"How about it? Will you sell me the gear?"
Leon Black clapped Royce's thick arm, his tone casual but firm. Business time had arrived, even after the warm reunion.
"What are you saying?!" Royce snorted and shook his head. "We've been through hell together! Talking money now? That's just vulgar!"
Leon didn't react. He knew Royce too well. Despite the dramatic words, the guy was never one to give up profit.
Sure enough, Royce grinned, his yellow-stained teeth exposed. "Still, maybe... add a little more to sweeten the deal?"
Leon raised a brow. "Brother, this is Military Technology hardware. I'm doing you a favor buying it at all."
"Oh, come on! Scaring me again?" Royce suddenly raised his gun. "Did you forget how I got this scar?"
Leon smacked the barrel away. "How the hell was I supposed to know the delivery guy was packing a shotgun?! And if I hadn't rushed your bleeding face to the hospital, would you even be a boss now?!"
"All my earnings went into that damn hospital visit!"
"Then go ask the hospital for a refund!"
"I blew that hospital up!"
"Then problem solved!"
"My money blew up with it!"
"How's that my fault?!"
The two bickered like drunk old friends in a bar, ignoring the stunned onlookers around them. It wasn't until a massive explosion rocked the building that they snapped back to the present.
BOOM!
"You're screwing me again!" Royce roared, raising his weapon to shoot Leon.
But Leon was quicker. He yanked back the bolt on his rifle with an angry snap. "You idiot! Didn't you even realize Military Tech is already knocking on your damn door?!"
Another massive blast echoed, followed by the sharp clatter of gunfire.
"Boss! Military Tech's breaking in—AHH!"
"Captain! Exosuit soldiers are inside already!"
Their radios buzzed with frantic voices.
"Shit! Come with me! Let's slaughter those bastards!" Royce didn't wait—he stormed off in a rage, dragging his gunmen with him.
Leon, meanwhile, calmly straightened his collar, exhaled, and turned to Dum Dum. "Still interested in a trade?"
Dum Dum blinked in surprise, then grinned. "Hell yeah."
He launched into full salesman mode, rattling off Flathead specs like a man possessed.
"Optical camo, titanium-alloy drive system, integrated full-body mobility, Raven-class immersive cognitive link, magnetic ceiling grip... you name it."
Leon couldn't help but admire the tech. Even compared to his past world's military-grade units, Flathead stood out as a marvel—sleek, deadly, and compact. Every piece of its hardware screamed Military Technology's design philosophy: domination through innovation.
It wasn't just the camo or processing speed—it was the seamless system integration. Surveillance, combat, infiltration. It was the black-market gold standard.
As Mike Taylor quietly inspected the unit, Leon casually asked, "Sold one of these to anyone else recently?"
"Sure did!" Dum Dum replied without hesitation.
No sense of confidentiality whatsoever. Leon thought.
"Some guy working with Dexter Deshawn. One was named Jack, and the other, uh... V? Yeah, that's it. V."
So that event already happened?
Leon frowned slightly. In the original timeline, V was the one meant to get the Flathead. And this gang was supposed to be wiped out by Military Tech during that heist.
But now? He was the one standing here, doing the deal, while the building was under siege.
The story's diverged.
Maybe things began changing the moment he arrived in this world. Maybe V's path shifted, and Military Tech's plans evolved in response. What mattered now was adapting, not clinging to game-script expectations.
He shook off the thoughts. This was no longer a game.
The corporations were cleaning house—hunting moles, reclaiming stolen assets, and prepping for full-scale war. If they were going to pacify the outer zones, they had to control the inner chaos first.
Mike gave a nod. The units passed inspection.
Leon turned to Dum Dum. "Got another Flathead?"
Dum Dum blinked exaggeratedly. "How could I possibly tell you that there's one more?" he said theatrically.
Leon chuckled. He actually enjoyed how easy it was to deal with Vortex Gang's insanity. They were dumb in the right way.
"Name your price."
"Thirty thousand!"
Leon extended a hand. "Both for fifty. Ten for you."
Dum Dum paused. His eyes lit up. "HAHAHA! Deal!" He eagerly shook Leon's hand and sprinted off to retrieve the second unit.
Leon waited, watching the chaos outside unfold through a nearby window—explosions, armored suits, tracer rounds streaking across the street.
Dum Dum returned moments later, breathless and beaming. "Let's go, I'll take you through the back exit."
Now that's customer service.
Carrying a Flathead in each arm, Leon looked as calm as if he were leaving a convenience store. Dum Dum did a double take. The cases weighed nearly a hundred kilograms each, but Leon carried them effortlessly.
The hallway was the same rusting maze of mines and steel. Explosions thundered farther away now, replaced by the grinding echo of boots and mechanized gears.
"You're gonna need a new hideout," Leon said as they reached the elevator.
Dum Dum shrugged. "It's fine. Vortex Gang's got plenty of turf. We've got guns, we've got bodies. Night City's wide open."
As the elevator screeched downward, Leon glanced through a cracked window.
He stopped.
"Is that...?"
Inside a transparent security room lay a bound and broken man—curled up, with a blinking explosive collar rigged to his chest.
Brick.
The Vortex Gang's former boss, now reduced to a shivering wreck. A tangled ball of explosives hugged his body like an art piece.
Even Mike Taylor, normally stoic and silent, gave a subtle nod of appreciation.
"Who did that?" Leon asked.
Dum Dum puffed up proudly. "That would be yours truly."
Leon blinked. "Didn't know you were an artist."
Just then, a ground-shaking THOOM echoed through the corridor, and a towering mech emerged—its blue-and-white plating glinting under the flickering lights.
Military Technology's kill squad had arrived.
Leon wasn't surprised. This was just how the megacorps handled business—simple, brutal, efficient. No negotiation. No survivors.
Dum Dum pulled a tiny pistol from his waistband. "Be careful! The heavy artillery's out now!"
Leon stared at the small weapon in his hand, then at the four-meter-tall mech.
Small pistol versus combat mech.
Bold move, Dum Dum. Bold move.
Øóffer going on for diamond tier
pàtreøn (Gk31)