Jotaro's face was gloomy, and he remained silent.
They were all a bunch of faithless traitors.
That guy Bukit is probably ecstatic seeing me fail.
Eating? It was nothing but an excuse.
Bukit wanted to watch me die. As long as my elite forces died in the encirclement, the position of Tyger Claws Boss would naturally fall to Bukit.
The Gourmet's men had disappeared, nowhere to be seen.
There was only one path left for seeking help.
"Swordmaster" Kirekawa Yoshiteru.
"I am Jotaro. Senior Yoshiteru, please, I beg you, send reinforcements."
"..."
"Idiot. To fight a war like this, it's like child's play."
Yoshiteru didn't have cyberware installed, so he could only hear the other party's voice, but based on the sound alone, the contempt and disregard were obvious.
Jotaro felt hatred in his heart.
If he were the Tyger Claws Boss, how could he be facing such a dangerous situation?
It was all the fault of Bukit and his men for Obeying Orders But Not Declarations.
Yoshiteru also felt hatred.
Just a guy who was outdated and didn't even have cyberware, how dare he speak to him in such a tone?
But there was no choice.
For the sake of victory, he had to temporarily lie low.
"Please, Mr. Yoshiteru."
"..."
"Fine, I understand. Now scram."
Jotaro punched the floor-to-ceiling window glass, his face filled with resentment.
Such humiliation.
He would repay this old man sooner or later.
At the same time, Jotaro recalled his contingency plan.
When a lion hunts a rabbit, it still uses its full strength.
Although he hadn't taken The Hive seriously at first, Jotaro had prepared a fatal move against this small organization.
He originally did not want to use this risky move.
Because once his contingency plan was activated, it would definitely draw public criticism in Night City.
But now, he couldn't afford to worry about that.
Hardening his resolve, Jotaro dialed the phone.
"avs, deploy now."
"Target: The Hive's stronghold."
After Jotaro finished speaking, his brows furrowed. His subordinate in the video call looked unnatural, as if he were being coerced.
Before he could think further, a familiar voice emerged.
"So that's it. This is your plan, Jotaro."
This hoarse, cloth-tearing voice belonged to the Gourmet.
Behind the subordinate, the Gourmet, whose upper body was wrapped in bandages, stepped out.
How could Jotaro not be surprised that the Gourmet, who had been missing for half a day, appeared here, among his most secretive contingency unit?
"No need to be so surprised, Jotaro. Did you think your little tricks could deceive me, a fellow member of the Tyger Claws?"
"Vicious and cunning. I must say, I quite like this plan of yours."
"But unfortunately, it belongs to me now."
Covering the mouth of Jotaro's subordinate, a Mantis Blades pierced through his chest. Blood spurted out, and his body convulsed as if electrocuted.
With the death of the owner, the video call instantly disconnected.
"Damn that Gourmet!"
Cursing furiously, Jotaro's face turned pale, his body swayed, and he nearly fell to the floor.
He hadn't expected the Gourmet to be waiting for him here.
At this point, the war had completely spiraled out of his control.
"Hmm... tough life, isn't it?"
Misfortunes never come singly.
The sudden unfamiliar voice behind him sent a chill down Jotaro's spine.
He violently spun his head around, just in time to see a guy wearing a black military vest slowly taking down the last guard in the room.
Blood flowed from between his fingers, and the guard's widened eyes stared in horror at the ceiling.
Who was this man? How could he have appeared here so silently!?
Thoughts flashed like lightning through Jotaro's mind.
But no matter who the other party was, they were definitely trouble.
Jotaro, using the mindset of a Tyger Claws executive, quickly spoke up.
"No matter who sent you, I'll pay triple the price."
Silently eliminating all the guards right under his nose—such methods were definitely beyond his ability to counter. Jotaro immediately chose the safest method: bribery.
"Heh heh, you're quite clever."
Johnny shook the blood from his hand and couldn't help but laugh.
"Too bad, I'm not that kind of guy."
Ignoring Jotaro's astonished look, Johnny continued.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're Jotaro, the one who upholds justice."
"Which means, if I take you down, this war ends."
"Wait, wait, think this through, taking me down won't do you any good. If you let me go, I'll give you as much money as you want. Or, for your own safety, think about it: if you kill me, the Tyger Claws will definitely not let you off!"
Seeing the other party about to make a move, completely unmoved, Jotaro quickly raised his hands, urgently increasing his offer, his face full of anxiety.
He didn't really expect to bribe the other party, but at least he could buy some more time.
"..."
Whether he genuinely didn't care or saw through Jotaro's little trick to buy time, Johnny's expression didn't change as he raised his pistol and fired.
"Bang! Bang!"
Under the gun's fire, Jotaro only had time to let out a roar before diving towards a nearby office desk.
The bullets struck the ground, turning the scattered documents into a flurry of paper flowers.
Johnny took two steps forward but frowned; Jotaro was not behind the desk.
Did the other party vanish into thin air?
Of course not.
Though he couldn't see him, Johnny's motion detector clearly showed his presence.
He suddenly swept his leg out, hitting a blurry figure in the air, which flew backward with a thud.
Jotaro's figure materialized in the air.
It was optical camouflage.
But even with his optical camouflage broken, Jotaro, bleeding from his mouth, was smiling.
"Haha, this is the direction I'm escaping in, didn't expect that, did you!"
Jotaro crashed to the ground, pain lancing through him, but his position relative to Johnny had changed.
He was now closer to the door.
Jotaro said nothing more, scrambling and crawling towards the door.
That ordinary electronic door now seemed like a gateway to paradise, a way out of hell, in his eyes.
"Just get there, just get there..."
Jotaro gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, his bloodshot eyes wide open.
"What the hell is this guy doing?"
Is this person an idiot, thinking he can be faster than a bullet?
Johnny frowned at the other party's pathetic state, finding it somewhat inexplicable.
But his hands weren't slow; he raised his arm, pulled the trigger, and bullets flew from the barrel.
"Bang! Bang!"
Two shots fired simultaneously.
Jotaro immediately cried out in pain, blood gushing forth.
One bullet struck his upper arm, the gunpowder propulsion tearing through the flesh, and a mangled, still twitching arm instantly fell away.
The other bullet flew straight towards Jotaro's head; if it hit, the kid would surely die.
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