Chapter 82: Too Bad You Won't Live to See It
"What do you mean, none of you have seen Rhys?"
Jackie wrapped his jacket around the shivering woman. She was a mess—wrist bent at a sickening angle, hair matted with blood and grime, half her face swollen purple, lips split and bleeding.
But she was still beautiful. Even through the damage, you could see it. Golden hair, delicate features, her synth-skin covering the seams of her implants.
She was the kind of girl you were supposed to protect, to hold gently. Jackie couldn't fathom what kind of monster would do this to her. What the hell were those Tyger Claws thinking?
"I really haven't seen him," Lena sobbed. "Susan told us we had to handle this ourselves, that we couldn't rely on Rhys. And honestly... none of us even thought about giving him up. We all know the Claws wouldn't let us go even if we did."
"They're animals! Just fucking animals!"
"Shit, so what's going on? Am I seriously the first one here?" Jackie crouched in front of Lena, rubbing his head in confusion.
Ideally, they were all supposed to hit the Tyger Claws together. So where were Rhys and Maine?
"Wait, Jackie... you mean Rhys is out here? He came back?" Lena asked, hope flaring in her eyes.
"Of course! That crazy bastard was planning to take this on all by himself. But we found out. We're family, chica. You think we'd let him run a suicide mission alone?"
"Then he must be in Japantown!" Lena grabbed Jackie's thigh with her good hand, desperate. "Go! You have to help him! Knowing Rhys, he went straight for the throat. He's always protected us. That's just who he is."
"Ah!"
Jackie realized his mistake.
Right. When he talked to Maine, they hadn't set a rendezvous point. Maine had Kiwi, Lucy, and Sasha running intel; they could track Rhys easily. But Jackie? He'd just driven to the wrong damn place!
Lena bit her lip. "Go! Please! He needs you. I... I have to tell Susan what's happening."
"But..." Jackie looked at her broken wrist, her battered face. "I can't just leave you here. It's crawling with Claws. If they find you again..."
"Did you know? I already zeroed a dozen of those punks on my way here," Jackie said, gently lifting her up. "I'll wait until the Mox pick you up. Then I'll go."
"But—"
"No buts. If it were Rhys, he'd do the same thing," Jackie said firmly, cutting her off.
He helped her off the main road and into a shadowed alley. The street was too exposed.
Lena looked at him with immense gratitude and quickly made a call.
Less than ten minutes later, a woman appeared. Leopard print, fishnets, combat boots, punk hair, and Mantis Blades extending from her forearms. When Jackie saw Anna Nox, he knew his job was done.
"Alright, sister, your backup is here. I'm delta," Jackie said.
"Hey. I'm Anna. Anna Nox. Who are you?" the formidable woman asked, eyeing him.
Jackie turned back, grinning. "Jackie!"
"Remember the name. I'm not just Rhys's brother. One day, I'm gonna be a legend in this city!"
Anna paused.
Rhys's... brother.
A guy willing to jump into a war between a mega-gang and a corp just for Rhys?
Rhys, you really did find some good chooms out there.
Japantown.
A WNS news helicopter circled overhead. Selena, the reporter, strapped into her harness, was shouting into her mic to be heard over the rotor wash.
"Oh my god... how long has it been since we've seen something like this?"
The once-glamorous entertainment district of Watson was now a warzone. Half the street was rubble.
Tyger Claw bodies littered the ground. Some headless, some missing limbs, others cleaved clean in two and draped over collapsed walls like wet laundry.
Night City hadn't seen carnage like this in years. Not since Maelstrom went on a rampage, and even then, MAX-TAC shut them down fast.
The NCPD had already set up a perimeter, their faces grim and unfriendly.
Selena approached the line, overhearing two officers talking. She smartly covered her mic. As a WNS reporter, she knew the score. She was just a wage-slave, same as them. Recording cops off the record was a good way to disappear.
"Fuck, are we just gonna stand here and watch?"
"You wanna die, rookie? Be my guest. Go right ahead. But tell me, what's with the sudden hero complex? A bunch of cyberpsychos hit the Tyger Claws. Psychos fighting gangers. Even MAX-TAC isn't touching this yet, and you want to jump in?"
"Fuck that! There are civilians in there! What kind of cops are we if we don't do anything?"
