Chapter 230 - 234

Chapter 230: Operation New United States

Hansen was packing his personal belongings in the barracks when he received a comms message from Jamde.

“Commander Jamde.”

The moment he accepted the call, Hansen snapped to attention and saluted.

“Mm. It’s been a while, Colonel Hansen.”

Jamde gave a calm nod.

“I have a very important mission for you.”

Hansen’s expression immediately hardened.

“We’re ready to deploy at any time.”

“Good. In the coming days, we’ll be launching an operation codenamed ‘Midnight Storm.’ You’ll be one of the primary commanders. The target is Night City. I need you and your men to reach Night City within the next two days.”

Jamde nodded in satisfaction as he issued the order.

“Yes, sir!”

Hansen saluted again to acknowledge the command.

Jamde ended the call without another word. He walked slowly to the window, gazing down at the scene below as his eyes narrowed slightly.

“Do you think… after the war ends, Myers will use this opportunity to purge Militech from the inside?”

“I don’t know, sir.”

“Is that so… I think it’s very possible. It just depends on whether she has the nerve to do it.”

Jamde nodded faintly, rubbing the web between his thumb and forefinger.

“Either way, President Myers’ decisions won’t affect us, will they?”

His aide spoke up after hearing that.

“That’s hard to say. It’s better to stay as far away from that whirlpool as possible. Only distance can ensure we won’t be dragged in. As for PROJECT Corporation…”

A flicker of irritation flashed through Jamde’s eyes before he quickly suppressed it.

“Let the next guy deal with it. I’m about ready to retire. People who reach my position rarely get the chance to walk away cleanly.”

After hearing this, Jamde’s aide chose to remain silent.

“So… that’s how Jamde really sees it…”

After listening to the report from the person in front of her, Myers nodded lightly. When the figure’s face came fully into view, it was none other than Jamde’s aide.

“Do you need me to do anything?”

“No. This opportunity works perfectly to remove you from your current position. Koson, from now on you’ll take on this face and identity and enter the upper levels of the military.”

“I understand.”

Koson nodded, raising no objections to Myers’ arrangement.

After giving Koson several additional instructions, Myers ended the call.

That left a new problem. Since Jamde intended to retire, there was no reason to provoke him. That meant this ‘Operation Midnight’ would be short one scapegoat.

After all, Myers had already obtained intelligence from Arasaka and had a rough grasp of what they were preparing. With gains this substantial already in hand, continuing to clash head-on with Arasaka would be extremely unwise.

In the end, it was only Night City. And there was still PROJECT Corporation sitting inside it—let Arasaka deal with that headache themselves.

“Hm… this person might actually be a surprisingly good fit…”

Myers flipped through the files on the officers involved in the operation, her gaze settling on one individual.

...
“Our next stop is Night City.”

Hansen looked at the group of people in front of him as he spoke.

“Night City? What for? Are they planning to make a move there?”

Yuri asked, curiosity written on his face.

“Yeah. They say there’s an operation coming up and everyone’s being transferred over. But the exact time and location haven’t been finalized yet. Probably to avoid any trouble.”

Hansen nodded as he explained.

“When the time comes, I’ll probably need your help again, Farida.”

He turned toward the only woman in the group.

“Yes. It’s my duty.”

Farida nodded, her expression unchanged. To her, as long as it was an order from the state, she would follow it.

“Farida, I’ll be counting on you for my cyberware maintenance then.”

Lindell grinned as he spoke to her.

“Instead of having me maintain it, you should pay more attention to how much cyberware you’re packing. You’re already close to the threshold. Adding more after this could be dangerous.”

A flicker passed through Farida’s eyes as she replied.

“That’s true. You probably weigh more than I do now, don’t you?”

Bennett chimed in as he glanced over at Lindell.

“Hey, it’s nothing. I know my limits. I’m not adding any more. What I’ve got is already plenty—no need to push it further.”

Lindell waved it off as if it were trivial.

Nearby, Murphy had been watching Lindell closely. He knew Lindell would never actually stop. Young and hot-blooded, he would always chase after that so-called power. Until he paid the price, he’d never truly learn.

