Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 816, Section 26: Bounty and Police Officers

"Enclosed spaces, open spaces"

After Old Vieira's prosthetic body was repaired, Karl was still pondering Misty's divination.

Why could the difference between a closed and open space determine good or bad fortune? This puzzled him greatly.

Carl had never believed in the charlatanry tricks of the streets, but he trusted Misty—no, less in the divination itself, and more in the advice his friend gave him.

Moreover, past experiences have already proven that Misty's divination always carries a certain eerie accuracy. Under these circumstances, Karl needs to carefully consider whether to choose a closed or open space.

Can a room be considered an enclosed space? What kind of space is considered enclosed? It can't be a coffin, can it? Would I have to be carried to the next life then? That kind of gloomy place is actually quite suitable for my burial. It used to be a morgue.

How big does "open space" have to be? Is a square considered big? Or does it have to be as empty as a wasteland? Why is open space considered auspicious?
Carl had actually asked Misty why openness and enclosure determined good and bad fortune, but Misty couldn't give an answer.

In her words, this was the answer given by the spirit. She was only responsible for bringing the result to light. Even if she really wanted to help Karl explain and contribute to Karl's safety, she really couldn't give an answer. Giving a wrong explanation might even harm Karl.

All of this is something Karl himself must guard against.

After silently remembering Misty's divination advice and saying goodbye to Old Vie, Carl left Old Vie's clinic.

As Karl walked through the alley behind Misty's shop and in front of Old Vieux's clinic, he looked up at the sky.

Is this alley considered narrow? Then is the street considered wide?

It has to be said that it's better not to know about divination; once you do, you become inexplicably more interested in it.

Karl, however, knew that in certain stories and myths, being too concerned about the outcome of divination or prophecy could actually lead to that outcome; being too concerned was counterproductive.

Enclosed spaces are taboo.
Well.

At least there's some open space, which is auspicious.

Maybe this is just a lucky omen, and something good is about to happen to me.

As Karl stepped out of the alley, the face he had regained when entering Misty's shop was once again disguised by the disguise chip.

Walking down the street, Carl glanced around and spotted two or three bounty hunters whose information matched the NCPD database he was connected to.

For example, the burly man on the left.

Bounty: 500 euros

Charges: Theft, reckless driving.

Five hundred euros.
In Night City, this bounty, while not exactly for minor offenses, certainly indicates that the person committed some bad deeds. However, it's unlikely that they did anything truly unforgivable.

You could tell just by looking at the NCPD officer walking past him. The NCPD officer had clearly noticed that the burly man was a wanted man before Carl, but after comparing them, he only glanced at him and let him go.

It's not that we won't crack down on them, it's just that we need to crack down on these kinds of cases slowly and gradually, and then crack down on them later.

If everyone is arrested, even those with a 500 euro bounty, then even if the entire NCPD were mobilized, they still wouldn't be able to catch them all, because there are just too many people like that.

In Night City, police resources are very valuable, and there are different categories of crimes.

For example, in this kind of theft with a reward, he might just have taken some things from the company on a job, and the company found him through the surveillance footage and casually put up a reward. To say that they really want to catch him is definitely not true; it's just a formality to put up a reward.

If they actually arrest them, things might get out of hand. After all, who knows what the company might do with a guinea pig delivered right to their doorstep?

The NCPD doesn't have that "Night City law cannot be violated in the slightest" mentality. Although that's the official stance, how many bribes have officers taken? If you really want to arrest them, the chief who took bribes from KK and the special operations team leader are right there in the police station. Go talk to the NCPD officers and the special operations team. Oh, and they recently added a Terrorist Mobile Unit.

It can only be said that nothing too outrageous has happened; Night City is still within its tolerance range.

According to Carl's recollection, the prevailing sentiment among NCPD officers lately is that matters involving companies, big talents, and matters involving officers and citizens must be handled immediately and quickly.

It's not about favoring one over the other, it's just that the other company is rich and powerful. If you send them a small matter, they might not even remember what happened. It would take the police officers' time to explain and the company to investigate. If the company representatives then act like they're just some lowly employee and look down on you, saying something like, "It's nothing?", nobody can stand that.

It's not like they're slaves to the company dogs. The company dogs are used to being dogs to their superiors, but that doesn't mean the NCPD can be. They do good deeds and get disliked. After a while, who wouldn't get disheartened? They should just do their jobs properly when it involves the citizens. At least they'd get a thank you and not let their work get so cold.

The NCPD officer on the street probably had the same idea, but after walking a few steps, he turned around and caught up with the burly man.

Under Carl's watchful eye, the NCPD officer patted the burly man on the shoulder. The man turned around, saw the NCPD, and his eyes widened. He almost ran away, but seeing the gun in the NCPD's hand, he restrained himself.

After watching them exchange a few whispered words, the burly man pulled out some unusual cash from his pocket. Karl noticed that among the change were several high-denomination euro bills, a thick stack of them, amounting to a considerable sum.

The burly man furtively looked around, and after confirming that no one was paying attention, he quickly stuffed the money into the hand of an NCPD officer, who then released him.

After the police officer released his grip, the burly man quickly disappeared into the shadows around the street corner.

Carl watched the officer's every move—the man first skillfully counted the banknotes, then precisely pulled out a fifty-euro note and casually stuffed it into his left pocket.

The remaining money was neatly arranged and carefully stuffed into the right pocket.

Almost simultaneously, the information on the police station's bounty board updated, and the wanted status for the burly man suddenly changed to:

[Case closed]

[Submitted by Officer: No. 9-43]

[Note: The fine has been paid and the case has been filed.]

"Ah."

Carl smiled, stepped forward, and gently patted the officer on the shoulder.

The officer flinched; the unexpected approach of the person nearly made him draw his gun, but he breathed a sigh of relief after the disguise faded, revealing the person's true face.

"It's you, Mr. KK."

"Everyone who sees this gets a share, how about buying me a hot dog?"

Carl smiled and pointed to the officer's left pocket.

"You caught me. Oh well, looks like my side income will be reduced by a bit."

Although the police officer seemed to be sighing as he said this, his action of taking out money was exceptionally swift, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up, and even his eyebrows relaxed.

"I think I'll have something to brag about when I get back."

He said so.

(End of this chapter)