Then Jack mysteriously and sneakily told V about this matter.
Then Luo Qi saw the same expression on V's face.
Cackling...
Luo Qi heard the sound of Moer starting to move her fists.
"Calm down, be composed, and relax... They just think you're too beautiful, and they're surprised, that's all."
He quickly rubbed her back before Moer began her rampage.
Fortunately, this worked, and Moer's anger dissipated instantly, returning to her usual well-behaved appearance.
"Where were we?"
Luo Qi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and laughed.
"Hosaka and the Tiger Claw Gang?" Jack said stiffly with a forced laugh.
[Damn, this is so awkward.]Johnny covered his face.
"But since this is the Tiger Claw Gang's territory, if Evelyn wants to disappear, especially to hide from Hosaka, she could do it even better." V paused for a moment, then continued.
[In my opinion, this situation is like bending over and waiting to be screwed.]Johnny's words made Luo Qi want to mute him,[Hiding from Hosaka in the Tiger Claw Gang's territory, she must be out of her mind.]
The elevator stopped on the twelfth floor, the lowest platform area of the fifty-five-story building.
Here, there was dim sunlight reflecting from the atrium, as well as all kinds of lights and signs that would plunge the surroundings into darkness if they didn't work day and night.
Messy vendors, disgusting frozen dumplings, dirty corners – Johnny was right, Night City hadn't changed at all in this regard.
But in this spacious platform of the building, the most luxurious and prime location was the Skytop Club, far more upscale than the tight-lipped motel. Both the decorations from all directions and the details made people feel willing to pay for it.
There was even a holographic projection of a dancer at the entrance, striking poses.
Unfortunately, the corners and roadside were still filled with unchanging trash of all colors.
"Are you sure you want to bring her in?" Jack asked Luo Qi.
"We're already in."
After turning a few corners plastered with ads that covered the entire wall, they arrived at the reception desk bathed in purple light.
"Welcome to Skytop, a place that understands your inner desires." The receptionist, with two buns and blue lips, politely said, "Would you mind connecting to our terminal?"
V was there, confirming Evelyn's information with the receptionist, who just kept trying to get him to contribute the cash in his pocket. In summary, it was – "Rest assured, choosing us is definitely the right choice, just pay."
[Forget the menu, let's go straight in and find the chef, and order their special dishes in person.]
Johnny obviously didn't like this kind of fuss, saying.
[Let's pretend to be guests and blend in first, don't draw attention. They don't want to play their cards? No problem, we'll start our own game.]
His idea was simple, to keep the initiative in his own hands.
Luo Qi didn't mind, sitting on the sofa in the waiting area, using the PDA with Moer to look at the introduction to Skytop.
This was one of the most expensive and technologically advanced sex doll clubs in Night City. It offered customized experiences to satisfy the deepest desires that one might not even be aware of themselves.
First, the system would scan sexual fantasies and preferences (XP). The final data would then be automatically sent to the most suitable sex doll, who would eagerly satisfy the guests' desires.
The sex dolls were controlled by a single chip, meaning they didn't know what was happening during the entire process, and every memory would be deleted afterward. As a result, not only those who wanted to satisfy their fetishes but also antisocial individuals and extremely shy guests would often visit sex doll clubs.
In the end, everyone paid for the service.
Five hundred per person, not cheap – it was already the cost of a month's meals for an average worker in Night City.
They stored their weapons in a temporary locker at the reception, then they were allowed to enter.
Entering the interior of Skytop, they were greeted by a large "18+" sign.
Rooms encased in smart glass, the floor filled with pink and purple neon lights, and the extremely dim lighting conditions – it was obviously not a decent place.
At this time, Luo Qi's thoughts began to wander, and he was curious about the "door-to-door service" part, whether it was an app or scanning a QR code to order.
On the way to the performance area, there was a sign that read "TOYS", next to which was a cabinet filled with silicone dildos and various adult magazines.
"Oh man, Johnny, do you want one?" Luo Qi mischievously snickered.
[Screw you, save it for poking your own ass.]Johnny cursed.
Although Luo Qi couldn't see his face, he had a feeling Johnny was giving him the middle finger.
"Hey, there are Tiger Claw Gang guys." Jack signaled with his eyes to the others.
