Making It in Night City

We drove down the Tokyo streets at night toward a club called New Serena. We used a day to stake the place out and confirm that our target was there. Once we could get eyes on him and get a good idea of the kind of resistance we would face, our group tossed together a quick plan and got right to work.

"Alright, one last time. We're supposed to be a hit squad from the Sumiyoshi-kai. Takemura, Yumi, and V, you three will bash the place up and make a big show of it. Make sure that the camera catches you two," I pointed at Takemura and Yumi, our two Japanese speakers, "talking about how the Yakuza is taking place over and expects it's due. Meanwhile, I'll make a beeline for the hideout."

The place only had two entrances, and both were well-guarded, so we didn't think sneaking in was possible. While going in loud and bashing skulls wasn't something we couldn't do, we didn't want there to be any evidence that could tip off Yorinobu that we were gunning after him. So, we decided to mask the kidnapping as routine gang violence.

The four of us were pretending to be from the Yakuza. Everyone wore cheap suits, had tacky jewelry, and wore sunglasses in the dark. We even rented a Lexus ZS-5000 (obviously through proxies), the type of car that was only used by Japanese businessmen, politicians, and criminals. The vehicle was vaguely reminiscent of Lexuses from my old world, but it had a touch of futurism from the lack of grills due to the electric engines, suicide doors, and multifunction displays inside.

"I still do not think it was necessary for me to get this haircut. And these tattoos, they make me look like an undisciplined hooligan."

Takemura was sitting behind me, lamenting about his new get-up. The man got a new haircut, his man bun was removed, and his hair was slicked back to look like a video game character from the Yakuza games. The cherry on top was all the temporary tattoos we applied around his face and neck to sell the Yakuza persona.

"We've been over this already, Takemura. Looking like an undisciplined hooligan is the point since you're supposed to look like a Yakuza thug. Also, without a cover, you might get made out by Yorinobu since he's still looking for you."

The Yakuza used to run most of the underworld in Tokyo and other major Japanese cities. A considerable part of that was because they had the tacit approval of Arasaka during Saburo's reign. They would do much of the dirty work for the megacorp and, in return, were given connections and support that let them outclass other gangs. That all started to change when Yorinobu took over.

Combine Yorinobu's connections to the Steel Dragons, a gang he started, and a propensity to tear down anything his father was involved in, and you get the Yakuza falling out of favor and slowly replaced with the Steel Dragons. While the Yakuza still had that institutional and generational wealth and power, they were beginning to lose their hold on areas. Tokyo being one of the most contested regions, our little group figured we could use that fact to our benefit.

With any luck, we might even be able to kick up a gang war and get the two factions to weaken each other. The Steel Dragons being tied up only helps us weaken Yorinobu. And it's not like I will lose any sleep if a criminal organization like the Yakuza gets taken down a few pegs.

Following the GPS, I turned the wheel and drove into a smaller street. The entrance to New Serena pulled into view. It was a simple place; the exterior was plain and mostly empty except for some signage with the bar's names on it. I'd probably have mistaken it for any other hole-in-the-wall shop if it wasn't for the armed hoodlums standing outside smoking cigarettes and glaring at any pedestrian walking by.

I cruised toward the entrance before coming to a gentle stop right outside the front door.

"Alright, kids. Let's go nab us a dragon."

Yumi and V were the two on the side of the entrance and got out first. The two took to the situation like fish to water. V used to be a Valentino, and Yumi used to be a Tyger. She also looked the part with her tatts and definitely could walk the walk. Takemura and I quickly followed, exiting the car and walking around it.

The thugs outside didn't know how to react, clearly not expecting anyone to have the balls to park outside the bar and block the entrance. It speaks volumes about the mentalities of these criminals when, instead of treating the two gals like threats, the first thing they tried to do was make a pass on them. I couldn't tell if it was stupidity, overconfidence, or a healthy dose of both.

One of the guards walked toward Yumi with his arms open and hands opening and closing in the universal 'comere' motion.

"Hey, pretty lady! How about you and I get to know each other in this bar, huh? I'll be sure to show you a great time."

The way the man leered at Yumi was almost comical. His eyes traveled up and down her body, spending virtually no time on her face and nearly wholly focused on her body. The way he wet his lips was also super gross like he took a course on how to come across as creepy as possible. And Yumi clearly did not like the disrespect shown toward her.

*Chck*

When the guy got within arm's length and reached for Yumi, she pulled out a cylinder from her pocket and swung it downward. The cylinder unfolded, showing that it was a collapsible baton. Before the guy could react, the baton was already sailing through the air.

*TWHACK*

The guy's head flew to one side, his body spinning and teetering between on and off balance before toppling over and falling to the ground. Yumi was immediately on the poor guy, and a flurry of baton strikes hit the guy's noggin and body. As clueless as these guys were, they caught on to the situation when they saw one of theirs get attacked out in the open.

