Chapter 39: Direct Confrontation and Aftermath

“Hurry! Hurry! Don’t let that bastard escape!!”

The Militech squad leader barked orders as he sprinted through the building, activating the acceleration system on his power armor and charging toward the floor where Jhin was located. He couldn’t afford another failure. Losing Fiers in his own sector had already been a disgrace—if he let the assassin slip away too, he’d definitely end up on Militech’s purge list.

A sudden sound of footsteps echoed beside him. Instinctively, he halted with his right leg, raised his MK.31 heavy machine gun, and aimed.

That weapon wasn’t meant for human hands—the sheer firepower and recoil were overwhelming for anyone without extensive cyberware augmentation, except perhaps for members of the Animals. Fortunately, this squad leader’s own modifications were considerable, and with the support of his power armor, he could handle the weapon’s monstrous weight.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Muzzles flared as large-caliber rounds tore into the walls and floor, shredding everything nearby. But a dark silhouette darted through the storm of bullets like a ghost, untouched.

Those bullets could rip through steel, but if they missed, even the most powerful weapon was useless.

Jhin felt cold sweat bead under his mask. His ballistic coating could stop small-arms fire—pistols, SMGs, some rifles—but a heavy machine gun like this? He wasn’t eager to find out.

In a blink, Jhin closed the distance, positioning himself directly beneath the squad leader’s muzzle. The leader’s expression twisted into a grin as he lowered his weapon—

A surge of force erupted from the muzzle. Jhin seized the gun barrel with one hand.

Feeling the immense pressure, far greater than his own, the leader froze in shock. How could someone that lean possess such monstrous strength?

Still, his reflexes didn’t falter. A wrist blade sprang out from his cyberarm—reinforced Gorilla Arms paired with his power armor. Releasing his weapon, he lunged for Jhin’s chest.

Jhin flicked his right hand, summoning a pistol. A single shot rang out. The man’s arm spun away, sparks crackling from the severed cybernetics.

“Die!!”

Jhin raised his weapon to finish him, but suddenly, a Mantis Blade shot out from the man’s shoulder.

Jhin cursed under his breath. “What kind of messed-up mod points are these?!”

He stepped back instantly and drew “Whisper.”

The squad leader’s pupils shrank as crimson light gathered at the barrel. He tried to flee—but too late. A flash of red light pierced the air, leaving a perfect hole through his chest.

He looked down blankly before collapsing to the ground.

Thud!

A cloud of dust rose. Jhin scanned the area, quickly deciding it was impossible to escape downward. He had to find another route.

Close-quarters combat really didn’t suit his template.

He sprinted upstairs, data flickering rapidly across his mask’s interface.

Moments later, security forces from both Militech and Biotechnica rushed toward the gunfire. As they reached the upper floors, a surge of red light filled their vision—followed by the sound of crackling electricity.

“AAAAHHHH!!”

Outside, Finkes spotted the red glow bursting through the wall, accompanied by the screams. He moved immediately.

Boom!

His Exoskeleton armor roared to life, shattering the ground beneath his feet as he propelled himself upward. Shielding his head, he crashed through the wall into the floor above. Fortunately, the height was manageable.

Finkes quickly surveyed the scene. Security officers lay scattered across the floor, blood trickling from their noses and mouths, sparks flickering from their neck implants.

A skilled netrunner, no doubt. But those were the kind of opponents Finkes feared least.

Everything around him slowed as his Sandevistan activated. He drew his alloy knight sword from his back.

Boom!

Fueled by the Sandevistan and the boosters in his armor, Finkes shot forward like a missile. Above, Jhin heard the sound. His sensors screamed warnings—something strong was coming fast.

Moments later, Finkes caught sight of him. Without hesitation, he thrust his sword toward Jhin’s chest.

Hum!

A low hum echoed as Jhin activated his own acceleration field—not a Sandevistan, but an extreme-grade module built into Ascension, designed to counter foes like this.

When their eyes met, Finkes’ expression faltered. His opponent had a netrunning pod and other cyberware enhancements?

Sparks flew as Finkes’ blade scraped across Jhin’s chest. Jhin retaliated instantly, firing four shots aimed at his opponent’s vital points—eyes, heart, lungs.

All four bullets clanged off Finkes’ armor. The two fighters broke apart.

Finkes glanced down at the dented plating where Jhin’s rounds had struck, eyes narrowing. Jhin looked at the gash across his own chest, the ballistic coating torn through.

The situation wasn’t in his favor. He couldn’t waste time here.

He tossed four grenades and a smoke bomb, his figure fading into the haze.

Finkes slashed one grenade away with his sword, then reactivated his Sandevistan and charged toward Jhin’s position.

He can see me?

Jhin frowned. His optical camouflage had never failed before—though, granted, it wasn’t true cyberpunk-grade tech.

Clang!

At the last instant, Jhin raised his pistol to block the incoming blade. The sword bit into the weapon’s frame.