“These are your inhibitors for the coming period. Take them on schedule.”

Farida said nothing more. She pulled a box of inhibitors from her medical kit and handed it to Lindell. He’d installed a new piece of cyberware not long ago.

Lindell took the inhibitors and nodded to show he understood.

After giving a few more instructions, Hansen left. He still needed to mobilize the rest of his people, and calling Yuri and the others over had only been because they were his longtime core group.

Once Hansen was gone, Bennett showed no interest in lingering. He left without saying another word.

Not long after, Farida and Lindell also departed, leaving only Yuri and Murphy behind.

“What do you think about this operation?”

Murphy spoke first.

“What do I think? I’ll just stand there and watch. I don’t understand this stuff.”

Yuri shook his head, bit down on a cigar, lit it slowly, and spoke at an unhurried pace.

“Is that so? I think the people up top are planning something bad.”

Murphy continued, half to himself.

“Making a move on Night City right now just isn’t worth it. Even if they want to expand their gains, Night City shouldn’t be the target. If I can see that, there’s no way the higher-ups can’t.”

Yuri’s hand finally paused.

“So what if we know? We’re just soldiers.”

“Yeah. In the end, we’re nothing more than soldiers of the BARGHEST.”

Murphy sighed, stood up, and walked toward the exit.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I’ll stick with Hansen.”

“That’s obvious. If not him, then who? Bennett?”

Yuri laughed and shot back.

“Fair enough. Hmph.”

...

Chapter 231: Familiar Faces

“So, how are things on Night Corp’s side?”

Roland turned his head and asked Kelly, who was standing beside him.

“We’ve pretty much taken everything in hand. Their boss doesn’t feel a thing yet—he still believes PROJECT Corporation is already under their control. That’s why they’re staying so quiet.”

“Mhm.”

Roland nodded. He had already gained a fair understanding of the current head of Night Corp. Like the Night Corp couple before him, this one still clung to the idea of building a utopia.

They wanted to eliminate every possible variable, relying on Rogue AI–related technology as well as Night Corp’s own developments to preserve autonomous consciousness and prevent Rogue AI intrusion.

So finding a spot inside Night Corp that directly connected to the Blackwall came as no surprise to him.

During this period, he had been having Lissandra continuously infiltrate the Blackwall, which meant Kelly had been suffering for it—most of the company’s computing power had been supplied by her alone.

Fortunately, Lissandra should be finishing up soon. Once that was done, they’d have a grasp on NetWatch’s situation as well.

Roland had been curious about what lay beyond the Blackwall for a long time. And besides… there was someone over there who’d supposedly been waiting for him to go arrest them.

Bartmoss: Nonsense! When did I ever say I was waiting for you to arrest me? That’s slander, I tell you!

“Oh, right. Call Jack and the others up here.”

Roland suddenly remembered something and spoke to Kelly.

“Understood.”

At that moment, Jack was sprawled across a motorcycle, half-asleep. Rebecca, as always, was at the firing range, though the resentment in her eyes was obvious.

Nearby, Pilar was busy tinkering with PROJECT’s auxiliary single-soldier combat equipment—folding turrets, jump mines, and the like.

Falco and Jessica were nowhere to be seen. No one knew where they’d run off to.

That said, every one of them had changed noticeably.

Jack, for instance, now bore obvious signs of cyberware modification. Both arms had been replaced with PROJECT cybernetic arms. A PROJECT acceleration module had been installed along his spine, and his eyes had been swapped out for combat optics.

As for the cost…

The answer was debt—debt to PROJECT. A portion of his monthly pay was docked to repay it.

Rebecca, on the other hand, had added more armor and combat gear, complete with weapon slots. Her path diverged from Jack’s; most of her implants leaned toward biotechnical enhancements.

She had also installed Kerenzikov and auxiliary targeting cyberware, mainly to support dual-tasking—or even triple-tasking.

The biggest change was Pilar.

His beard was gone. He hadn’t wanted to shave it at first, until one close-quarters mission ended with someone grabbing his beard and beating him senseless.

Both arms had been replaced with PROJECT-manufactured charged arms. They were expensive—far beyond what Pilar could afford. The price he paid was an extra consciousness implanted in his body.

