"Hmm, let me see. No viruses. The firewall is pathetically weak. Okay, it's open."
The professional was truly professional. Bug's eyes glowed yellow, and she cracked the computer in less than three seconds. "Berry, I really must thank you. This level of hacking could be done by a street repairman." Thankful she didn't have to do any work.
"It's done. Thank you so much, Bug," Berry said, her voice filled with excitement as the computer desktop appeared on the screen.
"Remember, next time I'm charging you."
With a drip sound, Bug logged off.
Berry shrugged. Don't worry, she'd try to get a freebie next time too.
She disconnected the data cable and stood before the computer, using the mouse to search through the documents.
After a while, Berry's eyes lit up. She found something.
In the email inbox, Berry found a suspicious email chain between Charles and a person named LD Lawrence.
"...Lawrence, what about the agreed split for the goods from Little Chinatown? I took such a big risk, you should at least give me 30%. I paid a deposit."
"...Charles, don't forget your place. You didn't hijack the truck. You get 10%. Come get it yourself through the underground 'Dark Passage.' I don't do home delivery."
The email was dated three days ago, right after the truck was hijacked. The timing matched up.
This confirmed that the theft of her goods was indeed a setup orchestrated by Charles and the Scavengers. They had agreed to a transaction and then cleaned out Berry's inventory. However, it seemed there was a conflict over the division of spoils, as Charles only received 10% and was very unhappy about it.
It also mentioned the "Dark Passage" underneath.
That was a lot of information. Berry rubbed her forehead, summarizing the intelligence she had gathered.
It looked like the bulk of her stolen goods were with the Scavengers, and Charles and the Scavengers used a "Dark Passage" to transfer the goods. The key was this "Dark Passage." Finding it should allow her to follow the trail and corner the Scavengers.
Berry moved the mouse, trying to find more information about the "Dark Passage," but she came up empty. Perhaps Charles had deleted all previous records of his dealings with the Scavengers, leaving only this most recent email.
This "Dark Passage" might be very close, either in Charles's home or a nearby alley. After all, even in Night City, they had to observe the superficial law, so Charles and the Scavengers' transactions had to be conducted secretly.
Never mind. First, she needed to search Charles's clinic again. The email mentioned Charles got 10% of the goods, yet earlier, when she pretended to be a patient, he claimed he had none of the Little Chinatown goods. This piqued Berry's curiosity.
So, Berry continued to search Charles's small clinic.
The clinic wasn't large. Berry searched again but couldn't find a single piece of cyberware she had manufactured. Finally, she found an empty cardboard box under Charles's bed.
The cardboard box was familiar. It was illustrated with the Little Cokacola logo. Berry's goods were packaged in her own remaining Little Cokacola boxes, so she couldn't mistake it.
The box was now empty, and the cyberware inside was gone. It seemed Charles had either sold them off or destroyed them, though given the nature of Ripperdocs to covet wealth, the former was more likely.
"Damn it!"
Seeing the trail go cold again, Berry slammed her fist against the wall.
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
It was impossible for this kind of filthy kidney-harvesting operation to leave no trace at all. Berry didn't believe it.
She turned around and scrutinized the clinic she had already searched twice. She refused to believe the clue ended here.
Charles's clinic was small, consisting only of a consultation room, a break room, and a toilet. Berry had searched them all, but...
Wait a minute.
Berry suddenly stopped.
She quietly walked to a corner of the consultation room and lifted the blue plastic sheeting.
An old door was revealed before her.
Huh? A hidden door?
Berry couldn't believe she had missed something so obvious earlier.
However, it wasn't too late to salvage the situation.
Berry silently reached for the doorknob. She tried to force it open, but it didn't budge. It was locked.
She looked again. The metal door was worn and covered with red rust and black stains, and the doorknob was also mottled, but there was no dust.
Old but clean. That meant the door had been used recently.
Doubt crept into Berry's mind, and she instinctively connected this door to the "Dark Passage" mentioned in the email.
Could it be? Was Charles the Ripperdoc bold enough to put a secret passage right in his clinic?
Berry grew cautious and slowly tightened her grip on her gun.
If it was, all she had to do was open it to find out.
She directed Arnold to move forward, covering her with his Kinetic Shotgun. Berry herself crouched down, took out a piece of wire, and began picking the lock.
She had picked up a few tricks while helping people clean out unnecessary assets from their homes.
With a faint click, the lock opened.
As the door slowly opened, a cold, bloody, and rank odor wafted out through the gap.
Berry frowned. She finally understood why Charles's clinic had a lingering smell of un-dissipated blood—it was coming from behind the door.
It seemed she had indeed found the so-called "Dark Passage."
It was pitch black behind the door, with only a staircase leading downwards. A beast that chose people to devour seemed to lurk in the deep darkness, accompanied by faint, intermittent wails. The sight alone gave Berry goosebumps.
To be safe, Arnold quietly moved inside with his gun. As the scene below became clearer, Berry tensed up.
"...This guy stinks like rotten meat. Where did Adam drag him back from? What bad luck."
"...Quiet down. Finish up quickly so I can go up and get a hit."
Arnold reached the bottom of the stairs. To his left was a room, from which came conversation and the sound of intermittent cutting.
Cautiously peering around the corner, the light from the basement's fluorescent lamps was harsh. Blue plastic sheeting was hung up every few steps, swaying, like a scene in a freezer room.
Through the sheeting, Arnold could faintly see stacks of shelves, a few operating chairs, and two or three Scavengers busy cutting, complaining as they worked.
"Damn it, those guys are upstairs hugging girls and playing braindances while we're stuck here working. Why is that fair?"
The complaining man tossed a dark-red object into a bucket of ice at his feet.
"That's Boss Lawrence's order. If you're unhappy, go tell him."
The other man voiced his annoyance at his complaining partner.
"Hey, I was just saying. Why bring up the boss?"
Hearing the boss's name, the guy shrank back, not daring to say anything more.
The three continued to chat idly afterwards, but no one complained again. It seemed their boss was very intimidating.
Berry recalled the origin of the Scavengers.
Scavengers had no specific ideology; they only cared about their own lives and eddies.
They were cold-blooded and morally bankrupt, and their methods were crude. They did all the dirty and hard work—but this incredibly loose gang monopolized the trade in human organs and parts.
The Scavengers had no fixed 'territory.' Their organization was scattered throughout the city, often marking their presence with tags and graffiti. Due to their decentralized nature, Scavengers tended to gather in small, leaderless crews, often led by the most brazen, savage, and cunning individual among them.
Despite their lack of organization, no one should ever ignore the presence of a Scavenger crew or take them lightly. Their only capital was their terrifying reputation, and they would ensure that anyone who dared to cross them or steal their business would be 'separated from their flesh and bone.'
The Scavengers who offended her must be a similar crew—a small gang managed by a cruel leader. But this gang had roped in a Ripperdoc to fence their stolen goods, and, most importantly, they had offended Berry.
What should she do next? Berry thought.
The answer was simple: blood for blood. Anyone who dared to covet her goods should be prepared to break their teeth.
Berry directed Arnold to silently sneak behind an empty box.
She was about to make her move.