Seeing the defeated look on River's face, Leo gave his shoulder a pat without saying a word. Any upright person, as long as they lived and worked in this city, would inevitably face a day like this—whether sooner or later. Officers like River, who wholeheartedly served the city and its people, suffered deeper blows and thus came to doubt themselves even more.
That was exactly why decent cops like River were growing rarer within the NCPD, while corrupt ones like his partner, Detective Han—those who had "accepted reality"—were becoming the majority.
"Wait. Maybe we still have a chance to uncover who's really behind this."
Leo turned to look at River. "You're not about to say…"
"My partner, Harold Han—he's the one who handled Mayor Rhyne's body. He was involved in this; we both saw it. In the footage, he was even on the phone with someone from behind the scenes. As long as we—"
"River…" A hand landed on River's shoulder, and he froze, looking at Leo.
"Let's set aside whether the person your partner called was actually the mastermind. Even if he was, do you really think he would confess it to you?"
"You don't understand, Leo. Han and I have been working together for years. He saved my life once, and I saved his. I believe—"
"No. You're the one who doesn't understand, River. He has a daughter. You said it yourself—she's the only thing he cares about. If it were just him, maybe he'd take the risk and go with you without hesitation. But he has a daughter."
Silence fell in the private booth. River hesitated.
Leo met his eyes and crushed the last of his delusions. "Do you really think he's willing to endanger his daughter's life just for the so-called truth?"
River wanted to argue—wanted to say that when they joined the NCPD, they all swore an oath—but he couldn't. Because if he had to choose between his sister and her kids or the truth… he'd probably choose to protect his family too.
"I get it now."
"Good. That's what matters. River, you're a good man—and a good cop. There aren't many like you left in Night City. That's why staying alive and useful matters more than exposing the truth."
River nodded solemnly. "Thank you, Leo."
Before leaving, River copied the emails, surveillance footage, and took the virus-infected braindance headset with him. Then, the two returned to Capitán Caliente in River's pickup.
Unexpectedly, Detective Han was waiting for them outside the restaurant joint. Judging by his posture, he was clearly there just for them.
"Had fun playing house, you two?"
"It was fine."
"Did you dig up anything interesting?"
River shook his head. "No. Leo and I just walked around a bit, but came up empty."
Han gave River a surprised look, then seemed to think of something. He gave Leo a quick glance before looking away, his voice casual: "Came up empty, huh?"
"No time for small talk. We've been running around all day—we're starving. Want to join us?"
Han shook his head. "I'll pass. Just ate. Still stuffed."
River turned to Leo. "My treat. You in?"
"Sure." If someone else was paying, there was no reason to say no.
As the two were about to walk into the restaurant, Han suddenly called out to Leo.
"Wait up. Your name's Leo, right? Mind sparing a minute? I've got something to say."
…..............
....
.
Leaning on the guardrail of an overpass, Leo stood beside Detective Han. The weather was poor today, heavy fog blanketing everything. There wasn't a sliver of sunlight. Visibility was terrible, and the valley district across the bridge was completely shrouded in mist.
"First off, I've got to thank you."
Leo looked at him, surprised. "Thank me?"
Han held a paper cup of coffee in both hands. "Yeah. Maybe it sounds insincere, but I mean it. I really do."
"I've been partnered with River for, what, three years? Four? Can't even remember anymore. Don't let my age fool you—he's been on the force longer than I have. I still remember our first patrol together like it was yesterday."
Leo didn't respond, just quietly listened.
"River's a straight arrow—you've probably figured that out already. He's capable, well-liked. But do you know why he's never made it past detective?"
Leo looked over. "Because he's not willing to compromise like you?"
Han wasn't offended. He nodded. "Exactly. He's too stubborn. Take this case—we were told to drop it long ago, but he kept investigating in secret."
Leo grinned. "You don't need to worry. We didn't find anything. All the leads dried up, and River's decided to let it go."
"That's for the best. In this city, you've got to watch your step. One wrong move and you're lunch for the sharks."
"You need to know which way the wind's blowing before the storm hits, right?"
"You really are a pro merc—smart, with a good read on people. That's exactly it." Han finished his coffee, then pulled a stainless steel hip flask from the inner pocket of his coat.
If the sun had been out today, the flask would've gleamed.
He unscrewed the cap and took a deep swig.
