17. junk town
As a fixer, he didn’t just accept cruel and violent requests.
Even if it wasn’t a quest like ‘find a cat’ that is common in classic games, there were often warm quests like investigating a lover or finding a black market weapon. This was also the case with the broker Jake’s request.
“You want me to play the role of a rich boy?”
“It’s not a follow-up, it’s a guide. 2,000 credits for a round on the black market. Isn’t that bad?”
Leonard didn’t believe it. There was no way he would hand over such a good request to himself.
“If it’s really easy, aren’t there other people who can do it other than me?”
“Whoa… They asked me to hire the best solver in Junk Town, but what should I do? The best I know is Leonard Walker.”
It was a flattery who said it was nice to hear, considering that he was usually ridiculed for being self-proclaimed. So Leonard’s expression didn’t improve.
“Not Junk Town, A-044 City is the best.”
“Oh yeah…”
He was the self-proclaimed best solver who knew no humility. The broker continued with a sad face.
“Anyway, this is a good opportunity. You’ll have a connection with the Fort Bionic company executive. You don’t have to chase Rattle Cooper anymore?”
“Then ‘broker’ Jake will become ‘rattle’ Jake.”
“I am not. I’m a real man from Junk Town who has ruined this world with just my pride. There is nothing to compare.”
Leonard muttered, ‘I’ll do it,’ and pondered for a moment.
It took at most two hours to go around the 10 alleys from 11th Street to 20th Street. There will be separate bodyguards, so there is no need to worry about safety, and all you have to do is put up with the arrogance typical of a rich boy… Leonard made up his mind after seeing Max eavesdropping from behind the door.
“great. shut it off do.”
Gangs are gangs, hackers are hackers, and immature people are immature.
@
Leonard’s guess was only half right. So, only the part of the rich boy and the bodyguard was correct.
A young boy and a heavy bodyguard in a suit that seemed to have been tailored with a micro ruler to the finest Fort Bionic implants came. However, it was not the iron-buy department I was expecting.
“Oh, hello… Mr. Leonard…”
“Mister,” Charles Worton said in a hushed voice. It was a volume that could not be heard if the auditory sensor was bad. Leonard’s mood was complicated. I didn’t care about ‘why’ because I cared about ‘who’ did the request. Why would a poor boy from a rich family go to the black market? Do we need black market ticket trash in the first place?
“I am Leonard Walker, and this is my assistant Max.”
“It’s Max Walker!”
Max interrupted. It seems he liked the last name Walker. ‘Boyfriend’ Wharton looked back and forth between the fixer and the assistant and asked.
“Tongue, brother…?”
Leonard’s expression must have been bad. I shook my head and quickly apologized.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
Leonard looked at the bodyguard with a complex face. The bodyguard, dressed in a black suit and sunglasses with heavy implants that could be used by construction workers, did not say anything as if he was used to it. It seems Leonard is right now.
“At your father’s request, we’re going to start ‘touring’ the junk town. I hope you follow my words.”
“Yes, yes… I will…”
It has been 23 years since ground reclamation began. The founders and partners, who had spent years of turmoil, grew old, and their children grew up in high-rise cradles. Max whispered softly.
“Tourism?”
“It’s the education of rich children.”
It was an education that looking down from above the clouds and walking in the forest are different, so look directly at the bottom. It was an idea that only first-generation founders could do.
“Sheesh. It is really tourism.”
“It’s also an unpleasant chosen people idea.”
Still, a customer is a customer, and a request is a request. Leonard started his guide by walking down relatively clean 11th Street.
“Kuhm! It is often misunderstood that when it comes to junk town, murderers and drug addicts roll like cobblestones on the streets, gunfights happen once every three days, and the average death rate is double digits…”
Max said next to him, ‘Why is that a misunderstanding? Isn’t that a simple effect?’ I kicked him in the shin for some reason and kept saying.
“Everywhere people live is the same. Good people, bad people, violent people, selfish people, thieves, cheaters, murderers…”
“Isn’t it worse going backwards?”
The cheeky assistant kept tackling him. Leonard decided to show it in person and led me to a nearby black market.
“I can assure you that what you experienced today will be remembered for the rest of your life. I hope it will become a good memory if possible.”
@
As Leonard said, memories of a lifetime were created.
Entering the dark market alley where the tents are tangled up, he witnesses a runaway drug dealer and a gangster who chases after him when he fires a pipe gun. bang-! Tattang-! After a brief scream, blood flowed. When ‘Bocchan’ opened his mouth in shock, Max explained as if it was no big deal.
“When I am addicted to e-drugs, I often say that. Amman, but I rarely steal drugs from gangster quarters…”
The drug addict who was shot was the beginning. A gang of pickpockets followed as if ‘Bob’ seemed easygoing. It wasn’t Leonard who would let it go, but he got kicked out with a kick in the ass. I wished there was a filter in the auditory module. When the bodyguard tried to draw his pistol, Leonard stopped him.
“They are still young.”
The bodyguard stared blankly at Leonard, who grabbed his arm, then backed off. It was clear that he had been ordered to stay out of the way.
