🔥 Cyberpunk: The Relentless
📢 Chooms, Listen Up! 📢
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🔗 Join here: www.patreon.com/c/MrMagnus👤 Patreon name: SrMagnus
Preem support as always, chooms. See you in Night City. 🌆💫
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"I'm never setting foot in Clouds again," Karl muttered.
"You won't get the chance anyway," came V's tired voice over comms.
Karl stood on the 14th floor, clapping his hands as he looked over a pile of unconscious Tiger Claws. "Top floor's clear. Place really was crawling with them."
"Same downstairs," Jack chimed in. "Unless those ex-Arasaka guards hiding in Clouds feel like base jumping, they're locked in."
"Any sign of them yet?"
Oliver sat calmly on the bed, glancing at the doll Sky Blue passed out in front of him. "We're here to get back what they took, right? Any trace of where they went?" he asked T-BUG.
"I've scanned every local cam I can access," T-BUG replied. "No sign of the guards. The client only gave us text intel—no visuals. I had to cross-check faces in the NCPD database myself. Compared them to every guest, doll, and bodyguard in the regular and VIP zones. No match. But they might've altered their appearance."
"Unlikely," Karl cut in. "This happened fast. They ducked into Clouds mid-pursuit. Unless they used top-tier Militech implants, there's no way they changed faces that quick. And if they're Militech spies, they'd be idiots to run straight into Arasaka turf."
Jack had a theory. "What if the Tiger Claws running Clouds are Militech plants too?"
"Not impossible," Karl said, "just dumb. Japantown's as sacred to the Claws as Santo Domingo is to 6th Street. Clouds is a glorified pleasure box. If Militech spies got exposed here, Arasaka would mop them up before Militech even noticed."
If the Claws here really were Militech, more spies showing up would just screw them. One firefight, and Arasaka would roll in—probably erase both sides for good measure.
And why run from the Badlands into Japantown of all places? Makes no sense.
"Also…"
Karl thought back to meeting Kenichiro Arasaka.
"If this really was Militech, Kenichiro wouldn't be handling it personally."
Fighting Militech's always politically correct inside Arasaka—instant promotion stuff. If it were that simple, Ken wouldn't need our crew. He's got people for this.
"So another corpo pissing match," Oliver muttered. He dragged the doll back onto the bed and walked toward a vent in the wall. "How many of these intra-corp jobs have we done now? Militech. Arasaka. It never ends."
"Lost count," T-BUG replied.
On the top floor of a nearby building, glowing blue data flickered across her eyes. A moment later, the vent cover in front of Oliver clicked and opened.
"I shut off airflow in that duct. Measured the diameter—it's big enough for you. Get in, I'll guide you."
"Where's this going?"
"Admin section of Clouds. Separate local net. I think our targets are hiding there. Long crawl."
Staring at the dusty, grease-smeared duct, Oliver winced. "How long are we talking?"
"Just from your suite to the second-floor VIPs. Won't kill you."
That's not far?
Oliver sighed, then crouched. Merc life had unspoken rules—this was one of 'em. Dirty vent? Suck it up.
"Braindances always show clean ducts…"
"Those are shot for you. Big, shiny, fanless. Try a film studio."
"There goes my outfit."
As he crawled forward, hair snagging on grime, T-BUG's voice came again—casual, like she wasn't about to break him.
"V, I popped your window. Try circling around outside to reach admin. Watch your step. It's the 12th floor. Even with Sandevistan, you'll barely catch yourself if you slip. And the noise'll blow your cover."
"Wait, V gets to scale walls and I'm rat-crawling through vents? I can climb too!"
"You didn't notice? Your room has no windows. You're in a sealed internal unit."
T-BUG ignored Oliver's howling and turned back to V. "Ready?"
"I'm already out here," V replied, voice tight—and full of wind.
T-BUG raised an eyebrow. "V, mute your external mic. Use internal channel only. Wind's loud."
"I know. I'm just… nervous. Talking helps."
Clinging to the building's outer wall, V hadn't moved half a meter. But his whole body was trembling.
This wasn't like hovering in an AV. From the air, the city looked small—beautiful. But here, latched onto a stone wall thirteen floors up with cold wind in his face? One look down, and it was a sea of lights ready to swallow you.
"You afraid of heights?" Karl asked, surprised. "If I'd known, I'd've made you take the vents."
"I'm not scared, I just…"
V had one foot on the ledge, right hand stretched for the next window. His palm was soaked.
"It's the sweat. Can't grip right. Even knowing I'd survive a fall, my body just… reacts. So I talk—to stop thinking about the wind and the drop."
Skrrt.
His hand reached the next ledge—then slipped. His left hand lost contact.
Wet palm. Smooth stone. No grip.
His body tilted. Balance gone.
But his eyes—clear. Focused.
Sandevistan: engaged.
A jolt of speed surged through him. Instead of clawing back, V let go. Left foot pushed off the previous window ledge, launching his body sideways.
He slid across the building's face like a skater, momentum perfect. Both hands reached—
The next window was already open.
Fingers caught the frame. Ten digits gripped hard. Pulling himself up, V lifted his body, flipped through the gap, and tumbled into the room.
Huff. Huff.
Heart racing. Skin buzzing. Relief washing over him like fire and ice.
"I'm in," he gasped, taking in the empty room, smiling with pride.
T-BUG didn't miss a beat. "Congrats. That was the first one."
"…First?" V blinked.
Then reality hit: he'd only moved a few meters.
Which meant—
"There's still a way to go," T-BUG said. "Next window's open. Keep moving, V."
"Got it…"
V stared at the next window. His face said it all.
At least the trembling had stopped.
But how many more times…?
Now it was V's turn to sigh.
.
.
.
🔥 Cyberpunk: The Relentless
📢 Chooms, Listen Up! 📢
You can now jack in and get 100 chapters ahead on Patreon for Cyberpunk: The Relentless! 💾🔥
Stay synced with the chrome, the carnage, and the chaos—early access is stacked and ready. 🧠💀
🔗 Join here: www.patreon.com/c/MrMagnus👤 Patreon name: SrMagnus
Preem support as always, chooms. See you in Night City. 🌆💫