Chapter 49

Beyond the eastern stretch of the Badlands lies Rocky Ridge, on the outskirts of Night City.

It’s a leftover fragment of a halted development—now turned ghost town.

The reason redevelopment in the Badlands never took off is widely known: repeated hurricanes made proper construction impossible, and the high cost of ineffective disaster prevention caused the project to collapse.

Among the decaying one-story houses and the abandoned bar, its disrepair hauntingly vivid—we were there.

"The guy we're after is Nash. He was supposedly with the 6th Street Gang, but looking back, even that sounds shady. When my car got stolen, the ones who pulled it off were Raffens. So I’d bet they’re the real culprits. They probably figured I’d go crawling back to the clan after what happened, and that I’d show up here to make the trade. I’ll contact the buyers later and have the location changed."

We’d better base the plan on Panam’s prediction.

For a ghost town, it’s decently spacious.

"Gotcha. Got a plan?"

"Yup. How about we turn the lights on first to get their eyes used to it, then kill the power and take 'em out. Not all nomads have optical implants, right? So, it could work."

"Solid. What else?"

"Would it be a no-go if we used wired mines? The only thing we want is the stolen Thorton, right? So who cares if the rest gets blown up."

"Fair point. Anything else?"

"Or, how about letting them get comfy and hitting them with a surprise attack? Like, if they’re drinking the booze lying around here, we could tamper with that."

"Makes sense. What else?"

"We don’t have mines on hand, so it’s gotta be Vanny and Sasha’s idea. We’ll wait for them to come back and start relaxing, then cut the lights and hit 'em while they’re off guard."

"Approved. Let’s go with that. Still, let’s keep an eye out for mines—maybe they stashed some treasures around here."

At Jack’s signal, everyone split up to explore the ghost town.

I was about to head out too, looking for anything useful—when Panam grabbed my sleeve.

"...Hey, Vincent. Is it always like this?"

"Hm? Yeah, pretty much. Honestly, if you leave them alive, it just becomes a hassle later. No loose ends if they’re dead."

When I tilted my head and answered, Panam murmured, in a low voice, "Creepy..."

...Wait, are we the weird ones here? In a world of kill-or-be-killed, isn’t killing just the obvious move?

………No, this ain’t normal. At some point, we started handling things like corpo hitmen.

Maybe it’s the side effect of getting too used to Little Boss’s jobs. If Panam hadn’t recoiled like that, I might not’ve even noticed how messed up we’ve become.

Well… I mean, we’re still gonna kill them, though. They’re nomads living in the Badlands—Raffens, even. No one’s gonna complain.

"Do I need to get used to stuff like this if I want to work as a merc in Night City?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Out here it's all shoot-or-be-shot. The most efficient way is to stealth in and take them out before they get the chance to do the same. If I freeze up with my finger on the trigger and get someone on our side killed, all I'll be left with is regret. And besides, I've got Little Boss backing me. That Killzam guy you mentioned. We’ll team up with the other crew we’re tight with and hit back hard, no question."

"…Yikes. Isn’t Night City a little too dangerous? Wouldn't just roughing them up a little be enough?"

"Hahaha, nice joke."

"…I wasn’t joking."

"Well, you should talk to Vally about that kind of mindset. I’m a dyed-in-the-wool city guy. Vally left her Nomad clan—kinda like Panam’s predecessor in a way. Unlike Panam, though, she cut ties clean. Maybe give her a chat. If you're planning to keep working as a merc, this is something you can’t really avoid."

"…Yeah, I’ll do that."

Panam let go of my sleeve and headed in the direction Vally had gone.

Hmmm. Well, for a regular street fight, Panam’s approach isn’t bad. But if it’s a no-holds-barred brawl where the other guy’s packing a machine gun, we’ve gotta have countermeasures or it’ll be a one-sided slaughter.

Most of the enemies we deal with are basically scavs with their sense of ethics long gone—killers through and through. If we don’t meet them on that level, we’re the ones in danger.

Trying to take them alive is a fool’s errand. People who make a living killing others don’t just turn over a new leaf after getting caught.