After Pilar’s fierce protests, at least the implanted consciousness was still male.

When Rebecca found out, she mocked him relentlessly for a full month.

That was why Pilar sometimes wore a completely blank expression. In moments like those, it usually meant the other consciousness had taken over.

“He wants us upstairs? Got it.”

Jack nodded after receiving the message and waved the others over.

“The boss wants to see us. Let’s go.”

“Damn, that’s rare. Been at PROJECT this long and I’ve never even seen the boss once. And Miss Lucy too—no idea where she went off to train. She’s been gone forever.”

Pilar sprang up and raised an eyebrow as he spoke.

Rebecca nodded. If she hadn’t stayed in contact with Lucy during this time, she might’ve thought something had happened to her.

“But the boss, huh…”

Rebecca slowly narrowed her eyes. She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something fishy between the old man and the boss here.

Before long, the group arrived at Roland’s office.

“Glad to finally meet you all. I’ve been watching your excellent performance in Nevada—you’ve created considerable value for our corporation. If there’s anything you want, feel free to ask.”

Roland smiled warmly at the three faces before him, familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. There was a hint of emotion in his heart. They had finally met in person.

Standing silently off to the side, Lucy was also watching the trio. They had changed quite a bit, but judging from their expressions, they seemed to be doing fairly well.

“Hey, then can I ask to have my loan wiped?”

Jack laughed and said it half-jokingly.

“Of course. Though you’re asking for too little. You can ask for more.”

Roland spread his hands with a grin. Jack froze for a moment, then laughed as well.

“Then I’d like you to look after my mom’s bar.”

Roland nodded. “No problem. Your request is approved.”

“Then can I ask to live separately from the guy inside me?”

Pilar raised his hand and spoke up.

“That’s not possible. But I can add another neighbor for you.”

Roland shook his head and rejected Pilar’s request, leaving him thoroughly dejected.

Rebecca laughed beside him. “Make sure you get along, big bro!”

“Go to hell. Then at least swap in a hot girl.”

“Are you serious?”

Roland raised an eyebrow.

“Of course!”

Pilar nodded firmly, completely unaware of how bad an idea that was.

Seeing how stubborn he was, Roland didn’t say anything more and simply agreed.

“And you, Miss Rebecca?”

Roland turned his gaze to Rebecca. She was quietly studying both Lucy and Roland.

Both of them gave her a strong sense of familiarity, like she’d seen them somewhere before.

“Have we met before, uncle?”

“…You must be mistaken, Miss Rebecca.”

Roland’s expression stiffened slightly. He coughed before replying.

“Really? I think the lady next to you looks pretty familiar too.”

“M–Ma’am…”

Lucy clenched her teeth the moment she heard that.

Roland nearly laughed, but managed to hold it in.

“I want to commission a custom weapon. And if possible, I’d also like to talk to you properly.”

Rebecca raised her hand, her eyes half-lidded.

“Very well.”

Roland nodded in agreement.

...

Chapter 232: Pacifica, Oh Pacifica
“All right. Since you’ve all finished stating your requests, it’s my turn.”

Roland smiled as he looked at Rebecca and the other two standing before him.

Rebecca and the others exchanged glances, a vague sense of unease rising in their hearts.

“Boss, go ahead.”

“I’ll be sending you to Pacifica to take part in the operation there. Don’t worry—it won’t be just you. The Corporation’s forces will be going as well. I plan to set up a base there, one hidden in the shadows.”

Roland nodded as he began issuing instructions.

“Once you arrive, Chris will tell you what to do. Just follow his command.”

“Understood.”

After hearing that, Jackie looked toward Rebecca and the others. Seeing that neither of them reacted much, she didn’t say anything else.

The three of them then left Roland’s office.

“So, how does it feel to be called ‘Ma’am’ by your best friend?”

After they were gone, Roland turned his head and looked at Lucy, amusement in his voice.

“Tch. I’ll make her pay it back sooner or later.”

Lucy clicked her tongue and turned her head away.

