The night air of Night City carried the scent of neon lights, cheap alcohol, and distant engine smoke.
Evelyn Shaw leaned against the railing of the rooftop bar, finishing the last sip of the drink in her hand. Her movements were slightly unsteady now. The alcohol had finally begun to take effect.
She tilted her head back, staring at the glowing skyscrapers of Corpo Plaza in the distance.
Then she casually tossed the empty bottle into a nearby trash can.
Clink.
The bottle landed perfectly inside.
Evelyn turned toward Arthur Vale with a faint smile on her face.
"Arthur… it's been nice meeting you tonight," she said softly. "But I'm feeling a little tired. I probably shouldn't drive like this."
She paused for a moment, then held something out to him.
A car key.
"Oh, and take this," she continued casually. "Didn't you say your car wasn't that great?"
Arthur looked down at the key in his hand.
The digital display on it clearly showed the model name.
Herrera Thug GTS.
Evelyn winked slightly.
"Consider it a gift."
For a brief moment, Arthur remained silent.
"…A gift?"
Evelyn shrugged lazily.
"Yeah. I'm giving the Thug GTS to you."
Arthur stared at her for two seconds before calmly pocketing the key.
He had already understood the situation.
Nothing in Night City was ever truly free.
"Alright," Arthur said calmly. "Where do you live? Just point me in the right direction."
Hearing him agree so easily, Evelyn's expression briefly froze.
Then a complicated mix of emotions filled her eyes.
Inside her neural interface, messages were still popping up one after another.
Strategic Department Notification:
Mission progress update.
You have successfully completed:
Invitation to entertainment venue
Alcohol consumption
Luxury gift exchange
Recommended next step: Invite target to private residence.
Another message followed.
You've already played games, shared drinks, and even gave him a car. Don't tell me you're letting him leave now?
Evelyn almost rolled her eyes.
The "romance strategies" designed by the corporate analysts were unbelievably stupid.
They really believed relationships could be solved like business negotiations.
Arthur, meanwhile, had already started walking toward the parking lot.
At first, he had assumed Evelyn lived in some luxurious corporate penthouse.
After all, powerful people usually preferred high places.
A private villa above the clouds.
A place where they could stand at the window and look down on the entire city like a king observing his kingdom.
Just like the legendary City King penthouses in Night City.
But instead of giving him a penthouse address, Evelyn handed him a room card.
Arthur glanced at it.
Corpo Plaza – Elsa Apartments
He raised an eyebrow slightly.
Evelyn lowered her head, her cheeks slightly red.
"My apartment is right next to Corpo Plaza," she explained softly. "Kang Tao provides housing for employees there. It's convenient for work."
Arthur nodded slowly.
Of course.
Corporate dormitories.
Convenient.
Secure.
Easy to monitor.
But he didn't expose her intentions.
He understood them perfectly.
To put it simply—
She was still interested in his body.
Arthur walked toward the Herrera Thug GTS parked nearby.
The fiery red sports car gleamed under the neon lights.
He opened the passenger door.
But before Evelyn could step inside—
Arthur's eyes briefly flickered with blue digital light.
In that instant, he silently invaded Evelyn Shaw's neural interface.
The process was smooth.
Effortless.
Almost gentle.
Evelyn suddenly felt extremely tired.
Her eyelids grew heavy.
The world around her blurred.
And the next moment—
Darkness swallowed her consciousness.
She fainted instantly.
Arthur caught her before she could fall.
"Sorry," he murmured quietly.
Then he carefully placed the unconscious Evelyn in the passenger seat of the car.
He adjusted the seat so she could lie comfortably.
For now, she would simply sleep.
Arthur closed the door and exhaled slowly.
One problem solved.
Now he needed to find Sasha.
He walked back toward the open plaza nearby.
But before he could search for her—
He saw a group already approaching.
Sasha stood at the front.
Behind her was a group of heavily modified mercenaries.
Arthur recognized them immediately.
Maine's crew.
A team that would one day become legends in Night City.
Arthur's mind quietly analyzed them.
Maine.
Dorio.
Pilar.
Rebecca.
And Sasha.
He already knew a lot about Maine.
The man had an almost obsessive desire to grow stronger.
As long as his body could handle it—even barely—
He would install more cyberware.
More upgrades.
More power.
Even if it destroyed him.
But despite that dangerous obsession, Maine was still an excellent leader.
A man his crew trusted with their lives.
Soon the group stopped in front of Arthur.
Sasha looked around.
