2:00 AM. Night City was at its most honest—and its most dangerous.
No traffic. No crowds. No masks.
Only predators… and those about to become them.
Ethan walked alone through the dim-lit streets, dressed head to toe in black. His figure melted into the shadows like he belonged there. Like he had always belonged there.
But tonight was different.
Tonight… he was hunting opportunity.
A faint blue flicker passed through his eyes.
Data Perspective — activated.
The world instantly transformed.
Every wire, every signal, every digital lock around him became visible—transparent, exposed, vulnerable.
Ethan stopped beside a sleek silver Cadillac parked silently along the roadside.
His fingers didn't touch the car.
They didn't need to.
A silent command pulsed through his neural link.
Click.
The anti-theft system collapsed.
Click.
Surveillance—offline.
Click.
GPS—dead.
To Ethan's Hacker Chip, the vehicle's system was nothing more than a toy.
"Subject Two… parallel parking…"
He muttered under his breath, recalling muscle memory that didn't feel entirely his own.
The door opened.
He slid in.
The engine purred to life.
---
The Cadillac glided through Night City like a ghost.
Every camera along the route flickered, distorted, then died the moment it tried to lock onto him.
Ethan's route wasn't random.
It was surgical.
Calculated.
Perfect.
Minutes later, the first target appeared.
CangHai Bank — Branch #1.
Dark. Locked. Silent.
Except for one place.
The ATM room.
Always open.
Always connected.
Always vulnerable.
---
Ethan stepped inside.
The hum of machines filled the empty space.
Most people saw ATMs as simple machines.
Ethan saw… doors.
Doors connected to deeper systems.
Doors waiting to be opened.
---
"This one's trickier…"
He murmured softly.
Unlike cars, ATMs weren't isolated.
They were connected to secure backend networks.
Alarms. Alerts. Tracing systems.
One wrong move—
—and everything would collapse.
---
Ethan exhaled slowly.
Calm.
Precise.
Cold.
He had prepared for this.
A brand-new account. Clean. Empty. Untraceable.
His consciousness surged through the system.
Lines of code bent.
Firewalls distorted.
Security protocols… rewrote themselves.
---
Then—
Whirr…
The machine obeyed.
Cash began to spill out.
---
Stacks.
Bundles.
Green paper flooding like a controlled leak.
Ethan didn't rush.
Didn't panic.
Didn't celebrate.
He simply watched.
---
Three machines.
One branch.
1.5 million dollars.
All of it—converted.
Transferred.
Recharged directly into the system.
---
He left without a trace.
---
Second branch.
Same process.
Same precision.
Another 1.5 million.
---
No alarms.
No cameras.
No mistakes.
---
By the time he reached the third branch, Ethan's breathing had grown heavier.
Not from exhaustion.
From pressure.
---
3:00 AM.
Every second felt louder.
Every shadow felt closer.
Every sound—
felt like sirens waiting to scream.
---
"Calm down…"
He whispered to himself, forcing his hands steady.
"No one's coming."
But his heartbeat disagreed.
---
This time—
he didn't transfer everything.
One ATM.
One million dollars.
Stacked across the floor like temptation itself.
---
Ethan stared at it.
For a moment—
he wanted to run.
Leave it.
Forget it.
Disappear.
---
Then—
his sister's face appeared in his mind.
---
A year ago…
An accident.
Blood.
Silence.
And then—
emptiness.
---
His parents were gone.
His sister—
broken.
---
Julia.
Her mind fractured by trauma.
Memories erased.
Reality distorted.
---
He had watched her forget everything.
Even him.
Even the day that destroyed their lives.
---
To keep her stable—
he placed her in a private facility in the Seabrook University District's medical zone.
The cost?
Crushing.
Relentless.
Unforgiving.
---
Ethan had sold everything.
Worked endlessly.
Studied.
Fought.
Survived.
---
And still—
it wasn't enough.
---
"I promised you…"
His fingers tightened around the suitcase handle.
"I promised I'd fix everything."
---
He didn't run.
---
He packed the money.
---
Every bundle.
Every note.
Every future possibility.
---
And walked out.
---
3:30 AM.
Back at his apartment.
---
The first thing Ethan did—
was clean.
---
Every surface.
Every trace.
Every possibility of DNA.
Hair.
Sweat.
Residue.
Gone.
---
Only then did he allow himself to breathe.
---
The suitcase slid under his bed.
Hidden.
Secured.
Protected.
---
Finally—
he activated the system.
---
A familiar interface appeared before his eyes.
---
[Biological Monitoring Panel — Active]
[Name: Ethan]
[Age: 18]
[Background: Street Kid]
---
Stats.
Numbers.
Limits.
Potential.
---
Then—
the most important line.
---
[Current Funds: 3,150,830 USD]
---
Ethan didn't hesitate.
---
Upgrade.
---
LV0 → LV3.
---
Three attribute points.
All—
into Body.
---
Because deep down—
he knew.
---
In Night City… flesh could become stronger than steel.
---
The moment he confirmed—
everything changed.
---
Heat.
---
It started deep inside his organs.
Then spread.
Rapidly.
