BANG!
Elizabeth kicked open the door to a private room, her face dark with fury. Three Tyger Claws inside turned their heads at once.
"Well, well~ look who it is—our big boss, Elizabeth."
One of them laughed twice and gave a mocking whistle before swaggering over to her, reaching a hand toward her waist.
Elizabeth suddenly seized his wrist, meeting his gaze coldly.
"Was it you?"
"Ha! Don't blame us, Miss Elizabeth. Your girls are just too green—not much fun, you know? Right, boys?"
The man sneered arrogantly and glanced back at his companions.
"Yeah, hahaha! How about you join us instead, Miss Elizabeth? You used to work the same line, didn't you?"
"Exactly! Come on, boss, show us a good time."
The two stepped forward, surrounding her.
"So... you really didn't care about Kia at all, huh?"
Elizabeth's voice was calm—eerily so. Her tone made it impossible to read her intent, but the three gang members, high on adrenaline, clearly didn't care.
"Just a sex doll. Night City's full of that kind of trash. What's the big deal?"
The first man waved impatiently, as if the mention of Kia's name annoyed him.
BANG!
"Argh!!"
Suddenly, a sharp pain at his nose made him freeze. He reached up to his face, feeling something wet and sticky before his expression twisted into rage.
"You bitch! You actually hit me?!"
With a mechanical click, a Mantis Blade sprang from his forearm, slicing toward Elizabeth's neck. The two others watched with excitement.
BOOM!
Before the blade could reach her, a deafening gunshot rang out. The man's head exploded like a watermelon, splattering red and white across the room.
The remaining two froze, realizing something was very wrong. They rushed forward, trying to grab a hostage.
Elizabeth swung her axe in one fluid motion, cleaving the nearest man's skull open. The last Tyger Claw was met by a heavy baseball bat.
A dull thud echoed—he dropped, unconscious.
"Boss, what now?"
Licky rested the bloodied bat on her shoulder, glancing over.
"Hand that bastard over to the girls. Let them deal with him however they want. Then hang all three of them by the door—let everyone see we're not to be messed with."
Elizabeth took a slow drag of her cigarette, her eyes glinting with cold resolve.
"Got it."
Licky nodded and motioned for others to move the bodies.
"Boss... these guys are Tyger Claws…"
Bonnie standing nearby, spoke hesitantly, worry written all over her face.
Elizabeth paused, the weight of it flickering in her eyes, but she steadied her tone.
"We've already killed their men. There's no turning back now."
She met Bonnie's gaze firmly.
"But I won't let our girls die for nothing. Go tell everyone—those who don't want to stay and fight the Tyger Claws can leave right now."
Meanwhile, the gunshot had drawn attention from the patrons in the main hall. Whispers rose as people craned their necks—only to see three Tyger Claws corpses being dragged out by Licky and her crew.
Silence fell instantly. Faces went pale. Within minutes, customers settled their tabs and rushed out of Lizzie's Bar.
After all... these were Tyger Claws. And the Tyger Claws always avenged their own.
"What a waste of a good bar…"
"Yeah. Looks like we'll need to find a new place to drink."
Several patrons shook their heads, already moving toward the exit. Helping out? Not a chance. It was just a bar—there would always be another.
"Everyone, I apologize for the trouble tonight. Drinks are on the house. Please, leave safely."
Elizabeth composed herself and addressed the room.
The remaining guests exchanged looks but said nothing. Soon, only the staff remained inside Lizzie's Bar.
"You've all seen what happened. I'll be straight with you—if anyone wants to leave, step forward now."
Elizabeth took a deep breath, scanning the faces before her.
"I won't blame you. What I'm doing is for the sex dolls, but I don't want to drag anyone down with me. So if you want to walk away, do it now—I won't hold it against you."
At her words, a few sex dolls lowered their heads and stepped forward.
"You?!" Licky shouted angrily.
"Enough."
Elizabeth stopped her, her expression softening as she approached the group. A faint orange light flickered in her eyes, and a sum of money transferred into their accounts.
"I hope you can live well out there. Goodbye, girls."
"...Goodbye, boss."
They pressed their lips together, bowed deeply, and walked out of Lizzie's Bar.
Roland watched the scene through his screen, clicking his tongue in admiration. No wonder she was the spiritual leader of The Mox—she truly had charisma.
But it wasn't time for him to act yet. He didn't want to push the Tyger Claws too far. Retaliation against Lizzie's Bar was inevitable—but he could only save Elizabeth.
As for the rest... Roland knew the Tyger Claws would need somewhere to vent their rage.
Simply put, he wasn't strong enough yet. Provoking them too hard would cost more than it was worth. If he wanted to climb to the top of Night City, he had to make sacrifices.
"Hmm... wonder how much Essence I'll earn from this. Hopefully enough. Not enough to buy the whole Ascension yet, but maybe at least some components…"
Meanwhile, the Tyger Claws had noticed something wrong—the sudden disappearance of three men. Moments later, word from Lizzie's Bar reached their higher-ups.
In an instant, the Tyger Claws were furious.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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