Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 904, Section 114: Not a single one shall be spared.
Karl didn't spend much time dealing with the people associated with the former Ghosthound.

Because before Bennett and Gago find a way to deal with the group of Spectral Hounds and officially confirm the demise of the Spectral Hounds, the loyalty of all former Spectral Hounds to Karl is based solely on the fact that there are still 'remnants of the previous dynasty'.

Unless Bennett and Gago also swear allegiance to Carl, matters such as unifying the Hounds will have to be postponed.

Right now, the only people Carl can truly trust and who are in charge of Dogtown are probably the former Pheasant Faction, represented by Xi Zi.

After all, while it wouldn't be difficult for Karl to mobilize the NCPD, they are, in essence, the official law enforcement force of Night City, and they are sponsored by various companies on a regular basis. With such a prestigious title, it's not impossible for them to become Karl's private army, but there's no need for them.

Unless the mayor is also one of Carl's men, then he would have a title. However, the mayoral election in Night City was about to be decided, but it was delayed by something bigger, namely the negotiations between Miles and Sei-sen. Then there was Miles' plane crash, and today's battle between New America and the Hound of the Underworld. The mayoral election has been dragged on for a long time.

However, all of these matters are now considered resolved, and the official results are expected to be released soon.

According to Carl's understanding, there are very few people who are qualified to run for mayor, and the two with the best chances are either unlikely to be elected for various reasons or are just there to make up the numbers.

Carl knew one of the two candidates.

Wilton Holt, former deputy mayor of Night City, was also the one who helped Carl and his team kill Lucius Lane, the former mayor of Night City.

Lucius Lane was about to abandon Arasaka and cooperate with military technology, but then Arasaka intervened. Kenichi Shiro hired Karl and his team, and with the help of Holt, who knew Lucius Lane very well, they killed Lucius in his home.

In this respect, Holt has the shadow of Arasaka behind him and can be considered a strong candidate for the new mayor supported by Arasaka. As for whether he will become like Lucius in the future, it is still unknown.

The other was Jefferson Perales, a former district attorney and lawyer. Carl had never met him, but he knew something about him.

That is, he came from a poor background and only managed to obtain his law degree through scholarships and sponsorships. Moreover, he advocated to free Night City's politics from corporate control and to ensure that all children from poor families could receive an education. Overall, he had the feel of an idealist.

However, according to the information Karl knew, he was a politician who could be considered flexible and adaptable. Although his views were what they were, he still managed to keep them within a range that no company would find truly intolerable. Unlike Holt, he did not have the iconic shadow of Arasaka behind him, although it was rumored that the Yoru Corporation was secretly supporting him.

Regarding the mayoral race, as a Night City resident, or at least a long-time Night City resident now, Carl was paying attention, though it hadn't really been a concern for him before.

But now that he controls Dogtown, who becomes the mayor is of great importance.

The city council has now tacitly accepted the reinstatement of Taiping, which had been abandoned, and has begun drafting relevant legislation to revive Taiping, or rather, to make a quick buck. However, for Dogtown, which has effectively become a separate entity and is almost universally considered not to be Night City, the relevant discussions need to be revisited.

If the mayor at that time had been one of Carl's men, things would have been easier, and it wouldn't have been impossible for Dogtown to be reintegrated into Pacific State.

If Dogtown hadn't now been implicitly recognized as not belonging to Night City, Carl would have even considered whether the title of 'King of Dogtown' could be considered a form of political capital, qualifying him to run for mayor.

However, the idea of ​​becoming a clown in politics felt strange, and after thinking about it, he gave up on the idea.

Instead of dealing with that kind of thing, we should really try to make the mayor one of our own.

It's a pity Mr. Johnson doesn't intend to be mayor, otherwise Carl would have to consider whether Mr. Johnson has any political talent. At the very least, his approval rating in Santo Domingo would certainly not be low.

To say in front of city council members that 'NCPDs are all very simple and born to be loyal to the city council' is absurd. If you expect Mr. Johnson, who can say such strange things, to enter politics, Carl might as well rely on himself.

Things have been piling up ever since we took Dogtown. It's like dealing with one problem only to have another pop up – it's so troublesome. If we weren't discussing business right now, Karl would have cursed, "Damn it!"

V and the others who were helping with the work noticed Karl's changing expression, and based on their understanding, they almost immediately guessed what Karl was thinking.

"Keep your little schemes to yourself, Carl. Don't even think about slacking off."

Johnny's voice instantly interrupted Carl's attempt to daydream.

He brandished his busy, furry dog ​​paws and said irritably, "See? I'm working diligently, and you can order these 'dog paws' around as you please. How can you just sit around doing nothing?"

“I remember there’s a Japanese idiom, ‘Neko no Te mo Yoritai,’ which means that when you’re busy you’d even want to use a cat’s paws. Now that cat paws are useless, dog paws are being used.”

Karl sighed deeply, but in the end, he didn't actually slack off.

He will still do serious things honestly.

Moreover, the matter he is dealing with now happens to be something he cares about very much.

"Let's discuss two things first."

Carl looked around the space. Besides his entire KK team, the guards, and Andy, they were all relevant personnel.

"There are two things in Dogtown that we can't ignore: one is the rampant drug supply that's now everywhere on the streets, and the other is the street cleaners. I hate both of them. Give me some ideas on how to solve them."

The cleaners must be eradicated, and the drugs must be investigated. Hansen didn't care about these two things, but Carl did. In fact, after officially taking over, he couldn't tolerate them for even a day.

Carl's friends were clearly aware of his stance on these two matters, and they had no objections.

However, in terms of urgency, there is always a distinction between what is urgent and what is not. Compared to the drug business that requires tracking from all sides, it is obviously easier for the Cleaners to follow the clues and solve the problem. Moreover, their existence also affects the control of Dogtown.

After some discussion, Carl made a decision.

"Let's start by dealing with the cleaners, and take care of the others while we're at it."

"How to do?"

Andy was ready to cooperate.

"Notify the rest of the miscellaneous people and tell them to be smart: either follow the rules of Taiping Prefecture and behave themselves, or get out of Dogtown. As for the Cleaners..."

Carl's voice was icy: "Not a single one of them can be spared. I'm going to crush them all in Dogtown!"

(End of this chapter)