Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 855, Section 65: The Club of Deepest Thoughts

Dogville is still the same Dogville.

This isn't to say that the chaos caused by the presidential plane crash didn't change the town at all, but rather that Dogtown's fundamental character remains the same.

Chaos, noise, madness.

These scenes, which are becoming increasingly rare in Night City—especially in the Pacific region, where the chaos has been almost eradicated due to the NCPD's crackdown—are now laid bare before Carl's eyes.

Car crashes, gunfights, and doing things in the street that are more outrageous than those in fantasy movies.

"Sometimes I really wonder if Hansen is deliberately keeping Dogtown like this, or if he simply doesn't have the ability to manage it."

Carl, sitting in a barely modified car—a makeshift repair he'd salvaged from a roadside wreck after sneaking into Dogtown—said to Oliver and Jack:

"Logically, once a place is stable, it's easier to collect taxes and make money, right?"

"The way you're talking makes it sound like Hansen can actually control things."

Oliver scoffed. "Isn't Dogtown all about being a 'chaotic paradise'? People who can't make it outside, those who are being hunted, those who have nowhere else to turn all flock here looking for opportunities—Hansen chose this path himself. He wants to stir up trouble in this mess, to start the fire himself. Do you really expect him to be able to control the situation?"

He leaned back in the driver's seat and shook his head: "As for taxes? Hansen probably doesn't care about that money at all. His real purpose is to support his arms empire with this chaos, keep selling weapons and expanding the Ghost Hounds."

"Too."

Carl nodded slightly. "If he hadn't been so obsessed with chaos and always trying to profit from the chaos, we wouldn't be at this stalemate with the president, seeing who makes the first mistake."

Two weeks have passed since the president's plane crash, and for the new US President Rosalind Myers, the time spent in Night City has clearly been too long.

But considering that Hansen still holds her biggest weakness, and that there are still traitors to be purged within Washington, such delays are to be expected—it's just that time is running out.

Miles is always well-informed, and she probably already knows that Arasaka Yoriyuki has basically settled the internal disputes within the company, and all that's left is to clean up the mess. As for herself, she hasn't even been able to completely eliminate the most crucial evidence and the traitor.

Time is ticking away, like a noose tightening ever tighter. If this impasse cannot be broken soon, the peace agreement will be torn up the day when Lai Xuan returns to Japan and takes complete control of Arasaka.

Her patience and bottom line were on the verge of collapse.

For a ruthless politician like Rosalind Myers, the time left for negotiations is probably only these last few days.

If an agreement cannot be reached with Hansen within this deadline—Karl has no doubt that Miles will stop at nothing to achieve it.

As for what all these means are.
Carl remembered the nuclear bomb he had taken over at Arasaka Tower.

Although the nuclear bomb was eventually disposed of, it ultimately belonged to Arasaka.

—If Arasaka has nuclear weapons, surely the new America wouldn't?

Rather, it's precisely because Arasaka exists that the new America and military technology are even more necessary. In this regard, you can always trust the mutual support and trust between these two companies.

Rosalind Miles could very well trigger an explosion that wipes out the entire Gemstone Blue along with all its secrets, then disguises it as an "accident" of a "gas leak" or "circuit explosion".

At that time, Hansen, his hounds, and that secret that must never be exposed will all be reduced to ashes in a deafening roar.

—I just don't know if Hansen himself is even aware of this?
Carl silently pondered the mission of this trip and its possible connections.

If Hansen had already sensed that Miles was nearing his limit and might act at any moment, he would not sit idly by and wait for his doom. If he was unwilling to compromise, if he still harbored the same ambition as before to profit from the chaos—

By this time, Hansen must have already taken action.

I just don't know if this operation is related to my mission.

Carl shared his speculation with Jack and Oliver, and after a brief discussion, the three quickly reached a consensus and changed their original destination.

They had originally planned to go to the stadium—the place known as the "Dogtown Weapons Supermarket"—hoping they might find clues about the equipment used by that mysterious unit. But if that unit belonged to Hansen, gathering information in a place that was clearly within his sphere of influence would be tantamount to walking into a trap.

Hansen's men only needed to make a few inquiries or ask the merchants who were actually their informants to easily detect Karl and his group's movements. At that time, their actions would not only be fruitless, but they would also be directly exposed to Hansen's watchful eye.

Carl never underestimated Hansen.

Hansen was inherently suspicious, and at such a critical moment, he would only be more cautious. If one naively thought that "it's just asking about some weapons information and he won't notice"—that would be pure self-deception.

So Carl and his team's goal was...
"The Club of Deepest Thoughts"?

Oliver stopped the car, opened the door, and got out. He looked at the green pyramid-shaped building in front of him: "This is the place. Pyramids. No, the Sphinx is not right. That should be Anubis, the god of death. Black dog head. I'm not mistaken, am I?"

"It's Anubis, with its Egyptian-style decor. I've heard it's a place specifically for Egypt's elite. This is it."

Karl, whose face was disguised as always to avoid creating chaos, glanced at his phone: "Hans is waiting for us. The elevator code is 2598. We can just enter it when we get to the elevator."

"I never expected that Hanz would be staying in a place like this."

Jack crossed his arms and muttered something under his breath.

Although they abandoned their plan to go to the stadium, Carl and his team did not stop their investigation. Now that they had a clear suspect, the most crucial thing was to find a reliable channel to obtain intelligence.

In Dogtown, few people are more trustworthy than the middleman, Mr. Hans, when it comes to being well-informed and having extensive connections. Therefore, Carl immediately thought of him and dialed his number.

Mr. Hans clearly showed considerable respect for KK, and given that he had profited handsomely from the business deal at the Pacific outpost with Carl's help, he quickly arranged a meeting even though it was quite late.

And the place where we met was this "Heartfelt Club".

(End of this chapter)