The Octopus's Giant Hand 

[TN Sup guys as a Thanksgiving gift i gave you guys 2 extra chapter enjoy]

[Leo: Bryce, I'm connected.]

[Bryce: You're connected? Your network access permission... What the hell?]

[Leo: It's a legitimate donation from a citizen.]

[Bryce: Bullshit. And was the mess in Kabuki you're doing? I told you to investigate discreetly, and you made front-page news?!]

[Leo: The louder the disturbance in the real world, the better cover it provides for cyber operations. Makes cyberspace activities more concealed, and relatively quieter.]

[Leo: So, the bigger the noise, the smaller the noise.]

[Bryce: Idiot!]

[Bryce: Fine, give me a progress report.]

[Leo: The Tyger Claws made a big splash. We saved a vendor who supplied them with illegal braindance gear and knows the black market in the market district well. I'll send you the details.]

[Bryce: This... isn't bad. A pleasant surprise, actually. That place is teeming with netruners activity; it might help us track some of them down.]

[Leo: And the commission?]

[Bryce: Kabuki's netrunners scene is busy. I'll have to check with my colleagues, but don't worry, you'll get your share in the end.]

[Leo: Alright, second thing: we captured a Tyger Claws member. He confessed to their involvement in human trafficking but refused to speak about the mastermind.]

[Leo: Someone named Jaehyun is involved, but that's all he knows.]

[Bryce: Damn bastards, absolute scum. What's your plan?]

[Leo: Keep digging, obviously.]

[Bryce: I'd love to see these scum wiped out, but don't forget our primary goal is investigating the anomalies at Cloudtop.]

[Leo: I'm sure this is related to Cloudtop. This trafficking ring ties back to the NCPD's upper echelon. Someone just came over demanding we hand the guy over.]

[Bryce: …I still don't see the connection to Cloudtop. Did you hand him over?]

[Leo: No, but Cloudtop has its protectors too, right? They might be connected.]

[Bryce: That's possible.]

[Bryce: Listen, I appreciate your vigilante spirit, but I need you focused on our target. That's more important.]

[Leo: Listen, I need your help with something: I'm going to hack into the NCPD, steal some experimental gear, and dive into the comatose guy's brain to find leads.]

[Bryce: ?]

[Bryce: Are you even listening to me?]

[Leo: No time to explain. If they clean up the evidence, we'll lose our excuse to hit Cloudtop.]

[Leo: Just tell me, are you in or not?]

[Bryce: …Do it yourself. Here's the NCPD's data barriers and ICE architecture plans.]

[Leo: Perfect. Trust me, I'll get the job done.]

[File received.]

[Bryce: Don't forget your mission.]

In cyberspace, Leo received a message from River: they'd reached the NCPD headquarters.

Leo adjusted his coordinates in cyberspace, arriving before a towering digital wall. He prepared to breach the NCPD's data barriers.

Meanwhile, in reality, River and Ana entered the NCPD. The building was nearly empty, as most officers were out on patrol, especially with the chaos in Kabuki.

The two casually made their way through the hallways, heading for the evidence department.

[River: Leo, we're inside. Which interface do you need?]

[Leo: Wait, let me check the engineering schematics.]

[River: ?]

[River: Shouldn't we scan for available open ports first? That's how we did it when working with the cyber division.]

[Leo: Good point. I'm linking to your optical implant. Start scanning.]

River swallowed hard, doubting Leo's competence for a moment, and scanned the department's electronic devices.

[> Scanning… Open ports found: 80, 22, 443, 3306, 3389]

[Leo: Can you access the CCTV system? I need to check the network layout.]

[Ana: I'll handle it.]

In cyberspace, Leo navigated through the maze of ports. Each port acted as a coordinate in the labyrinth, allowing him to bypass ICE barriers and reach deeper into the system.

As Leo crossed into the second layer of the NCPD's defenses, the real-world operations continued.

River and Ana arrived at Workstation 3, designated as the next target.

Eventually, Leo penetrated the NCPD's core database, a treasure trove in cyberspace represented by compact data fortresses.

[River: Don't even think about touching the priority files.]

[Leo: Got it.]

Suddenly, Leo's symbiotic AI, XE, emerged and gestured eagerly at the database.

[XE: May I handle the data retrieval?]

Leo hesitated briefly but agreed.

XE expanded dramatically, transforming into a massive octopus with powerful limbs. It began extracting data en masse, overwhelming the servers.

[System Message: Your symbiotic AI has absorbed sufficient computational power, reaching its maximum capacity for the first time.]

[AI Specialization Unlocked: Data Retrieval]

The NCPD's servers trembled under the strain of XE's aggressive operations. Alarmed, Leo shouted:

[Leo: Only grab braindance-related documents! Not everything!]