A Tiger Claw Gang member with a Prajna mask, hands crossed over his chest, stood near the entrance. Looking further inside, there were many more Tiger Claw Gang members.
"How about, V, you go and ask which room Evelyn is working in?" Luo Qi suggested.
"Why don't you go?" V glanced at Moer and deliberately said.
"Forget it." Luo Qi shook his head, smiling and pointing at him, "Are the cameras all blacked out?"
"Mm-hmm, all taken care of."
As they walked, V seemed to be looking around but actually had disabled all the cameras on the first floor.
A few minutes later, V came out of room number nine, looking tidy, probably just rushing to ask questions.
"Room number eleven is Evelyn's, and it's currently closed for maintenance," V whispered, "Also, I heard Evelyn is good friends with a sex doll named Tom, who's in VIP room number two."
"Which one should we go to first?"
"Let's check out the crime scene first, my great detective brother." Jack stood up and walked towards room number eleven.
The glass door lifted, and inside were two holographic projectors, the kind that could replay live scenes.
Luo Qi had once seen NCPD police messing with this gadget outside Misty's Esoteric Salon, replaying what seemed to be the process of several men and women being shot.
"There's blood on the wall and cleaning solution..." V turned on the scanner and walked in, observing all around, "The sex doll-specific connector on the wall was also removed. Why?"
"Turn it on and see." Moer looked at the holographic browser in the corner.
Beside them was a box with the NCPD logo, clearly an inappropriate and prematurely terminated crime scene.
The machine started, and the surroundings were instantly illuminated by a blue light.
A man was kneeling on the ground, holding a woman's leg...
Licking it.
Luo Qi couldn't help but think of a meme, but now was not the time to be distracted.
Then the woman hugged her head, first with one hand, then both hands, and then screamed in pain, rolling on the bed like a fish out of water, madly crashing around.
For a moment, she was like a marionette with a delayed response and constantly losing control, hitting the wall, then the bed, and flipping over on the floor.
The guest was so scared that he couldn't get up again, thinking it was some kind of performance art, only realizing something was wrong after a while.
[What do you think? Could it be a cyber-crazy?]
At Johnny's insistence, Luo Qi pointed the camera at the scene.
"It sounds far-fetched, but... she might have been remotely invaded. Hacked?" V guessed.
"Silenced after being killed." Jack had a keen sense of such behavior.
"Her backers?" Luo Qi realized something was off.
Who would use high-level remote invasion techniques to eliminate a Skytop sex doll? And not even a VIP level one.
It was definitely not aimed at Skytop, so it was very likely targeted at Evelyn Parker's involvement in the relic plot.
"No good, we need to find that Tom and ask him."
V stood up and walked out.
The VIP area was on the second floor of Skytop, guarded.
The target for Luo Qi and the others was a bit big, and without permission, it was indeed difficult to sneak in.
They sat back on the sofas in the performance area, pretending to casually chat while sipping their drinks.
"What the hell do you mean I can't go in? I come here every week!"
A shrill-voiced man suddenly caught Luo Qi's attention, apparently arguing with a Tiger Claw guard.
"Sorry, you don't have permission to enter the VIP area."
"I do!"
The man, whose every note was on the verge of cracking, continued to argue.
"No, sir, you don't." The Tiger Claw guard crossed his arms, his expression calm, "If you have any questions, you can ask the manager."
"No↘I'll talk↗to you↗right here↗right now↘do you↗know who I am↗↗↗"
Luo Qi began to worry about this somewhat inebriated guy's throat.
The ups and downs, like a drake trying to crow like a rooster, were pretty much like that.
Listening to him, Luo Qi was taken aback.
The door leading to the upper level opened, and a slender man walked out.
"What's the problem?"
"This dumbass↗actually says I don't have permission to enter the VIP area!"
The man lowered his head to check his PDA: "What I see is that your VIP membership has been canceled."
"You↗are↘telling↗me↗what↘↗"
[Oh, another self-important guy.]
Johnny didn't need to see the screen to know what was happening.
In the end, the guy left. After all, this was Tiger Claw territory, and you had to know your limits when dealing with tough guys.
"Hard way or soft way?" Luo Qi asked V.
"What's hard and what's soft?" V countered.
Luo Qi changed his sitting position: "If we go the hard way, we barge in and kill everyone we see. The soft way, we sneak in and silently take them out one by one."