"Hey, Arthur," she said. "Where's that corpo woman you were with earlier?"
Arthur shook his head slightly.
Then he gave a simple explanation.
"Sasha, you know I'm a ripperdoc."
"Which means I need access to reliable cyberware supply channels."
He shrugged casually.
"She happens to work for Kang Tao."
Sasha blinked.
Then she nodded slowly.
"Ah… I get it."
But the moment those words left Arthur's mouth—
Maine's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Oh?" Maine stepped forward with interest. "So that means you've got access to the good stuff."
Arthur smiled faintly.
"Nice to meet you, Captain Maine."
"Sasha told me you might be a potential client."
"So tell me—what kind of cyberware are you looking for?"
Maine didn't hesitate.
"A Sandevistan."
Arthur studied him carefully.
Even at a glance, Maine's body was already packed with modifications.
Visible cyberware included:
Gorilla Arms
Reinforced Tendons
Subdermal Armor
Projectile Launch System
And that was just what could be seen externally.
Internally?
The modifications were probably even more extensive.
Arthur also noticed something else.
Maine's right hand was trembling slightly.
Excitement?
Or the early signs of cyberware overload?
Either way—
The amount of cyberware installed in his body was already extremely dangerous.
Not as extreme as David Martinez in the future.
And nowhere near the monstrous levels of Adam Smasher.
But still—
It was already terrifying by Night City standards.
Maine leaned forward eagerly.
"You got one or not?"
Arthur answered calmly.
"Yes."
The effect was immediate.
Maine's breathing became heavier.
"Then sell it to me," he said instantly. "I want it. Right now."
Dorio frowned slightly.
She clearly sensed something was wrong with Maine's mood tonight.
But Arthur seemed completely calm.
"Delivery will take about three days," Arthur said.
"The model is a Zetatech Sandevistan Mark II."
"You'll have time to prepare the funds."
He paused slightly before continuing.
"The product is high-end."
"It's not scavenged from cyberpsycho corpses."
"And it definitely didn't come from Scavengers."
"The source is reliable."
He then spoke the final number.
"Total installation price: 88,000 eurodollars."
For a moment, the group fell silent.
That price was higher than the black-market clinics.
But black-market cyberware often came with risks.
Hidden malware.
Damaged implants.
Or worse—
Cyberware ripped directly from dead bodies.
Maine thought about it for only a few seconds.
Then he nodded firmly.
"I'll take it."
"Half deposit now."
"You contact me when it arrives."
But Arthur waved his hand dismissively.
"No need."
Maine blinked.
"You're Sasha's teammate," Arthur said casually.
"Which means you're basically my friend."
"I'll message you when it arrives."
"Then you can visit my clinic."
Maine raised an eyebrow.
"Where?"
Arthur replied calmly.
"Behind the Puff Bar in the River Valley District."
The moment Maine heard that—
His expression suddenly changed.
"Oh!"
Recognition flashed across his face.
"Now I remember!"
"You're the ripperdoc who posted that bounty at Afterlife!"
"The one who wiped out that entire Scavenger stronghold to avenge Ku Luo!"
Arthur simply smiled.
Maine laughed loudly.
"Doc, if you ever need work like that again—call me."
"My crew handles that kind of job professionally."
Arthur nodded.
"Deal."
Then their neural interfaces connected.
Contact request sent.
Contact request accepted.
Maine's name appeared in Arthur's friend list.
Just then—
Thump!
A small figure suddenly jumped forward from behind Sasha.
Rebecca.
Her bright eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Doc!" she said eagerly.
"I want to upgrade my cyberware too!"
Arthur chuckled slightly.
"Sure."
"But it's late."
"Come see me tomorrow."
Rebecca grinned.
"Deal!"
Arthur sent her a contact request.
She accepted instantly.
At this stage, Rebecca hadn't yet installed her iconic Gorilla Arms.
Most of her cyberware was still relatively basic.
Her Kiroshi Optics, for example, were extremely common in Night City.
They provided visual enhancement, target scanning, and digital overlays.
Useful.
But far from extraordinary.
At the moment, Rebecca wasn't the main gunner of the team.
Instead, she handled multiple roles:
reconnaissance
bait operations
support fire
intelligence gathering
But one thing was certain.
This chaotic little girl would one day become one of the most dangerous fighters in Night City.
And Arthur Vale had just stepped directly into the middle of their story.
-------------------------------
"Free readers are still behind… but Patreon members are already ahead 😏
Catch up now [ pateron.com Canonbreaker007"]
__________________________________