Under the bridge.
"I never expected something like this to happen!" V muttered, astonished, after listening to Takemura Goro's story.
He hadn't thought Takemura's recent days had been just as intense—if not more—than his own. Hunted, constantly on the move, barely escaping death at the hands of Biotech and crossing paths with Leon Black's people—it was a miracle he was still alive.
"With Sister Weis dead, the corporations won't sit still," Takemura said gravely. "They'll make moves to seize control. Night City will spiral into chaos. We need to act quickly."
His face was etched with worry. The longer they delayed, the weaker the ripple effect of Saburo Arasaka's death would become. If Yorinobu solidified his position, any retaliation would be meaningless.
"So, what's the plan?" V asked, sensing the weight of the situation.
"This address," Takemura handed him a folded piece of paper. "It belongs to one of Miss Hanako's advisors. I need you to investigate him—see if he's loyal."
"You're not going yourself?"
"I have to find Oda Sandayu," Takemura replied, taking a deep breath. "If I can reach Oda, I might be able to earn Hanako's trust directly."
V nodded but added a word of caution. "Be careful. You're still a wanted man."
"I'm aware," Takemura said with a tight smile.
As V pocketed the address, something occurred to him. "By the way, do you know anything about Anders Hellman?"
Takemura's eyes widened. "How do you know that name?"
"Uh… he was featured in the Relic commercial," V answered casually.
"Hmph." Takemura's expression darkened. "Anders Hellman was the chief architect of the Relic project. A top-tier bioengineer. But he defected from Arasaka—vanished without a trace."
"Defected? But why?" V frowned. "As Arasaka's chief bioengineer, he had access to everything. What reason would he have to run?"
"Because he knew too much," Takemura explained. "He warned Saburo that Yorinobu was up to something. And now that Saburo is dead, Hellman is a liability. Arasaka Yorinobu would want him silenced."
"So there's not even a single lead?"
Takemura shook his head. "Not none. But I tried checking Afterlife, and before I could get anywhere, that fixer—Rogue—had me thrown out."
V raised an eyebrow. "Rogue?"
At that moment, Johnny Silverhand appeared at V's side, arms folded, watching from behind Takemura.
"She's... difficult," V said coolly, exchanging a look with Johnny.
Takemura nodded. "You're right. If word gets out that I visited her, it'll bring heat down on Afterlife. Rogue wouldn't risk that."
"Well, if I manage to find Hellman," V said, "what should I tell him?"
"Tell him I still have a score to settle with him," Takemura said with a dark look.
The two parted ways shortly after exchanging a few more pieces of intel. There was no time to waste.
As Takemura disappeared into the city shadows, Johnny wandered to the edge of the bridge and stared at the rushing water below.
"Still so lively," he muttered. "Night City never sleeps."
V joined him. "As long as the megacorps run this place, Night City will always be the same."
---
"Cooperation is such a pain," Leon Black sighed, slumping into his chair.
He had just seen off his squad again. They'd spent hours finalizing the battle plan projected on the large display behind him.
Taking a long sip of juice, he added, "Especially when you have to clean up everyone else's messes."
His voice echoed faintly in the quiet room.
"I'm guessing you agree, don't you, Ms. Evelyn Parker?"
The sound of a crutch tapping the floor broke the silence. Evelyn stepped forward from where she'd been hiding by the operating room door, her expression unreadable.
"How much longer do I have to stay here?" she asked flatly, her voice calm but tinged with impatience.
Leon glanced at her and shrugged. "Dr. Nina said you need at least a month. You were hanging by a thread when we found you."
"I feel fine," Evelyn muttered, rubbing her temple. Her body still felt foreign—clumsy, uncoordinated. Her memory was fragmented, a hazy blur of pain and confusion.
But she remembered the fear. The helplessness. The shame.
To save her, Nina and Viktor had deleted numerous corrupted memory files and restructured her neural modules. Her operating system had been so thoroughly patched that even basic movement required retraining.
Still, even with the trauma buried, the aftermath clung to her. There were days she couldn't help but wish she hadn't survived.
If not for Leon's relentless pressure and refusal to let her die, she might have given up already.
"If I were you," Leon said, "I'd stay put. Rest. Heal. There are plenty of people out there who'd kill you the moment you stepped out that door."
Evelyn smirked. "You really are shameless, Mr. Black."
"I've never been good at lying," Leon replied with a shrug. "If I want someone dead, I just say it to their face."
She narrowed her eyes. "So what do you really want from me?"
Leon's tone shifted slightly. "When V makes her move, I want you to help her bring down Yorinobu Arasaka. That's why I saved you."
"She? You're talking about the one I hired through Dexter?" Evelyn frowned.
"Yes," Leon confirmed. "V. And trust me, if she's anything like I think she is, it won't take long."
Evelyn's jaw clenched. "Why did I ever steal that chip? Why didn't I just play the game—smile, act sweet, be the perfect doll?"
Leon leaned forward slightly, curious. "So why did you do it?"
Evelyn looked away. Then, almost inaudibly, she whispered, "I wanted freedom."
Leon tilted his head.
She continued, her voice steadier. "At first, the Voodoo Boys approached me. They asked for a Braindance recording of Konpeki Plaza's top floor. Seemed simple. But during the job, I discovered the chip contained Johnny Silverhand."
She paused, looking Leon straight in the eyes. "You know who he is, right?"
Leon smirked. "Charismatic anarchist. Pain in the ass."
"That's him." She nodded. "Anything tied to him… I knew it would be big. So I went to Netwatch, tried to sell the info."
"But then everything went sideways," she added bitterly.
"Right. I know how that ended." Leon raised a hand to stop her.
Evelyn blinked. "You… know?"
He turned up the volume on the nearby monitor.
The screen lit up with a Netwatch broadcast.
> "After several months of cyber-warfare, the notorious hacker group known as the Voodoo Boys has been dismantled. This result was achieved in Operation 'Sword of Dawn.' Over 100 cyber-terrorists were eliminated. The group's leaders, Maman Brigitte and Placide, were confirmed dead. The group has been charged with multiple cybercrimes, including intrusion, espionage, money laundering, and 22 counts of Blackwall protocol violations…"
Evelyn's face went pale.
The Voodoo Boys? Wiped out?
She had lived in fear of them for months—hiding, watching over her shoulder, waking from nightmares—and now they were just… gone?
"How long was I out?" she murmured.
Leon didn't answer. He didn't have to.
As Evelyn tried to process the news, he reclined in his chair.
Wherever V went, things crumbled. That was just the way of things.
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