"Cops? Are you brain-damaged? This order came from the top. It's Arasaka business. Listen to me, rook: the eddies that buy your synth-coffee and pay your rent come from the corps. You want to go against them? You want to lose your pension and your life?"
Selena frowned. She walked up to them. "Can I go in?"
"Press? Shit, do whatever you want. But I'm telling you, getting in is easy. Getting out alive? That's on you," the older cop sneered.
Selena hesitated.
The cop's meaning was clear. The perimeter was to keep the chaos contained, to stop it spilling out. As for intervening... they weren't idiots. Dozens dead already? They wanted to go home at the end of their shift.
BOOM!
An explosion rocked the depths of Japantown.
Selena flinched, looking up just in time to see a low building collapse inward.
Deep inside Japantown, the battle had shifted from the open streets to brutal urban warfare. Rhys moved through the maze of alleyways and buildings, separated from Maine and the others. They were all wreaking havoc in different sectors.
Listening to the three netrunners over the comms, Rhys's eyes darted around.
Sasha wasn't on site; she was still in Dogtown. But for a netrunner, physical distance was irrelevant. Especially now that she had access to a proper rig at her sister's place, her skills were amplified.
She was hunting for Rhys's real target.
Just smashing the Tyger Claws wasn't enough.
There were thousands of them. Rhys couldn't kill them all. It would take forever.
So, he needed to strike at the head. Inflict heavy damage on the gang, yes, but more importantly, zero the people who planned this. And the corpo scum pulling the strings.
Killing gangers was one thing. But killing a corpo exec? That sent a message. It would make them realize that their ivory towers weren't safe. That their lives were actually on the line.
Like a Cuban cigar... once you light it, it burns.
"Got him, Rhys! Faraday, that son of a bitch, is at Clouds! I tracked his transaction records."
"Clouds is that high-rise to your le—wait! No! Rhys, Faraday is close to your position right now!"
Rhys snapped his head towards the location Sasha indicated. His azure gunblade was stained crimson. He flicked it, sending a spray of blood to the pavement, the blade gleaming blue again.
He looked up at the towering buildings, but his instincts screamed. He spun around, raising his left leg in a snap kick.
CLANG!
His gunblade met a Mantis Blade. His kick connected solidly with the attacker's stomach.
"Guuh!"
The attacker grunted, flying backward, but flipped in mid-air and landed on his feet, cat-like.
"Saian, you okay?" A voice came from above.
Rhys looked up. On a pedestrian bridge four meters above, an Asian man in a high-end black suit and sunglasses was looking down.
He vaulted over the railing, dropping down to cut off Rhys's retreat.
Suddenly, Rhys was flanked.
"He is strong, Rin. We need to be careful," the white man with the Mantis Blades said. He pressed a button on his chest. Metal plates unfolded from the back of his neck, forming a black helmet that encased his head.
"Hmph. Expected as much from someone who made it this far," Rin, the Asian man, said coldly. He pressed a similar button. "But even so... he's not on our level. He's not even in our world!"
A black helmet covered his face. His expensive suit tore as muscles expanded, revealing the black combat armor underneath. He drew a red-and-black thermal katana.
Rhys narrowed his eyes, scanning them.
[Name: Kamimura Rin]
[Affiliation: Arasaka (Senior Combat Agent)]
[Implants: Militech Sandevistan Mk.4 (Arasaka Custom), Kerenzikov, Reinforced Tendons, Microrotors, Subdermal Armor, Inductor, Pain Editor, Optical Camo.]
[Criminal Record: Classified. Clearance Insufficient.]
[Name: Robert Saian]
[Affiliation: Arasaka (Senior Combat Agent)]
[Implants: Militech Sandevistan Mk.4 (Arasaka Custom), Synaptic Accelerator, Microrotors, Bionic Joints, Internal Generator, Titanium Bones...]
[Criminal Record: Classified. Clearance Insufficient.]
Arasaka Senior Agents.
So, he was facing this level of opposition already?
In the merc world, this kind of chrome was unheard of. Top-tier, military-grade, custom-tuned. Rhys had never even seen some of these implants listed on the black market.
"Rhys... I never thought you'd be this stupid."
Another voice. On the bridge above, a tall, thin man appeared, surrounded by bodyguards.
