After taking down the Scavengers in front of her, Lucy left immediately. She knew she couldn't stay—sooner or later, the scene would draw attention.
Meanwhile, the The Mox member who'd been secretly watching her was completely stunned. She hadn't expected a girl this young to have such high-level netrunner abilities.
For a moment she didn't even dare approach, terrified Lucy might mistake her for an accomplice and fry her brain along with the Scavs.
She hesitated for a long while, finally gritted her teeth, and decided to follow. But the moment she looked up, the figure that had been just ahead of her was already gone.
As she anxiously scanned her surroundings, a voice suddenly came from behind.
"Hey, were you looking for me?"
The Mox member froze. She turned around with an awkward smile—and there was Lucy, standing right behind her, orange light gleaming in her eyes.
"W-wait, wait! I mean no harm! I'm not with those Scavengers!"
She quickly raised both hands in a placating gesture. Getting killed by a little girl today was not on her to-do list.
"Oh? Then tell me—who are you really?"
Lucy looked her over with a teasing glint, one eyebrow lifting.
"I'm with The Mox. I just didn't feel comfortable seeing you wandering around alone… you're still just a kid."
The Mox?
Lucy frowned at the name. As for the woman's explanation—she didn't believe a word of it. After what happened at the company and after years living on the run, she didn't trust anyone easily.
But The Mox itself… Lucy's feelings were complicated. She knew it was a newly formed gang, but its ideology was something she genuinely respected.
Judging by the woman's clothes and tattoos, she really was part of that group.
"…You're lying. Tell me the truth, and then you can leave."
Lucy lifted her head, locking eyes with the woman. The orange glow in her pupils intensified.
Cold sweat slid down the woman's cheek. After hesitating for a moment, she finally told Lucy everything.
Once she left, Lucy immediately ran back to the Scavenger corpses. She stripped a coat off one of them, threw it on, and slipped away without a trace.
From that woman's words, she learned The Mox had recently been searching for young girls wandering the streets of Night City.
Lucy didn't know what they were after. Maybe they meant well. Maybe they didn't. Either way, she wasn't about to get involved.
If they meant well… kindness from strangers only made her uncomfortable. She hadn't met people like that in her entire life.
If they meant harm, then accepting that risk would be even more foolish.
So she chose to avoid them, putting as much distance between herself and their territory as possible. After some thought, she figured the best places for her right now were probably Heywood or Westbrook.
Westbrook might be Tyger Claws turf, but Arasaka's clearly didn't know she had escaped here. And not everyone in Tyger Claws worked for Arasaka's.
From the chips she'd lifted, she also learned about a well-known Fixer in Japantown—someone deeply connected with the Tyger Claws and not exactly on friendly terms with Arasaka's.
But what kind of person he really was… she would have to find that out herself.
...
Elizabeth looked at the The Mox member standing before her, head bowed, and sighed. At least she hadn't directly stated they were searching for Lucy—otherwise, Lucy would probably avoid their territory entirely.
"Netrunning skills, huh…"
Elizabeth's gaze shifted slightly. She had originally thought that was just an excuse Roland made up… but it turned out to be true. Judging from this, Lucy's identity definitely wasn't simple.
So young, yet so skilled, wary of strangers, wandering alone…
Elizabeth couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for her.
Roland had also received Elizabeth's message, but he didn't have time to deal with this right now. His priority was handling Hasaka.
He'd already sent people ahead to Agas City to establish a branch. He'd planned to negotiate with Hasaka before bringing them in, but the man turned out to be a snake.
Still, it didn't really matter now.
He'd just have to deal with Hasaka himself.
There weren't any suitable operatives in Agas he could deploy. The Imperial Guard robots and Night Owl robots made too much noise. So he planned to go in personally and give Hasaka a taste of PROJECT-level black tech.
Night had fallen. Parts of Agas City were already in darkness, while the busiest districts still blazed with light.
After finishing some paperwork, Hasaka left City Hall to head home, leaving the rest of the documents to his secretary.
As his vehicle drove through a scenic area, a manor slowly came into view.
"This PROJECT Corporation is pretty capable. Shame they chose the wrong target."
Hasaka shook his head with a small laugh and set aside the PROJECT Corporation dossier. It stated they had formed partnerships with Night Corp, Kang Tao, Arasaka's, Trauma Team, and more.
He had to admit—they clearly had high-level technology. But… it didn't matter.
They had money. They could always buy weapons of equal or better quality.
Not far away, Roland stood with a squad of Night Owl robots, watching Hasaka enter the manor. He slowly put on Light's exoskeleton helmet and had the Night Owls mark every security force and personnel placement on the map.
Once he understood the layout, he drew the Source Energy Katana from his backpack—where it had been gathering dust.
His electronic blood surged to life, and a coded incantation slipped from his lips.
He needed to wrap things up in Agas City quickly. The growth of his company—and the liberation of humanity—couldn't wait any longer.
Buzz—
A streak of orange light tore through the air, followed by a blinding flash.
In the blink of an eye, every security unit in Hasaka Manor was wiped out, leaving only mangled remains. Each one bore a single, terrifying slash.
"You—who are you?! How did you get into my house?! Security! Security!!"
Hasaka collapsed to the floor in terror, staring at Roland in shock.
Roland stood with his back to him, the Source Energy Katana angled toward the ground. He tilted his head, glanced at Hasaka, then gripped the hilt with both hands and sliced downward in a diagonal arc. The figure was split cleanly in two.
He glanced at the sparking robot remains on the ground and drove his blade into the chip to finish the job. Only then did he walk toward Hasaka.
He had to admit—thankfully the manor used only security robots. If humans had been present, forging human biometric signals would've been troublesome. Robot signals were much easier to spoof.
"It feels like forever since our last meeting, Mayor Hasaka."