Chapter 24: Netrunner Kiwi

After wrapping up some business at the company, Roland headed out. Most matters were handled by Lissandra anyway—he only took care of the truly important ones. For the rest, he was basically a hands-off boss.

Lately, he’d realized he hadn’t been paying much attention to his real body at all. But it couldn’t be helped.
Life as Jhin was simply too thrilling—like living inside an action movie. Especially now, as he took on more and more gigs, his name was spreading fast.

As for Militech... they hadn’t forgotten what he’d done. They even sent people to hunt him down, only to end up becoming stepping stones for his rising fame.

What concerned Roland more was that Arasaka had gone completely silent after assigning him that assassination gig. They’d said they’d notify him when the operation officially began, but so far, that target still hadn’t arrived in Night City.

That gave Roland time to relax—and toying with Night City’s small fry wasn’t a bad way to spend it. The original PROJECT cyberbody was truly remarkable; its coating could withstand most bullets, and its optical camouflage was even more advanced than anything seen in Cyberpunk 2077. He could disappear into thin air whenever he wanted.

That had already earned him several nicknames: Hunter and The Night Reaper.
...

“Boss, what’s the gig this time?”

Roxy glanced at Rook curiously.

“It’s a corporate job. We’re breaking into a company to steal some data.”

Rook handed over the intel to Roxy, Gauge, and a newcomer named Brew.

“Don’t tell me it’s one of the big corps again...”

Gauge muttered under his breath as he took the file.

“I’m not stupid enough to take a suicide contract.”

Rook sighed, shooting him a look. Stealing from a company’s systems was a lot riskier than stealing from an individual.

“PROJECT Corporation? Sounds familiar...” Brew frowned, thinking.

“Of course it does—you’re literally holding one of their smartguns right now.”

Roxy rolled her eyes.

“Oh, right! That’s that flashy new company with all the ads lately!”

Gauge finally caught on and let out a low whistle.

“Probably another competitor trying to stir up trouble.”

“Doesn’t matter. That’s not our problem. What we need to figure out is how to grab their data.”

Rook smacked Gauge lightly on the head, looking tired already.

“We’ll need a netrunner, boss,” Roxy said, scanning through the intel.

“I know. That’s why I already called Kiwi.”

“Looks like I’m late. So, do we have a plan yet?”

A woman with short blonde hair, blue lips, and a striking figure strolled over, a slim cigarette hanging from her mouth.

“Hey, Kiwi, you made it.”

Roxy greeted her with a grin. It wasn’t their first time working together.

Ever since Kay left and gave them Kiwi’s contact, they’d teamed up with her several times. Over those jobs, they’d come to understand her well enough—and trusted her more than most.

“I looked over the target already,” Kiwi said after ordering a drink. “It’s not overly difficult, but not simple either. We’re talking about a billion-euro tech company—they’ll have serious security measures. If possible, infiltration’s our best bet.”

“Yeah, I agree!” Brew said quickly, nodding eagerly—his gaze darting toward Kiwi every few seconds.

“Your opinion doesn’t count, kid. Everyone knows what’s going through your head. You just repeat whatever Kiwi says.”

Gauge rolled his eyes.

“N-no way! That’s slander! Slander, I say!”

Brew straightened up, his face red with embarrassment and anger.

Kiwi just gave him a cool glance before looking away. She had no patience for kids like that.

“What about you guys?” she asked. “Any objections?”

“No objections here,” Rook said. “Infiltration’s safer—less bloodshed. But who’s going in?”

Kiwi didn’t respond. She knew she’d be the one going in—after all, who else could breach a corporate network like hers?

“Me!” Brew raised his hand eagerly.

“Alright then,” Rook said, nodding. “Kiwi and Gauge will handle the infiltration.”

Gauge didn’t react, clearly expecting it. Brew, on the other hand, slumped like a wilted plant.

That was exactly why Rook didn’t let him tag along with Kiwi. The kid was too green, too easily distracted—especially around her.

And this wasn’t a small-time gig. They were dealing with a corporation. One mistake could doom them all. Even if PROJECT wasn’t on the same level as the megacorps, they were still far beyond what a crew of edgerunners could afford to mess with.

“So, take the next few days to rest and work out the details.”
...

Jhin narrowed his eyes at the trembling young man clutching a weapon.

A golden crew cut, tanned skin, and that somewhat familiar face...

He studied the guy’s outfit—it looked like... a military recruit?

“What’s your name?”

“M-Maine! Hands up!”

Fear flickered in Maine’s eyes, but he still raised his weapon, staring Jhin down with shaky determination.

“What an unexpected encounter...”

Jhin murmured, remembering—before becoming an edgerunner, Maine had been a soldier.

“You can go. Lucky day for you.”

Jhin slowly lowered his gun. His form shimmered and faded from view, disappearing completely.

Maine froze, stunned, then lowered his weapon, swallowing hard as he took in the carnage around him—the corpses of gang members scattered everywhere.

Only then did he realize just who he’d faced.

He called the police, then returned to the military barracks, his mind replaying Jhin’s shadowed figure over and over. Later, he told his comrades what happened.

When they learned Jhin’s name and reputation, they all agreed—Maine was unbelievably lucky.

“The Night Reaper, Jhin...”

A trace of confusion crossed Maine’s eyes before giving way to awe.

“Ding! Congratulations on obtaining [Orange Essence x1000]!”

“Huh?!”