Chapter 24: The Kidney Snatcher’s Redemption

Dogtown, "Known Territory."

The first job, for which Hands had pushed the contact to Rin—specifically, the random number Lin Yue had asked V to redirect calls to—was proving difficult. The idiot hired to work with Lin Yue’s crew refused to pick up the phone. Lin Yue could only squat on the curb in Dogtown, staring blankly at the colorful, graffiti-covered shipping containers across the street while waiting for news.

"There are quite a lot of Scavs in Dogtown," Lin Yue muttered to himself, shaking his head. He wondered how many "jobs" these Scavs pulled off in this dump every day.

The graffiti depicted a giant hand crushing a heart embedded with cyberware, with blood leaking through the fingers. This was their signature; these "corpse-strippers" loved using such imagery to assert their presence. A heavy blow to the back of the head, a kidnapping, a ransom, and then the execution—a singular trick that served them for everything.

These scum were as ubiquitous and impossible to eradicate as cockroaches in a basement in Night City. As long as the money was right, these individuals with thick Eastern European accents would get the job done—provided the client didn't have high-end cyberware that might tempt these amoral thugs into further malice.

"Maine, why does this place smell so weird? Are there really this many organ-harvesters here?" Rebecca poked her head out of the car. It was Maine’s vehicle: simple, plain, with a thick alloy shell and a gas-guzzling engine.

Maine looked at the troubled Lin Yue. "What’s the payout for this gig? Is it enough for all of us to split?"

"Thirty thousand," Lin Yue stated directly.

"What the hell! Thirty thousand?" Pilar’s Arasaka-tech glasses slipped down his nose. "Are we supposed to wipe out a whole nest of Scavs for that?"

Dorio offered her own take: "No wonder you didn't swallow this job all by yourself."

Getting a team to reach a consensus right at the start was difficult. As it stood, everyone was thinking their own thoughts; they were just a temporary crew trying to make a living. Lin Yue felt like a day laborer squatting at a human resource market, waiting for a boss. It was frustrating.

[Message]
[Agatha Leszcz]: Why did Hands push me to you? The hell, did he swap people?
[Lin Yue]: Yes, and I can handle it.
[Agatha Leszcz]: A forty-thousand-euro job, are you screwing with me? Regardless, Hands found me someone to get it done, but I don't trust you, damn it!
[Lin Yue]: Thirty thousand. If it doesn't get done, you don't pay a cent.
[Agatha Leszcz]: Why didn't you say so earlier! We’re all friends now. You taking the organ-harvesting job or not?
[Lin Yue]: Organ harvesting? You need to tell me what you're actually planning.
[Agatha Leszcz]: What the hell?! Just... a simple job. Known Territory, see you there :D

"Damn it, the stench of organ-harvesting is practically drifting into my ass. Say—" Lin Yue was nudged by the tip of Pilar’s boot. "If an organ-harvester hires us, are you taking it?"

"I’ll take it. And then I’ll be responsible for killing the organ-harvester," Lin Yue replied.

"Whoa! Feeling righteous, are we?" Pilar mocked.

Lin Yue shook his head. He had every reason to suspect Hands was setting them up. It would be hilarious if the NCPD ended up labeling them as Scavs because of this.

Dorio chimed in with a warning: "Pilar..."

*Ding-a-ling—*

A new message arrived on Lin Yue’s phone.
[Agatha Leszcz]: You here yet? You here yet?
[Lin Yue]: Where are you?
[Agatha Leszcz]: Outside isn't convenient. Come inside, the Dogtown power plant is here—we’re shooting a snuff braindance. Trust me, it’s a good gig. Just smuggle someone out of Dogtown. Simple, right?

Lin Yue’s expression soured. Could they really be doing business with organ-harvesters? He had no choice but to confirm with Hands. The old man sounded calm and unhurried on the phone.

"It’s a legitimate corporate job. The person you’re meeting is... a friend who had no choice but to hide in Dogtown."

"I guarantee you, it isn't helping the Scavs with their dirty work."

"Saving a life is a virtuous deed."

Lin Yue hesitated. This was the first job taken under the name [Rin]. Why did it feel so sickening?

Cursing his bad luck, Lin Yue headed toward the distant power plant. "You were right, damn it. It really does involve the organ-harvesters, but Hands claims our employer is a corporation."

Maine looked at him. "Shit, I have a feeling we’re getting tangled up with the harvesters."

As they entered the power plant, Lin Yue noticed cameras constantly scanning their group.

"Maelstrom, Scavs... damn, your employer wants to make a peaceful deal with these people. Lin Yue, he’s going to regret it." Maine spat on the ground.

"Over here!"

Behind a pile of waste near the plant’s rolling shutter door, a shifty-looking, pockmarked man with red hair waved at them.

"I’ll give you three seconds. If you don’t tell me who you’re working for, I’m going to blow your head off." Pilar held a pistol, moving past Maine and Lin Yue to point it directly at the Scav.

"Lin Yue, we’re not doing this job! Scavs are all pieces of shit!" Rebecca followed her brother, drawing her own weapon.

Lin Yue frowned. The team clearly didn't believe this was a corporate job.

The red-haired man smiled obsequiously. "Don't be like that. I’m planning to quit today anyway. The corporation is hiring me; I’m done with this business."

Lin Yue scanned him up and down. The guy didn't have the "scrambler mask" typical of Scavs, nor did he have any bloodstains or gore on him. He really did look like he was done with that line of work.

Lin Yue shrugged. "You see, my friends all want to kill you. You’d better explain what you’re doing, and fast."

"Biotechnica paid me a huge sum. I’m coughing up the 'sheep' for this job. You guys just take him and go."

The group realized what was happening.

Pilar said, "Oh, a double-crosser, huh? Took the corp’s money to release the hostage from your own boss?"

"Hurry up, man! Take him and leave—if they come back, we’re all in big trouble!"

As he spoke, two of his lackeys dragged out a black body bag. Dorio looked at the fresh blood on it, cursed, and hurriedly unzipped it. Inside, a man was soaking in an ice-water mixture. His cyberware appeared to have been crudely ripped out, his arms were covered in red blotches, and his face was deathly pale.

"Take him to the Pacifica beachfront. The corp is sending people to pick him up. Go, now!"

Agatha Leszcz sent the address to Lin Yue, waved frantically, and scurried behind some crates. At the same time, the fake [Rin] account received sixty thousand euros.

The fixer takes twenty thousand? Lin Yue thought. No wonder fixers lived so well. If you could play the game, it was certainly more profitable than being a mercenary. The prerequisite was having a backer, like a corporation or a gang. Lin Yue only dared to pull this off because of Arasaka and the people he had with him.

"Is he still alive?" Maine asked urgently.

Rebecca retracted the monowire from her palm. "The Trauma Team protocols have been locked out. He’s got one breath left. We need to move."

They hoisted the bag and rushed toward their vehicle. There was no time to trade insults with the maggots or start a firefight.

"The organ-harvesters actually let him go. How much blood did the corporation pay for this?" Maine looked at Lin Yue. As their eyes met, they shared the same intuition: this job, which seemed like a sudden change of heart by the harvesters, was likely filled with hidden layers.

An organ-harvester having a "change of heart" was as absurd as an NCPD officer in Night City refusing a bribe.

-----------------
[Known Territory]: A location within Dogtown.
[Agatha Leszcz]: A logistics manager for the Scavs in the 2077 side jobs; as seen in his emails, he is a Scav who commits every crime imaginable.