Interdimensional Scientist, Starting from Cyberpunk

Now it was time for Bryce to get to business.

The signal jammer powered down. Everything returned to normal.

"I don't have the official info in my database," Bryce said, "and a few of those mercs have highly suspicious identities."

Right on cue, he snapped back into professional mode—his cigarette puff didn't even go past the throat before he exhaled.

That way, the bio-monitor implants wouldn't register any significant nicotine spike. Any trace could be blamed on secondhand smoke, expected in gang territory.

Leo played along. "Suspicious how?"

"NetWatch has its own intel net. Some people should never have gotten past the EU border. That's not normal."

Even without considering the target—a Golden Child—the sniper was already an internationally wanted criminal. Not just wanted. Top-tier internal threat.

Bryce was still willing to reveal the basics: There's no way the EU let this guy in legally.

Most of these merc teams were deployed from corps outside Night City as forward units. So why let someone like him in?

He wasn't backed by a Euro corp. He wasn't a common merc or a low-grade criminal.

So... who could smuggle someone like that across international lines?

That's when the real contract came up.

"NetWatch: Irregular Incident Classification AIA-1 — suspected anomalous data event, potentially involving rogue AI activity. Additional resources requested for neutralization."

"Given your previous assistance with the AI weapon 'Soulkiller,' we're formally hiring you to assist the NetWatch Night City branch with the investigation."

Some of the mercs had registered entries. Some didn't.

Those who shouldn't have made it across did. That meant someone's grip on the surveillance grid was slipping.

It was an anomaly. Unscheduled. Unpredicted. Unwanted.

The moment Bryce mentioned AI, his energy shifted—like he finally had something solid to punch.

No overthinking required. AI was the external enemy. Humanity's adversary. Just focus on the job.

Leo rubbed his chin. "What's the pay?"

"Standard rate: one million eddies for confirmed rogue AI termination. Additional compensation includes exclusive knowledge on AI suppression methods."

As Bryce spoke, he pulled out a softscreen—a flexible, foldable digital display that could bend like paper.

Leo scanned it. Noticed something Bryce hadn't said aloud:

Contractor: NetWatch, Night City Division

Point of Contact: Bryce

Guarantor: Lucius Rhyne?

Did that need to be written?

Of course not. Based on what Bryce said earlier, this wasn't really NetWatch hiring him.

It was Rhyne—through influence and backchannels—getting the Night City branch to bring Leo on board.

He was still a temp… but this felt a lot more official than usual.

Is this what it's like getting promoted from burger flipper to private army?

So, should he take the job?

Honestly, dealing with an AI wasn't that surprising.

What was surprising was this felt like something outside the original plot.

In the base game, elite mercs rarely played major roles in the main story. Their presence was fragmentary at best.

But now? The butterfly effect had fully taken hold, shredding the original storyline beyond recognition.

Leo exhaled. "I'll take the job… but I'm not signing any contracts. Feels too much like a deal with the devil."

It wasn't really about the money. It was the tech. Battling rogue AI would unlock deeper knowledge of net-based warfare, critical to enhancing his arsenal.

Without understanding tech, you'd always be someone else's pawn in this world.

"Suit yourself," Bryce shrugged and pocketed the softscreen. "This type of bounty has existed since the Old Net era anyway."

"Let's talk about your first move. I'll provide backup depending on your approach."

Rogue AI contracts dated back to the early 21st century. Hacking was far more rampant back then, and the number of free-roaming AIs dwarfed today's numbers.

Top-tier merc gigs typically involved corporate sabotage or full-scale war manipulation.

But elite netrunners had one more option: AI hunting.

According to the booklet Bryce handed over earlier—"The Dangers and Development History of Rogue AIs"—the going bounty back then started at €500,000.

Safe to say: inflation hit hard. And today, NetWatch took rogue AIs even more seriously than before.

But the real rewards weren't just cash. Corps paid in assets directly useful to the mission—like intel, tech, or gear.

Leo muttered, "I'll probably need to prove this is AI-related… or prove it isn't."

Right now, his only lead?

He pulled out a round from the sniper's gun—the last unfired bullet.

As mentioned earlier, these "stamped" rounds were actually impulse-driven mini thrusters—the heat and pressure from their flight ignited the onboard fuel mid-air.

Manufacturing this kind of tech into a 20mm round was no joke. And the structural design, the chemical mix—it was highly advanced.

Naturally, Leo chose to disassemble and scan the round, uploading a full backup for later research.

That's when he noticed something strange.

The bullet was already in pieces. Leo pointed at the casing. "Take a look."

Bryce's cyber-eyes were embedded with high-spec scan modules. They weren't long-range telescopes like sniper optics, but they featured AI-assisted detail analysis and tag highlighting.

And sure enough—his gaze caught the tiny engraving inside the casing wall.

"Muramasa."

"A Japanese name again," Bryce squinted. "Does that name mean anything to you?"

"It might. If this was left by an AI… it could be a critical clue. Their minds don't work like ours."

"And the way it's hidden here—subtle, almost poetic."

Under normal conditions, the bullet's fuel would burn mid-flight. High heat and pressure would melt the casing, erasing anything engraved.

So why carve something no one would ever see?

It was obsessive. Like an AI with compulsion to sign its work—but still paranoid enough not to leave a trail.

Bryce uploaded the name to NetWatch's mainframe.

Moments later, he got a ping back. His expression shifted.

"Alert level upgraded to AIA-2. This is now confirmed as rogue AI involvement."

Leo shrugged. "Any actual useful advice or backup? Also… if the Blackwall exists, how the hell are AIs still leaking through? What's the mechanism?"

Two Japanese names. Master-level weapons. Weird behavior. Illegal tech. Exotic parts.

That was all the evidence they had.

"There's advice, yeah," Bryce replied, stepping away from the table. His cyber-eye flickered.

"I called a Delamain. We'll talk more in the car."

"Oh—and while we wait, figure out what you want to do with those mercs. You've still got a prisoner, right?"

Discussing AI threats inside a self-driving AI cab?

Leo's expression twitched.

He opened the door and stepped outside.