In the Industrial Age, no matter how much Cyberware you've installed or how legendary you think you are, when you come up against heavy weapons, one mistake and you're nothing but scraps—your ashes just end up with a little extra iron dust mixed in.
Even the thickest subdermal armor can't stop a cruise missile.
"Don't worry... I'm not about to let you rush in like headless flies.
Dogtown is a good place. I've always wanted to extend my reach there... it has unique political conditions, the perfect place to build a foundation.
Hansen is a capable man... but he's too reckless. In this world, those who don't know how to compromise... don't live long."
As he spoke, he slipped one hand into his pocket and pulled out two chips. Dogtown resident credentials. With these, they'd be able to move in and out freely.
"Honestly, it's not hard to get. As long as you're not Company people, you could even just pay your way in.
...
Good luck.
Be careful. My influence in there is extremely limited—I won't be able to help much."
The elegant middle-aged man rose to his feet, effectively seeing the two of them out.
Soon after, Arthur and V were back in the car.
"Can you tell me about this Dogtown? Haven't heard much about it.
The name... makes me think of a lamppost a dog pissed on."
Arthur asked as he settled back into his seat.
V shrugged. She flicked the sunglasses on her nose and gave a half-nod.
"In a way... you're not wrong.
Dogtown is a lamppost, one Night City's already pissed black.
Everyone who can't cut it in Night City ends up there. It's full of desperate people, vicious, no order at all.
Hell... you could walk around carrying a rocket launcher in that dump and nobody would even think it's strange."
As V stomped the gas, the car carried them away.
They hadn't gone far before spotting a man clutching a Copperhead rifle, firing wildly at the sun.
And this... was Pacifica.
Dogtown, that part of Night City even more chaotic than Pacifica, sat right here in this district.
"In a sense, Dogtown's considered part of Pacifica.
The EBM Stadium and the coastal areas west of it are all under Dogtown's control."
Their car rolled west. Ahead, the stadium V mentioned loomed into view.
Tall and massive, it looked like a mountain range forged from steel, stretching across Pacifica's western side like a wall marking the edge of the world.
"This stadium... was supposed to be Pacifica's pride.
Now... it's the warlord's base, a cage for training dogs.
Back in the Fourth Corporate War, Hansen and his troops—the vanguard of Militech—captured it as a stronghold.
Negotiations came suddenly. The New United States had more urgent matters of its own. To avoid clashing with Arasaka, they abandoned plenty of gear, leaving it as spoils.
Hansen and those Joint Logistics Bureau agents? They were the blood that spilled through that breach."
As they talked, the car pulled up to Dogtown's checkpoint.
The gate wasn't big, but the walls on either side were massive, like fortress ramparts.
The setup resembled the checkpoint at Night City's border, just on a smaller scale.
With a whir of machinery, a red scanner beam swept the length of their car.
Then the barrier ahead sank into the ground, and they drove into what looked like an urban ruin buried beneath the desert.
Yellow sandstorm winds slammed against the metal shell of the car with a relentless crackle.
In the distance, through the yellow-tinged sky, the broken silhouettes of buildings flickered into view. Some had snapped in half, their tops buried deep in dunes.
Closer up, shell craters pocked the ruins—clear signs they'd fallen to war.
Both sides of the road were littered with debris. Every so often, a ghostly green armored vehicle roared past—no doubt belonging to the warlord's troops.
"Looks like... our Mr. Hands came through.
Getting into Dogtown isn't the hardest thing in the world, but it's not exactly easy either."
V glanced around, steering toward a chosen direction.
"This damn place... why the hell is there so much sand?"
Arthur sealed the car windows before opening his eyes again.
"Some of the weapons used in the war... changed the land itself."
Listening to V's answer, Arthur stared through the windshield as sand rattled endlessly against the glass. He seemed... to hate the stuff more with every second.
Maybe it was never meant to be liked in the first place.
"So where are we going now?"
He wiped sand from his lips and turned to V.
"Hands gave me an address. It's one of the few things he could actually help us with.
Dogtown's small. You can't hide much in there for long."
The car tore down the road. There were pockets of life, even signs of prosperity, but they were wedged between ruins, a strange mismatch.
Their destination, though, was pure decay.
They slipped through a narrow passage of wreckage, the wheels jolting violently over uneven ground.
Finally, they pulled up at a shabby corrugated-iron shack.
V swung the door shut and kept her sunglasses on. Resting a hand on the car roof, she scanned their surroundings.
"They say there's a headhunter hiding here. No idea if it's worth anything."
Arthur followed her out, tugged his hat lower, and stuck close behind as V led the way.
Inside, space was tight. Just one step and the darkness swallowed the daylight. A short flight of stairs led down to a rusted iron door.
V took the lead, raising her fist to pound on the flimsy, swaying door.
"Who the hell's there! Damn it... You think this is some place you can just walk into?
Get lost!"
V shrugged, stepped back half a pace, then kicked hard.
"BANG!"
With a thunderous crash, the door slammed against the wall inside.
A moment of silence...
Then a sharp voice shrieked from the dark beyond.
"You looking for death, huh?!"
In the dim light, a furious figure charged forward—then froze.
Outside, Arthur already had his gun raised, the Frontier shimmering with a faint blue-green glow.
...
(70 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser