"So noisy…"
That was Biersen's first sensation—an unbearable grinding in his chest, as if a chainsaw was tearing him open.
"He's not waking up, is he?" Leon Black asked, glancing at Biersen's twitching eyelids as he casually held a blood-stained chainsaw.
"He might. The guy's willpower is pretty insane," Lena Fox said, operating the surgical arm with clinical precision. "He's no Mike Taylor, but for a civilian, he's top-tier."
"Must be the power of a father's love," Leon mused as he pulled a mangled, lifeless heart from Biersen's chest and tossed it aside. Then he turned to the cryo-container beside him.
"I didn't think I'd use this so soon."
Within the chilled container lay something grotesquely alive—etched with glowing green veins, pulsing purplish-red arteries, still beating faintly despite lacking a host. Unlike the biotech seen in games or military databases, this real-world entity radiated pure potential.
Leon called it the Parasitic Heart.
He had extracted it from the corpse of Sis Weis—a monster in every sense. Initially, Leon considered destroying it, but its ability to survive outside the body—and worse, emit what seemed like emotional signals—fascinated him. Mercy. Hunger. Rage.
Naturally, something that intriguing couldn't be wasted.
After extensive testing, Leon discovered it could bind to virtually any living creature—even corpses—reviving or altering them beyond comprehension. The cost, however, was steep. It consumed enormous resources to maintain.
Still, the Parasitic Heart was undeniably an artifact of immense power—possibly even immortal-grade.
"I still say giving it to him is a waste," Lena muttered, adjusting the final settings. "If we studied it more, maybe we could implant it in you instead."
Leon shook his head. "Yui, we're not greedy. Sure, the Heart's powerful, but it's unstable. The deeper the integration, the more it erodes the host. Eventually, it turns into a bloodthirsty beast. That's not power—it's self-destruction."
He dropped the hemostat and watched as color returned to Biersen's pale face.
"Besides," he added, "this one's just a juvenile. Not worth the risk."
"He wouldn't survive a mature version anyway," Lena quipped, retracting the surgical tool. "He's still just an average guy."
Leon suddenly frowned, his tone shifting. "Lena Fox. We're average too."
Lena paused, startled. Leon rarely used her full name—and when he did, it meant something serious.
She blinked, reflecting on her own words. Without another word, her body flickered and vanished from view.
A dozen seconds later, she reappeared, looking visibly drained. The luminous dots across her frame had dimmed significantly.
"They almost succeeded," she said, voice digitally distorted and weary.
"Don't push yourself," Leon said firmly. "You're more important than any plan."
"Understood," she nodded softly.
Then, a groan.
A low, ragged moan escaped from Biersen's lips. He blinked against the harsh light above, then instinctively turned his head—and locked eyes with the man who had once given him hope… and then shattered it.
"You!" Biersen gasped, lurching upright. Pain surged through his body, and he collapsed back down.
"You just had major surgery," Leon said, removing his lab coat. "Relax. Don't strain yourself."
"Don't act concerned!" Biersen snapped, voice hoarse. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be like this!"
"I didn't do this to you," Leon replied calmly. "You did. You let greed override reason. Desire blinded you. Every path you walk has a price."
"My mother is dead. My wife is dead. My daughter was taken!" Biersen shouted, each word heavier than the last. "All because of you!"
He lunged forward, staggered, and swung a weak punch that landed against Leon's chest—more a push than a strike—before collapsing to the floor.
"Better than expected," Leon said with a slight smile, crouching beside him. "At least you tried to hit me. That's courage… even if your target is wrong."
"Why… why me?" Biersen sobbed.
He hadn't cried when he lost his job. Not when his mother died screaming. Not when his wife was blown to pieces. Not even when Military Tech ripped his infant daughter from his arms.
But now, before a man he barely knew, he broke. The sobbing wasn't just grief—it was the scream of a soul hollowed by despair.
His recovering body couldn't even produce tears.
Leon gently placed a photo in front of him.
"A funeral is life's graduation ceremony," he said. "And I dug you back out."
The photo showed a loving mother, a gentle wife, a proud father, and an adorable child—an impossible memory made real. Biersen stared at it, silent now. His shaking hands reached out, cradling the image like a holy relic.
"Military Technology…" he whispered. "Military Technology!! Mooo—ROAR!"
The sound that erupted from his throat was unnatural—half-cow, half-lion, a guttural fusion of rage and sorrow.
A physical shockwave exploded from his body.
The remaining reinforced glass shattered instantly. Medical machines were hurled into walls. Concrete cracked. Metal tore.
The already-damaged building couldn't hold. Steel beams buckled. Floors collapsed like crackers crumbling in slow motion.
As debris rained around him, Biersen didn't flinch. Instead, he leapt skyward, rising through the collapsing biotech lab and launching himself into the open sky above the Badlands.
He landed with a crack, crouched low in the dust, power pulsing through his new form. Strength coursed through his limbs—far greater than anything he'd ever known.
He turned toward Night City.
"I'll be back," he growled. "But first… I'm collecting interest."
---
Elsewhere – Watching the Fallout
At a high vantage point, Leon cupped his hand over his brow, watching the trail of dust left behind by the newly transformed Biersen as he tore across the desert.
"Not bad," he said. "The transformation worked better than expected."
"But the cost is massive," Lena replied, calculating in real time. "Just for base metabolism, he'll need over 20,000 calories a day. In combat, that'll spike even higher. And the deeper the parasitic bond, the worse it gets."
"So what, three months?" Leon asked.
"At most," Lena confirmed. "His body will burn itself out."
Leon chuckled. "So that's why Sis Weis was dumped here."
"Hah. Yeah," Lena laughed. "Probably ate so much, they gave up on feeding him. Maybe someone high up triggered the safe deposit box incident just to get rid of him."
Prolonged starvation alters the mind. It brings irritability, obsession, rage. For someone like Sis Weis—already warped by the Heart—it had pushed him over the edge.
His only focus had become: Eat. Complete mission. Eat more.
He became an animal—dangerous, but easily manipulated and ultimately disposable. Leon hadn't even gone all-out in their fight. If Sis Weis had been properly nourished, the outcome might've been different.
Maybe.
Jokes aside, the reality was cold.
All the resources Sis Weis consumed—the food, the credits, the wasted efforts—could've gone to Leon and Lena. How could they not resent him?
With a rotten personality and zero allies, abandonment was inevitable.
And the one who had proposed that abandonment… was the head of Intelligence.
The same one Lori had personally eliminated.
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