Cyberpunk: The Ultimate Saga

The day after the Phoenix Club incident.

"That was a quick mission, V." Mr. Hands' voice came through just after V had finished a comforting call with Judy.

"So I can enter Pacifica now?" V asked while wiping blood from her face. She'd suffered several minor injuries during the raid and was looking for a spot to bandage up.

"Of course. Pacifica doesn't welcome outsiders, but it treats its friends quite well," Hands chuckled.

Assuming he was chuckling, anyway—his face didn't appear on screen, only a blurry black silhouette in a blue suit. Judy once speculated he used a virtual avatar.

"Since we're friends, you wouldn't mind letting me speak to Mama Brigitte, right?"

"Oh? You know Brigitte? Looks like you've got a master netrunner backing you."

"I can't just go in blind. Besides, the name 'Brigitte' sounds fake no matter how you slice it."

"Fake or not, she still needs a reason to meet you."

"A reason? Would challenging her to a hacking duel count?"

"Heh heh~ You're quite the joker. You're asking about Evelyn Parker, aren't you?"

!!!

V's chest tightened. He knew?

"Don't look so surprised. We know more than you think," Hands said with a mocking tone.

"Then just tell me—can I meet her or not?" V cut to the chase.

"Of course. Otherwise, people might say I don't keep my promises."

"And when?"

"Anytime. Call me when you're ready."

V sighed in relief. Her efforts hadn't been in vain.

Ding-a-ling~ Ding-a-ling~

Another call came in right after she hung up.

"Takemura? What's wrong?" she answered casually.

"V! Help! I'm under attack!" Goro Takemura's breath came in sharp gasps. Gunfire crackled loudly in the background like New Year's fireworks.

"Send me your location. I'm coming right away!" V replied urgently.

The call ended, and a GPS pin came through. Luckily, it wasn't far.

She fired up her Quadra Turbo-R and sped off.

"I'll fix you later," she muttered, patting her almost-convertible car. Repairs would have to wait—money was tight.

"I hope he makes it." Meanwhile, Takemura sprinted through alleys, praying.

He'd had terrible luck. As soon as he stepped outside that morning, he ran into an Arasaka strike team. They didn't speak—just opened fire.

This wasn't like fighting street gangs. These were elite Arasaka soldiers—disciplined, methodical, and relentless. Their coordinated suppressive fire kept him pinned. A mech loomed behind them, ready to pounce.

His light armor wouldn't last long against that autocannon. So he made a break for it, calling V as he weaved through the maze-like alleys. Gradually, the gunfire faded.

"Did I lose them?" Takemura looked over his shoulder, hopeful.

"Takemura, over here!" V's voice called out. She skidded to a halt and waved him over. Once inside, she pulled onto the overpass. "Didn't expect to see you like this," she teased.

"I let my guard down," he admitted, frustrated. Who knew a grocery run would get him shot at?

"I'd say—look out!" V suddenly shouted and shoved him aside.

A sniper's bullet ripped through the air, tearing into half of V's face.

Damn it—sniper!

Takemura acted fast. Ducking low, he grabbed the steering wheel with one hand while reclining V's seat with the other. Her head twitched erratically—her operating system was destroyed.

"Pocket… pocket… pocket…" she kept repeating.

Takemura rummaged through her pockets and pulled out a chip.

"A backup OS?" Without thinking, he inserted it into her neural port.

He slid her into the backseat and climbed into the driver's seat, flooring the accelerator toward Viktor's clinic. Even if it was a backup, it would need tuning before it could run properly—otherwise, the rejection alone might kill her.

But he wasn't out of danger yet.

In the rearview mirror, he spotted a group in black, wielding katanas, speeding toward him on motorcycles.

Arasaka's Ninjutsu Assassination Squad. Cyber-ninjas trained for covert elimination.

"Damn it!"

He switched the car to autopilot and opened communications.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Viktor! We've got trouble!"

After a quick briefing, Takemura looked back at V, then made a decision. He opened the door and jumped off the overpass.

Several cyber-ninjas followed without hesitation, leaving only a few to chase the car. Clearly, to them, Takemura was the priority—not V.

"Night City never sleeps," said Lena Fox, shielding her eyes as she watched the scene unfold from a nearby rooftop.

Someone leapt from the overpass—Takemura Goro—and black-clad figures followed.

"Huh? People jump off bridges together now?" she murmured, until realization struck.

Her pupils narrowed.

"Arasaka's assassination squad!"

As someone with insider knowledge, Lena knew just how lethal they were. Severed limbs or punctured hearts didn't stop them. Unless you removed their heads, they'd just crawl back to HQ for repairs.

Worse, they were agile—hard to hit, let alone decapitate.

"Takemura Goro!" Ethan Cross, standing next to her, called out suddenly. "They're hunting Takemura!"

"A million eddies on his head!" Lena's eyes lit up.

"You in?" Ethan asked, pulling out a sniper rifle.

"Let's not make unnecessary trouble," Lena hesitated. Their main task was still finding Gustavo's hideout. The address their priest contact gave them was fake. So they handed the scouting to Arasaka Yuto while the rest wandered around.

"But it seems we won't stay out of this," Ethan said, flipping the rifle's safety off and chambering a round with a metallic click.

Takemura had spotted them.

He had leapt off the overpass to neutralize the enemy's vehicle advantage. He knew these maniacs would follow.

And now, he needed a car—any car—to escape.

Perfect timing: Lena's Meihe Suplong FS3 passed by. It was an ordinary lower-class van—ugly, slow, but cheap and reliable. She'd even made a few tweaks to prevent it from falling apart under strain.

"You stop him! I'll drive!" Lena shouted.

They swapped seats as she revved the engine in fifth gear. The van screamed to life like a rusty banshee.

Takemura blinked at the sight of the worn-down van racing toward him like a sports car.

Well, so much for staying anonymous.

Clenching his teeth, he sprinted forward despite the pain. In Night City, raw physical power still had its place—even without chrome.

Takemura's stride stretched over three meters and kept growing. Like he had spring-loaded legs.

Lena's van was fast, but the street garbage restricted her movement. She had to stick to the road. Takemura, on the other hand, darted straight through the alleys, gaining ground.

"Ethan!" Lena shouted.

"I'm ready!" Ethan stood through the sunroof, propping up the sniper rifle. Without aiming, he fired.

Takemura's senses were at their limit. He tried to trace the bullet's path.

He couldn't.

Bang!

He was shot.

Øóffer going on for diamond tier

pàtreøn (Gk31)