Chapter 333
2-in-1-chapter
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Maybe afraid that Randy would change his mind, Harris sent him another long email—a small essay, really.
In it, he described his family situation in great detail.
He played on Randy's sympathy while subtly framing himself as someone just like Randy.
At the end of the email, Harris explained why he'd asked Randy to delete the first message and why he wanted him to keep everything secret.
Harris claimed his family had been destroyed by a corporation and its dirty dealings. If they found him, they'd come to arrest him immediately.
That was why he pleaded with Randy to keep his secret.
It was a calculated move.
On the surface, Harris seemed to be exposing his own vulnerabilities, but in reality, it was a strategic retreat to gain trust.
Because at this stage, Randy was already like a victim ensnared by a cult—he completely believed Harris.
So no matter what Harris said, Randy would believe him. And Harris was counting on that belief to make Randy see him as trustworthy.
In the last few messages, Randy had also been in contact with someone named Natalie.
In fact, there had been prior correspondence between them, though not nearly as frequent as Randy's exchanges with Harris.
Natalie seemed to come from a painful home herself, which had forced her to become independent from a very young age.
Leo asked River, "Natalie—is she Randy's girlfriend?"
River nodded. "Yeah. She's a good girl. She and Randy were really close. Even Joss liked her. She told me once—if Randy married Natalie, she'd be at ease."
Before Randy disappeared, he had sent Natalie a link—the website Harris was running.
Randy didn't mention Harris. He just told her to check it out.
Natalie did, but unlike Randy, she didn't fall for it. She replied, asking if the site was some kind of scam cult.
Maybe that reaction disappointed Randy. He had earlier praised the site as something good…
But after Natalie asked if it was a scam, he brushed it off, saying it was just something he came across while browsing—nothing important.
At this point, River sighed in relief.
At least Randy hadn't dragged anyone else down with him.
Otherwise, River would've been unsure if Randy was even worth saving....Cough, that was just some exaggeration.
With that, only one email remained in the inbox.
It wasn't from Harris—but from someone named Gale.
Gale had tried calling Randy and sent messages, but Randy never responded.
He emailed Randy because he said he had "something for him"—and in his own words, "Anyone in Heywood would sell both their kidneys for this shit."
Given that Randy had told Harris he had relapsed, Leo figured Gale was likely a street-level dealer pushing glitter.
Leo pointed at the email. "River, use Randy's terminal to get in touch with this guy, Gale. We're going to drag him—and anyone he's connected to—into the light. I don't need to tell you how, do I?"
River nodded immediately. "Of course. I can reach out to my partn—shit. I forgot I've been suspended."
But he quickly pulled himself together.
"No matter. We'll deal with that later. Just because I'm not with NCPD anymore doesn't mean I can't uphold justice."
Leo appreciated River's mindset.
"We'll hit this together. But for now, let's stay focused on finding Randy."
Gale's email complained that Randy hadn't been answering his calls or texts. There were two possible explanations:
Either Randy had decided to clean up and quit glitter for good…
Or he'd already been kidnapped by Harris.
Leo figured either scenario was possible.
"Now we know how that bastard Harris lured Randy in," River said regretfully. "Too bad we still don't know where he's hiding him."
Leo paused. "No—we shouldn't give up yet."
River's eyes lit up. "You got something, Leo?"
"We start with the website Randy sent to Natalie—the one Harris runs. 'Drugs Are Bad.' Search the name and see what comes up."
Lucy tapped across the screen. She exited the inbox, pulled up the search engine, and typed the site's name.
A flood of results poured in.
She clicked the top link, landing on a black webpage.
At the top, bold red text read:
> DRUGS ARE BAD
> "Addiction can be cured."
> "Yes, overcoming addiction is a lifelong battle. But united, hand in hand, victory will be ours."
> "We know who the enemy is. We know how to defeat him and crush his plans."
> "We know where he strikes, how strong he is—his weaknesses, and how to drive him back."
