"What could be inside this chip?"
Karl couldn't shake the question from his mind. Curiosity gnawed at him throughout the operation. By the time a hand landed on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts, all nine of the former Scavengers pirating braindances were already lying dead on the floor.
"What were you thinking about? I figured you'd be first in line to take out these BD-scumming bastards, but you looked zoned out the whole time."
V gave Karl a side glance, then looked at one of the bodies—dim light casting shadows over a face disturbingly similar to Karl's. "Is it about the chip? If you're that curious, why not just plug it in and see for yourself?"
"That's too risky, V."
Karl shook his head, pulling his thoughts back to the present. "We'll wait till we're back and scan it properly. Safer that way."
"Really?"
V, who grew up in the Badlands plugging random chips into his neural slot without a second thought, didn't quite get Karl's caution. But he respected it—and silently filed away the lesson:
Never slot a chip if you don't know what's on it.
"I already called Johnson," said Jack as he approached, glancing at the bodies. "Told him about the pirated BDs too. He and his crew will clean things up and destroy the junk. So... this job's wrapped?"
"It is."
Karl checked his comms. The transfer from the Padre had come in while they were still inside the building.
Guess he already knew those guys were toast.
He sent a quick "job done" message back to the fixer, then turned to V. "So, how was your first official gig as part of the crew? You took out seven by yourself."
"Felt kinda like clearing a Tyger Claw camp," V said after thinking for a second. "Actually… maybe even easier?"
"Looks like these small jobs are nothing to you."
Karl nodded slightly.
V had never been a pushover. Anyone who could drive a junker solo across the Badlands wasn't average. But now that he'd swapped out his rusted, sand-filled implants for high-end mods like the Apogee Sandevistan, his combat potential rivaled Jack and Oliver's. From Karl's perspective, it was hard to say who'd win between them.
Maybe I should load him into a training sim—see how many "Johnsons" he can take on.
That thought made Karl glance over just as Mr. Johnson stepped out of a patrol car nearby. Funny how his mind worked.
"Karl. Long time, huh?"
Johnson looked like he was in a good mood today. He even greeted Karl, which wasn't exactly common.
"It has been a while, Mr. Johnson—"
Karl's eyes shifted to someone behind him: a young officer walking toward them, cap low, stride steady.
Karl's face broke into a grin. "Andy. Long time no see. Looks like you dealt with those bastards."
"It was thanks to Mr. Johnson."
Andy lifted his cap slightly. There was a smile on his face now—something Karl hadn't seen before. "Using an internal investigation as a cover, Johnson let me infiltrate their shop under the pretense of taking a bribe. Gave me a clean shot."
"How many did you take out?"
"Four. All tied to trafficking. Didn't spare a single one. As for the ringleader—he's sleeping with the fish now."
"You didn't get exposed?"
"Well…"
Andy glanced at Johnson. The older man stepped in, "That fixer you bought the intel from—Wakako—helped us cover your tracks. She pulled a few strings."
"Wakako helped out?" Karl raised an eyebrow. Last he remembered, she only sold the data because he asked. Now she was helping out afterward?
Then it clicked.
Back then, Andy was just a half-broken merc with no allies. Now? He had NCPD backup and a kill count that included a Tyger Claw higher-up. That kind of change didn't go unnoticed.
A fixer wouldn't risk themselves helping a has-been. But someone on the rise? That was worth the gamble.
"Fixers really don't do charity," Karl muttered.
He gave Andy a firm pat on the shoulder, then walked past him and Johnson, only stopping to toss out one last line:
"Do me a favor and play nice on the inside, Andy. I'm counting on you to help me take Chief Johnson down when the time comes."
"Oh come on—haven't even made chief yet and you're already planning my downfall?"
Johnson gave Karl a tired look as he climbed into the car.
That's when he noticed the new face in the squad—V. So that was the guy Karl had mentioned?
Looks like they're evolving too, Johnson thought.
He remembered when Karl first walked into his life—just a solo kid going head-to-head with cyberpsychos. Now? Now he had a full crew.
From nobody to legend in four months.
What's next for this guy? King of Night City?
Or…
Johnson pulled his cap lower and walked toward the building. "Come on, Andy. First time doing this, huh? Better get used to it."
He added, almost offhandedly, "Might be your job sooner than you think."
In Night City, being a precinct captain was the highest rank that still let you run ops in the field. And with Johnson's recent track record, it wouldn't be long before he had leverage to climb higher.Ç
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🔥 Cyberpunk: The Relentless
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