Roland laughed softly and didn’t pursue the topic. At a time like this, it was better to keep an eye on what was happening in Pacifica.

Oh, right—and V and Sasha, along with those other troublemakers who had just finished their special training over there…

Perfect timing. He could send them to Pacifica for a bit of real-world experience. It wasn’t like anything truly dangerous would happen there anyway.

...

Pacifica—ever since relations between Northern and Southern California grew tense, the city government had effectively abandoned the area, as mentioned before.

Recently, however, with neither Southern California nor the New United States making any moves, Pacifica had shown faint signs of revival. Still, the change was minimal and mostly limited to ordinary civilians.

The major corporations who knew the real situation had no intention of continuing to pour money into the district.

The city government, for its part, didn’t bother discouraging these speculative investors. Even if it was only a drop in the bucket, it helped recover some costs—and that was better than nothing.

The corporation suffering the most from Pacifica’s transformation was none other than Petrochem.

That massive stadium—abandoned before it could even host a single event to rake in money. Worst of all, the construction had already been completed. That was what hurt Petrochem the most.

The celebrities they had already booked had to be canceled, deposits wasted, losses piling up to a painful degree.

So who actually held power in Pacifica now?

The answer was a gang made up largely of Haitian immigrants—or rather… the Voodoo Boys. Even before corporate forces and city security pulled out, the Voodoo Boys had already been extremely powerful.

Once those constraints disappeared, their influence in the area only grew stronger.

Aside from the Voodoo Boys, there were also the Scavengers.

Pacifica could practically be called a breeding ground for Scavengers—especially after PROJECT Corporation tightened its control over Night City and rolled out PROJECT cyberware across the city.

That move cut off a major source of income for Scavengers who relied on expensive cyberware.

The main reason was simple: when Night City Scavengers abducted wealthy targets fitted with PROJECT cyberware, they discovered they couldn’t dismantle those implants at all. Even when they managed to remove them, they found the cyberware couldn’t be installed into anyone else.

Try it, and you’d get a cyberpsycho every single time. To make them usable, a netrunner would have to wipe and reset the embedded data beforehand—an extra step that drastically raised the entry barrier for Scavengers.

More importantly, if someone could already do that, they’d be better off getting a job at a cyberware shop. Why bother being a Scavenger at all?

As a result, a sizable number of Scavengers drifted toward Pacifica, hoping to scrape together some profit there.

After all, even though the city government and corporations had abandoned Pacifica, the people living there hadn’t moved out.

And why didn’t they leave? Do you think they didn’t want to? Where would they go? They’d already drained their life savings just to buy homes there.

Another group consisted of homeless drifters from Night City. With so many empty buildings lying around, they saw no reason to pass them up.

All in all, present-day Pacifica was a chaotic mix of every kind imaginable.

The final remaining force was Shadow Stream.

The people of Pacifica didn’t know where this organization came from or who founded it. All they knew was that it was both an assassin group and a gang.

They possessed overwhelming combat power and were rumored to have corporate backing, yet no trace of any corporation could ever be found behind them. Most notably, they showed no hesitation in going after corporate personnel—as long as the price was right, they would act.

Of course, sometimes they would refuse commissions outright, without explanation. A strange group, but an extremely powerful one. No one was eager to provoke them.

Shadow Stream’s core strength lay in its armed operatives and assassins, along with heavy weapons sourced from various corporations—most notably, military-grade technology.

Much of their equipment bore obvious signs of battlefield wear, which inevitably led to speculation that their weapons were secondhand gear retired from actual military engagements.

“Zed, orders just came down. We’re expanding our territory. Take everything we can in Pacifica. Either drive out the Voodoo Boys or swallow them whole.”

Jhin spun Whisper in his hand and turned to look at Zed, who was sitting cross-legged nearby. He had no idea what the posture was supposed to accomplish, but it certainly looked impressive.

Hearing Jhin’s words, Zed slowly opened his eyes. He wasn’t wearing his exoskeleton helmet, revealing short white hair and crimson eyes. His face was that of a cold, handsome man, utterly indifferent.

“I understand. Gather the people and expand our territory. The Boss probably wants us ready before Militech arrives—reduce the Voodoo Boys’ influence in this area as much as possible. How’s your surveillance on them?”