One of the other three Steel Dragons raised a bat and yelled as he charged at Yumi. V intercepted him by clotheslining the man and knocking him to the ground. Seeing the party getting started, Takemura and I also lept into action, each taking one of the remaining two guards.

One of the things that I first noticed about the Japanese criminal scene was that guns were a lot less common. Firearms were much harder to come by, and fights tended to stay physical. That's not to say there were no guns, just that using them was seen as an extreme escalation compared to how it was the baseline in Night City.

I couldn't help but think it made fights easier as I connected a powered right hook with the thug's head, the metal limb causing a nasty *crack* sound and laying the guy out. Easier might be the wrong word. Straightforward would be more accurate. At least for V and me, who were used to hot lead flying our direction the second the situation went south.

"What the hell? Hey, come here quick! There's some punks picking a fight out front!"

The guards in the back must have heard the ruckus we were making, and one of them came over to figure out what was going on. He was greeted with the sight of three badly beaten up and one completely brutalized Steel Dragon. Yumi went a little bit overboard and almost caved in the head of the guy who tried to hit on her. Missing teeth, both eyes swollen, crooked nose, bruised and bloodied. There was no doubt in my mind that if she hadn't stopped when more Steel Dragons came and I grabbed her to get her attention, she would have outright killed the guy.

Five more Steel Dragons rushed out of the alley, connecting the rear entrance and wielding various blunt instruments. Bats, pipes, batons, the whole mengagerie. A man wearing brass knuckles and wearing a tacky pink suit charged at me and swung at my face. I quickly dodged the telegraphed attack by side-stepping the punch.

Grabbing onto his outstretched arm, I yanked him forward and planted my knee in the guy's guts. He doubled over before falling down on all fours, one hand on his stomach. Taking the opening, I took a short running start before kicking him in the side of his head. After finishing up with the guy fighting me, I saw the situation.

Unsurprisingly, the random street trash was no match for our group of hardened fighters. Yumi was kicking some poor guy in the side while he was down on the ground; V had just headbutted a guy and knocked him on his ass. The only person having any semblance of a struggle was Takemura, who was fighting two people instead of just one.

I rushed over to Takemura and took one of the people he was fighting off guard by tackling him and throwing him into a wall. He tried to throw a punch at me, but I grabbed onto his arm and elbowed his joint, cracking the limb and making his forearm bend in the wrong direction. The man collapsed on the ground, screaming in pain.

Seeing the man writhing on the ground, crying with snot running down his nose, I decided he wasn't a threat anymore and turned away to check on the others. No more additional Steel Dragons came over to confront us, so Yumi and V were lounging around more or less, ensuring the area was secure. Without contesting against two adversaries, Takemura had a much easier time handling his attacker and had the guy reeling on the ground.

"Thank you very much."

The seasoned Arasaka thanked me when we made eye contact.

"No problem. Let's get this over with before reinforcements or the cops come."

The four of us walked over the pile of unconscious/neutralized Steel Dragons before opening the front door and entering the bar. Once inside, we were greeted by an interior much closer to a lounge than a bar one would expect gang members to frequent. There wasn't any loud music, scantily clad hostesses, or drunk and rowdy patrons.

Multiple chandeliers were around, complemented by rugs, wood furniture, plush couches, and lounge chairs. The lighting was soft, and very little noise from the outside came in. The music was a slow melody, and the calm atmosphere was contrary to what I expected. 

There weren't many people inside, counting the hostess carrying around drinks and the bartender, there were just seven people inside. Again, all men. Strange how I've seen almost no female gang members. I wonder if that is a cultural or a Steel Dragons thing.

The doorbell ringing attracted the attention of one or two people, but most individuals continued drinking and ignored us. Takemura, playing the part of a Yakuza veteran, walked up to the hostess who was about to put some drinks down at a table, snagged a glass of what looked like whiskey, and sipped on it. Lowering the glass after a drink, Takemura raised his voice and yelled over the music so everyone could hear him.

"Alright, you losers. Get the fuck out now, or you're not going to get the chance later."

Those who weren't aware of our entrance definitely were now after Takemura's brazen display of disrespect. There was a moment of silence before one of the men sitting at the closest table to Takemura stood up and stalked over.

"What the hell did you just say, old man? Have you gone senile and need us to take you to your retirement home? You better leave before I break every ancient bone in your body."

A few snickers came from the various patrons as the man confronted Takemura. He loomed over Takemura with his greater height. I wasn't worried about the former Arasaka bodyguard because I knew better than judging a fight based on physical presence. That being said, I knew a fight was about to break out, so I started to slowly fan out to get myself into a better position.

Takemura, utterly unperturbed by the larger guy trying to intimidate him, Takemura raised his glass again to finish his drink.

"Are you deaf as well? Leave right now, or we're go-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Takemura emptied his drink, wound his arm back, and smashed the empty whisky glass into the man's head.

