Neo didn't understand a word of Russian. As a player who had completed Cyberpunk 2077 multiple times, all he could rely on were the memories of certain mission details burned into his brain.
"Stop joking around, focus."
"We're not here to enjoy ourselves at the Konpeki Plaza."
He shot Jackie Welles a meaningful glance — a silent warning that too many words in public could bring trouble. Jackie shrugged and zipped it, letting Neo step up to the door of Suite 9527. From his pocket, Neo pulled out a sapphire-blue room card and pressed it against the scanner.
[Client verified: Neo (confirmed).]
[Tavernier Suite now accessible.]
[Temperature, lighting, smart systems, and amenities fully operational.]
[We wish you a pleasant stay.]
The door slid open with a soft chime. Neo entered first, followed by Rebecca, Jackie Welles, and David Martinez.
The interior of the suite matched the design language of the Tavernier floor — the same sharp contrast of black and gold, sleek lines and surgical elegance. Dark tones dominated the room, yet the ambient lighting gave it an almost dreamlike warmth. Golden ribbons of light ran along the walls, soft and natural, weaving through the corners like silk threads, casting a hazy veil over the space.
Even the lighting alone was absurdly luxurious. But that was just the beginning.
All the furniture and appliances were the latest smart-tech models from Arasaka Corporation. The room dividers doubled as bonsai stands and digital aquariums. The bonsai were real. The fish were not.
In Night City 2077, seeing even a sliver of living greenery was a rarity — a quiet rebellion against steel and chrome. After all, even the "trees" lining the road to the City Council were just holographic simulations.
And yet, here in Arasaka's flagship Konpeki Plaza, within the Tavernier Suite, stood a living bonsai, breathing life into the synthetic silence. That single pot of green said everything about Arasaka's domination over Night City's wealth and aesthetics.
To the left, a real bonsai. To the right, digital koi flickering in a holographic aquarium.
Neo dropped the case containing the dismantled short-haired drone and threw himself onto the king-sized bed.
Rebecca had been planning to explore the suite, but when she saw Neo lying there, she changed her mind, walked over, and flopped down beside him. Jackie Welles and David wandered around the room, wide-eyed, their astonishment echoing from wall to wall.
"Holy shit, this place is luxury with a capital L!" Jackie's voice bounced off the marble ceiling.
"I can feel what it's like to be rich, choom!"
Coming from Heywood, Jackie never hid his hunger for the finer things in life. He had desires, but he was a man of principle. He knew where to stop, and what lines not to cross.
David Martinez, meanwhile, felt the same rush — and confusion.
Seventeen years old, raised in the cruel underbelly of Night City, he'd learned early what despair felt like. His mother Gloria had wanted a better life for him, pushing him into Arasaka Academy. But the place was hell — cold, elitist, toxic.
Night City was sick. It had long stopped being a place for ordinary people.
David had wanted to run away, to give up, to lose himself in the streets. But Gloria's love had become a chain around his neck. A love that suffocated. The helplessness, the tug-of-war between hope and rebellion — few souls could endure that.
Luckily, he had met Mr. Neo. He had met the Edgerunners — that strange, reckless family. Now, he was one of them.
And for the first time, he had a reason to keep moving forward.
But as the grandeur of the suite washed over him David froze. Was this the life his mother wanted for him? To climb Arasaka Tower, to live like this?
The thought disoriented him, then sobered him.
He looked at the bonsai and the digital fish, one alive, one fake, and the question struck him. Shouldn't real plants grow under the sky, in open soil? Shouldn't real fish swim in rivers and oceans?
Why were they trapped here, boxed in by glass and light? Just like him, he realized.
He didn't belong here either.
...
Neo lay on the soft mattress, eyes closed, resting. Saburo Arasaka's convoy wouldn't return to the penthouse until after midnight — still hours away. Better to conserve his energy, maybe even catch a nap.
Rebecca rested beside him, chin on her hands, quietly watching his face. Maybe it was the fact they were sharing the same bed, but for once, the loudmouthed, trigger-happy girl had gone perfectly still.
She studied Neo's profile — that sharp jawline, unmarked by any cybernetic seams. Pure, natural, human.
It was… handsome.
"Like what you see?"
Neo spoke without opening his eyes.
Rebecca's face flared crimson. She whipped her gaze away and muttered, "I wasn't looking at you! Don't get the wrong idea!"
Neo's voice stayed calm. "I didn't ask why you were looking. I asked if it looked good."
"You m— meow!!"
The insult almost slipped out, but halfway through she swallowed the last word, replacing it with a high-pitched meow. If it had been anyone else, she'd have finished the sentence. But not him.
Neo chuckled, a small smirk curling at his lips, and reached out to ruffle her hair.
...
Meanwhile, above Watson District, near the abandoned docks of Ebunike, the air was thick with oil and rust.
This was where the legend lived — the Terminator of Night City, Adam Smasher.
His armory and his lair both sat aboard a gutted freighter beached years ago.
Adam Smasher was, in every sense, a monster born of decay. Once, he'd been a nameless thug from New York, a gang rat scraping by in the gutters. When his crew got wiped, he enlisted in the army. Years of violence later, he was kicked out for misconduct.
After that, he became a hired gun — brutal, efficient, and utterly unhinged. He loved it. The pay was good, the carnage better. His life became an endless cycle of guns, drugs, and blood.
Until one job blew him to pieces. Literally.
A few rockets turned him into minced meat. His crew scraped what was left into a bag and dragged it back to New York.
Then came the offer. A mysterious corporate benefactor promised him two options: serve Arasaka as a full-borg, or die for good.
As if losing his humanity ever mattered to him.
Seven years later, the cyber-monster reborn as Adam Smasher carved his legend across the East Coast. No job was too dirty, no kill too messy — as long as he got to break, burn, and butcher.
For years, his mysterious patron let him live freely, a mercenary unleashed. But war changed that.
Now, Adam Smasher served one master only — Arasaka. Their will was his law.
Inside the creaking metal hold of the ship, a voice crackled through the comms.
"Adam. We've got a job."
"SSS-class emergency order, straight from Arasaka Security."
"Lord Saburo Arasaka has arrived in Night City."
"Your orders are to move to Konpeki Plaza immediately. Await further command."
The legend stirred, gears humming in the dark.
A red optic lens flickered to life.