Zed turned his head toward Jhin as he spoke.

Jhin nodded and tapped a button on his head. A holographic projection immediately appeared, showing the Voodoo Boys’ leader deep-diving.

“They’re still poking at that thing called the Blackwall. I have to admit, this Blackwall technology does have its merits.”

Jhin sounded genuinely impressed.

While his netrunning skills couldn’t compare to the monsters from the PROJECT world, in the cyberpunk world they were still overwhelmingly dominant.

As for the PROJECT world… why do you think Jhin still kept his head? Because he didn’t dare upload his consciousness into the Net. He knew exactly what existed there.

“They’re playing with fire. Sooner or later, they’ll be devoured by whatever lies on the other side. The Boss probably doesn’t want any accidents, which is why he’s having us deal with this gang.”

Zed made no extra movements, speaking calmly.

“Once they’re dealt with, there’s no need to bother with the rest, right?”

“The order is to control as much territory as possible. There’s no requirement to take the entire zone.”

“That’s good.”

Zed nodded, stood up, and put his helmet back on.

As for where the Voodoo Boys were currently based—the answer was Petrochem’s stadium. Before being driven out by BARGHEST, the area had been inhabited by Creole immigrants.

It was practically a massive illegal marketplace. Anything you could imagine was being sold there.

...

Chapter 233: Joining the Shadow Stream
“Phew—finally some fresh air. Even if it’s not exactly clean.”

V stretched lazily and took a deep breath. After such a long period of special training, she had finally graduated and could officially take part in the Corporation’s operations.

Sasha stepped out as well, raising a hand to shield her eyes from the sun and squinting slightly. After so long without sunlight, it felt almost painfully bright.

“V, has the Corporation assigned you anything yet?”

“Not yet. What about you?”

“Yeah, I’ve already been assigned. I’m heading to Pacifica with the main force. We’ll be supporting the netrunner team there to control and hit a local gang. Supposedly there’s also some Scavenger cleanup involved.”

Sasha nodded as she explained the orders she had received.

“Huh? Why? I haven’t heard a thing at all!”

V stared at Sasha with wide eyes, completely confused.

“Heh. Maybe it’s because your special training results were too bad.”

At that moment, Mibs slowly walked past V and tossed out the jab.

“Huh? You looking for a beating?”

V’s expression instantly turned dangerous as she glared at Mibs. She had zero patience for this clueless little brat. Hearing her tone, Mibs immediately took several steps back.

Ever since that assessment, he’d developed a bit of a psychological shadow toward V. After getting beaten by her once, that shadow had only grown.

Now that she was finally out of the base, how could he resist taking a shot at her?

“Forget it, I won’t lower myself to your level. But you’d better hope you don’t end up working under me later.”

As she spoke, V cast a deep, meaningful look at Mibs. His face instantly went pale. He’d forgotten about that—V had graduated earlier than him, which meant she’d have access to the Corporation’s upper levels sooner.

By the time he officially joined, V, having passed the assessment, would surely be a key focus of the Corporation’s training. And when that happened…

Mibs forced out an awkward smile.

“V, uh—”

“V, come here.”

Just as Mibs was about to back down, Molotov’s voice rang out from the distance, calling V over. As V walked away, she shot Mibs one last hard look, leaving him utterly miserable.

“Instructor.”

“Mm. Your performance was very good, V.”

Molotov looked her over and nodded in satisfaction. He had seen her combat talent clearly—no wonder she was a genius personally noted by the higher-ups.

“This time, you’ll be participating in a secret operation. You won’t be moving with Sasha and the others. In a moment, you’ll board that AV and head straight to Pacifica.”

As he spoke, Molotov pointed toward an AV that was already prepped and waiting.

V’s eyes sharpened, then lit up with excitement. She knew this was a huge opportunity for her.

“Understood, Instructor!”

“Good. Do your best.”

Molotov nodded, patted her on the shoulder, and left.

After telling Sasha that the Corporation had other arrangements for her, V boarded the AV.

“Miss Valerie, these are the requirements for this operation.”

