"How'd it go with Dino today? Did he have a job for us?"
"Some corpo dog drama. Pretty tangled stuff."
Karl walked down a Night City street, speaking through the squad channel. "Honestly, it's messy as hell. I'm not really interested. But if any of you are, go for it."
"What kind of job?"
Mission junkie and Night City's infamous killer, V, replied immediately—unsurprisingly eager as ever for another mess to dive into.
Sigh. "Like I said, it's messy and roundabout. But since you're interested, V, I'll explain."
Karl paused for a moment to find the right words, then continued over the squad channel:
"Basically, a corpo climbed the ladder through office politics—got rid of a colleague to secure a promotion. But to clean up loose ends, he sent people to wipe out the colleague's family too. One of the operatives he sent turned traitor—turns out the victim's daughter was his childhood sweetheart. So the guy killed the rest of the cleanup crew, ran off with the girl, and emptied the dead corpo's off-shore accounts. Gave the whole stash to Dino. He couldn't get revenge himself, so he's hoping Dino will find someone to deliver justice."
"What the hell kind of plot is that?"
Oliver sounded baffled. "Feels like some high-drama braindance. Cold killer haunted by love, betrays his employer, kills the boss, gets redemption from his girl, they start a new life... and then the sequel drops. Marriage falls apart in act one, and he's back on the road again."
"How many weird-ass BDs have you watched, Oliver? You sound like an expert."
Jack chuckled. "Not that I'm one to talk. I saw something like this once—rival gang prince and princess falling for each other. Misty made me watch it. What was it called? Romeo and Juliet?"
"I'm pretty sure Romeo and Juliet isn't a gang story."
Karl sighed. "So… anyone want the job? I'm passing. Sounds like a headache. But Dino's paying with a new car. Not sure about the specs—I dropped them in the squad channel. Check it out if you're interested."
"A car?!"
Suddenly, the tone in the squad chat shifted—everyone perked up. Oliver, Jack, V… not one of them could resist when it came to vehicles.
…
Seeing how excited they were, Karl paused and put the pieces together.
No wonder Dino offered a new ride. He knew that even if Karl wasn't interested, the rest of the squad would be. Damn fixers… always know how to bait a crew.
Fine.
Let them have their fun.
Tuning out the ongoing chatter about cars, Karl kept his eyes on the passing crowd. And the moment his gaze swept over them, something strange happened—he could instantly pinpoint every person's blind spots and vulnerabilities.
That guy on the left—slight limp. Old injury. Easy to flank from the right and go for the throat when he fails to shift his weight.
Guy on the right—hand hovering near his waist. Definitely ex-mil or security, ready to draw fast. But his elbow's too wide—Karl could beat him to the draw and go straight for the heart.
Streams of data flooded Karl's mind. No dizziness. No lag.
On the contrary, it felt natural. His mind had fully adapted to the new neural port. His scanning pace slowed. His gaze, now steady, radiated calm control.
One second.
Karl stepped forward.
That's all he'd need—to clear the entire street.
Shrrrrp—
Around him, people on the street shuddered involuntarily. Some froze mid-step, glancing around in confusion.
Nothing out of place.
Just a weird feeling in the air... a phantom threat.
Hearts tightened—then slowly eased as they saw nothing. Karl had already reached the intersection.
Parked there was a sleek Herrera Outlaw GTS, top-tier luxury straight out of Spain.
In the back seat, a girl with decent looks waved at him.
"Karl, over here."
"Maki."
He walked up casually. The door opened automatically, and he slid into the back seat. A glance at the front confirmed it—auto-pilot mode.
As the door shut behind him, Karl let his facial disguise drop. Watching Maki scoot a bit further away, he asked with some curiosity, "Maki, how'd you recognize me this time?"
"Just a feeling."
"Your instincts are amazing. That's practically a superpower."
Karl shook his head. "So what's the plan for today? Rare day off from the academy, right? Want to grab a bite? Go shopping?"
"You sound way too smooth, Karl. Do you hang out with girls often?"
"Nope. You're the first one I've gone out with solo since arriving in Night City. As for meals… I've had a few with others."
"Got it."
Maki nodded, half understanding. "Today I need your help picking out some new optics. Gotta get my cyber-eyes serviced. I want a second opinion on what looks good."
"What looks good?"
Karl stared into her violet irises. "Honestly, your current eyes are beautiful."
"Really? Then maybe I'll get the same model again."
As she said it, Maki did something that made Karl's eyes widen in shock.
She tapped the sides of her eyes—
Pop.
One of her cyber-eyes came right out.
"Want a closer look at the model?"
Maki casually held it out toward him.
"Hold up."
Karl had a thousand things to say—but forced himself to ask the most important one first.
Staring at the synthetic eye in her hand, he asked, "Aren't these things supposed to be connected through ports to your optic nerves and everything? You can just yank them out like that?!"
"I use the kind with detachable ports."
Maki was completely unfazed.
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