Assignment: Monster Hunt

The explosion at the border wall was big news, impossible to cover up. A video surfaced, one that had been processed and even circulated within the NCPD—

Even with blurry, processed images, the video content remained strikingly brutal.

The video displayed a man driving off a cliff, crashing onto the top of a giant armored lizard, and ripping open its hatch with his bare hands.

Standing atop the armored lizard, he used whatever he had—machine guns, a tactical rifle, even the hatch itself.

That hatch landed on someone, pinning him to the vehicle's armor, effectively welding half his body in place.

Now *that* was a butcher.

The NCPD was terrified because they knew that military authorities wouldn't intervene—this butcher had entered the city.

In response, the NCPD poured resources into reconstructing the video, trying to analyze what made this butcher so powerful.

During the reconstruction, they noticed something in his mouth—a more experienced anti-drug task force leader became interested, suspecting the man might be on some kind of drug.

What kind of drug makes someone this strong?

Eager for a breakthrough, the NCPD dedicated even more resources to the video analysis.

After grueling video enhancement, they found out—it was probably a chicken bone.

This discovery left the NCPD speechless; it revealed nothing about the butcher's resilience. The chief, deep in thought, repeated his nickname, sensing the fear of his subordinates, and slapped his forehead—

Why were they analyzing the video? To dispel fear and find a way to defeat this butcher.

But defeating him wouldn't happen overnight or by watching a video.

Dispelling fear, though, had an easier solution:

Instead of boosting themselves, they could belittle him. If he enjoyed eating, maybe "butcher" wasn't fitting.

They could call him "the cook."

Thus, a new file appeared in the NCPD archives:

**[Unconfirmed Entity: Desert Cook]**

**[Weakness: Likely needs to eat heavily before acting]**

However, changing his title only helped slightly in easing nerves, maybe at meal times.

When faced with him in real life, everyone was bound to feel petrified.

"This is how the nickname started. This is an internal NCPD leak, so keep it under wraps—consider it part of the advance payment."

Jackie stood beside the dining table with a stern look, making Han visibly tense, afraid this big guy would suddenly go wild, devour the fried chicken, and trash the place.

[TN: This is fucking dumb a lot of people eat when they are nervous epically big guys when they need a lot of calories to maintain their body]

V wore the same intense expression, pinching Leo's leg under the table with her other hand.

Leo's mouth twitched, then he shifted away V's hand with a subtle movement.

Of course, the two officers across the table couldn't see any of this; they just felt that these three were very serious, very intimidating.

Very overwhelming.

"Ahem." Leo coughed twice, picked up a bottle of cola, and took a sip. "We're interested in your case, but why didn't you go through a fixer for the assignment?

This could make things complicated."

Han explained that they didn't use a fixer because:

He believed some people in this city still had faith in law and order.

[TN: what a fucking hypocrite]

Han laughed out loud, pulling out a 5 Eddies bet that the person taking the job was just toying with him, trying to humble him.

Han wasn't buying River's explanation: What kind of merc in this city believes in law? The word itself is laughable.

As it happened, the trio arrived at the restaurant.

However, if anyone thought these three were here to uphold the law, Han scoffed; and wouldn't believe it even if beaten to death.

River thought for a moment and still said, "I believe there are people willing to help maintain order in the city—I mean, at least maintain basic morals.

As for a fixer, this job is messy and chaotic, and there's little info, so no fixer wanted to take it on."

Leo responded slowly, "Then you've found the right people. We're here to support the NCPD in maintaining public order and morals. Officers, don't judge by appearances.

Also, my brother has a name; he's called 'Big Shot.'"

Judge by appearances?! Han withdrew his hand from River's shoulder, carefully pulling a napkin from the dispenser, and began wiping his hands and mouth.

River was comparatively calm, with even a fiery determination in his gaze: "I know who you are—you're the Big Shot Burger Kings."

"Not quite." Leo shook his head.

"It's 'Big Shot Hamburger Kings,'" Old Han corrected with righteous intensity!

It was no joke—on the streets, rumors said big shots with complicated names hated when people got them wrong.

