Elsewhere, after Jackie lured away Arasaka's combat frames and deadmen, he switched into full guerrilla mode.
Jackie didn't have Vash's kind of suit — chrome that could shrug off almost anything — so he had to rely on terrain, timing, and instincts to stay alive.
"Skippy — Stone Cold Killer mode!"
Ever since that "goofy gun" had ended up in his hands, Jackie had been squeezing every dirty trick out of it.
Dodging the combat frames' artillery was only half the problem. He also had to watch for the Arasaka deadmen — brainwashed, fearless to the point of insanity. Their skulls carried one command and one command only: exterminate.
In tight alleys where the combat frames couldn't maneuver, the deadmen kept coming.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Skippy barked again and again, popping the pursuers with clean headshots.
Jackie had tried "Puppy-Loving Pacifist" and quickly learned crotch shots didn't do shit — so he switched to the only answer that mattered.
Ratatat!
Autocannons lit up. The combat frames stitched the street with muzzle flash, hammering Jackie without mercy.
He rolled, scrambled, and bounced from cover to cover. Lucky for him, Konpeki Plaza sat in a dense sprawl — tall buildings, tight lanes, hard corners. If he'd been stuck on flat ground, he'd already be a corpse.
"Persistent bastards…"
Jackie slid behind cover, snatched a deadman's katana, and went still — listening to the heavy approach of a combat frame.
The moment it entered his line of sight, Jackie dropped low, slid straight under it, and drove the blade up.
One thrust — right into the power core. The frame jittered, then went dead on its feet.
Another combat frame hovered overhead. While Jackie finished the first, the energy cannon in its chest began to charge.
"Holy shit!" Jackie looked up and saw the charge about to complete.
Then a repulsor shot slammed into the frame — fast, precise.
The blast tore it apart, and right after came the screech of tires as a car braked hard nearby.
Jackie turned.
A sleek, jet-black Caliburn (Murkmobile) sat at the mouth of the alley. The door swung open, and Vash raised an arm — one repulsor shot already fired — having shattered the hovering frame before it could cook Jackie.
"V!!" Jackie yelped, "You actually got away from Adam Smasher — shit?!"
"Jack." Vash said, smug as hell, "here's an exclusive: Adam Smasher won't be standing up for a while."
"Badass. Badass!" Jackie hurried over, practically vibrating, "V — you're a big shot. A legend!"
He didn't even know how to put it into words. Even Adam Smasher — Night City's nightmare — had taken a beating from Vash.
This was it. This was making it big. Famous across Night City.
Vash cut him off, "Jack, we can't stay here. We move — now."
"I know a place the corpo dogs will never find." Jackie said, "Follow me."
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After they drove beyond Konpeki Plaza's five-kilometer kill zone, Yorinobu's extermination order was effectively a failure.
But Arasaka's hunt wouldn't stop — it would only climb in priority and get uglier by the hour.
Night City had no shortage of megacorps. Arasaka had taken hits since the Corporate Wars, sure — but a starved camel was still bigger than a horse. Arasaka was still a warlord-class ruler.
And now the "Emperor", Saburo Arasaka, was dead.
That wasn't just news. It was an earthquake.
While Vash and Jackie were still on the road, what happened at Konpeki Plaza was already whipping the entire city into a storm.
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Lizzie's Bar, underground studio.
Judy flicked on N54 News and caught the famous anchor, Gillean, speaking with barely contained excitement.
「Good evening, Night City. I'm Gillean Jordan. Just a few hours ago, the city witnessed a major incident. Konpeki Plaza, founded by Arasaka, was breached, and Arasaka's founder, Saburo Arasaka, was subsequently killed.」
「Most notably, during the confrontation with the legendary Adam Smasher, the intruders reportedly forced him to retreat. Adam Smasher has long been regarded as an insurmountable threat, having killed Johnny Silverhand more than fifty years ago. Until now, no one in Night City had managed to drive him back.」
「And today, only hours ago, Adam Smasher was defeated.」
Judy stared at the report, then immediately called Vash.
It rang… No answer.
Then she called Evelyn Parker. Same thing.
Judy's involvement in klepping the Relic had been limited to editing Evelyn's braindance. But even with the scraps she knew, she understood how dangerous this run was — and she hadn't been able to talk anyone out of it.
Now the news was saying Saburo was dead.
That meant everything had changed.
Judy's breath came shallow. Dizziness hit her like a wave. She lowered her head, grabbed her hair, and sat there — lost.
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Across Night City — bars, clubs, back-alley dives — it was like everyone had made the same choice at once: every screen was broadcasting Saburo's death and Adam Smasher being pushed back.
Customers cheered, and with that kind of news in the air, they drank harder.
"Damn! Which badass pulled this?! Dropping that old dog Saburo — so satisfying!"
"I haven't been this happy in a long time. Drink up — more booze!"
"Adam Smasher got pushed back… you kidding me? A new legend just popped up."
"This is fucking insane. News says it was two people. Two people hit Konpeki Plaza, iced Saburo, pushed Adam Smasher back, and walked out? Who the hell are they?!"
"All I know is, whoever they are — I'm toasting 'em."
"Miss, mix me two Johnny Silverhands — to the two legends!"
"Got a feeling — they're about to be famous as hell in Night City."
"After sucking blood for hundreds of years, Saburo had it coming."
"Friends — glasses up. To the new legends!"
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Watson, Kabuki, Titan Street — No-Tell Motel.
The dirty, cramped room looked completely wrong next to Dexter DeShawn's bulky frame and gaudy, nouveau-riche accessories.
"Damn it!"
The more Dexter thought about it, the angrier he got.
Those two mercs walked out of Afterlife and immediately tossed his plan in the trash.
They dealt with his lookouts, booked a new Delamain, and even cut T-Bug out of the loop… and by the time Dexter understood what was happening, Saburo Arasaka was already dead.
Those two were killing like gods — how the hell did they dare?!
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T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
If you want 20 chapters ahead, smut chapters or spicy images of this novel for just $5, or enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations (free or starting at $1.5): MrBlackWing (you know where to search)
Take a look at the new book I'm translating on my profile, Umamusume Pretty Derb: I'm Just a Trainer! Its also on my website for $5 too!
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)