"Fourth one."
After taking out yet another sniper, Johnny Silverhand was thoroughly enjoying the sheer satisfaction of taking down Arasaka bastards with such ease.
Even though some part deep down inside him didn't want to admit it, he had come to accept a certain truth—this body he now inhabited was, without a doubt, superior to his old one.
Back in the day, Johnny Silverhand liked to think the world revolved around him, but in reality, he could barely take on a handful of Arasaka agents before getting dropped to his knees. Now? Those same agents were nothing but sheep waiting for slaughter.
The sensation of being caged in a limited body yet empowered by overwhelming strength was a rush Johnny hadn't expected. Honestly, he was getting addicted to it.
In more poetic terms—
When a bard who usually just riles up the team with music and morale suddenly discovers the ecstasy of hands-on combat, it's hard to go back.
Sure, smashing guitars and leading people in rebellion felt great. But taking down Arasaka operatives one by one with his own hands? That was goddamn euphoric. Who in their right mind could resist that kind of high?
"Where's the next one, Karl? Just point me to him—I'll take care of it."
Unconsciously, Johnny's tone had softened. The usual barrage of expletives had faded from the comms. The atmosphere of cooperation reminded him of his days in the Americas War—back then, he'd had comrades like this, too.
Karl noticed the change in Johnny's demeanor but remained calm as ever. He ran a quick mental calculation of potential threats along his infiltration route, then directed Johnny to the next objective.
"That's four snipers down. Just to be safe, I've marked all the ones with direct visual on the parade float. The festival's started, so we won't have time to take out the ones with lower threat probability."
"You already planted the virus in the float's system during the infiltration at the industrial park. Now, to avoid detection when we activate it, we're going after the hacker managing the float systems. He's holed up in an abandoned building."
"A hacker, huh? Got it. Leave it to me."
As Johnny climbed another rooftop and moved toward the final pre-infiltration threat, Karl tapped into one of the Arasaka operatives' comms and intercepted a message.
Bzzzzzt, bzzzt—
A low, angry voice came through the interference. Though the volume was low, the frustration was unmistakable. Unable to make it out clearly, Karl used one of the cameras to directly breach the operative's channel and connect himself to the line.
The moment he connected, he heard a man sternly reprimanding the security team:
"This security protocol is a joke! Personnel distribution is a mess, and the inspections have been half-assed! I demand the festival be suspended immediately. For Lady Hanako's safety, we need a full review and delay the next stages of the ceremony!"
Judging by the tone and content, the man was clearly one of Hanako Arasaka's personal guards—perhaps even a core figure in her faction. His fury over the lax security was intense and justified.
So that was it.
Karl had been wondering why no one loyal to Hanako had raised concerns over the obvious flaws in the security arrangements. Apparently, they hadn't noticed the problem until the festival had already begun.
But then again, true loyalists to Hanako were rare in Night City.
After all, Night City had always been Michiko Arasaka's turf. Even further back, it had been under the influence of her father, Saburo's own father, Arasaka Kei.
With Saburo dead, even though Yorinobu had taken over the reins of the company in name, he still couldn't fully suppress the old power structures. And if Yorinobu couldn't do it, Hanako stood even less of a chance.
Hanako's power base had always been in Japan. She was little more than a puppet and figurehead propped up by Saburo's faction. In Night City, she had almost no loyal forces of her own. And most of her father's people had been wiped out long ago—either by Kenichiro Sato or by Karl himself, during one mission after another.
Now, Hanako could barely maintain even basic security. Her situation was dire.
And that made Karl wonder.
Even someone like him, with only limited information, could tell that coming to Night City was dangerously reckless for Hanako. So why did she come here anyway? Did she genuinely believe in family loyalty—or did she have a deeper plan?
Strange.
Just then, another voice crackled in over the comms—a cold tone, electric static lacing every syllable. The voice replied to Hanako's guard, and Karl immediately recognized it.
"There is no issue with security protocols. Everything is being carried out per regulation. I see no reason to halt operations for a redundant review. I have more important matters to attend to than placating your paranoid delusions."
That voice was—
Adam Smasher.
Exactly as Karl suspected—Adam Smasher was in charge of security this time.
But based on his tone and the fact Karl hadn't spotted him through any of the surveillance feeds, it seemed Smasher wasn't even physically present.
This lack of presence confirmed it—he'd deliberately neglected Hanako's safety.
The guard, now furious, snapped back:
"Security? Perfect? You're calling this half-assed patchwork 'perfect'?! We need to declare that public safety can no longer be guaranteed! Lady Hanako must be evacuated at once!"
Smasher responded, now with biting sarcasm:
"Arasaka personnel should be capable of protecting their assigned principals. When I protected Lady Michiko, and your master Goro Takemura guarded Yorinobu, we didn't complain. And let's not forget—independent mercs helped keep Yorinobu alive."
"The great prodigy of the Training Corps, Oda Santayū—surely you haven't lost the ability to guard your own principal, have you? Your scores were as high as your junior, Chidōna. Should I ask her for tips on protection detail?"
"When Haruko came to Night City, even Chidōna wasn't with her. If you really think you're not up to the task, I suggest you resign and let someone more competent take over. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to find a smarter dog."
"You want me to emulate a man whose one failure cost him everything?! Or compare me to Chidōna? She's nothing but a naive girl! Ask your master—does she value Arasaka's image more, or her own family's safety? Even if Michiko doesn't care, do you think Yorinobu would sit by while his sister is put at risk?!"
"That's not for you to question. As a guard, you're in no position to speak on these matters. This will be my final word—there are no problems with the security. End of discussion."
Click.
Karl clearly heard the connection sever and the guttural scream of rage coming from the man named Oda Santayū, still echoing through the comms.
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🔥 CYBERPUNK: THE RELENTLESS
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🔥 THE STORY DOESN'T STOP HERE. NEITHER DOES HE.
Night City breaks people every day.
Some crawl away.
Some disappear.
And some simply refuse to stop.
Cyberpunk: The Relentless has 500+ chapters ahead available for readers who want to keep going.
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⚡ NO BRAKES. NO MERCY. NO TURNING BACK.
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Every victory creates another enemy.
Every enemy leads to something bigger.
And Night City always wants another body.
🔥 500+ CHAPTERS AHEAD.
👉 Why stop now?
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