Only after sitting down did V notice that there was already a black-haired woman inside, dressed head to toe in black combat gear.

V took the tablet, nodded, and began reading. First came the requirement to conceal her identity. Next was the instruction to join a faction and operate within it. The faction’s name was—

“Shadow Stream?”

V abruptly looked up at the woman.

“This is one of our Corporation’s forces?”

“Yes. Once you arrive, the commander there will be responsible for arranging your activities.”

The woman nodded. V nodded back, surprised. She was fairly familiar with this faction—it was active in both Pacifica and Night City, taking on assassination contracts, arms smuggling, and similar work.

She hadn’t expected it to belong to her own Corporation. That, in turn, suggested that Pacifica itself must hold some special significance…

Roland nodded in satisfaction at V’s assignment. In his view, an environment steeped in constant conflict was exactly what V needed to grow. Tempered by endless strife, she would mature far more quickly.

On top of that, with him personally ensuring her safety, she could afford to take bolder risks. That should significantly accelerate her growth. Once this mission was complete, he could begin preparations to install the Justice Template for her.

As for David…

Roland’s level of attention toward David wasn’t particularly high. It was more a matter of sentiment. He knew David had talent and had given him some guidance, though that guidance had ended up going in an unexpected direction.

Originally, David had shown outstanding aptitude with Sandevistan and combat cyberware. This time, Roland had shifted his approach, steering David toward developing netrunning skills in a more freeform direction. The results were excellent—one could even say exceptional.

David’s talent as a netrunner reminded Roland of one of the reasons the original David had been able to enter Arasaka Academy in the first place: his outstanding academic performance.

“Mm… I’ll need to arrange something for David’s family. If I just let that kid grow unchecked… who knows when he might end up standing against me.”

Roland rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He understood David’s temperament very well—he yearned for the life of an edge-runner and for freedom, and had little real interest in corporate life.

This version of David had far fewer worries, especially after Gloria had provided him with substantial material support. With his material needs met, he would most likely start seeking spiritual fulfillment next.

Meanwhile, part of the New United States military had already arrived in a city along the Southern California border.

The New United States was advancing in stages, aiming for a rapid strike—a classic lightning war.

Northern California still had troops stationed in Night City, but their numbers were limited. Defenses were lax, making this an excellent opportunity for the New United States.

...

Chapter 234: Fire Away
Bang!

A bright muzzle flash tore through the darkness, a scorching round ripping through the air and burying itself in a gang member’s skull.

That single gunshot set off a chain reaction. Like a butterfly effect, gunfire erupted everywhere in an instant, the flashing muzzles briefly turning the pitch-black space as bright as day.

Since Pacifica had been abandoned, power and water had been cut in parts of the district. This place was clearly one of them.

Whoosh—

A black figure suddenly lunged straight into the midst of the Voodoo Boys.

“What the hell is that?!”
“Someone’s inside! Kill that bastard—ah!!”

The shadow streaked past two figures. The dagger in her hand struck in a blink, punching clean holes through their throats. She withdrew just as fast, melting back into the darkness and slipping once more into the crowd.

The blade flashed in her grip like a dancing butterfly. Silver light sliced through the air, severing several throats in succession. Using one collapsing body as cover, she shifted positions again.

The Voodoo Boys reacted quickly, locking onto her location and concentrating their fire on the figure behind the pillar.

In response, a dagger suddenly flew out, slamming straight into a man’s forehead. The shadow burst out with it, now holding a strangely shaped pistol.

Bang!

A single gunshot rang out. The people rushing in collapsed at the exact same moment, instantly lifeless.

“It’s Sandevistan! Run!”

One of the more experienced Voodoo Boys turned pale. He shouted a warning and bolted for the exit.

The moment he stepped outside, countless bullets tore into him, riddling his body until he dropped like a sieve.

Crack!

With the sound of a bone snapping, the black-clad figure slowly let out a breath and reached up to remove her tactical helmet.

“Ah… this really is… way more dangerous than back during special training…”

V exhaled deeply, then sighed and sent a message outside. Moments later, powerful floodlights snapped on, bathing the area in blinding white light.

