Chapter 30: Yi’s Strength

Not far from the entrance, Roland quickly spotted two gang members chatting near the door. The eyes on his exoskeleton helmet rotated slightly, instantly scanning and analyzing both targets.
Their cyberware placements, weapon positions, and weak points were all clearly highlighted in his vision.

“Doesn’t look like they’re with Maelstrom... Makes sense, though. Hiring them would’ve cost more than this guy could afford. Still, I wonder what his backup plan is...”

Buzz—

The moment Roland finished the thought, a faint hum rippled through the air. In an instant, his body moved—terrifying speed exploding from beneath his feet.
The Thermal Katana in his hand spun lightly, its edge slicing through both men’s necks in a single motion. In the frozen moment of acceleration, it was as if nothing had happened at all.

He turned his gaze to the two men on the second floor. With one light jump, he landed silently behind them. The katana pierced both hearts in one precise thrust, twisting once to ensure death before he withdrew it and calmly surveyed the rest of the area.

As the acceleration ended, the four bodies dropped simultaneously. Because of the Thermal Katana’s intense heat, not even a drop of blood spilled.

“No wonder they call fighting with a Sandevistan a dimensional strike…” Roland thought as he walked deeper into the factory.

To Kiwi, watching through the surveillance feed, it looked like he’d slaughtered four people in less than a second and then moved straight to the second floor—a hyper-efficient killing machine.
The term came to her mind instinctively. A chill ran down her spine as she thought how lucky she’d been to run into Jhin back then… If it had been Yi instead…

She shuddered.
“Stop it. He’s your teammate now,” she muttered to herself.

Before long, Roland located the door to their target’s area.
“Kiwi, you watching? Open the door for me.”

Caught red-handed spying, Kiwi froze in embarrassment. She coughed lightly and hurried to reply, “Got it. One sec.”

The metal gate creaked open. Two men stepping out for a shift change froze when they saw the unfamiliar Roland. Their expressions changed instantly as they opened their mouths to shout—

A flash of orange light cut through them.
The next second, four bodies hit the ground.

Roland glanced briefly at the two halves behind him, then walked inside without a word. The dying men on the floor stared in confusion and horror, coughing up blood before going still.

Inside, someone had heard the heavy thuds.
“Hey, Burke, Nido! You two alright?”

Roland didn’t rush in. Instead, he slung the katana over his shoulder and waited. Accelerated combat was too boring—he wanted a little fun without the speed boost this time.

When no answer came, the gang’s leader went pale. Meanwhile, Helori—the traitor—was visibly anxious. He’d worked so hard to find a way to smuggle himself out of Night City, and now this.
“No way! I’m leaving! The company’s found us!”

Cold sweat ran down his face. Seeing this, the leader frowned but said nothing—they’d already been paid, after all.
If Roland had known what the man was thinking, he probably would’ve given him a thumbs-up. Not many people kept their word in a life-or-death situation.

“Fine. Go through the back.”

“Yi! That guy’s trying to run!” Kiwi’s voice came through comms.

“Relax. You really think he can outrun me?” Roland chuckled, walking toward the iron gate. His artificial muscles tensed, and with a single slash, the door split cleanly in two.

“Open fire!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A storm of bullets erupted.
Roland dashed forward in a blur of white light, crashing through the doorway straight into the group.

“Ahhhh!!”

The first man to face him screamed in terror, frantically swinging his rifle toward Roland.
Roland’s hand shot out, snapping the man’s neck before pulling him in as a human shield. The barrage tore the corpse apart in seconds.

He hurled the body into another target, and the power unit in his legs glowed orange.

Whoosh—

With a sharp burst of air, several meters vanished in a blink. The burning blade sliced through flesh, leaving scorched marks behind. Bullets followed—but Roland planted his feet, flipping backward to dodge mid-air.

“Shoot him! He can’t move in the air!!” one of them shouted in panic.

A flash of orange light cut him off mid-laugh. A thin crimson line spread down his chest as his body split apart.

Roland brought two fingers together, lowering his stance as a low murmur escaped his lips.
He suddenly felt the urge to test his ultimate.

BOOM!

Orange energy exploded outward. The shockwave tore through the room, sending crates flying and throwing men off their feet. Panic and horror filled their eyes.

One man cracked under the pressure and bolted for the back door. Roland ignored him. Power surged through his body, flooding his circuits with exhilarating strength. It felt… incredible.

Hum—

The gang leader trembled as he took in the aftermath. The walls and pillars were carved with molten blade marks, and corpses lay scattered across the floor—each dismembered differently, their faces frozen in terror. They’d died without even realizing how.

Tap. Tap.

Two footsteps echoed behind him. He turned, shaking, and his eyes filled with orange light.

Roland slid the Thermal Katana into the scabbard on his back. After a final glance at the carnage, he turned toward the back exit.

“Kiwi, make sure to wipe the surveillance.”

“Ah… oh—right, got it!”

Kiwi, still frozen by the brutality she’d witnessed, quickly responded. Then the line went silent. She swallowed hard as she stared at the carnage on-screen. Terrifying… absolutely terrifying.

“Huff… huff… I’m not dying in a place like that!!”

Helori ran for his life, eyes wild with fear. His lungs burned, but he didn’t dare slow down.
Suddenly, a figure appeared ahead—a man covered in high-grade cyberware, holding something circular in one hand.

Without a word, the figure tossed it at Helori’s feet. Looking down, he saw it was the mangled head of the gang member who’d fled alongside him—the one who’d run even faster than he had.

“No! No, please! Don’t kill me! You can have all my money! Just report me dead—you won’t lose anything, right?!”

Helori’s voice shook as he backed away, terrified. Roland said nothing, idly spinning a throwing knife in his fingers.

Realizing there would be no mercy, Helori’s expression twisted in desperation. He drew his PROJECT smart pistol, shouting, “Then die!!”

Swish—Bang—

The throwing knife pierced straight through Helori’s skull, the tremendous force blowing his head apart in an instant.

Roland frowned in disgust, sighing softly.
“What a fool without self-awareness…”