Tenebrous Wolf-Chapter 23: Earning Back Money

It was night; the wail of an ambulance siren echoed through the otherwise empty streets.

That part of the Imperial City was mostly abandoned, yet within moments, it was swarming with officials who had arrived at the scene, only to be met with a bizarre sight.

A group of beaten unconscious, completely naked men.

Confusion spread among the officials, but more importantly, those unfortunate men were likely to be traumatized for life.

Without delay, the paramedics loaded them onto the ambulance truck while onlookers gathered and whispered among themselves about what could have possibly transpired.

Meanwhile, the culprit behind the incident—Klaus Martinez—had already fled the scene. However, he did not head straight to his apartment.

Instead, he took a detour.

His next stop was the nearby police station.

The reason behind that decision was the item he was carrying, a wooden box. Or rather, the Buddha statue inside the wooden box, the very package that the Shin Fujitsa gang had tasked him with delivering to a designated client.

At first glance, it didn't seem to have much monetary value. In fact, he wouldn't make a dime even if he sold it.

So why would the Shin Fujitsa gang waste their time on something like this?

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

There was a simple answer to it. Their interest wasn't in the statue itself but in what was hidden inside.

Naturally, things like laundered money, tax-evading cash, or even jewels might come to mind. But it wasn't any of those. Klaus had never opened any of the packages they had him deliver, but he wasn't clueless. After years in this business, he had already figured it out.

There was generally only one thing trafficked like this.

Seriously... these guys have some balls.

Still, this is clever. Since the IMPD don't scan artwork, especially wooden sculptures, it's easy to slip past security. If they used a regular delivery service, someone might get curious, ask questions, or worse, accidentally break it. Instead, they used me, their 'delivery boy,' to move it quietly.

What a bunch of smart bastards. Who even thinks of smuggling drugs inside artwork?

"Tch." Klaus clicked his tongue while maintaining his stride.

He would have never worked for those bastards if he had known what they were asking him to deliver. If the authorities ever caught him, he would be the only one taking the fall. After all, all they had to do was deny any connection to him, and he'd be completely screwed. Even if the police launched an investigation, they would likely erase all traces of evidence.

Either way, he would have been fucked if he ever got caught.

Thinking about it... didn't those bastards have hundreds of artworks they dealt with?

If all of them had drugs inside...

Klaus pondered this for a moment before a sly smile crept across his face.

He had just figured out a way to recover his some of his funds. With this method, he wouldn't have to worry about his meager pay or the compensation package that, at best, would amount to 50 million, even 100 million eurodollars.

With that, he crossed the road and entered the police station.

Inside, a tired-looking officer gave him a quick glance and asked with obvious distaste,

"How can I help you?"

"I'm here to file a report."

"A report?"

"Yes...." Still wearing that sly grin, Klaus added, "By the way, is Inspector Cole around?"

† †

"Hold on, no! That's not quite it. Please excuse my bluntness. It's not that the product isn't ready... indeed, sir! As I mentioned earlier, we simply need to postpone the deal for a short while. Yes, sir. Understood... We'll ensure it's dispatched on schedule!"

Reika Fujita had been going through hell.

She had been dealing with complaints from the client who was supposed to receive the "product."

The product in question was a special kind of liquid drug known as Velocity-1, a synthetic combination of Fentanyl and Desomorphine. Unlike other substances, it didn't require needles. Just a few drops on a cigarette, and you could experience the high.

A single hit was enough to send someone straight to heaven.

Of course, for newcomers, it was a one-way ticket to hell.

But that wasn't the problem. The real issue was that the product had never reached the client. Now, they weren't just complaining, they were even making threats.

She was dealing with extreme powerful and dangerous people here so such threats was undoubtedly serious.

They were the kind of people that could make not just her, but her entire family if they were still alive disappear and no one would be aware or even question their disappearance.

The Imperial City was such a Night City.

She swallowed hard, thinking about the possibility she would be killed and thrown away like a piece of trash.

Even so, who were the cause of her current predicament?

"Tch. Those idiots! What the hell are they doing? And why aren't they answering their damn phones?"

She tried calling her stupid brother again, but the call went straight to voicemail. Again.

Fifty calls, yet no answer.

Had something happened to them? The thought crossed her mind, but she quickly shook it off.

Just as she was about to call again—

Knock! Knock!

Someone knocked on the door twice.

Reika, assuming it was her brother and his lackeys, jumped up in anger.

"You damn idiot! Why the hell aren't you answering your phone?! Do you want me to throw you into the ocean?!"

But instead of her brother's voice, an unexpected reply came.

"Why would you say that? The ocean is cold, yes? I don't understand how you can joke like that... when you're about to sleep in a cell."

"...!!"

Reika's face turned pale. The breath inadvertently left her lungs as she stumbled back in horror.

The ones standing at her doorstep weren't her lackeys.

It was the IMPD. Heavily armored. Fully armed. Carrying firearms she couldn't acquire even if she sold her soul. And every single one of them had their weapons aimed straight at her.

"Freeze! Do not move! Hands where we can see them!"

Amidst her panic, Reika instinctively raised her hands as the officers stormed in, tearing the place apart like they were searching for something.

W-what... Why is the IMPD here? Could it be... Those idiots... did they get caught? How the hell did they get caught when I gave them something so simple?!

Already understanding the situation, Reika gritted her teeth before she snapped.

"What the hell? Who are you people and why are you beating into my house?"

The leader of the operation, Inspector Cole, was glancing around the place with a stern expression. At her outburst, he barely spared her a glance before replying curtly,

"We received a report about the possession and sale of illegal substances."