“I don’t know where you got this tech that hides your presence,” Finkes said evenly, “but it’s useless against me.”

He took a steady step forward. “You’re skilled, I’ll give you that. But the show’s over. I don’t have time to play.”

“No,” Jhin replied calmly. “We’re only at the climax. How could it end now?”

Finkes chuckled, confident in his victory—until a burst of electricity crackled through the air. His pupils shrank, and his vision went black.

Shit!

A wave of danger surged through him. He reacted purely on instinct.

Clang!

His broken sword flew from his grip, embedding itself in the wall as his body was thrown backward.

Jhin realized instantly the man wasn’t dead—but he didn’t have time to finish it. He holstered “Whisper” and bolted upstairs.

“Cough...”

Finkes’ ICE rebooted. Looking down at his damaged armor and the scorch marks across his chest, he sighed. Injecting a healing stim, a cool rush spread through his veins.

“Damn... that one hurt.”

His expression turned grim. He hadn’t expected the opponent to hide such a deadly weapon—he hadn’t even seen it drawn. But what disturbed him most was that netrunning attack...

No warnings. No traces. Nothing before his ICE crashed.

“Just who the hell is this guy...”

He leaned back with a long exhale. The man was strong—terrifyingly so—and armed with strange, advanced tech. His flaws were there, but his strength? Undeniable. A world-class assassin, without question.

He’d done all he could. The rest was Militech’s problem now.

Still, that weapon... the firepower, the energy signature... it had to be corporate. Probably Arasaka.

Meanwhile, Jhin didn’t care what Finkes thought. He’d reached the upper levels but avoided the rooftop—it would make him an easy target for patrol AVs.

So...

He glanced at the window, then at the crowd below. Raising his weapon, he fired into the four corners.

Crack!

The glass shattered. Jhin leapt out. The noise drew the crowd’s attention immediately.

“He’s there! Open fire!”

Owen pointed upward and shouted. A storm of bullets erupted, but Jhin pulled the pin on a smoke grenade and vanished behind a cloud, activating his camouflage.

When the smoke cleared, he was gone. Owen’s face darkened.

Watching the live feed, Kuroda smirked.

“Let’s go. We’re done here.”

...

Days later, the Fiers incident was still all over the Net. Both Militech and Biotechnica saw their reputations plummet—Militech especially.

After all, Fiers was their man, and failing to catch his killer was humiliating. For Night City’s top dog, that stung even more.

Biotechnica didn’t fare better. Their venue had been infiltrated, their partner murdered, and the assassin had escaped without a scratch. The ridicule online was merciless.

Arasaka, of course, was delighted—fanning the flames at every opportunity. Kang Tao stayed quiet, occasionally twisting the knife and stealing bits of intel and tech from Militech’s chaos.

Rumors about it being an Arasaka plot spread wildly, but it didn’t matter. Arasaka denied everything, threatening lawsuits for defamation.

And Militech had no real proof. They knew it was Arasaka’s doing—but with no evidence, they could only grit their teeth and swallow it.

The unspoken understanding was clear: “We’ll settle this later. For now, we’ve got our own fires to put out.”

Myers, meanwhile, wasn’t exactly mourning Fiers. She gave the expected condolences, but politically, she wasn’t about to waste the opportunity.

One more company suffered quietly—Trauma Team. Fiers’ death had been too sudden and absolute for a rescue. They didn’t even have time to deploy, and now they had to pay a massive insurance payout to his family. It stung.

The biggest winner? Jhin.

His reputation soared overnight. Across Night City’s underground, he had become a living legend.

A ghostly assassin who appeared and vanished without a trace—even the Afterlife hadn’t seen him.

Roland, meanwhile, waited patiently for the situation to unfold and the Essence payments to clear. By his estimation, this job had earned him a fortune.

Still, it was a shame Jhin had to lay low—Militech would be hunting him relentlessly now.

That knight-like man he’d seen earlier lingered in Roland’s thoughts. His power was immense—not quite on par with PROJECT combat templates, but close.

He’d even managed to suppress Jhin in battle, though being caught off guard and lacking specialized weapons hadn’t helped Jhin’s side. Still, Roland had to admit—the man’s strength was real. Against someone like Yi with a dedicated weapon, though? He’d be cut down like butter.

Roland had dug into his identity afterward and found there were several like him—reminders that the cyberpunk world was far from simple. Figures like Adam Smasher weren’t as rare as people thought.

Militech probably had their own stock of such warriors. Fiers just hadn’t ranked high enough to have one at his side.

Finkes had only been a hired gun.

Roland now realized how perfect his timing had been—Finkes had been just far enough away, and relaxed enough, for Jhin to land the kill shot.

Had he been closer, he probably could’ve saved Fiers—and that would’ve complicated everything.

But as it stood, the outcome couldn’t have been better. Kuroda’s final payment had cleared, and the next phase of their operation could begin.