Assassinating political opponents over ideological differences wasn't common practice—even in Night City. It was the kind of move that belonged to extremist factions.
Mayor Rhyne wasn't a good man. He had plenty of dirt on him, especially allegations of taking bribes from corporations and giving them a free pass. But to most people in Night City, he definitely wasn't the worst mayor they'd had. At the very least, he hadn't sold them all out and knew where he belonged.
And why was that?
Because in the Unification War of 2069–2070, he had managed to secure a supercarrier from Arasaka that forced back the New United States military and preserved Night City's independence. That act alone was enough to earn him the respect and admiration of the city's residents.
Sure, Night City under Rhyne's governance wasn't exactly in great shape. But would going back to the New United States really be any better? As if they didn't have frequent shootings, rampant corruption, and overwhelming bureaucracy. Some people simply saw the NUSA through rose-tinted glasses and thought it was paradise compared to Night City.
But now, this same mayor had been killed—and the scene disguised to look like a natural death...
It was only natural that Jefferson would worry about his own safety. Still, this was all just the couple's side of the story. Leo needed more concrete evidence.
"Why do you think NCPD made a mistake? Do you have any proof?"
"Before Rhyne died," Elizabeth said, "he pushed through a policy cutting NCPD's budget. That might've threatened certain interests and led to his death."
As soon as she said that, Leo already had an idea of what she was referring to.
"But from what I heard, that policy earned him and Chief Fort a lot of political donations, and also increased demand for corporate private security."
Elizabeth shook her head. "Not everyone sides with the corps. The only one who benefited from weakening the NCPD was Fort. Everyone else either had their pay cut or got fired. It's almost impossible they didn't resent Rhyne."
Leo had actually heard Linari mention this before. There were plenty in the NCPD who were dissatisfied with Rhyne and Fort. Still, pinning Rhyne's murder on the NCPD just for that was a stretch.
Especially since the budget cuts had already gone through—killing Rhyne wouldn't reverse anything, and if they got caught, it would only bring more trouble.
"Hmm... aside from that, is there any other lead?"
Clearly, the Peralezes had come prepared. They hadn't expected Leo to believe them just from their words alone—they had something more solid.
"There's also the braindance recorded during the cyberpsycho attack on City Hall."
Leo paused. "Braindance? You mean one recorded by a braindance module implanted in the cyberpsycho?"
Many cyberpsychos had hidden braindance modules implanted in their bodies without their knowledge. These recorded their final moments, and strictly speaking, they weren't regular braindances but black-market BDs—unedited and raw, designed to let the viewer fully experience the cyberpsycho's mental state and sensory input up to the moment of death.
XBDs like these were extremely popular in the underground market and usually sold out the moment they were uploaded.
But Elizabeth shook her head.
"No, not from the cyberpsycho. It's from one of Mayor Rhyne's security staff. Our head of security reviewed it and didn't find anything suspicious, but maybe you'll catch something."
Jefferson nodded. "Whatever you find in that BD, just get to the truth. That's all we want."
Leo nodded. "Alright, let me see it."
Since they brought it themselves, the chip and the BD headset had to be on them. And if the NCPD had gone to such lengths to withhold the footage, then maybe—just maybe—the key to unraveling this whole thing was buried in that BD.
Elizabeth handed him the headset with the chip already slotted in. Jefferson added, "We need to return the chip today, or a lot of people are going to be in serious trouble."
"Why would the Mayor's security staff even have a BD recording?"
"Rhyne was making a public appearance. Recording the event via braindance is standard protocol. After the attack, NCPD confiscated the footage as evidence. We had to pull a lot of strings to get it."
Leo considered this.
Even someone like Jefferson had to pull strings just to get a copy of a BD?
And they had to return it the same day—or else? That said a lot.
No wonder they were suspicious of the NCPD.
"Alright, let's take a look."
Leo put on the BD headset and started the program.
A familiar flash of light hit his vision—then receded—and he was inside the braindance. Just like Evelyn's BD, the perspective was fixed, unable to turn.
Standing in front of him was a stern-faced security chief with metal implants on both cheeks, dressed in a suit. Behind him paced Lucius Rhyne—still alive.
Of course, this wasn't some zombie Rhyne. This was the past, a BD recorded just days before his death during the cyberpsycho attack on City Hall.
Next to Rhyne was his longtime assistant, Deputy Mayor Weldon Holt. They seemed to be discussing something, but the distance was too far—Leo couldn't hear them clearly.
The only audible voice came from the stern security chief. "Can't you tell how serious things are? Quit going rogue and watch the Mayor. This is City Hall—we ought to act like it."
After the lecture, the viewpoint began to move.
The person whose perspective Leo had entered turned and walked away. Only then did Leo realize they were inside a City Hall conference room, sometimes used by Rhyne for press conferences. A massive City Hall emblem adorned the wall.
The guard walked between two rows of benches and returned to his post at the room's entrance.
It was an important area, so naturally, a single guard wasn't enough—there was a reception desk and a weapons scanner outside. The desk was there to greet visitors, verify identities, and decide whether the Mayor was available to see them.
After all, corporate reps paid taxes in Night City. You couldn't keep them waiting. But if it was a regular citizen? Well, Rhyne would always be "too busy" to meet them.
The scanner detected weapons, of course—also a necessity.
The guard waited at his post for a while until a man in a trench coat entered from outside. A receptionist tried to stop him and ask for ID, but the man walked quickly, already passing through the scanner.
As he passed, the green lights on the scanner flashed red.
The staff member next to the scanner shouted, "Hey! Hold it!"
The man reached into his coat and flashed something. The staff member let him pass and reset the scanner back to green.
The man strutted toward the door confidently.
But the guard whose POV Leo occupied hadn't seen what was shown and, noticing the alert, reached out to stop the man.
"Stop right there."
"I am River Ward, NCPD."
He was a tall man with a buzzcut, military-style. His left eye was cybernetic—not a Kiroshi model that mimicked a real eye, but an exposed mechanical one.
Kiroshi was a top-tier brand, known for lifelike optics and scanners, but even their entry-level models weren't cheap. River's mechanical eye might've looked crude, but it had all the standard functions—and was a lot more affordable.
Despite showing his badge and claiming to be with NCPD, the guard didn't just let him through.
He reported in. "Got an NCPD officer here. Do we let him in?"
From the comms, the security chief responded, "Have him wait."
"I've got urgent business with the Mayor's security chief."
"Then wait until the meeting's over."
But River didn't wait. He pushed forward.
The guard moved to block River's path, and as the two briefly struggled, a pair of mantis blades suddenly pierced the guard's abdomen from behind.
Since this wasn't a black-market BD, Leo didn't feel the pain—he only saw it unfold.
The guard collapsed to the floor, crawling weakly. Moments later, gunfire rang out.
River had drawn a large-caliber revolver and opened fire. The shots struck a figure stepping over the fallen guard, who dropped into a pool of blood.
River approached the body, scanned it with his mechanical eye, then holstered his weapon after confirming the target was dead. He turned and walked toward the injured guard.
The last thing seen from the guard's perspective was River's shoes.
The braindance ended.