Chapter 2 — Dogtown
"News Channel 54 reporting—"
"We have breaking news. A Dogtown weapons transport convoy was ambushed in the Badlands by unidentified attackers."
"Casualty numbers remain unconfirmed. The surrounding zone has been secured by forces deployed by Colonel Kurt Hansen. Unfortunately, our reporters have not yet reached the ambitious commander for comment."
"For continuing updates—"
Seno slammed the switch and killed the radio, his expression darkening immediately.
Compared to Seno's gloom, Rox was still confused and trying to grasp this world.
Not a street rat.
Not a Corpo grunt.
So how the hell did he end up serving in Dogtown?
Still, it could've been worse.
At least he wasn't dead during that ambush.
It was 2075. The dust of the Fourth Corporate War had barely settled. Militech and Arasaka were licking their wounds. The NUSA government reclaimed Night City, leaving Dogtown stuck as a war-scarred border zone under Hansen's iron rule.
Legends of this world—David, Maine, Rebecca—were still writing their futures.
Rox opened his system panel again, his mood sinking.
Weak.
That was the only word to describe himself.
His chrome was low-grade, scavenged secondhand junk. His stats were trash. His bank balance worse than trash—barely enough to buy cheap stims mixed with painkillers or gamble with old-timers in the barracks.
Where to go? What to do? How to survive?
His head was still spinning.
Reborn only hours ago, and he'd already been slapped in the face by Night City's brutality.
There was only one real option: go back to Dogtown and report.
He couldn't just walk up to Rebecca, Maine, or the Edgerunners and say "Hey, take me with you."
His heart still raced from the fight.
The moment he yelled for Seno to grab the supplies wasn't heroism—it was leftover instinct and fear from the original owner's memories.
Hansen.
The man was brutal, manipulative, and dangerously smart. His punishment system was clear—rewards generous, punishments horrifying. You didn't want to be on the wrong end of him.
Suddenly, a notification popped up:
> [Character: Rebecca] Affection Updated]
[Affection: 0 — You've caught her attention. Good luck.]
[Reward Obtained: +2 Reflex]
Rox blinked, expecting a surge of power—but instead only felt lighter in the head and steadier in his grip on the rifle.
Better than nothing.
SCREEEECH—!
The car skidded violently.
"Shit! Bro, we can't go back."
Seno slammed the brakes so hard that Rox almost smashed into the dashboard.
"I don't even want to think about what Hansen's gonna do to us," Seno growled.
Rox frowned.
Could Hansen really be that terrifying?
Seno lit a cigarette with trembling fingers. His injured arm shook uncontrollably.
"Come with me, buddy," Rox spoke slowly. "Running won't help. Hansen's reach is all over Night City. NCPD works for him half the time. Where do you think you'll go? Unless you flee to the New United States."
Going back… was the only path that didn't end messy.
Running now would make them look guilty—like informants who sold intel to Edgerunners.
"NCPD?" Seno snorted weakly. "Yeah, right. I'm done working for Hansen. What about you, brother?"
Rox noticed Seno's hand slipping toward the pistol at his waist.
Rox's grip tightened around his rifle barrel.
The moment froze.
The cigarette burned to the filter.
Smoke drifted between them.
"Alright," Rox said calmly. "Go. I'll say I never saw you."
He forced a smile.
A life debt is a life debt. Everyone has their own path.
And Rox had a reason to return.
The development panel lit up:
> [Character: Kurt Hansen]
[Affiliation: Dogtown]
[Affection: 0 — You really don't want to see him with this score.]
[Development Potential: Very High]
[Stage Reward: Report to Hansen. Gain access to legendary figures. All stats +1.]
Seno's tense shoulders loosened. He exhaled, tossed the cigarette, and stepped out of the vehicle—still watching Rox carefully to avoid getting shot in the back.
"Take these gloves, buddy," he called. "Factory originals. Durable and grippy."
Then he limped away down the alley, vanishing around a corner.
Rox held the bloodstained gloves and sighed.
Neither path was safe—but Dogtown didn't seem hopeless.
Hansen was cruel, but he didn't destroy loyal soldiers.
As long as you didn't betray him.
The car rumbled forward through Taipingzhou's trash-strewn streets toward the Dogtown checkpoint.
"Submit for inspection."
A soldier in an external mech stepped forward. Behind him, security shutters opened—layers of laser scanners humming to life.
Rox exposed his neck connector. The soldier plugged in to read his neural ID.
"So the unlucky idiots from this morning were you?" the man sneered. "Colonel Hansen's waiting for you. You're the third one crawling back today."
Rox forced a bitter smile and went through biometric checks.
"Hurry the hell up! You blocking the driveway or waiting for a wash?" a guard barked.
Typical Dogtown hospitality.
At last, they reached Sapphire Blue, one of the few luxury structures in the district—Hansen's fortress, jutting like a blade into Night City.
Soldiers confiscated Rox's weapons, shoving him forward.
A heavy hand slammed down on his shoulder.
"Hey, Rox. Eyes open."
A soldier with tattoos covering his back and face murmured advice before Rox was pushed into the elevator.
---
Twisted Street — Edgerunners Safehouse
"Maine, did you even hear me?"
Rebecca kicked her legs up on the table, scowling.
"You're telling me that Ghost Hound kid knew your name? Seriously?" Maine rubbed his temples.
"We agreed this job was top-secret!" Rebecca snapped. "And now those Ghost Hound morons are yelling my name like it's a damn joke! Calling me a brat—"
Her brother Pilar waved his hands dramatically.
"I thought this gig was as simple as loading grenades! Now everyone knows her name! Hey, I know you—you're that chick I picked up at the bar!"
Maine's eye twitched.
The fixer wasn't going to clean this mess.
This fallout was theirs.
He turned toward the girl leaning in the corner—arms crossed, holographic glasses flickering.
"What's your read, Sasha?"
Sasha Yakovleva, netrunner, popped a pink pixel heart emoji as she dismissed her hud. A perfect match for her neon-punk vibe.
She tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear.
"Dogtown's nasty," she said flatly.
"But leave it to me. Let's see what big-name Dogtown dog we ran into."