Even without wearing the cyberware suit, Vash could still call on Friday for support. That alone was a huge plus.
「Mr. Vash, all electronic devices within a two-kilometer radius have been infiltrated. Perhaps you require several extra-large LCD monitors.」
"I can handle that." Vash said, heading down from the rooftop into the floor below.
The top floor was one big open space — no partitions, no useless walls. Perfect for stacking surveillance gear, storing weapons, and building a private little war room.
"Friday." Vash said, glancing around, "These three floors and the rooftop are your domain. You know what to do."
「Friday is at your service.」
Once the basics were settled, Vash called Judy. If anyone in Night City knew where to find high-end computer equipment — quietly — it would be a braindance editor.
"V, it's rare for you to call me first." Judy said, half-joking.
After a few runs of PUB… ahem, Island of Doom… together, they'd gotten closer. She wasn't cold anymore. She could even tease.
"Judy, its business." Vash said, "I moved to a new place and I need computer equipment. Looks don't matter, but performance has to be top-notch. You got any connections?"
Judy: "V… you're a merc like Jackie, yeah? You work through fixers. What do you need computers for — monitor your heart rate?"
She wasn't icy anymore — but she was very good at getting under someone's skin.
Vash: "I've got my uses. You wouldn't refuse over something this small, would you?"
Judy: "No need to make it complicated. I just retired a batch of equipment — wiped clean, no usage traces, no BD editing functions. You can have it. Just come pick it up next time you're here."
"That's perfect." Vash said.
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Once he hung up, the living situation was more or less sorted.
But shelter was only the first problem. Then came the environment.
Watson was Maelstrom territory. Those cyberpsycho lunatics could restrain themselves inside corporate zones — sometimes. Everywhere else, they bared their fangs. They'd massacre people just to test new chrome.
Sunshine Estate sat right in the kind of lawless gap where nobody answered calls and nobody came running. If Vash didn't want to be disturbed, he needed sharper teeth.
Right now, the Mark L Cyberware Suit looked flashy, but functionally it was still closer to an absurdly advanced armored shell — bulletproof, impact-proof, flight-capable.
To truly boost combat power, he needed modules: Cyberware.
He could go to Viktor, but that meant two things: paying through the nose and letting someone cut him open.
And Vash had a better option. With the system's rules — and the suit's design — he could integrate cyberware directly into the armor. No surgery, no scars, and if he played it right… No cost.
Vash sat up on the bed, eyes narrowing.
When he'd cleared Cyberpunk 2077 before, he'd learned the city's little secrets — bug spots, hidden caches, locations where legendary components could be picked up like the world had forgotten to lock the door.
He knew exactly where to find top-tier Mantis Blades and Monowire.
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He returned to the rooftop.
Cold wind snapped at his clothes and dragged at his breath. Night City's skyline glowed in the distance, arrogant and indifferent.
Vash lifted a hand and double-tapped the triangular pendant at his chest. Activation!
Nanites poured out like liquid metal — mercury spilling and climbing, wrapping his body in a perfect, seamless layer. Plates formed. Locked. Sealed. The Iron Man Mark L assembled around him in seconds.
His vision darkened for a heartbeat, then snapped back — clearer than before. Inside the suit, his field of view was the same… except now it was layered with data panels and targeting grids. Wherever he looked, he could pull analysis: composition, density, stress points.
He flexed his fingers and the suit answered like it was his own body.
"Friday." Vash said, "Locate Heywood."
「Searching Night City — Heywood sector. Planning optimal flight route. All detection methods along Mr. Vash's path have been successfully shielded.」
"Well done." Vash said.
He crouched slightly… then launched!
Propulsion flames burst from his palms and feet, and he shot upward like a missile. The Mark L's flight was insane — clean acceleration that shoved the city downward in an instant.
He rose past the altitude where normal aerocars cruised. Up here were only gray clouds… and the distant, patient eyes of corporate surveillance. Control satellites from Arasaka, Militech and other companies who'd built their fortunes on watching.
Friday threaded him through their lines of sight like he wasn't even there. Vash was smart enough not to poke that hornet's nest yet.
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Three minutes later, he'd crossed half of Night City and arrived above Heywood.
The Valentinos controlled this turf — Jackie's old gang. Vash had no interest in clashing with them, so he stayed high and scanned the district from above.
「Mr. Vash, based on your parameters, three locations match the target conditions. Further comparison in progress… Comparison successful!」
Friday's algorithms tightened the search and pinned the Mantis Blades' location.
Vash didn't waste a word. He angled down and flew straight for the destination.
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T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
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That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)