He wore a checkered suit and red shoes, looking down at Rhys with disdain.
The left side of his face had three cyber-eyes stacked vertically, glowing red. The right side was human, with a golden pupil.
"Faraday?" Rhys recognized him instantly.
He hadn't met Faraday since joining Maine, but he'd heard enough about him. And he knew that face.
Without hesitation, Rhys raised his gunblade and fired a shot directly at Faraday.
BANG!
A grunt of pain from above. Faraday's eyes widened in terror as one of his bodyguards dove in front of him, taking the bullet. If not for him, Faraday would be dead.
Trembling with rage, Faraday hid behind the body. "You! You're dead meat!"
All bark, no bite. Classic Faraday.
Rhys was disappointed. He'd hoped to end the arrogant prick right there.
To Rhys, Faraday was a moron. He'd betrayed Militech to join Arasaka, thinking he was moving up in the world, becoming a corpo asset. In reality, he was just a disposable tool. Did he really think Militech would let him go? Or that Arasaka would keep him around once he'd outlived his usefulness?
In Night City, smart fixers treated their mercs like shields—protection when needed, but maintained and cared for. Faraday treated them like single-use tissues.
Rhys looked up. Didn't kill him? Fine. Try again.
He leaped, grabbing the underside of the bridge. To Faraday, Rhys seemed to vanish, then reappear right in front of his face. Faraday shrieked, stumbling back.
But Rhys couldn't pull himself up. Two deadly killing intents locked onto him.
"Tch!"
Rhys dropped back down, spinning to face the threat. Rin and Saian were on him.
Their Sandevistans flared, and the two agents closed the distance at blinding speed.
Rhys reacted on instinct. He punched the steel support beam of the bridge with his left hand. CRUNCH! With 10 Body, the blow crumpled the metal like paper, shaking the entire structure.
Faraday screamed as the bridge lurched, barely hanging on with the help of his remaining guards.
Using the recoil, Rhys launched himself backward, dodging Saian's Mantis Blades. He raised the gunblade.
BANG! BANG!
He fired two shots at Saian's chest. Sparks flew, but the heavy combat armor held.
Rhys flipped in mid-air, reversing his grip on the gunblade and thrusting backward blindly.
CLANG!
Metal screeched against metal as he parried Rin's katana strike. The heat from the thermal blade scorched his back.
He landed and immediately engaged Rin.
With his "Rising Star" title, all his attributes were boosted by +0.5. It didn't sound like much, but past 10, every decimal point was a massive leap. His Reflexes, Tech, and Body were all pushing past human limits.
These Arasaka agents were strong. In the game, they were fodder for a high-level V, but in reality, they were the apex of combat personnel. Seasoned, well-equipped, deadly. A duo like this could wipe out a small Nomad clan on their own.
They weren't legends, but with their chrome active, their stats were definitely over 10.
Rhys realized immediately that these two were a level above the Wraith bosses.
Saian and Rin coordinated perfectly. And Saian used Mantis Blades... Rhys hated Mantis Blades. They were ambush weapons, designed for instant kills.
Fighting two-on-one, Rhys was forced back.
He lacked their experience. He was surviving on raw stats alone. They couldn't keep their Sandevistans active forever. That was the weakness of chrome.
"Exaggerated rumors? I thought Tanaka was crazy, but... this guy is a monster," Saian's voice crackled through his helmet speakers, sounding stunned.
Rin was less surprised. As a Japanese native trained at HQ, he'd seen masters who achieved superhuman feats without chrome. "Go!"
Rin charged, katana raised.
Rhys retreated, firing his gunblade to force them to keep dodging, burning out their Sandevistan duration.
Once they were close enough... Rhys flipped the gunblade back to sword mode.
Time to end this.
Why drag it out? Why risk injury? He activated Potential Overdrive.
Thirty seconds. He would end them in an instant.
He was here to kill.
His eyes turned blood-red. Heat radiated from his body, his skin flushing as his blood boiled.
In that moment, Rhys stepped into the realm of legends. His Body and Reflexes surged past 15.
He vanished from Rin and Saian's vision.
In their accelerated perception, Rhys wasn't just moving fast... he was flickering.
Teleporting.
But their neuralware allowed them to react, even in their terror.
