The gangster obediently answered Kang's questions. That's the thing about gangsters, they're actually very friendly people, once you give them a proper beating first.
"A woman exiled here three months ago?"
"Yes, from Area 9." Kang nodded.
"Then she should be here in Slum 9. That's how it works. You get exiled to the slum right underneath your Area."
That was new to Kang. Fortunately he'd been sent to the same place, a good start.
"So, you know anything about her?"
"Sir, at least tell me what she looks like..." the gangster whined.
Now that was a problem. Kang didn't know what she looked like at all. Damn, he should've thought of that earlier.
"I thought your gang runs this avenue. Didn't you harass her when she first came down here, like you did with me?"
"Not everyone acts like a complete newbie..." He mumbled.
"Are you arguing with me now?" Kang's voice dropped menacingly. "I told you to be useful. Don't ask, think!"
"Wait, wait, sir, please, I'm thinking!"
That got the guy panicking. Sheesh, why did they only start thinking when someone threatened them? No wonder they were stuck as low-level gangsters.
"Three months ago... three months ago... Ah, I remember!"
"What?" Kang asked hopefully.
"I don't remember the exact time, maybe two or three months ago, but there was this real high-class breeder who showed up here. All the gang leaders were interested in her..."
"Wait, what the hell is a breeder?" Kang cut him off.
"A purist with no augmentations like you, but female."
Kang didn't like where this was going.
"And they're called breeders because...?"
"Because that's what they're best used for. To breed," the gangster said matter-of-factly. "You see, all these cyberwares mess up our bodies a bit, especially women. I mean, how can you stay normal with all these oil and wires running inside you, right? Augmented women can't really have kids. Most of the time the baby doesn't make it, and even if it does, there are birth defects and stuff..."
The gangster suddenly became quite talkative, maybe because he'd finally found something he could teach Kang about. He rambled on, completely unaware of Kang's face grow darker with each passing word.
"And what happened to her?" Kang gritted his teeth.
"That breeder? She..."
Crack.
The ground beside the gangster's face shattered under Kang's fist.
"Do not use that word again." Kang's voice was low and sharp, each word deliberate, burning with fury.
The gangster's face went pale. How could this man do that with his bare hand? And he wasn't even bleeding.
"Y-yes, sir! So, uh... that woman, there was a big fight between the gangs because of her!" he stammered, trembling.
"And what happened?" Kang asked, bracing himself for the worst. A woman worth fighting over in a place like this, he could already guess her fate.
"The Orphans and their leader showed up. They took her away. I heard she's under their care in the School now."
Kang lifted his head slightly. Something about those words caught his attention.
"Orphans? School?"
"They're a gang that runs the Old Temple zone. Most of 'em used to be kids from the orphanage there. They turned the old temple into something they call the School, said it's for education or something..."
Kang didn't reply. Instead he stood still, lost in thought. The words orphanage and school tugged at something deep in his memory, something from a lifetime ago. How nostalgic...
"Sir...?" the gangster finally spoke, breaking the silence.
Kang blinked, snapping back to reality.
"That's all? No other info?"
"No, sir. That's the only thing I know."
"How do I get to that Old Temple zone?"
"There's no cab that goes there, no proper road either. You can find one of the street kids, though. Slip 'em a few creds and they'll lead you right to it."
Kang nodded. It wasn't much, but it was something. He decided to follow up on that lead, his gut told him she was there. Or rather, he hoped she was. That Orphans gang sounded like a decent bunch, at least compared to the others down here. And beside, something about that gang and their so-called School... it gave him a good feeling.
"Thanks for the info. See you again, pal."
Kang stood up and walked out of the alley, his steps lighter, his mood lifted. Behind him, the gangster remained sprawled on the ground, praying silently that he would never have to see this maniac again.
-----
Kang went back to the main avenue and quickly grabbed the arm of a street kid running past. The kid flinched, then relaxed when he saw Kang. Kang could practically see the words "easy money" in the kid's eyes.
"The School in Old Temple zone, know where it is?" he asked.
"Ew... only lame kids go there," the kid scoffed.
"Fair enough. Guess cool kids don't need money these days."
Kang started to walk away, looking for someone else, but the kid yanked back his sleeve.
"Five creds, cash only. No fragging IDB."
Kang produced a five credit bill and handed it over, curious. "Why?"
"Because I don't have one. Most people down here don't, noob."
The kid glanced around, then stuffed the bill into his pants.
"Cool, thanks man. Not gonna take you there though~"
Kang decided the kid needed a lesson, even if he did not plan to go to the School. The kid noticed and hurried to add.
"Hey, hey, chill man. It's for your own good."
"And why is that?" Kang asked.
"Big John is going there today with his gang. And you don't want to be anywhere near Big John. That drek is bad news!"
Kang felt a prickle of unease.
"I suppose he is not going there for the classes, right?"
"Sure, he doesn't need education. That drek only thinks with his little John anyway." The kid burst out laughing at his own joke. Funny kid, Kang wanted to hit him already.
"He's there for that pretty breeder," the kid said.
Kang immediately frowned. That word again. And of all days, it had to be today.
"I thought that was Orphan territory?"
"Yeah, but Big John just chromed up his arm yesterday. Murasame, I heard. Damn, that's hot stuff. Some lucky trashie must've dug it up. That drek's been dying to test it out—guess the breeder's just a nice bonus." The kid spoke excitedly, eyes gleaming as he went on.
Kang didn't catch every slang term, but he understood enough. This Big John must have upgraded his augmented arm with a new piece of high-grade cyberware from some famous manufacturer. And now he was going to challenge the Orphan gang's leader to test it out.
In short, bad news. Very, very bad.
"Ten creds, and you take me there. Like, right now."
Kang shoved the bills into the kid's hands. The boy looked up at him and shivered, realizing this man wasn't taking no for an answer.
"Okay, man! I get it, I get it. Can't sit still after hearing about that Murasame, huh? Totally get you! Let's go, try to keep up!"
The kid darted ahead through the crowd, and Kang followed close behind. Yeah, he thought grimly. Couldn't wait to see that Murasame. Big John better had a warranty for it.