Tang Ji suddenly opened his eyes, his muscles tensed up, and his eyes were like those of a tiger, eager to devour others.
Just like the previous three hundred and sixty-five days, Tang Ji experienced that night again in a nightmare, with radiant flames burning everything and black snow being sprinkled on the wreckage of the car.
Today is the anniversary of the Nuclear Fire in Night City, they call it Red Sun.
Because after the nuclear explosion, a large amount of concrete and steel were crushed into granular dust, which was suspended in the clouds over the city, and the sky was dyed red, which continues to this day.
"Don, it's me, Edward. I heard that you changed your partner again last week? My child, the world is different, you... forget it, be careful, don't forget that you still have concerns in this world...
"
...
"Lazarus Group reminds you that your RHZ-III enhanced prosthesis is approaching the maintenance period. You can go to the nearest store for maintenance, and you can enjoy a 30% discount for making an appointment online..."
...
"Are you still worried about the red sun fire a year ago? Are you still afraid of the increasing number of gunmen on the streets? Our company has recently launched an anti-terrorism insurance..."
The video recording before the phone recording started playing, Tang Ji impatiently threw the police badge, hitting the touch screen accurately.
He began to wear his own equipment. The body armor with NCPD printed on it also had fancy advertising slogans painted on it. Since the city government outsourced its law enforcement units four months ago, their body armor has become a mobile advertising space.
.
This week's commercial is for Caesars Casino. At least the lion head looks more domineering, much better than the pole dancer at the Queen's Club last night.
It is said that the public relations manager of the Big Bird Bar has raised the advertising fee to three times the market price, but half of the grassroots law enforcement officers below have sworn that if the bureau really accepts the advertisement, they will resign and go home.
Tang Ji didn't care at all what kind of advertisements were printed on his body. He only knew that today was the anniversary of the Red Sun, and the city must be very lively.
Today was a big day, especially for those parahumans, and he might be able to catch a few bastards who happened to know about the Losas organization.
The red sun a year ago forced the entire society to face up to the demands of those freaks - they wanted privileges, from social subsidies to extrajudicial amnesty, they wanted almost everything.
Tang Ji didn't know when the first superhuman appeared, but judging from the reaction of the upper-level structure, they had long noticed the existence of superhumans and concealed the news. However, their number was increasing.
The more you come, the more exposure you get.
The first time Tang Ji learned about the existence of superhuman beings was through a puppy video, where a black man stood half a meter in the air and fished on the water.
Most superhuman abilities are limited to the level of mischief, but for a tiny minority, they are real trouble.
For example, the first superhuman Tang Ji faced directly, 'Fire Man' Brando Zabrook, could spray a flame of 1,200 degrees, and cleanly burned off 35% of Tang Ji's skin, plus
an arm.
Of course, he also paid the price. Tang Ji stuffed his pistol into his mouth and fired three shots.
Another example is the superhumans in the Lotus organization, that is another concept.
A superhuman was twelve kilometers away and stole the nuclear warhead and everything around two square meters from the military's heavily guarded base. Even the reinforced concrete floor was dug out to a depth of half a meter.
This year, Tang Ji has been secretly searching for traces of that group of superhuman beings. If a thief could steal something from several kilometers away, he would definitely not steal it just once.
But he gained nothing. All the information related to the Losas organization seemed to have been erased. Even the network experts in the bureau could not find any information.
"This is not the military's method. There are rumors on the Internet that Losas has a superhuman who can hack into the Internet. Maybe they took the initiative to hide themselves." These were the original words of the glasses guy in the bureau, but Tang Jixin
But him.
Ever since that bastard Adams took over the Enforcement Bureau, the nerds in the technical team have become much more difficult to deal with than before.
Tang Ji knew that his current interpersonal relationship was very bad, but he didn't care. His heart had died since that day.
Many police officers he knew well were posthumously recognized as heroes of Night City on the Red Sun, and their names were engraved on the wall at the entrance of the Law Enforcement Bureau. Later, as the law enforcement units in Night City were privatized, another group of elderly people left.
As for those newcomers, Tang Ji saw them more like bounty hunters.
Tang Ji started the patrol car with a cold face, and a cold AI voice sounded in his ears: "Law Enforcer 099-Tang Ji, your new partner has been assigned, please check the detailed information on your personal terminal."
"In addition, your complaint rate last week exceeded the standard value by 172%. Manager Adams would like to have a conversation with you."
"In addition, the mental health counseling appointment for you has been postponed for forty-two days. Mental health counseling services are benefits provided by the Night City Law Enforcement Bureau for employees..."
"Shut up." Tang Ji punched the touch screen. He had a lot of things to do today, and talking to that bullshit manager and mental health counseling were not among them.
"Warning, intentional damage to company property will result in 2 performance points being deducted for the month!"
Tang Ji smashed the screen with his iron fist, and the car immediately became silent.
He put on his headphones and slowly drove the car out of the neighborhood. A skull pattern painted on the front of the car by someone unknown covered up the stupid advertisement below. Tang Ji thought the pattern was pretty good and suited his mood today.
Leave it alone.
"Dear, our baby will definitely be very cute. His eyes will follow mine and his nose will follow yours. He will grow tall and big in the future, as strong as you, but not as violent as you. I hope he can invite you in a gentle manner.
Girls dance, instead of relying on an accident to stop a robber to win the girl's heart..."
"When we finish paying off the loan for the prosthetic limb, we will save money to buy a bigger house, preferably with a garden, and raise a dog so that the dog can grow up with our baby. It will be so cute..."
A series of recordings of previous calls were played in the earphones, immersing Tang Ji in it, almost forgetting the emptiness in his heart, until he saw an exaggerated Ford car in front of him.
Tang Ji stepped on the accelerator and rear-ended the car in front with a clang.
"What the hell! How dare these NCPD guys mess with me?" The bald man in a tight-fitting vest kicked open the car door and got out of the car with eager eyes.
Then Tang Ji also got out of the car, with gloomy eyes like a dead man in the morgue. He saw a logo representing the Losas organization on the bald butt of the car.
A pattern representing a DNA double helix fragment, with a long sword running through it, represents the evolution of superhuman beings. Since the Red Sun, many idiots who worship superpowers have regarded this pattern as totem worship.
The moment he saw Tang Ji, the bald man's voice dropped an octave. He had obviously heard a lot of rumors about Tang Ji from his friends, but he obviously didn't want to lose face in front of his new friends.
"Officer, are you drunk? I'm driving normally!" The bald man tried his best to squeeze his brain, hoping that he could say something that would not lose face and would not let the law enforcement officers in front of him grasp the situation.
It's a pity that today is a special day, so special that Tang Jili doesn't even bother to go through symbolic procedures.