So, Old Han called out to the restaurant owner, "Tom! Three orders of Big Shot Burgers!"

"I don't eat burgers. Bring some fried chicken instead," Leo said, recalling how dry and bland the burgers had tasted on the street before. Burgers were worse than fried chicken.

Han's brain started to overload, but River gave him a pat, signaling him to stay calm like a good officer.

"Since you accepted the assignment and came here, you're not here just to mess with me. Let's talk business."

"Please—but I have to say, your case has a ridiculous title."

River looked up at Leo, as if wondering why he'd say such a thing.

Of course, he didn't speak up, instead silently taking a detached chip from his pocket and pushing it toward Leo:

"This time, we're investigating a kidnapping case involving the Tyger Claws gang. 

These animals patrol the streets in their vehicles and just snatch people for filming. The types of films they make…are on these."

River handed over two black braindance discs, one called *Acid Bath*, the other *Hardcore Limbless*.

As he handed them over, River's anger flared:

"The youngest victim is just fifteen!"

It's known that recording a braindance involves capturing the biological state of the subject and storing it as data.

The higher-end the recording equipment, the more detailed the experience, closer to real-life simulation.

From the description alone, Leo could imagine the extreme content on these braindances, how high they sell, and how they fuel the curiosity of those with a growing addiction to bloodier, more violent scenes.

Clearly, these two discs were of a particularly depraved nature.

Leo didn't even need to look inside to know what was on them: one depicted bathing in acid, and the other, rough dismemberment.

Taking the detached chip, Leo reached out for the discs, but V, curious, tried to grab the black braindance discs too. Leo casually moved them over, causing V to miss.

Leo inserted the chip and asked, "Do you have any suspects?"

"Yes. There's a sicko in the NCPD database named Jotaro Shobo. Not that I'm 'suspecting'—I'm sure he's involved in this!

But the NCPD keeps citing a lack of personnel or other excuses, so we're aware of this criminal but can't catch him!"

River was visibly frustrated.

How bad was crime in Night City?

The NCPD kept records on many criminals, most of them gang members. If you had an eye mod linked to the NCPD database, you'd see killers and rapists everywhere on the streets.

And yet, NCPD officers might be stationed just 100 meters away.

The crime network in Night City was complex, with an overwhelming number of cases, and the NCPD's limited manpower meant that many cases simply didn't get investigated.

River's choice of the word "excuse" meant someone actively didn't want this case pursued.

Leo made a calming gesture: "This job's no problem. Got any leads?"

River nodded, "My informant bought these braindance discs from a guy named Lenny, so we could track him.

Alternatively, if you guys have the skills, you might be able to gather clues about the location from the discs themselves.

I'd suggest we split into two teams."

Leo offered, "Why not let us handle both? We deliver results fast."

River was surprised; he'd never heard of solos willingly taking on more work.

Looking at Han for guidance, he found him silent, seemingly unsure of what to say.

River nodded, "If you're willing, I have no objections. But I'd like to hear your plan."

"Street tactics—are you sure you want to know?"

"Alright, I'll wait for your updates. But please, keep the casualties to a minimum."

"Of course, we don't cause unnecessary chaos," Leo said confidently. "You can trust in our professionalism.

In fact, we've already collaborated with the NCPD. Check our bounty collection record."

River fell silent; that was exactly what worried him. The Hamburger Kings had previously collected almost a hundred bounties related to the Wraiths!

But at this point, he had no better options—and he was eager to see more of these audacious men in action.

"Alright, I'll arrange a temporary bounty exemption for you, so if other officers recognize you, they'll see the exemption."

He paused, looking at Leo earnestly. "I know what you're capable of. I'm not naive; I understand you might have other motives.

But I hope you'll treat this seriously—they're not like you.

The Tyger Claws' business is bloody and cruel. Only the most depraved people would target helpless victims, slaughtering them like animals, then selling those braindances.

Jotaro Shobo is a soulless monster."

Leo chuckled, removing the detached chip from his neck

"That's why I say—you've got the right people for the job. We're professionals."