"W-What? Drugs?"

Reika's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing in fury.

"The hell! Who the hell gave that false report?! We don't sell or possess any drugs! We deal in art! Art!"

"Why do your words sound so... rehearsed?" He tilted his head, then shrugged. "Hm, in any case, it doesn't matter."

Inspector Cole took a small liquid vial from his pocket and gave it a light shake, ensuring she could see it clearly.

'Wait... Isn't that...?'

The substance inside was a clear liquid. It was a drug.

At first glance, it could easily be mistaken for a simple saline solution. In reality, that was actually Velocity-1, the very product she was supposed to deliver to her client.

But it was now in the hands of a police officer, who was casually shaking the damn thing like some kind of toy.

The sight made her stomach drop.

The officer seemed to notice the panic flashing in her eyes. He closed one eye, smiling like a cat that had cornered its prey.

Reika didn't understand what was happening. She didn't know how her brother and lackeys had been caught. That was why she could only stand there, frozen, looking utterly pitiful like a thief caught red-handed.

"Please, don't look so shocked. I have to admit, I'm impressed. I never would have guessed the Sanctuary's scanning system could be bypassed using something like this. It's so outdated that we didn't even bother looking into it properly."

He let out a small chuckle, twirling the vial between his fingers.

"Indeed, just because the Imperial City is highly advanced, that doesn't mean we can't exploit the old-fashioned methods." He nodded. "Thank you. Really. From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate you exposing this weakness."

Reika's lips trembled.

Inspector Cole glanced at her face, frozen still and smiled.

"Of course, now that we've figured out your tricks... we won't fall for them again."

He slipped the vial back into his pocket and added lastly,

"Oh, and just so you know, all your hideouts are being raided as we speak."

"H-Hideouts...?"

Reika Fujita gulped after hearing the word, gallery. They did have several hideouts, all disguised as high-end art galleries. Every single one of them was a storage unit packed with drugs, hidden under the guise of "art."

And now... the police were tearing through them.

Surprisingly, Reika stopped panicking and seemed to calm down upon hearing those words.

What a bunch of idiots. Even if you tear those hideouts, the 'products' are locked into the storage units and they all have different passcodes.

Even if they have that vital, as long as drug wasn't found on me, I should be able to build my case. Though doing so would mean abandoning my stupid brother, but I don't mind.

He needs to experience some hardship or two, I have been carrying his fucking ass ever since we were kids. I have a few connections, so I might be able to get him out from jail.

The rest are expandable. I can always hire new guards.

Even with her back against the wall, she was already plotting her escape. This wasn't the first time she'd been caught by the police, and every time, she had slipped away.

But there was one thing she never could have predicted.

A crackling voice came through the walkie-talkie in Inspector Cole's pocket. It was the narcotics squad that had accompanied him.

[We've completed our sweep. All 800 pieces of artwork in the hideouts' storage unts have been checked. Every single one contained hidden drugs.]

[Total amount smuggled: 10,000 mL.]

[Estimated street value: 800 million Eurodollars.]

Hearing that, Reika's expression crumbled instantly

Her mind spiralled in a chaotic manner, trying to process what she had just heard. How...? The storage units were secured with Nanolocks, top-grade biometric safes that required either the passcode or the registered fingerprints to open. Even if the police had known about the locations, they shouldn't have been able to access the goods.

None of this made sense at all!

There were over 800 storage units, each one requiring a unique passcode. And she was the only one that had the list of passcodes for all of them.

Even if there was a mole in her crew, who could possibly recall that many codes? The only way someone could bypass them all was if they had a high-level cybernetic processing implant, or something even worse.

Inspector Cole must have seen the flicker of disbelief in her eyes, because he let out a chuckle.

"Ah, could it be that you're wondering how we cracked the safes? I have to admit, I'm surprised. Nanolocks aren't exactly something small-time criminals get their hands on, so I have to wonder just how deep do your connections run? Whoever's backing you must be more capable than we originally imagined. Those things are a real pain in the ass if you don't have all the passcodes or fingerprints."

Then, as if savoring the moment, he pulled out a pair of handcuffs and added,

"Luckily for us, one of your employees was more than happy to help."

"One of... my employees...?"

"That's right. One of your own handed over those precious passcodes without hesitation. But don't think too much about it now. You'll have plenty of time to figure out who betrayed you once we reach the station. Oh, did I mention that there's no air conditioning in the cell? So make sure to enjoy the ride there, alright?"

Those words seemed to shift something inside Reika Fujita. This was reality. All her plans had gone to shit. Wouldn't she lose everything she worked so hard to accomplish like this?

How could she accept that? It was too unreasonable.

"Wait! You can't do this to me! Do you have any idea how much I've suffered in this godforsaken city?!"

"Why do all criminals say the same thing when they're caught? Seriously, do you people have some kind of vendetta against the Imperial City?"

"EVERYTHING IS FUCKING WRONG WITH THIS CITY!!"

Seeing her becoming crazy, Inspector Cole clicked his tongue.

"Is she losing it? How troublesome. Restrain her."

"NO!! LET ME GO!! LET ME GO! YOU GUYS CAN GO TO HELL!"

Several IMPD officers shoved Reika onto the floor as Inspector Cole snapped the handcuffs onto her wrists. She thrashed violently, her screams echoing down the corridor, but there wasn't a hint of mercy in Cole's eyes.

Just like that, Reika Fujita was dragged out of her apartment in cuffs like a lowly street thug.