The hostess screams and runs away as glass shatters and blood sprays across the air. Takemura then grabbed the man's head and slammed it down onto the closest table. The drinks already on the table get knocked off balance from the impact while the thug's nose breaks under the pressure.

Not wanting to give up the initiative, I grabbed a nearby chair and swung it from an overhead position at the first person who got up near me. I shatter the piece of furniture over the guy's head, chunks of wood and splinters spray breaking off. While the guy I attacked with a chair was discombobulated, I used the legs of the chair that broke off as impromptu batons and started smacking the guy. Left. Right. Left. Right. The guy's face would snap in a different direction whenever I swung the chair legs until he finally collapsed.

I felt a hand grab my shoulder. Turning around, I was fully expecting it to be another Steel Dragon picking a fight, only to see it was V.

"Go get Kanda, we'll take care of this."

I nodded to V, walking past her and basically tagging her in so she could stop the guy who was charging at us, probably to avenge his fallen comrade.

I walked past the bar and pushed open the door next to the drink cabinets. Stepping inside, I found myself in a large room. It's not quite as big as the main drinking area, but it's definitely oversized for a storage space for a small bar. Already walking toward the door, probably to check on what the commotion was outside, was our target.

Calling Tsuyoshi Kanda a big guy was like calling a tank a large vehicle; it was a bit of an understatement. The guy was easily over six and a half feet tall, bald, and wore gold chains, no shirt, and a tacky yellow suit. The edges of some tattoos could be seen on the guy's chest, though most of it was covered up by the suit jacket.

"Who are you? What's going on outside?"

I walked toward Kanda while he asked me who I was. At this point, I'd picked a few fights with animals, so taking down people bigger than me wasn't an unfamiliar situation. They're naturally at a reach and height advantage, so the trick is to get within their space and bring them low as soon as possible.

The guy wasn't expecting someone to barge into his fort and attack him immediately, so it caught him off guard when I kicked one of his legs. Having one support knocked out brought the big guy down, his head now eye level with my waist and in perfect striking distance for a knee to the head. Grabbing onto his bald head, I pulled it down toward my legs as I rammed my knee upward.

I'll admit that I might have gotten a bit cocky, what with the negligible resistance I've met so far, so it caught me entirely off guard when the fat man fought back. With speed betraying someone his size, Kanda stopped my knee midway while still on the ground. Before I could even register what had happened, the big guy was already back on his feet, and I was thrown off mine.

Bottles of alcohol flew off the shelves and shattered as my back slammed against the metal frames. Kanda then strode over and picked me up by my shirt collar.

"Wrong move, runt."

"Whooooooooa!"

The next thing I knew, I was flying back out the doorway I came in. Sliding over the bar island, I knocked a chair over before tumbling onto my back on the floor. In the short span while I was away, the crew had already cleaned house, and all the small fry was taken care of.

"The Sumiyoshi have let you scum run rampant for too long. From now o- Are you alright, Basil?"

Takemura was the one to notice and approach me first. I grabbed onto the hand he offered and let him help pull me back up.

"Yeah. Kanda was just bigger than I thought."

Speak of the devil. Kanda stepped through the doorway and looked around his bar the second I said that.

"You are right; he is big. We will fight him together. His size will not be able to overcome our strength in numbers."

"No, I got this."

Takemura's plan was logical, but my pride wouldn't let it happen. I wasn't just going to let someone manhandle me and not make them my bitch. Kanda zeroed in on me when I started walking toward him. The big fella rolled his shoulders and bashed his fist into his palm, still eager to fight despite seeing all his cronies on the floor. We both squared up and when Kanda decided to throw a punch, I activated my Sandevistan.

The guy was way faster than someone his size had any business being, but he was still too slow when I used my Sandi. I watched as his fist sailed right past me in slow motion as I zipped around him and kicked the back of his left knee. His leg crumbled, and he found himself in a half-kneeling position again.

This time, I didn't try to knee the guy. No, I wanted to make a point. Circling back in front, I ensured I had enough space before taking a running start and punting the guy right in the nuts.

Even in slow motion, I watched Kanda realize what I was going to do right before my foot connected with his family jewels. His eyes bulged like a cartoon, and his mouth opened so he could let out a slow-motion mix of a wail and wheezing. With the last few seconds of my Sandi, I walked around the bar and grabbed the largest bottle of alcohol I could find.

The Sandi ran out just in time for me to see Kanda groaning and gasping for air. Raising the bottle by its neck over my head, I slammed it down like a hammer onto the back of Kanda's head. The glass shattered, and the fizzy drink mixed with some blood splattered everywhere. Utterly unprepared for another attack, Kanda fell face first into the floor, groaning but not moving.

Kneeling on his back, I fished a pair of handcuffs from my pants and quickly wrestled his hands together and cuffed him. Finished with our primary objective, I got off Kanda and looked at the other three.

"Alright, let's get the hell out of here. I'm going to need help moving this guy."

A few minutes and some struggling later, we stuffed Kanda barely into the trunk and sped off back to our base.