Members of Shadow Stream soon poured in, beginning to clean up what was left behind.

“Good work.”

Zed stepped out from behind V and nodded in approval, though his sudden appearance still made her jump.

“Teacher, could you please stop popping up like a ghost? You’re going to scare someone to death.”

V couldn’t help complaining. The “teacher” she referred to had been arranged by Roland. Zed had initially been unwilling, but after actually training V, he realized her combat talent was genuinely outstanding—at the very least, far better than Lucy’s—so he accepted it.

Zed ignored her complaint and spoke calmly. “The Voodoo Boys in this area are cleared out. Only the eastern side remains—that’s their main base. You won’t need to wipe out their territory yourself. Return to your usual state and go take a look over there.”

“Huh? Me?”

V stared at him blankly.

“Yes. You still can’t manage a complete infiltration, so using the traditional method to gather intel is better for now.”

Zed nodded as he gave the order.

As V listened, a huge question mark popped up in her head. If this counted as the “traditional method,” then what exactly qualified as a full infiltration?

“Teacher, are we not expanding our territory anymore?”

“No. The Boss says we wait for the New United States military to arrive. Those sewer rats from the Voodoo Boys won’t dare fight them head-on. In the end, they’ll have no choice but to slink out on their own. It’ll save us a lot of trouble.”

Zed shook his head. As for whether the New United States might use the opportunity to probe Shadow Stream’s strength—or even act against them…

He wasn’t too worried. Leaving aside whether they’d even have that capability, the New United States likely wouldn’t have the inclination by then.

After all, Arasaka’s forces wouldn’t take long to reach Night City. In fact, their arrival was practically a given already.

At this very moment, Arasaka’s supercarrier was anchored in the sea some distance from Night City, its massive form hidden by cloaking technology as it waited for the right moment.

...

“So that’s Night City, huh? The legendary City of Dreams.”

Yuri rested both hands on the roof of the vehicle, gazing at the dazzling, neon-lit Night City in the distance.

Standing beside him was a group of elite soldiers in optical camouflage, marked with faint green insignia and fully armed.

“Focus. Once we take the city, you can look around all you want. For now, as the vanguard, we need to stay sharp.”

Hansen nodded toward Night City as he spoke.

The special forces unit known as the BARGHEST had already been split up. Each squad, led by its own commander, was steadily infiltrating toward Pacifica, where they would eventually regroup.

Their main objective was to transport large-scale weapons—broken down into components—into Pacifica for reassembly and secure it as a bridgehead.

“Got it, got it. With me handling it, you can relax.”

Yuri nodded confidently, patting his chest.

“That’s exactly why I can’t relax. I still remember someone forgetting the mission last time he went out drinking.”

“Heh, that was an accident. An accident.”

“I’m serious, Yuri. There can’t be any mistakes this time.”

Hansen stared straight into Yuri’s eyes, his voice cold and firm.

Yuri’s grin faded. He nodded.

“Don’t worry. I won’t cause trouble.”

“Good.”

Hansen stepped forward, patted Yuri on the shoulder, and slowly walked away.

...

“Wow… so this is the stadium Petrochem built? Pretty impressive… heh, I can already picture the look on Petrochem’s local manager’s face.”

V lowered her binoculars, speaking in a low voice with a mischievous grin.

“Focus, V. Our objective this time is to find where the Voodoo Boys are storing their equipment.”

Sasha’s voice suddenly sounded in V’s ear. V had thought she wouldn’t be working with Sasha again, yet before long, the two of them had crossed paths once more.

“Yeah, I know. Say, Sasha, do you think the Voodoo Boys will really just sit around and wait for the New United States to show up before moving out?”

“Huh? Why ask that?”

“No reason. Just feels like they’d prepare in advance. For example… moving their important equipment ahead of time.”

“Huh? That actually makes a lot of sense. V, we should report this.”

Sasha thought it over and realized V had a point.

“No need. The higher-ups probably already considered it. I think they just sent us to confirm it. We’re definitely not the only ones involved—just part of the operation.”

V spoke calmly as she watched the Voodoo Boys and the residents of Pacifica bustling about in the distance.