BOOM!
The gunblade clashed with the katana. Terror flashed in Rin's eyes. Pain shot through his arms. The web of his hand tore open.
His grip failed. The Arasaka-forged katana clattered to the ground.
SHINK!
Saian saw his partner falter. He didn't hesitate. He threw himself between Rhys and Rin, crossing his Mantis Blades to block the strike aimed at Rin's head.
"GET BACK!"
Under immense pressure, Saian overclocked his implants. His oculars spun wildy, every system pushed to the red line.
He would not let Rin die!
Military chrome could be overclocked. Civilian chrome couldn't.
But as the blow landed, Saian felt his throat tighten. The force was overwhelming. It felt like being hit by a maglev train.
The Mantis Blades screamed, metal shearing and sparking.
Rhys, eyes glowing red, raised his weapon again. A blur of blue light. A downward slash.
BOOM!
The ground beneath them shattered. Spiderweb cracks spread from the impact.
Another strike.
And another.
Three strikes in less than a second. Full power.
Saian's eyes rolled back in his head. His left Mantis Blade shattered completely.
CRUNCH!
The ground collapsed. A crater half a meter deep formed beneath them.
Faraday, watching from the broken bridge, was trembling uncontrollably.
He couldn't see the details, but he saw the result. Rhys had overpowered two Senior Arasaka Agents!
The elite of the elite. The best gear money could buy.
And they were losing?!
Impossible!
Rhys was just a stray dog from the Mox!
Faraday turned and ran, sending a frantic voice message. "Mr. Tanaka! Send everyone! All the Tyger Claws! To Japantown, now!"
He didn't dare admit the agents were failing. If Tanaka didn't come... Faraday was dead.
"Saian!" Rin scrambled for his dropped katana, launching himself at Rhys from the side, aiming for the neck.
In Rhys's eyes... Rin was moving in slow motion.
"Slow. You're too fucking slow!"
"We aren't even in the same world!" Rhys laughed, a manic edge to his voice. The skill affected his mind, making him wilder, more aggressive.
Rin saw the fear in his own eyes reflected in Rhys's. Rhys's left hand shot out, grabbing Rin's sword arm. Even with his reflex boosters, Rin couldn't track it.
With a heave, Rhys slammed Rin into the wall.
WHAM!
Rhys raised the gunblade. A curtain of blue light descended.
Like a hot knife through butter, the blade sliced through Saian, cleaving him in two.
"NO! Fuck! You killed Saian! You killed an Arasaka agent! Do you know what you—" Rin screamed, watching his partner's bisected body fall, revealing the metal and wire beneath the flesh.
Arasaka agents didn't lose like this.
But a hand clamped onto his jaw. Without his Sandevistan, Rin hadn't even seen Rhys move.
Rhys crushed Rin's jaw, silencing him. He pinned Rin to the wall with one hand, raising the gunblade with the other.
"Your turn."
"You know... I'm not just gonna kill an agent. I'm gonna kill your boss, too."
"Too bad you won't live to see it."
SHLICK!
The blade punched through Rin's skull, pinning him to the wall. His eyes went dim.
His last thought was of Director Arthur Jenkins. You called this... a physically strong civilian?
It had taken less than twenty seconds.
WHUP-WHUP-WHUP!
A news helicopter hovered over Japantown. Selena, strapped in, shouted into the camera.
"You are looking live at Japantown! This district is under attack by a group of cyberpsychos calling themselves Maine's Crew!"
"Casualties are estimated at over a hundred! But strangely, the damage is confined almost exclusively to Tyger Claw businesses!"
"It appears to be a targeted retaliatory strike! The NCPD has established a perimeter but is refusing to intervene, citing 'gang warfare'!"
Selena narrated the chaos, scanning the ground with her camera.
"Wait! Look at that!"
She zoomed in on the rooftops deep in the district. A figure was leaping between buildings, moving with incredible speed.
"That's a person! That's a human being!"
Through the high-speed lens, she saw a black-haired figure, face blurred by optical camo.
"Follow him! We have to follow him!"
The pilot swung the chopper around, chasing the figure deeper into the concrete jungle.
But in the next second, the shadow vanished into the maze of buildings.
Selena blinked, lowering her camera.
"Shit. We lost him."