> "For years, we've researched the best strategies for conquering addiction. Now, it's time to act."
River frowned. "Wrong site? Looks like a legit anti-addiction page."
But Leo shook his head. "No. That's a front. The real content is buried within this page. That's the site Anthony Harris really runs—his personal 'Neverland.'"
Next to the righteous declarations was an image of two people clutching their heads in distress.
Out of context, it resembled the grotesque warning graphics printed on cigarette packs in Singapore—a deterrent meant to provoke disgust.
But Leo, remembering the chat logs between Randy and Harris, knew better.
That image was a decoy.
Clicking it led to a hidden page Harris had carefully designed.
Sure enough, Lucy clicked the red image—and the page redirected.
TONY'S SHELTER
> "Welcome, lost stranger."
> "Glad to see you, friend!"
> "Welcome to Tony's Sanctuary. This is the place you've been looking for. Here, Tony can help you become the best version of yourself."
> "I live with my friends. They're done wasting their lives—just like you! Think of me like a shepherd."
> "Look around. Stay awhile. Let's show those old farms what we're really made of!"
> "Don't understand yet? That's fine. I'll explain everything in time."
> "But now, it's your decision. Keep wallowing—or become who you were meant to be."
> "Come on."
…
The three of them exchanged looks.
"No wonder Randy's girlfriend thought this was a cult," River muttered. "This shit reeks of it."
The surface site had looked normal, but this hidden page exposed the truth. No real trauma-recovery or therapy site would offer free services like this—especially not anonymously. Real therapy charged by the hour, and even then, results weren't guaranteed.
A site claiming to be free? That was the red flag.
Some might argue: what about the Red Cross? They offer free care in warzones.
But the Red Cross had funding—governments, NGOs like the EU, public donors.
What did Anthony Harris have?
And more importantly, the Red Cross didn't hide its website.
A site that needed to stay hidden to survive meant exposure would kill it.
River stared at the screen. "One thing I don't get: if anyone can click that red image and access the site, why hasn't it been shut down?"
"Probably invite-only," Leo replied. "Only authorized systems can access the real content. For everyone else, the button does nothing."
To confirm, Leo walked to a separate terminal, typed the URL directly—and got a 404.
Then, repeating Lucy's path, he entered the surface site and clicked the red icon.
Nothing.
Exactly as he'd suspected.
Only IP-whitelisted devices could access the hidden content.
Considering how cautious Harris had been, it wasn't surprising he hadn't been caught until now.
Leo murmured, "No wonder Harris named himself Peter Pan."
"Peter Pan takes children to a carefree Neverland. Harris targets broken kids—those with trauma, addiction, nowhere to go—and brings them to his own 'island.'"
"In his mind, he thinks he's doing the same thing."
River frowned. "But what's up with that 'shepherd' stuff—he keeps calling himself a farmer or shepherd."
Lucy thought for a moment. "Could just be a metaphor?"
"No, it's more than that," Leo said. "Lucy, pull up the last email Harris sent to Randy—the one after Randy agreed to meet. It's the final one in their exchange."
The message popped up.
All three leaned in.
It read:
> "I understand. My family wasn't normal either."
> "My mom died early. My dad… he just wanted to give me a future. But once the mad cow outbreak hit, the farm went under."
> "He watched every last animal and sale go down the drain. He fell into despair."
There was more, but it didn't matter.
River stared at the message, rereading it. "You think this isn't just a sob story to win sympathy?"
Leo disagreed.
"No, River. Stuff like this can't be faked that well."
"There's a saying: 'You can't catch the wolf without sacrificing the lamb.' Same principle here. Harris wouldn't risk spinning a fake story—not even with Randy under his influence."
"And even if it were true, what's he got to lose? As long as it helps lure more kids, he wins."
"Harris called himself a shepherd on the hidden site. In the email, he talked about the family farm. Most likely, he's got Randy—and the other kids he's lured—stashed somewhere on that farm."
River scowled. "A farm? Come on, Leo—there are dozens of those around Night City."
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