While Karl and Dexter DeShawn were talking, the rest of the team stepped out of the car one by one. Jack immediately focused on the big guy
While Karl and Dexter DeShawn were talking, the rest of the team stepped out of the car one by one. Jack immediately focused on the big guy standing next to Dexter, clearly his bodyguard.
"Yo, what's your name?"
Jack smiled and casually approached the man, keeping it friendly and relaxed.
This was his usual trick—just like when he first met Karl and Oliver. He'd use his musclehead appearance to get close and dig for information. And it worked.
Among Karl's team, Jack was second only to Karl in negotiation skills. The bodyguard, deceived by Jack's easygoing attitude, answered before Jack could introduce himself.
"Oleg."
"I'm Jack. Jack Wells. Hey man, look at those gains—damn. You work out, yeah? What's your go-to? I—"
While Jack was using gym talk to steer the conversation, V and Oliver were already scanning the surroundings.
Both had Kiroshi optical implants.
"No personnel detected within 50 meters," V confirmed over comms.
Once the safety check was complete, V moved. He approached the only structurally intact three-story building in the area, tapped its walls to check stability, took a deep breath, and disappeared.
When Dexter and Oleg turned toward the noise in surprise, V was already gone.
In the blink of an eye, he had leapt to the rooftop. On the outer wall, there were two fresh impact dents where he'd launched himself upward.
Both men's pupils constricted.
They realized what had just happened: that kind of movement speed—faster than even cyberoptics could track—had to be Sandevistan. And judging by the wall damage, he'd used only two steps to vault nearly nine meters to the top.
Dexter DeShawn's gaze followed the trail: from the crushed indentations to the figure now perched calmly on the rooftop.
Sandevistan jump, minimal wall contact, no loss of momentum...
Yeah, this V guy was serious.
Dexter had watched the braindance footage of Karl's team fighting Adam Smasher. That was part of why he'd chosen to reconnect with them the moment he returned to Night City. But back then, most of the attention was on Karl—he'd underestimated the rest of the crew.
Clearly, that was a mistake.
Dexter DeShawn was no stranger to the streets. As a seasoned fixer, he could read a merc's combat ability at a glance—and right now, he was realizing: even his own bodyguard Oleg would have a hard time holding his own against V, never mind Karl.
Fortunately, these guys are working for me.
And if they weren't?
Dexter didn't even want to think about it.
Maybe the new generation of fixers really have gotten soft while I've been gone.
But with a team like this? I could make a serious comeback. Hell, screw the small-time street gigs—with them, I could even take on high-risk corporate ops.
With that thought, a dozen comeback plans flashed through Dexter's mind. But not yet. This was only their first job together. He hadn't even returned to Night City. He needed to keep watching.
"All clear," V reported from above.
Then, with practiced ease, he dropped from the roof—planting one foot into the wall's dent to absorb the fall—then landed smoothly.
"Area secure."
Karl nodded, then looked at Dexter.
"Mr. DeShawn, shall we head out? I assume someone in Pacifica already caught wind that you're coming back to Night City. No point in lingering."
"Yeah. It's about that time."
Dexter signaled to Oleg, who walked to a nearby pile of rubble and began shifting stones with his cyberarm.
Under the debris was a tarp. As he pulled it away, it revealed a Thorton Colby C240T—sleek, reinforced, and hidden for stealth.
"Cars are easy to track. People? You can hide them anywhere. But cars? No such luck."
Dexter said it with a smirk as Oleg got in and started the engine.
With gravel scattering under its wheels, the Colby backed out of the ruins and rolled up beside Karl's vehicle. But instead of getting in, Dexter turned to the team.
"You know the drill."
"Of course. On an escort mission, as long as the eddies are right, client safety comes first."
Karl got it right away. He'd seen this playbook during the Hanako escort job: the Braun team had shown him firsthand how pro bodyguards operated.
Dexter wanted to ride in their car, while one of Karl's team rode in the Colby—splitting the convoy so attackers wouldn't know which car he was actually in.
It was a standard tactic. What wasn't standard was how bluntly Dexter laid it out.
But that was fine. It was an escort mission.
"So... who's riding in the Colby?"
Oliver looked around. Karl immediately bowed out.
"Not me. I hate two-seaters. Unless it's a luxury ride, count me out."
"I'm today's driver," Jack grinned. "And with my size? I'd barely fit."
"Like Dexter's gonna have plenty of room in the back of our car," Oliver quipped. Then he turned to V. "So—me or you?"
"I'll go," V shrugged. "Doesn't matter which car they hit—I'll jump out and slaughter 'em either way. Front seat gives me better launch angles."
"Seriously, you've got way too much bloodlust," Karl muttered.
With roles assigned, the convoy was ready. As the two cars drove off, the Voodoo Boys received an alert through their network.
"A merc team just entered Pacifica. Picked someone up near the Dogtown border. Based on the data, it's likely our target—Dexter DeShawn."
"Identified the mercs yet? Who's got the balls to accept his job after we warned him?"
"It's... Team KK."
"..."
"Team KK."
"...Wait—the Team KK?!"
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