Chapter 236: Covert Infiltration
The appointed hour arrived swiftly. As night fell, an invisible black tide surged through the shadows.
Dogtown—the EMB stadium of Night City. Its defenses were tighter than ever, all prepared for Hansen’s massive, secretive investment experiment.
Yet, this situation wasn’t entirely bad news for Arthur and his crew. To achieve their goal, Hansen needed to be eliminated completely—and this was the perfect opportunity.
Everything proceeded with careful precision. Under Jackie’s lead, most operatives stayed hidden in the shadows, waiting for Arthur and his team to signal from inside.
Arthur’s group had seemingly accomplished their objective, though complications had already arisen...
“What the hell is going on!” bellowed a deep, raspy voice. The speaker was a tall, burly man—one of the Militech renegades Arthur’s group had recruited.
The man, Funi, had once suffered a tracheal injury. After recovery, his voice turned into the gravelly growl it was now. It was thanks to leverage he held over a BARGHEST squad leader that Arthur’s team had managed to sneak a few people inside.
At the moment, however, the group was stuck patrolling the stadium perimeter, with no way to approach the laboratory.
“There’s nothing I can do!” the BARGHEST spat back in frustration. “I’m not the boss! Hansen’s dead serious about tonight. The central zone is full of his own trusted people. What do you expect me to do?”
A large hand stopped Funi from pressing further. Arthur’s warning followed in that hoarse tone:
“Sticking to the perimeter is fine. But remember—this stays secret. If Hansen catches wind of it early, you’ll be the first to pay. Then us.”
Arthur himself wore the green uniform of the BARGHEST. With a white skull mask over his face, he blended in as just another grunt.
“We just wait for the signal.”
...
Elsewhere, a luxury sedan glided toward the stadium. Inside, a man and a woman discussed their plan.
To secure their cover, V and an agent of the Bureau of Interconnected Affairs named Alex had been fitted with Militech’s latest cyberware. Their assumed identities were two elite European netrunners.
This time, Alex—with his professional background—played the male role.
“Looks like you’ve settled into your new identity,” Alex said, acknowledging V’s performance. “Remember, no mistakes. We’re surrounded by Hansen’s people.”
“Relax. I’ve got this.” V had changed her appearance, even her tone dripping with sticky, affected charm.
The car rolled into the underground garage, where BARGHEST elite soldiers stood at every corner. No one could tell how many of Hansen’s men had died chasing the President recently—yet Hansen himself still showed no sign of weakness.
It only confirmed the scale of his operation. Yorinobu Arasaka had been right—this was a stronghold worth reckoning with.
After a quick scan, the two were cleared into what might be called Hansen’s palace. Emerald Tower? That had been just his bedroom.
“I trust you’re both fully prepared.” The greeter was a Black man, his arms replaced with high-end cyberware.
This was Murphy, Hansen’s most trusted lieutenant. Naturally, he carried only the best chrome.
“Follow me,” he said, leading them inside.
As he walked, Murphy made idle conversation. “Not long ago, Emerald Tower… the hospitality was decent, wasn’t it?”
V, playing the role of a woman who lived for luxury, jumped in at once.
“A beautiful party! I loved the music, and that performance… Hansen really went all out, didn’t he?
Oh! And the wine...”
“Well then, good.” Murphy’s response was curt. He added, “You two are honored guests. Let’s hope our cooperation goes smoothly.”
Soon they reached a doorway. Murphy gestured toward a scanner mounted above.
“Procedures are procedures. ID check. Won’t take long.”
“Of course...” V flicked her curls and made a show of dainty movements as she leaned into the scanner.
The beam swept over them. They passed. Militech tech—Washington’s finest—never failed.
“Good. Hansen’s waiting. This way.” Murphy had them leave their weapons, then escorted them into an elevator bound for the heart of Hansen’s fortress.
...
Meanwhile, Arthur patrolled his assigned route, casually planting small devices at key corners—little bombs disguised as nothing.
Once detonated, they’d seal corridors, sever BARGHEST communications, and throw the place into chaos. Some unlucky bastards might get blown up too.
Arasaka’s support extended beyond these toys. There was also a shipment of “Poison Needle” man-portable missiles, meant to wipe out BARGHEST mechs, drones, and AVs.
The best-case scenario? Crippling Hansen’s command system before they even had a chance to deploy.
That job fell to Arthur. A tough side assignment, but critical.
As he walked, eyes scanning, Arthur slipped from the preset patrol path. Hansen’s lair was huge, alternating between shadow and floodlight. And for all Hansen’s bragging about impenetrable defenses… only the central zone lived up to the boast.
Arthur eventually spotted something interesting: an opening sealed off with construction debris.
The EBM Stadium had been designed to hold hundreds of thousands. One tiny elevator could never handle that load. Escalators were a must. Elevators were only ever meant for VIPs.
Arthur moved closer.
Steel bars, concrete, decorative stone—all jammed into the gap. But the seal wasn’t as solid as it looked. Just a pile.
Pulling away debris wasn’t too hard. Soon, Arthur had cleared enough for a person to slip through.
Inside was a massive escalator shaft—nearly ten meters wide. Hansen had nearly walled it off completely. If it weren’t supporting the stadium’s structure, he would’ve blown it sky-high.
Arthur climbed in without hesitation.
“Yo... what’s it look like in there?” Jackie’s voice came through. Jessica had rigged a secret comms channel, with plenty of ears listening in.
“Standing by!” Funi’s gravelly voice answered first. He was on external cover duty.
“Standing by. Found an upward path. More room for sabotage.” Arthur’s voice followed, before silence.
Outside, Jackie paced anxiously, boots crunching on dry grass. Rebecca fidgeted restlessly—yanking her hair, kicking the car door.
Both had wanted in, but their looks and builds made them terrible for undercover work.
“Damn it, Arthur! All he had to do was plant the bombs!” Rebecca cursed.
Jackie was tense too, but steadier. “The biggest risk is V. Still no word from her. Patience.”
Nearby sat two more figures. One was Riel, in a wheelchair. Educated, militarily trained, he now served as commander with V absent.
The other was Panam, the restless nomad. No wonder she’d clashed with her family’s patriarch—she couldn’t stay still.
She’d gotten close to the crew lately. Between treating wounded soldiers, she’d been dragging Jackie and Rebecca all over the Badlands—raiding the Tyger Claws, ambushing Wraiths... even stealing a Basilisk.
Too bad the beast was too big to sneak into Dogtown. Not that Arthur, after being hunted by a Chimera, thought much of it anyway.
Jackie reviewed the plan again, uneasy, then turned to Panam with a warning:
“Don’t lose your head later. If you get hurt, we’ll never hear the end of it from your clan.”
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