"Sometimes I envy River. He hasn't betrayed anyone. His hands are clean. He still sleeps well at night. …Sorry. I've had a bit much. I'm heading home."
Leo watched Han drive away before heading into Capitán Caliente and joining River at his table.
River had ordered a massive bucket of wings, drumsticks, nuggets, fries, and two large cups of cola filled with ice.
He seemed to be in good spirits—or maybe he was trying to eat away his frustration.
"That's a lot. Can you finish it?"
"I'll eat what I can. Whatever's left, I'll take home. No waste."
Leo picked up a fry, dipped it in ketchup, and popped it into his mouth. Not bad. Tasted fine.
River grabbed a wing and stripped it to the bone in three bites. "He's gone?"
Leo nodded, taking a bite of drumstick.
"He didn't catch on, did he?"
"He's not an idiot. I think he suspects something. But he's smart enough to play dumb."
From beginning to end, even Deputy Mayor Holt was just a pawn pushed to the front. Even if the two of them had handed their evidence to a news network, at best Holt's approval ratings might have dropped a bit. There was no guarantee they could even bring him down.
Sometimes, knowing when to keep your head down was the smarter choice.
…...........
.....
.
Leo met Jefferson again in that same shadowed courtyard as last time. But this time, Jefferson had wised up—he brought two cars worth of bodyguards for protection.
One car was parked out on the road, keeping watch on the surroundings. The other was parked inside the courtyard alongside Jefferson's luxury sedan.
Inside the luxury car, Leo only saw Jefferson. Elizabeth hadn't come.
After verifying Leo's identity, the bodyguards let him in.
Jefferson looked impatient but also nervous, and hopeful.
"You asked to meet. Does that mean you've made a breakthrough? Or have you figured everything out?"
"There's still a lot we don't know. I've only uncovered part of it. There's not much hard evidence—I can only give you my conclusions."
Jefferson looked disappointed but managed a polite smile. "Alright. Let's hear it."
"Mayor Rhyne didn't die of a heart attack at home. He died inside a members-only club."
Jefferson's expression shifted, a knowing look crossing his face—one any man could understand. "So… he was in the middle of…"
Leo shook his head, knowing exactly what Jefferson was imagining. "No. It wasn't like that. Someone rigged his braindance headset with a virus. As soon as he put it on, he was dead."
Jefferson's face went cold. "Who did it? Was it Weldon Holt?"
"I can't say for certain. The only evidence I found suggests Holt helped cover it up—got the NCPD to quietly handle the body. But I can't confirm he was behind the murder."
"Where's the proof? Show me."
Leo transferred the emails exchanged between Holt and the club owner from his office terminal directly into Jefferson's neural interface.
Jefferson fell silent, his pupils glowing blue as he reviewed the data.
After a few minutes, the glow faded. His expression turned grim.
"If it wasn't Holt… then who?"
"No idea. Whoever it was never showed themselves. River and I even went to question Horvath's boss—Horvath was the cyberpsycho who attacked Rhyne at city hall earlier that day."
Jefferson nodded, following the thread. "Did she say anything useful?"
He was clearly hoping Leo had managed to dig up something solid. Though deep down, he knew the real puppet master wouldn't be careless enough to leave obvious evidence.
Unfortunately, Leo's response confirmed his fears.
"No. All she knew was that someone powerful suddenly offered Horvath help. As for who they were—what they looked like, gender, age—she had no clue."
Jefferson's expression grew increasingly agitated, restless.
Leo remained silent. He understood exactly how Jefferson felt.
Jefferson had come from nothing. Most of his childhood was spent surviving on the streets. He wasn't like those corporate brats born with platinum spoons in their mouths. To climb to where he was now, Jefferson had endured hell.
And just when he was about to achieve the goal he had fought for his entire life—he discovered that even the mayor of Night City was nothing more than a pawn. Life and death controlled by some unseen force.
So then what had all that effort meant? What was it for?
But this was the reality of the world. The megacorporations were the true rulers of everything. It didn't matter what country you came from—governments everywhere had surrendered to the corps.
Take the New United States, for example. People thought the government had nationalized Militech. But that was impossible. Militech was the embodiment of the military-industrial complex. A country that had collapsed at the end of the last century, one that couldn't even hold its territory together—how could it have had the strength to absorb Militech?