BZZT—DEET-DOO—
A piercing alarm cut through the night sky, throwing the Jadeite Tower and its surrounding area into immediate tension.
"Lock down the tower! Lock it down now! This is an emergency!"
With urgent shouts from Hellhounds soldiers, guests who had been enjoying the last moments of the banquet or engrossed in their card games suddenly found themselves surrounded by heavily armed troopers.
"What's going on?"
"What the hell is this? Is Hansen losing it?!"
Inside the banquet hall, panic spread like wildfire. No one could understand why the once harmonious event had devolved into chaos.
Could Hansen be planning to turn on them?
Never mind the idea of "guest rights"—a concept long gone in this era—if Hansen really intended to strike, was he prepared to make enemies of every power represented here?
While no single guest might be a threat to Hansen alone, together, those who hadn't yet left could inflict severe damage on him and his Hellhounds.
Had he gone insane?!
"Honored guests, our apologies. We have an emergency situation. Please remain where you are. An unidentified individual has infiltrated the tower. For your safety, we ask that you comply with our security procedures."
The voice of a Hellhounds soldier echoed through the hall, firm and absolute.
The squad leader, dispatched to take control of the scene, scanned the banquet hall like a hawk. But to his surprise, only around thirty guests remained.
"These are the only ones left...?" he murmured, brows furrowed.
According to the guest list, eighty-six people had attended tonight's banquet. Now, fewer than thirty remained.
Which meant—over half had already left?
"Move out immediately!" came the command from higher up after the squad leader reported in. "Sweep the entire Jadeite Tower. Account for every guest. Don't let a single suspicious individual slip through!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Hellhounds mobilized swiftly. But even at their fastest, it was already too late for guests who had already left the building—or who were nearly out of Dogtown.
Dogtown might be a speck on the map of Night City, but for the Hellhounds, it was vast.
Though known as Hansen's personal kingdom, Dogtown was far from being under his absolute control.
Just like ancient monarchs couldn't command every subject directly, Dogtown was rife with tangled factions and hidden currents—countless unknown figures lurking in its shadows.
Once the Hellhounds left their core territory, trying to run a full sweep of Dogtown was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Every street, every building, could be a hideout. And no matter how powerful Hansen's forces were, they couldn't reach every corner quickly enough.
Dogtown was never a single, solid entity.
"I've made it out of Jadeite Tower."
In a hotel under Hellhounds protection somewhere in Dogtown, Karl received a message from Lied.
With the chip in hand, Lied had apparently made it through the sewage-filled tunnels and escaped the most dangerous zone—the Jadeite Tower.
"Stay in contact."
Karl replied briefly, then ended the transmission. He scanned the room, his gaze settling on the girl sleeping peacefully on the bed.
Her breathing was steady—she was clearly in deep sleep.
Karl let out a quiet sigh and walked to the window, peeking through the curtains. The city lights twinkled against the night, and in the distance, the Jadeite Tower still loomed like a silent behemoth.
After leaving the tower, Karl had hitched a ride with the girl to avoid drawing attention. However, she had apparently misinterpreted his intentions and had been getting increasingly handsy on the way.
Karl was forced to act quickly—regulating her hormonal balance to calm her urges, barely managing to stop her from getting too intimate in the car. Even then, when they arrived at the hotel, he got distracted for a moment and she nearly undressed on the spot. Fortunately, before her clothes fully came off, he managed to put her to sleep.
"Guess I'll have to adjust her memories later..."
Looking at the girl, Karl couldn't help feeling a twinge of guilt.
Sure, she was clearly attracted to his looks and physique, but he had essentially used her as a cover. And Karl never liked dragging unrelated people into his business.
Maybe I should look into her background, see if there's something I can do. At least make sure she stays out of this mess unscathed.
With that thought, Karl studied her face, beginning a match against his database.
He had to admit—she was beautiful. Maybe artificially enhanced, but her features were remarkably refined. Thinking about enhancements reminded Karl of his friend, Maki.
Maki had once talked to him about this.
By Karl's standards, Maki was attractive—nothing mind-blowing, but certainly pretty. Still, compared to academy students who routinely underwent body modifications, she looked a bit plain. At one point, she'd hesitated over whether to get surgery to improve her looks.
In this era, modifying your appearance for beauty's sake was routine. Karl himself had seen plenty. But his advice to Maki had been simple:
"I think you already look great just the way you are."
That one sentence—punctuated with several exclamation marks from Maki in response—had apparently convinced her to skip the knife.
Karl didn't care about "natural beauty" or not. But when it came to friends, familiar faces always felt better.
Still, was it rude to be thinking about another girl while this one lay sleeping beside him?
Just as Karl had that thought, a knock came at the door, followed by a man's voice.
"Good evening. Routine hotel inspection. Please open the door."
The voice was deep and calm, coming through the door like a warning cloaked in politeness.
Karl frowned, not moving to open it.
He distinctly remembered no mention of any such inspection when he checked in—and the timing seemed off.
Could it be...
Karl took out his phone. The screen flickered, then showed a live feed.
He'd already hacked the building's external security cams.
On screen, two fully armed Hellhounds stood outside the door—waiting.
Their weapons were chambered and safeties off.
Karl's first thought was—
"Exposed?"
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🔥🦾 CYBERPUNK: THE RELENTLESS 🦾🔥
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