Just waking up from the deep dive, Brigitte removed the connector from the back of her head and heard someone calling her name.
No matter how many times she saw him, Brigitte was always speechless at Placid’s build.
But not a hacker with muscles.
Saying this guy was part of the Animal Gang wouldn’t raise any doubts; he was an anomaly among hackers.
Placid kept a stern face; this sullen big guy wasn’t too willing to trust Lin Miao’s words.
Everyone in Night City knows
The mouth of a corpo dog, full of lies. Find the newest release on NoveI★Fire.net
Even the most elite cyberpsycho would laugh at that.
But sometimes, even knowing someone might be lying, you can’t help but believe them.
Placid and Panam are of the same ilk.
The situation of the Haitians is similar to that of the Adcardo.
Compared to Evil Land, Taiping Continent might just have a pile of abandoned buildings more.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"The doctor says we’re running low on meds; we need to figure something out."
"Can’t you just get some people to fetch a batch? Why consult me?"
When Brigitte said fetch, she obviously meant rob medical transport AVs from companies like Trauma Team.
It might be impossible for an average gang, but not for the Voodoo Gang.
As long as they just took the meds and not the vehicles or lives, pharmaceutical companies generally wouldn’t investigate further.
And the meds robbed by the Voodoo Gang would be sent to the gang’s clinic for members or Haitians to use.
Though, officially, they charge for medical treatment, the truth is, most Haitians can’t afford it.
In Brigitte’s view, this was just money down the drain, so she was naturally reluctant to help.
"I’ve tried, but because of last month’s incident with Trauma Team and ERO, the pharmaceutical companies stockpiled quite a bit of medicine in advance, reducing shipping batches."
"The next batch we have passing through Taiping Continent is next week."
"Otherwise, we’ll have to cross lines and hit a pharmacy in Animal Gang territory."
The primary reason isn’t even that.
Even though Night City’s shooting incidents have skyrocketed in recent months, the visits to hospitals and pharmacies have oddly decreased.
It’s because those maniacs either don’t act, and when they do, it’s lethal. Few can hold on long enough to reach a hospital.
Although Brigitte was unwilling, she realized Placid came to ask her for money to buy meds.
"How much do you need?"
"Fifty thousand, for a batch of inhibitors, ethambutol hydrochloride, furosemide..."
Brigitte sighed, "I’ll give you twenty grand, skip the inhibitors, get painkillers instead."
Placid furrowed his brows upon hearing this.
Painkillers don’t treat anything; they’re just to help endure it. Besides, painkillers in Night City are mostly addictive, plan to take them for life once you start.
"Placid, our money needs to be used for more important things."
Brigitte couldn’t understand why the money made by their hackers should be used for others.
Not to mention, the Sea God’s subnet is a money pit; maintaining servers costs a fortune, and Brigitte plans to expand it.
To avoid detection by the Internet Supervisor, everything goes through Dogtown smuggling, which costs even more.
Where’s the money to waste on underlings?
Brigitte patted Placid’s shoulder
"You need to understand, we’re undertaking a project beneficial to all Haitian compatriots, a little patience is necessary."
Placid closed his mouth.
He initially wanted to suggest gathering funds to form a security maintenance team, improve security, and have the Voodoo Gang invest in small stalls and bars, creating some livelihood for the people below.
But it seemed Brigitte wasn’t going to spare that money.
His idea could be called naive and childish.
Standing in a cesspool, with the stinkiest excrement beside him, he dreamt of carving out a clean piece through the Voodoo Gang.
Just look at the players’ current chaos, with five or six hundred dead, all for a reputation forged in blood until the troublemakers dared not cause any more trouble.
Moreover, not everyone is willing to consider the long-term; gangs and mercenaries exemplify living for the moment, seeking short-term gains through swift-return profit models. The Tiger Claw Gang’s store management is an outlier among gangs.
Of course, this wasn’t Brigitte’s first time rejecting Placid’s funding request; both should be used to this response by now. If Placid hadn’t been to Santo Domingo, he’d just feel bad for a while and go back to his routine.
But this time, he couldn’t stand by and watch his fellow Haitians die in pain.
With an expressionless face, he turned and left after saying that.
Brigitte didn’t notice the odd tone in his voice, nor did it cross her mind that as soon as he left the room, he contacted Lin Miao.
"Hello, Mr. Placid, is there anything I can help you with?"
"I need a batch of medicine..." Placid was somewhat unsure if what he was doing was right, filled with anxiety inside.
"No problem." Even before Placid could read out the list of medicines, Lin Miao readily agreed to his request, even adding, "If you need, I can arrange for a team of intern doctors to come for free consultations."