“Really vicious guys put the knife first and brush it off. Those are cute little kids.”
“If that thing is cute, then I am a baby. Aye.”
The assistant had a lot of complaints today. Still, the memories didn’t accumulate only in the bad side. I played a slot machine at the 12-3rd Street Gambling Hall. I rolled the 1-credit machine six times, and three sevens exploded. Leonard burst into anger.
“why! It doesn’t explode when I do it!”
“That’s 137 credits, right?”
A 10-credit machine had 1,370 credits, and a 100-credit machine had 13,000 credits. After all, life is high risk high return. The manager of the gambling house gave me a gift with a smile. This was a service that Leonard did not have.
“Then come again next time!”
‘Bocchan’ smiled widely. It was the first time in my life that I earned credit, so I didn’t know if it was good or bad because it was a gamble.
“Let’s call 1st to 10th Streets White Town, and 11th to 30th Streets to be called Junk Town. The suburbs beyond are called Head Towns, Wing Towns, and Tail Towns. But this is not the official name.”
Leonard put the lollipop in his mouth and talked hesitatingly.
“At first we called it uptown and downtown. It’s a name for a city block before the Great War.”
“But why did it change?”
‘Bob’ couldn’t bear to eat the cheap candy made with artificial sweetener and asked while rolling it around. Still, Leonard seemed to be more comfortable with his stuttering.
“Because it is intuitive. Now, look.”
Leonard pointed north on the 15th Street alley that winds up the hill. The White Town buildings, glistening white in the afternoon sun, and the slum streets with slate roofs beneath them looked like separate photos pasted together.
“Junk Town is literally a dump. Most of the residents live on food and implants discarded by companies.”
A bodyguard grabbed Leonard by the shoulder. He hadn’t said a word until now, but his communication was clear every time. ‘Don’t talk presumptuously.’
Leonard, too, had no intention of preaching the idea of equality to the young boy, who would live like a medieval aristocrat with a sense of authority after a few years. That was the job of the terrorist Mr. B, not the job of the solver Leonard.
“It’s called Junk Town, but if you look closely, there are several districts. The 11th to 15th streets we visited today are bed towns. It had the largest population and developed prostitution facilities. You are right about the casino.”
‘Boyfriend’ touched the token chip and nodded. 100 credits to the rich man in White Town is not even the price of natural salt sprinkled on a late-night snack, so it was worth taking as a souvenir.
“The 16th to 25th streets are busy streets. It’s a legal market where you pay taxes and do business. Of course, most of the products we handle are obtained illegally. It’s not a junk town for nothing.”
‘Bocchan”s eyes twinkled. This kind of knowledge could not be learned from a tutor.
“Other areas are divided into gangs. The Stoneheads, Twins, and Wildkids are the most famous gangs in Junk Town, but there are dozens of other smaller gangs like Volcano, Blast, and Tigerclaw. They are eager to reveal their affiliation, so you can tell roughly by looking at them.”
“What about 26th Street? Junk Town to 30th Street, right?”
A place I don’t want to explain came out.
“That’s Orange Prison.”
‘Bocchan’ suddenly smiled and clapped his hands. It seems that I finally found out.
“I heard it too! It’s where the heinous criminals of Junk Town are locked up, right?”
If you put it in a dictionary, it is like that, but it was difficult to explain it realistically. Leonard pondered for a moment before asking in reverse.
“What did you see today?”
“The… the man who stole the drug and got shot… and the kids who pickpocket…”
“It’s junk town to not go into a detention center for killing a single person. So, can you get a sense of what ‘heinous crime’ is?”
The will of the high-ranking person who sent this boy to be educated has come true to some extent. Realizing the reality of Junk Town, he became white. Advanced implants are different no matter what.
@
As the sun went down, two luxury sedans came out to pick up the ‘boyfriend’. It doesn’t seem like they contacted each other, but it seems that they immediately came and tracked their location in real time. Well, it was natural. How can you trust a junk town solver who lives day by day?
Still, the request was a success. Broker Jake told me that the client really liked it. He tipped the promised 2,000 credits and sent 2,137 credits.
“This… you won at the gambling house, right?”
I’ll have to think about whether it’s really a tip or a polite warning.
After taxes, levies, and fees were deposited, it was 1,390 credits. Not bad for a half day walk. Max sat on the sofa in his pajamas.
“You said his name was Charles Wharton, right?”
Leonard said, unhooking his shoulder holster and hanging it on a wall hanging.
“Maybe ‘Can we be friends?’ Fuck you if you’re going to say the same thing. Because I don’t have anything to meet anymore.”
“You don’t know life. Next time we meet…”
Max yawned loudly and murmured.
“Next time we meet, take it off and eat it properly. The kid is naive and stupid, so if you roll well, you can make a fortune.”
It wasn’t the direction I was worried about, but it wasn’t the direction I expected either.
“…yes. This is Junk Town.”
Leonard also realized the true nature of Junk Town. There was no dream or romance in this town.