"Pant… pant… pant!"
In a dim room, a man with a cartoon-like mask projected across his face was sprinting in panic, terror written all over him as the lights behind him flickered erratically.
Blood coated the walls, and pieces of Cyberware—still attached to torn flesh—were scattered across the operating table.
This Scavenger, once a butcher himself, was now nothing more than meat on someone else's chopping block.
Suddenly, the screams echoing from deep down the hallway stopped dead.
He froze, held his breath, stared behind him, and slowly backed away.
"Another lost soul… sleep now, sleep..."
Buzz—
"AAAH!!!"
Pyke pulled his blade from the man's chest and turned to leave.
Hidden in a dark corner, another Scavenger covered his own mouth tightly. When Pyke's silhouette vanished into the shadows, he finally let out a relieved breath.
Swish—
A crimson-glowing harpoon shot out of the darkness, piercing straight through his chest. A violent force pulled through the chain, dragging him into the darkness with a final scream.
Only then did Pyke truly depart, giving a brief glance toward the entrance as he walked away.
After he left, a head cautiously peeked in—Jackie Welles.
"Damn… this guy's a straight-up kill machine, huh…"
Jackie clicked his tongue at the scene, carefully stepping over severed limbs as he made his way to where the Scavengers kept their "meat cattle"—yes, that was the word they used for captured people.
"Hope that guy didn't take out everyone in here too…"
But the moment Jackie stepped inside, his expression darkened. Several victims had had their throats slit clean, likely killed moments before.
With a sigh, he covered the bodies with a black cloth, then searched for the target he was supposed to extract. He finally found the marked individual curled in a corner—still intact, save for a few minor injuries.
"Phew… good thing he's fine. Otherwise this Gig would've gone straight down the drain…"
"Looks like that one's your target."
Bang!
Without hesitation, the instant the voice rang out, Jackie spun, drew his pistol, and fired behind him, all in one motion. He twisted down low and slid into cover.
"You really are cautious. But I'm not here to cause trouble. No need to be so jumpy."
Hearing the voice again, Jackie used the moment to get a look at the figure.
It was Jhin—already infamous across Night City. With just a slight shift, he had avoided Jackie's shot entirely.
He stepped into view and leaned casually against the doorframe.
"Well now… didn't expect someone like you to come looking for me."
Jackie lowered his weapon and stepped out from behind the table he'd used for cover. His hand remained on the gun; even if he couldn't beat this guy, he wasn't planning to die without fighting back.
"Just coincidence. I didn't come here for you specifically."
Jhin twirled Whisper in his hand and smiled.
He'd spotted Pyke on his way back and followed him out of curiosity—only to stumble into this situation.
"Since that's the case, I'll be heading out then."
"Be my guest."
Jhin made an inviting gesture with his hand.
"Didn't expect you to be so decisive… ending their suffering."
"…What's that supposed to mean?"
"Take a guess. People who survive this long on Scavenger turf—what do you think they're used for?"
Jhin let out a low chuckle as his facial projection flickered. A contact ID popped into Jackie's account.
"You're interesting. If the chance comes, maybe we'll work together."
"I don't think we'd get along, but… thanks anyway."
Jackie shook his head, picked up his target, and left.
Once he was gone, Jhin glanced at the carnage, sighed, and tossed a Man's Dance grenade.
BOOM!
A burst of flame bloomed, and a crimson rose unfurled in the air.
"May you find eternity in art."
...
Lucy flipped through the data on her computer, fatigue creeping in—but watching her savings grow made her happier than anything.
It meant she was one step closer to her dream.
After wrapping up her Gig and organizing the earnings, a thought suddenly surfaced.
If she had accepted Roland's invitation back then… could she have used it to get a ticket to the moon?
A faintly mocking smile appeared on her face.
"Honestly… if it comes from someone else's charity, how could that ever count as fulfilling my own dream…"
Shaking the idea from her head, Lucy went back to reading intel and reports.
But she soon closed them again, frowning as a new problem came to mind.
Should she find people to team up with?
These days she only took simple gigs or netrunner-focused ones.
But she refused high-paying deep dive jobs—for reasons she didn't want to revisit.
Meaning she couldn't touch the commissions that relied on specialized netrunning, no matter how profitable they were.
Which led her to consider joining an outcast squad. Working with a team could speed up her earnings.
"Maybe I should check out a few places…"
Lucy rubbed her eyes and finally made up her mind. After finishing her work, she'd visit bars where edge-runners gathered and observe—maybe meet someone she could collaborate with.
Working together was the best way to evaluate people. But the risks were just as high.
...
"Elizabeth, I did pretty great on this job, right? Think maybe the reward could get a teensy bit of a bonus?"
Pilar pushed up his glasses, winking exaggeratedly at Elizabeth while rubbing his two cyber-enhanced metal arms together suggestively.
Elizabeth chuckled. "I get it. I'll consider it. Oh—and I heard your sister's been taking Gigs with you lately?"
"That girl begged to go. I couldn't stop her, so I just take her along and make sure she stays safe."
Pilar let out a helpless sigh.
"So… have you thought about finding someone to collaborate with?"
Elizabeth rested a hand on her knee and smiled.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser