Night City's Corporate Plaza and City Center were forever this city's power core. Even deep at night, this area never truly slept.
Skyscraper clusters stood like cold metal giants, silhouettes cutting sharp lines against artificial skies.
Arasaka Tower was the most conspicuous presence—majestically towering like a silent monarch, overlooking everything below.
Building exteriors covered with massive holographic billboards and real-time data streams, shifting luminescence illuminating streets bright as day.
Though these lights were brilliant, they exuded inhuman coldness.
Corporate Plaza's ground was paved with smooth synthetic materials, reflecting intense overhead lighting—barely showing any stains or damage.
Streets held sparse pedestrians, mostly hurrying along in well-tailored business formal wear, faces carrying standard, distant expressions.
Occasionally AVs silently glided past, descending onto designated platforms.
Patrolling security personnel were well-equipped, optics flashing vigilant red light, systematically scanning every corner.
Despite blazing lights, this area was shrouded in peculiar silence.
Massive building shadows cast onto meticulously trimmed greenery strips, forming geometrically contrasting light-dark patterns.
Even the air seemed filtered, carrying unnatural cleanliness.
The entire zone resembled a precision instrument—efficient, indifferent, tolerating no disorder.
Morell—once a Militech lieutenant, now thoroughly transformed into a weapon serving one person alone.
Her will and actions completely served her master, plus that unfathomably profound technical might.
At this moment, she traversed these somewhat unfamiliar streets, searching for targets her master designated.
First target: Biotechnica Security Director Elliott Kwan.
He hid in a top-floor private apartment near corporate headquarters with tight security, relying on layered protections obtaining sense of safety.
Morell chose unconventional entry methods.
Using adhesive climbing equipment, like a shadow pressed against walls, she moved upward along smooth glass curtain walls.
Her movements flowed steadily, precisely avoiding periodically-sweeping surveillance probes.
After reaching some distance below target floors, she paused, seeking next footholds.
Target apartment's balcony was enclosed by sturdy glass curtain walls. Interior side was living room areas.
Balcony door locks were advanced magnetic locks connected to main security systems.
Morell extracted a miniature device, attaching it near door locks on glass and activating.
After barely-detectable energy pulses, door lock indicator lights extinguished while causing nearby hidden cameras briefly malfunctioning.
Utilizing this brief window, she used monowire cutting a neat entrance through glass.
She reached inside, manually releasing backup mechanical locks activated from system failures.
After successfully infiltrating living rooms, she immediately began penetrating apartment internal networks.
Though this system was physically isolated from external networks, it couldn't resist advanced cracking protocols Cairo had bestowed her.
She sent forged system self-check directives, soundlessly hijacking control.
Motion sensors were set to "maintenance mode." Cameras looped empty static footage.
According to intel Morell gathered, four bodyguards stood watch inside apartments: two at living room and entrance areas, one at kitchen zones, another outside master bedroom doors. Target Elliott Kwan's life signals were located inside master bedrooms.
After assessing pathways, Morell chose ceiling ventilation ducts.
She silently removed grates, entering narrow duct interiors. Relying on memorized structural diagrams, she nimbly crawled toward above master bedrooms.
After finding corresponding exits, she again used tools releasing safety locks, soundlessly entering walk-in closets below.
Walk-in closets and sleeping areas were separated by sliding doors. She passed through sliding doors entering sleeping zones.
Only floor lamps emitted faint light inside rooms. Elliott Kwan lay in bed, sunk into sleep brought by drugs and alcohol. Bedside scattered with empty glasses and pill bottles.
Morell didn't immediately act.
She first scanned rooms, confirming no hidden independent alarm devices.
Subsequently, she melted into bedside shadows, lowering physiological activities to minimums, nearly merging with environments.
She patiently waited until Kwan's sleep cycles naturally transitioned to shallower stages.
His body began restlessly twisting. Breathing also became heavy.
Just as he was about to awaken, Morell timely stepped forward half a step, entering his hazy vision.
Simultaneously, her right arm raised. Sonic blade silently slid out.
When inactive, it was merely uniquely-shaped dark metal. But when she activated cores, invisible ultra-high-frequency vibration fields instantly formed, causing surrounding air producing faint yet heart-stopping tremors.
Kwan opened eyes. Upon seeing the bedside figure plus that weapon exuding lethal auras, pupils dilated from fear.
His throat tightened, attempting screaming.
Morell's left hand explored outward at speeds far exceeding normal human reactions, precisely suppressing his jaw joints, instantly stripping vocalization capabilities.
Simultaneously, sonic blade tips virtually pointed at his Adam's apple. Vibration field-brought faint stinging plus intense suffocation implications completely froze his actions.
"Quiet." Morell's processed voice—flat without fluctuations, volume barely audible: "Listen carefully. This will determine whether you see tomorrow's sunrise."
She maintained control postures. Sonic blade tips still virtually pointing at his Adam's apple. She began transmitting messages.
"First, all hostile actions against Maine's crew plus the existence behind them must immediately, thoroughly cease.
Including but not limited to surveillance, tracking, bounties, armed assaults, plus any forms of intelligence gathering.
Your tentacles must completely withdraw from around us."
The instant her words dropped, through short-range data injection, she sent detailed inventories listing specific minerals, rare elements, high-precision equipment items to Kwan's bedside personal communicator in standby states.
Screens lit up. Dense project listings were especially glaring in darkness.
"Second, pay reparations for losses you've caused plus time wasted for my master. Inventory sent. Every item above is prices you must pay. This isn't requests—it's notifications."
She slightly adjusted sonic blade angles. Invisible vibration fields made neck hairs on Kwan stand up.
"Two of your colleagues—Militech's Karl Strange, Biotechnica's Julia Winters—will be eliminated.
This is direct responses to your prior actions plus currently still-existing delusions. Their fates were sealed when you made foolish decisions."
"And you, Elliott Kwan, are allowed surviving. Your sole value is as messenger, carrying everything you've witnessed at this moment—every word I've conveyed plus that inventory—unaltered to your superiors.
Let them understand: continued entanglement consequences far exceed losing two executives.
Power we possess suffices turning any daring extended hands, plus their owners, into ash together."
"Of course," her voice remained icy yet revealed negotiation room, "if you're sufficiently wise, willing displaying more 'sincerity' on reparation-payment foundations, my master might consider future limited, reciprocal technical exchanges.
Choosing continued bloodshed and losses, or choosing possibly coexisting paths—decisions rest in your hands.
Remember, your life currently is merely temporarily stored. Whether you continue possessing it depends on whether you can perfectly fulfill this messenger's duties."
Message transmission complete.
She released restraints. Sonic blade silently retracted.
She no longer looked at the nearly-collapsed Kwan, turning with equally precise silent steps, retreating through walk-in closets back to ventilation ducts, restoring everything to original states.
Through ducts returning above living rooms, after confirming no bodyguard detection, she left via balcony openings, recovering miniature devices.
Rapidly descending along exterior walls, her figure quickly melted into city lower-level darkness.
Entire operations from infiltration to extraction consumed approximately thirty minutes.
Target Elliott Kwan—physically intact but mentally at collapse edges.
He slumped in bed. After quite a while, he struggled grabbing communicators, using trembling, chaotic tones attempting contacting superiors.
Cairo's warning, through this frightened messenger, finally reached Biotechnica's highest levels.
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