"The power's out."
In the darkness, V's cybernetic eyes automatically switched to night vision. Despite the sudden emergency, his expression didn't shift—there was no sign of panic or tension. Silently, he drew the thermal katana from his waist and stood still in the shadows, waiting.
Waiting for enemies that might arrive.
Without exchanging a single word, Jack closed in beside him, the two of them adopting practiced formations to cover each other's blind spots.
Jack's hands gripped the Arasaka-issued TKI-20 Shingen smart SMG tightly. His breathing, barely audible under the helmet, was steady but tense. His body was poised—ready to explode into action at any moment.
Elsewhere, Oliver had also activated the night vision module on his Kiroshi optics. With his HJSH-18 Masamune kinetic rifle in hand, he took a position directly in front of Kenichiro, standing as a shield.
Oliver knew Kenichiro was competent—maybe even incredibly skilled—but he'd never actually seen him fight. He had no real sense of the man's combat ability. So when the blackout hit, his instincts told him to cover the most valuable asset.
This was the guy who had provided their team with a personal AV. That kind of generosity deserved protection. And besides, Oliver's job was long-range support, not front-line assault like V and Jack. Guard duty? No problem.
Kenichiro blinked in surprise as Oliver moved in front of him. He hadn't expected that. Even when representing the corporation officially, he rarely had personal bodyguards—just standard tactical squads. Someone stepping in to protect him personally? The last time that had happened was Karl. And even then, Karl didn't exactly guard him.
Your teammates are more considerate than you are, he thought dryly.
But there was no time for sentiment. Kenichiro recovered quickly and began relaying orders over comms, trying to assess the scope of the blackout.
He had to ensure Hanako-sama was safe.
Soon, a reassuring report came in: the power outage had only affected their floor.
So the target—whoever they were—was here.
Hanako was safe.
In that case…
Kenichiro's expression went cold.
It didn't matter who the attacker was. Striking on a floor he was personally present on meant their fate was already sealed.
"Secure the power control room," he ordered calmly. "Lock it down. Identify and neutralize the intruders. The team that succeeds will be rewarded."
Just then, V's voice came through the comms.
"Careful. I've got a bad feeling. Something's seriously off."
At that moment, whether equipped with night vision or not, everyone saw it—dim blue lights blinking in the darkness of the banquet hall.
The glow scattered across the floor like fireflies—faint, but unmistakable.
Within seconds, the source of the blue lights became obvious. They were coming from the Arasaka employees who had been separated and secured across the hall.
The employees, who had quietly followed orders and stayed at the edges of the room, now looked down in shock. Their chests and stomachs… were glowing.
Each face twisted into fear, disbelief, confusion.
They had no idea what was happening. Why was their chest lighting up? What the hell was going on?
Every fiber of their being screamed danger—like they were standing at the edge of a cliff, teetering.
"What the hell is this?! I never got any implants down there! Why is my chest glowing?! What's happening?!"
Panic took hold.
One Arasaka employee clutched his glowing chest and stumbled toward another worker whose torso remained dark. The fear overwhelmed him—he forgot all about protocol.
"Hey—you're from Division Two, right? I'm Division One. That makes me your superior, so get over here and help me out! Why am I lit up and you're not?! Did your team do something behind the scenes?! This is against corpo reg—"
He never finished the sentence.
His chest started blinking faster and faster—so rapidly it blurred. The strobing light overwhelmed his vision, and his eyes lost focus.
In that final moment, his mind raced uncontrollably.
He thought of his elite upbringing… his strict, overbearing parents… the cutthroat competition at Arasaka Academy… the honors, the promotions… the coworkers he'd trampled on to get here.
Data streamed through his cyber-eyes—memory recall protocols firing, as if someone or something was replaying his life before his eyes.
And then… a final memory surfaced.
A figure.
Seen once, in a braindance—half real, half illusion. A vision of something beyond dreams.
True release… and beauty…
The blue light stopped blinking.
The Division Two employee, who had been approaching, suddenly froze.
Halfway through obeying the command, every hair on his body stood on end. Goosebumps erupted across his skin. Every instinct screamed: danger.
It was the same feeling he'd once experienced when facing Adam Smasher. Like death was dangling just ahead, suspended by a thread.
He turned to run.
But just as he spun around, the Division One employee's chest emitted a final, blinding flash of blue.
And then—
BOOM!
That all-too-familiar explosion rocked the room.
The fire that followed lit up the darkness once more.
.
.
.
🔥 Cyberpunk: The Relentless
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