Neo was bold—recklessly, gloriously bold. Bold enough to pull Rebecca close and kiss her right there, in the middle of a city burning with chaos.
It was madness.
Arasaka's ninjas and spec-ops squads were tearing Night City apart, searching every alley and every neon-lit rooftop for the culprits who had stolen the Relic. The air itself reeked of tension and ozone. Yet here he was, the man responsible for the greatest corporate assassination in decades… kissing a girl under the open sky.
And not just any girl—Rebecca, the gun-toting, foul-mouthed little storm of the Edgerunners.
The kiss was more than passion. It was an answer and a claim.
Rebecca had never been one to hide how she felt. She'd always played with her heart on her sleeve—her affection for Neo had been loud, messy, and real. Every word she said, every bullet she fired, every glare she gave anyone who looked at him wrong screamed the same thing:
"I like you. Hurt him, and I'll blow your brains out."
"I like you. No matter how deep the abyss, I'll follow you in."
"I like you. As long as I'm beside you, the world can burn."
Who could resist that? Neo certainly couldn't.
So he stopped thinking. He kissed her.
Rebecca froze—tiny fists clenched at his jacket, eyes wide, her mind suddenly blank.
"W-what are you doing?" she managed, her voice barely a whisper.
Neo smiled. "What, you didn't expect me to notice you all this time?"
"I… I thought…" Her voice faltered. "You'd keep pretending I didn't exist. You and Lucy…"
Neo brushed her hair back and stroked the top of her head. "Rebecca… I decided long ago. Lucy or you—it doesn't matter. I want both. You're all mine."
Her heart skipped a beat.
Behind them, the rest of the Edgerunner crew had already turned the scene into a live comedy.
Jackie whistled. "Damn, hermano. You're out here doing things I could never pull off."
David blinked, completely lost. "I'm only seventeen… I don't even have a girlfriend yet. I'm… I'm unworthy."
Maine raised an eyebrow. "Dorio, don't look at me like that. You know you're the only one for me."
Dorio crossed her arms. "You'd better mean that."
Pilar sighed dramatically. "I have hands. Long hands. Used to have a crazy little sister too. Now I only have hands."
Rebecca turned red, about to yell at her brother—only to have Neo lift her chin gently, his gaze pulling her back in.
And just like that, the world outside—the danger, the blood, the chaos—faded.
…
"Passengers confirmed," Delamain's AI voice spoke as they settled into the car. "Destination: No-Tell Motel. Route locked. Beginning discreet travel mode."
Rebecca blinked. "Wait—No-Tell Motel? Why there? Shouldn't we be heading back to the safehouse?"
Jackie and David both turned toward Neo, equally curious.
Neo's expression didn't change. "We're not done yet. There's one last thread to tie off."
Rebecca frowned. "Then I'm coming with you!"
Neo smiled faintly. "Be good. Konpeki Plaza couldn't hold me—what else could? I just need to meet someone. It'll be quick."
Jackie leaned toward David, whispering, "We really should've taken the other car, huh?"
David nodded seriously. "Yeah… this feels like the front row to a soap opera."
Neo rolled his eyes. "Enough out of you two. By the way, David, what happened to your shoulder?"
David scratched his head sheepishly. "Oh, that. Long story."
Neo gestured. "We've got time."
David sighed. "At Arasaka Academy, I had this classmate—Tanaka Katsuo. His dad's some mid-tier exec. Typical spoiled corpo brat. He used to pick on me all the time. Thought he was hot shit because he had a gold badge."
"So… what happened?"
"I decked him," David said bluntly. "Broke his nose. Twice."
Jackie nearly choked. "Twice?!"
"Yeah. First time was back near the Academy gates. Second time was tonight, on the way down from Konpeki. We ran into him again by the elevators—guess karma's a bitch. He yelled my name, so I gave him another punch for old time's sake."
Neo chuckled under his breath. "Can't believe you two met again mid-heist. That's a Night City classic."
David continued, "But turns out he's packing Sandevistan now. A better one than mine, actually. I got a few hits in, but… yeah, he tagged me too. Would've gone either way if Jackie hadn't doubled back."
Jackie grinned. "I just saw the kid fighting and thought—hey, perfect cardio. Dropped a Heavy Punch in, and then Maine and the crew showed up. We kinda… all piled on him."
Maine nodded. "The corpo kid didn't stand a chance."
"Guy went down hard," David said, trying not to laugh. "Triggered Trauma Team before he hit the ground."
Neo rubbed his temple. "Let's just hope he lives. I don't need another mess on top of this one."
He looked up at the front console. "Delamain. Add a second destination: Watson Industrial North. Old All-Foods factory."
"Confirmed," Delamain replied smoothly. "Primary destination: No-Tell Motel. Secondary: All-Foods plant. Optimal route calculated."
…
They drove through the glittering dark of Night City, the skyline pulsing with light and chaos. Suddenly, Jackie frowned.
"Wait a sec. No-Tell Motel…" he muttered. "That's the safehouse Dex mentioned, isn't it? Before the gig, he said if things go south, we regroup there. Otherwise, Afterlife."
Neo nodded. "Exactly. And judging by the situation…"
Jackie tilted his head. "You're saying things went south?"
Neo just smiled. "You'll see."
"South how? We got the Relic, didn't we? We're alive! That's a win in my book!" Jackie said, still clueless.
Neo leaned back in his seat. "Delamain. Play tonight's newsfeed."
"Of course," Delamain replied, and the screen flickered on.
Stanley's voice filled the cabin once again:
"Just hours ago, history was rewritten. Saburo Arasaka—the godfather of corporate rule—is dead. Sources confirm his death occurred inside Konpeki Plaza during a violent confrontation…"
The car went dead silent.
Jackie's jaw hung open. David's breath caught. Rebecca froze mid-blink.
Neo sat calmly, arms folded, eyes half-lidded as if this was all expected.
"…and if that's not enough," Stan continued, "the legendary Adam Smasher—yes, the Adam Smasher—was confirmed dead at the scene. I repeat, Night City's boogeyman is gone."
The three of them just stared at the screen in utter disbelief.
Jackie finally found his voice, trembling. "A… Adam Smasher? He was there? And he's dead? And Saburo Arasaka too?!"
David's mouth went dry. "No way. The Adam Smasher? The butcher of Johnny Silverhand?"
Rebecca turned slowly toward Neo, her voice small but sharp. "You… you sent me away because you went back to fight him, didn't you?"
Neo's gaze met hers, steady as ever. "Yeah."
The air in the car went cold for a second. Then Jackie let out a low whistle.
"Holy shit."
David just shook his head, muttering, "I… I can't even process this."
Rebecca stared up at Neo, her heartbeat pounding in her chest. "You really… killed Adam Smasher?"
Neo smiled faintly. "I told you, didn't I? No one in this city gets to scare us anymore."
In the quiet hum of Delamain's engine, the realization settled in—
The gods of Night City were dead.
And the new legends had already taken their place.