.”

“Wow! What a nice person!”

Max admired meekly. The philanthropist’s face grew redder. There was something oddly cute about being shy at that age. Leonard smiled and said.

“I asked why. It’s not whether you can or can’t.”

Max frowned. ‘Why are you doing this to a good person?’ Leonard sighed. It’s still a long way from being independent.

“There is no good deed without reason in this world. Religious people do good things for the sake of the afterlife, rich people do good things for honor and tax cuts, or self-satisfaction.”

“Then maybe self-satisfied…”

Leonard’s smile widened.

“You are finally lying.”

The philanthropist’s expression hardened.

“The reason why implant surgery is so expensive is not because of the doctor’s ransom, but because of the cost of the equipment. You have to connect nerves, open sockets, find the right parts, and process them.”

Would a nobleman who knew that grumble that it was expensive every time he had an implant checked? Leonard swiped and touched the various machines and monitors on the operating table.

“Looking at the wealth of the landlord here, he probably wouldn’t have provided this equipment himself, but he seems to have brought it. Were you originally rich?”

“that’s…”

“Gee, what a stupid question. If you know how to perform surgery, you must have received professional training, and of course you must have been rich. Not now, though.”

I had already noticed that the philanthropist was not the owner of the house. Leonard laid down his last card.

“The tongue-cutting scavenger’s name is Marvin.”

“Marvin… Marvin Brute…?”

In one word, everything was put together.

@

Leonard left 23rd Street, leaving the philanthropist behind.

There was no reason to harm the small fish without mentioning the eighth rule of the fixer, ‘Don’t mess around with things that don’t get credit’. Max hurriedly followed.

“What happened? Is that person a bad person?”

“I am not a good person. I am not a bad person.”

To put it bluntly, he was a common person in Junk Town. Leonard explained step by step for the assistant who was smoking from the top of his head.

“Marvin Brute, the tongue-out scavenger who became a junk machine, lived here. I’m sure it’s information I checked on the darknet.”

“But didn’t you say you didn’t know?”

“Because I didn’t tell you my name. In other words, I never saw it after my tongue was cut off.”

“So you’re saying that converting into a Bomberman isn’t a philanthropist?”

“I would have remodeled it. Skillful illegal implant doctors are not common.”

After correcting it to be a ‘junk machine’, Leonard said the conclusion.

“It’s just that I didn’t cut my tongue.”

“Uh… uh… so…”

“It’s just the end. Either a hired minion for a few pennies on credit.”

There was a water owner when I saw him playing the role of a doctor with equipment like that. Credit doesn’t even drop for free, but I couldn’t keep volunteering without a sponsor. Max finally got to the point.

“You sold the scavenger!”

“I must have thought I was getting a job. Well, I’m not very sensible, so did you know that it was dangerous? Still, I would have thought it would be better than turning into a psycho cyborg by drinking e-drugs.”

As I said before, neither good nor bad. He was a suitable person who compromised moderately to make a living.

“Still, there was an income.”

Leonard uploaded the data obtained as a ‘polite request’ to the brain chip. It was a list of scavengers converted into junk machines and information about the forces behind them.

“Now, where should I sell this to get the right price?”

Partners appeared quickly. As Max said, this is because the floor is too narrow.