Chapter: Military Tech Goes Up in Smoke
"You're Mr. Peter, right? I think there may have been some misunderstandings, so—"
"What kind of misunderstanding isn't a misunderstanding?" Peter cut him off coldly. "You call this a misunderstanding? You investigated me beforehand, failed to catch me, and now you're going after my partners instead?"
His eyes narrowed, sharp as blades. "Am I right, Mr. Gail Gibbs?"
From the moment Peter received Sasha's distress message, everything had snapped into place like puzzle pieces.
That so-called transport mission? A lie.
Military Technology's true goal had been clear—to capture Sasha, hold her as leverage, weaken Peter's defenses, and then move in to take him down for good.
But they had made one critical mistake: they overestimated their own capabilities… or underestimated his.
"I still think there's room to negotiate, so if you'll just—"
"You can explain it to me when I visit your headquarters in Night City."
Peter didn't give him another chance. With a flick of his hand, he cut off the encrypted communication channel.
Swish!
Thud!
The commander barely registered Peter's movement before all hell broke loose. In a flash of speed and violence, dozens of Military Tech soldiers surrounding Mann and the others collapsed, their bodies hitting the ground one after another. Precise, silent, and brutal—Peter took them all down in the blink of an eye.
Just seconds later, the units surrounding Sasha were wiped out as well. Peter turned toward the soldiers still cowering behind makeshift cover.
"Sasha, go first. I'll catch up after I retrieve something. Remember—once you're in the car, drive. Don't look back."
"Got it. Take care of yourself," Sasha replied without hesitation. She didn't ask questions. She trusted him. If Peter said it was time to go, then it was time.
"Peter! Want to grab a drink after this job's done?" Rebecca called out as she jogged toward the escape vehicle.
"No problem," Peter said, flashing a rare smile. "I'll buy you whatever you want."
That was all Rebecca needed to hear. Grinning, she hopped into the car beside Sasha.
With the tires screeching and smoke billowing, they peeled out of the base perimeter.
Meanwhile, Peter walked calmly toward the commanding officer of Military Technology.
"Where's your nuclear fuel storage room?"
"Wha—what nuclear fuel—ARGH!!"
The man didn't even have a chance to lie before Peter fired a thin, concentrated beam of heat vision through his thigh. The searing energy cauterized the flesh instantly, punching a clean hole straight through muscle and bone.
The man screamed in agony, collapsing to the ground.
"I'm not the patient type," Peter said, crouching beside him. His voice was steady—almost casual. "But I do enjoy games. Want to guess how many holes I can make before you bleed out?"
To the commander, the words sounded less like a threat and more like the devil whispering in his ear.
Still, he tried to resist. Until—
Zzzz—Puchi!
Another beam. This time, through the knee.
"ARGHHH! I'll talk! I'll talk!" he howled. "The nuclear fuel room—it's on sublevel B3! End of the corridor, past the secure vault!"
"Thanks."
ZAP. Peter fired one final beam through the man's skull. It was quick. Clean. Merciful, in a way.
Nearby, Hall—the other officer—was regaining consciousness but was completely ignored.
Peter didn't care about survivors who posed no threat.
Armed with the coordinates, he moved fast. Within minutes, he reached the nuclear fuel storage room hidden deep within the facility.
Ling Xiaohan had offered him nuclear materials earlier that day—but with conditions. She wanted a few scientists granted access to Peter's lab to collaborate on research. The data could be made public… or not, as Peter saw fit.
But the supplies she provided were incomplete. Some rare elements were missing.
Now, as he stepped into the heart of Military Tech's storage vault, he saw everything he needed. Perfectly preserved. Abundant.
He packed it all.
Seconds later, Peter reappeared inside Mann's speeding vehicle, already ten kilometers away from the base.
"Peter? You're done already?" Mann asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Peter said calmly, securing the case on the floor. "You'll see the results soon."
"See wha—?"
Before Rebecca could finish her sentence, a flash of blinding light erupted in the distance behind them.
Even with enhanced cybernetic eyes, everyone instinctively shielded their faces from the burst.
Then came the tremor.
BOOM!!!
The earth rumbled as a deep shockwave rolled over them, rattling the vehicle's frame. The sound was deafening—like thunder from the end of the world.
The group turned to look behind them.
And what they saw would be burned into their memories forever.
A massive explosion had consumed the Military Technology base. A colossal fireball bloomed skyward, swirling dust and debris high into the atmosphere. Flames spiraled upward, forming a mushroom cloud that towered thousands of meters in the air.
The light.
The roar.
The sheer force of it.
This wasn't just a detonation.
It was a message.
"Peter… you didn't just blow up a nuclear bomb back there, did you?" Mann asked, disbelief thick in his voice.
Peter leaned back in his seat, utterly calm. "No," he replied. "I just lit some fireworks at Military Tech's base."
He might as well have been talking about setting off a Roman candle on New Year's Eve.
Everyone stared at him, stunned.
Fireworks?
That wasn't a firework. That was a goddamn cataclysm.
"Peter, what's that in your hand?" Sasha asked, eyeing the sleek metallic case beside him.
"Oh, this?" He lifted it slightly. "Just a bit of nuclear material. Don't worry. The case is radiation-proof."
Everyone in the vehicle instinctively shifted a few inches away from him.
Sure, he said it was safe—but who could ever be truly sure about nuclear fuel?
"Peter! That was incredible!" Rebecca grinned, her eyes gleaming with awe. "I mean… I've heard of your exploits, like what you pulled off at the Cyan Bi building. But seeing it up close? That was insane!"
She wasn't exaggerating.
Peter had just taken out a heavily armed military compound singlehandedly—then nuked it on the way out without even breaking a sweat.
This wasn't the kind of operation mercs whispered about in the bars of Night City. No, this was legend. The kind of story that would echo through underground networks for years.
"Ha! That was so f*****g fun!" Mann roared with laughter, slapping his knee. "Those Military Tech bastards had it coming. I've hated them for years. You have no idea how satisfying that was."
Peter didn't respond. He stared out the window, watching the mushroom cloud begin to thin and fade, reduced to smoke and ash drifting on the wind.
In his mind, it wasn't about revenge.
It wasn't about making a statement.
It was about control. Precision. Power.
He had sent a clear message to every corporation, every mercenary group, every politician watching from the shadows:
Do not f* with Peter.**
Not unless you're ready to lose everything.