"Hello."
Faced with a girl nearly his own age, David couldn't help but turn a little shy, stumbling over his words.
"Mr. David, do you know Brother Lin?"
Kitagawa Shizuka's black eyes were as deep as a midnight sky, sparkling like starlight. She looked at David with hopeful anticipation, waiting for his answer.
"Yes, he's my classmate," David nodded.
"Ah? So that means... you're older than me, Mr. David?"
Shizuka stared at him in disbelief, as if she couldn't quite accept that this boy could actually be older than her.
Although Lin Mo also looked young and boyish, his demeanor gave off an air of maturity. Combined with the preconceived image she had of him, Shizuka had always assumed Lin Mo was older.
After all, this is Night City—looking perpetually youthful isn't exactly rare.
Just look at Saburo Arasaka, alive since WWII and still kicking. His children and grandchildren could be other people's great-grandparents, and yet they all look young and stunning.
David, however, clearly didn't have that timeless aura. His face practically screamed rookie, a kid with zero life experience.
David was about to explain, but a few coughs interrupted him.
"Ahem. That's enough chit-chat for now. Shizuka, I have things to do with Mr. David. We're heading out for a bit—stay home and take care of yourself, alright?" Kitagawa Hiro cut in, shifting the topic with practiced ease.
"Okay, Onii-san."
Shizuka nodded softly, her gentle smile undisturbed, as if the shadows that once haunted her had long since dispersed.
But as she smiled, something cold crept into the corners of her lips.
Silently, she walked over to the wall, opened a built-in storage cabinet, and pulled out a compact smart pistol she had carefully stashed away.
Her pale, delicate fingers stroked its frame. The cold metal seemed to carry straight through to her lips, chilling the warmth of her smile.
"I'll be fine on my own. And if any strangers show up while you're out, I'll do my best not to kill them. I'll aim for their hands or feet, so you can deal with them when you get back," she said sweetly, almost tenderly.
David shuddered. He couldn't help it. Watching the girl's expression shift from soft warmth to cold detachment sent a chill down his spine.
Kitagawa Hiro gave his sister a long, thoughtful look before sighing deeply.
He only said, "Take care of the place," before grabbing the dazed David and dragging him out of the apartment.
...
Out in the hallway, Hiro let go of David and led the way toward the elevators. They rode down to another floor of the megatower.
"Each megatower is its own ecosystem. You can find whatever you need in here. You get that, right?" Kitagawa Hiro asked as he walked, not even turning around.
Where there are people, there's chaos—and services catering to that chaos.
Gun shops, boxing gyms, bars—you name it. If you're willing to look, you'll find them in any megatower.
David nodded rapidly, like a bobblehead. "Yeah, I live in one too."
"I don't care where you live," Hiro cut him off. "From now on, you answer only with 'yes' or 'no.' And you call me senpai. Got that?"
"Yes, senpai."
For this job—and the paycheck—David agreed instantly, without hesitation.
He didn't have many strengths, but he was good at one thing: staying calm and taking whatever crap life threw at him without falling apart. He never cried over pain or setbacks. That resilience was the only thing he could take pride in.
Kitagawa Hiro glanced at David's determined expression and gave a dry chuckle. His tone remained flat:
"Let's see how long you can keep that composure."
Without another word, Hiro led him to a massive boxing gym that spanned almost the entire floor.
It was a hybrid facility—a boxing arena and fitness center rolled into one.
David looked at the sweaty muscleheads inside and couldn't help but marvel. Even among megatowers, there were clear differences between the haves and have-nots.
Their building back home sure didn't have anything like this. And even if it did, you wouldn't find this many meatheads actually using it. More likely you'd find squatters or junkies.
"These guys are from the Animals gang," Hiro said without looking back. "Whenever you see someone with bulked-up muscles like this—way past human limits—you'd better stay alert. They've got short fuses. Even if you manage to beat one, there's no profit in it."
David scanned the gym and saw it. These weren't normal bodybuilders.
Some were up in the ring, trading punches. The rest crowded around, lifting massive weights or using training equipment.
A few of them didn't even look human anymore. Their muscles were so overdeveloped that they looked more like plated steel wrapped in synthskin than actual flesh.
Thick veins pulsed like snakes beneath the skin. Some of their biceps were thicker than David's thighs.
The Animals gang...
The name alone sounded feral, and David could feel the intimidation in his gut.
If he had to face one of these psychos on his own, he wouldn't even think of making contact.
Thankfully, he had an adult—someone reliable—at his side.
"So... are we here to build muscle?" he asked nervously, glancing up at Hiro.
Hiro smirked. "If we were just building muscle, I'd have left your ass at home with a set of resistance bands."
David didn't answer. A creeping sense of unease started to stir in his gut.
"So... what are we here for?"
Hiro turned his head and gave David a crooked, mischievous smile.
"Lin Mo gave me one job—figure out your natural talent ASAP, and use the best possible method to make it grow. That's why your gear bag had so many different types of weapons. The idea is to see what you're good at."
"And right now, it's time to test your pain tolerance... and how hard you can throw a punch."
David's eyes widened. A ridiculous thought flashed through his mind. He turned to Hiro in disbelief.
"You're not seriously saying I have to fight them one-on-one, are you? There's no way I can take them!"
Even the guy manning the water cooler in the corner could probably kick his ass!
"No," Hiro replied calmly. "You won't be fighting one of them."
David let out a breath of relief—
"You'll be fighting all of them."
-
--
-
🧠 My Cyberpunk 2077 Simulator
📢 System Online! 📢
This novel has 100+ chapters ahead on Patreon! 💻🔥
Level up before the public readers do.
🛑 Also available:
Star Wars: The Rise of Mandalore
Cyberpunk: The Relentless
Cyberpunk: Lucy Adopted Me and I Got a System
My Girlfriend's a Cyberpsycho—Who Knew?
Game of Thrones: Secrets Beneath the Dreadfort
Dragon King of Ice and Fire
The Rebirth of Harry Potter
Star Wars: Relics of the Past
R18: Reincarnated in Her World
🔗 www.patreon.com/c/MrMagnus👤 SrMagnus🐦 https://x.com/SrMagnusBook
⚠️ Power Stones determine who updates faster!