Violently.
---
Like magma.
---
"AH—!"
Ethan collapsed to his knees, his entire body trembling as raw energy surged through him.
His muscles expanded.
His skin flushed red.
Veins bulged.
Bones cracked—
and reformed.
---
His shirt tore apart.
---
Steam rose from his body.
---
Pain.
Pure.
Unfiltered.
Brutal.
---
But beneath the pain—
something else was growing.
---
Power.
---
Three minutes.
That's how long it lasted.
---
Three minutes that felt like rebirth.
---
When it ended—
Ethan stood.
Breathing slowly.
Calmly.
---
Different.
---
Stronger.
---
He clenched his fist.
Threw a punch.
---
BOOM.
---
The wall trembled.
---
His eyes sharpened.
---
"Two hundred kilos… minimum."
A pause.
Then a faint smile.
---
"Three hundred… at full force."
---
And this… was only the beginning.
---
Without wasting time, Ethan pulled out the next reward.
---
The Martial Arts Chip.
---
Insertion.
Activation.
---
[Melee Chip Installed: "Kuei Arm 400" (E-Grade)]
---
Then—
everything slowed.
---
The world became clearer.
Sharper.
Alive.
---
He could hear everything.
Footsteps outside.
Voices upstairs.
A baby crying in the distance.
Even—
his own heartbeat.
---
But the biggest change—
was internal.
---
His breathing shifted.
---
No longer ordinary.
---
Now—
it flowed.
---
Like energy.
Like control.
Like something ancient.
---
Then—
the knowledge came.
---
Explosive.
Overwhelming.
Endless.
---
Fighting techniques.
Weapon mastery.
Movement patterns.
Combat instincts.
---
All flooding into his brain.
---
Ethan moved—
without thinking.
---
His stance lowered.
Feet rooted.
Body aligned.
---
Right hand raised.
Left fist drawn back.
---
A perfect stance.
---
Hung Gar — "Single Finger Points to the Central Plains."
---
A technique he had never learned—
yet executed flawlessly.
---
Like a master.
---
"No…"
His eyes narrowed.
"This isn't learning…"
---
"This is… downloading mastery."
---
Then—
he triggered it.
---
"Berserk."
---
In an instant—
his body transformed.
---
Crimson skin.
Swollen muscles.
Steam pouring from his body.
---
He looked—
like a demon.
---
Like war itself had taken human form.
---
Power surged again.
Stronger.
Faster.
Deadlier.
---
Six hundred kilos of force.
---
For one minute—
he was unstoppable.
---
Then—
he shut it down.
---
Breathing hard.
Heart pounding.
Alive.
---
Terrifyingly alive.
---
"This chip…"
He exhaled slowly.
"…was worth everything."
---
He was about to rest—
when—
---
BANG. BANG. BANG.
---
The door shook violently.
---
"OPEN THE DOOR, YOU BITCH—!"
A man's voice.
Drunk.
Unstable.
Dangerous.
---
"I'LL KILL YOU AND YOUR DAUGHTER—!"
---
A woman cried from inside.
"Please! You've got the wrong room!"
---
Ethan's eyes turned cold.
---
He stood.
Put on a shirt.
Opened the door.
---
The hallway smelled like rot and alcohol.
---
A tall, skeletal addict stood there.
Needle scars.
Sunken eyes.
Knife in hand.
---
Behind him—
a group of men watched.
Laughing.
Waiting.
---
Predators.
---
The addict turned.
Saw Ethan.
---
"YOU—!"
His voice twisted with madness.
"You took her from me?!"
---
Ethan didn't respond.
Didn't argue.
Didn't explain.
---
He stepped forward.
---
And punched.
---
CRACK.
---
The man flew.
---
Collapsed.
Unconscious.
Blood spreading across the floor.
---
Silence.
---
The others froze.
---
Ethan slowly looked at them.
---
No anger.
No fear.
---
Just—
cold dominance.
---
"Take him."
---
His voice wasn't loud.
But it didn't need to be.
---
The men hesitated—
then moved.
Dragging their fallen companion away.
---
"You'll regret this…"
One of them muttered.
---
Ethan didn't react.
---
Because deep down—
he already knew.
---
They wouldn't dare.
---
Not anymore.
---
A door creaked open.
---
A woman stepped out.
Disheveled.
Fragile.
Beautiful in a broken way.
---
Behind her—
a little girl peeked out.
---
"Thank you…"
The woman bowed deeply.
"My name is Xu Rong… this is my daughter, Xu Xuan…"
---
Ethan nodded.
---
"Just sleep."
---
But Xu Rong stepped closer.
Eyes filled with something deeper.
---
Not just gratitude.
---
Need.
---
She offered money.
---
He refused.
---
Then—
left.
---
Because Ethan understood something clearly—
---
Nothing in Night City is free.
---
And he never intended to carry unnecessary burdens.
---
That night—
as he lay in bed—
he entered the system again.
---
This time—
he didn't hesitate.
He selected—
[Revenge]
His eyes darkened.
A single thought echoed in his mind.
"Tonight… the Scavengers die."
[Want to know what happens next?
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