Unlike soldiers who operate under rules and structure, these guys trample all over ethics and the law, which is exactly why they need to be put down.

Think of them like beasts that’ve gotten a taste for human flesh. The best move is to deal with them before there’s another victim.

Especially the ones who’ve gotten used to leeching off others. Those ones absolutely need to die.

I went building to building nearby, but of course, no weapons or supplies had been left behind.

Just discarded junk—canned food so bloated it looked like it might burst, and expired goods that were way past saving.

...Right, there was that highway development plan. A massive interstate business project, if I remember right.

But judging by the ghost town in front of me, it clearly didn’t work out.

In that sense, I guess the town where we went to pick up Vally was one of the rare success stories.

If you try building a highway through an area constantly hit by hurricanes, all that’s gonna happen is the cargo trucks get swept away too.

Pretty sure that was the last mayor’s pet project. Total flop, and now we’ve got the current one in charge.

I stepped up to a small generator and turned the doorknob. Locked.

【Vincent, that left arm of yours is actually a master key, you know】

"Oh? So this is how you use it."

I drove my left fist into the area near the lock, punching straight through and unlocking it from the inside.

Chrome arms make life easy—no need to worry about getting hurt.

I gave the power board inside a quick once-over. Pretty old model, but I'd repaired something similar before, so I could probably work with it.

Judging by the wiring, external power was down.

I stepped outside and checked the power source—battery type, completely drained.

I exposed the inner cables of my left hand, initiated the discharge protocol, and a burst of electricity flew out.

Connected the terminals to make positive and negative align, and... alright, got power back.

I headed back inside, checked the wiring, then switched on the second floor lights—brilliant light flooded the town.

I switched it off again quietly and sighed as the realization hit me.

…If they lit up now, that means they weren’t lit up before.

Which means the meeting spot must be out front in the plaza. They probably didn’t bother entering the ruined bar—just used car headlights instead.

Looks like we’ll need to revise the plan. Instead of cutting the lights, we blind them with lights before making our move.

『We need to revise the plan. Looks like they don’t come here often enough for it to be a proper hangout spot. The generator’s fixed, so let’s welcome them with a bang instead.』

『No objections here! Then Team Holo can sync up and cut the lights just as we greet them—strike right in that moment when their eyes adjust!』

『Then flashbangs will be better than mines. Got them ready.』

『Let’s scramble the ones with optical implants. Kill the lights right after I run the Breach Protocol.』

『Haha, our girls are damn capable. Leave the front to me—otherwise I’ll be out of a job.』

I rig the generator’s power wiring so it can be toggled on and off through a hack.

Better to have insurance, just in case.

"Panam! Which way do you think they’ll be coming from?"

"Obviously that way! There were over ten of them when they attacked—should be easy to spot them running in."

When I shouted over to Panam in the distance, she pointed and yelled toward the Badlands.

In that case, I’d be more useful on sniper support from here.

I grab the Nekkomata from Delamain’s trunk, run a systems check, and confirm the magazine.

Everything’s working fine. Scope isn’t off either.

We should probably stash our car somewhere.

I move the car into the shadows on the Night City side of the building, and as I do, dusk finally falls, and the night begins to settle.

Sasha and I take up positions on the power station rooftop for a clear vantage point. The rest slip into nearby buildings for cover.

With the little time left, I have Panam join Team Holo as a guest and brief her on the timing for showtime.

『Alright, I told the client about the location change and got their approval. The moment I dropped your names, they totally changed their tune.』

『Well, yeah. Crossing us is basically picking a fight with the Little Boss. Anyone who knows our rep would back off—I know I would.』

『Ahaha, then I better not drag your names through the mud. Oh—spotted them through the scope. That’s them. …Heh. They really rolled up in my Thorton. What a joke.』

『Time for a lesson. Some idiots only learn by dying—teach ’em well.』

『Hope they reincarnate into something better—assuming they come back as humans.』

Vanny’s pretty damn savage—maybe it’s because we’re dealing with outlaws.

The Raffen Shiv idiots scatter into the square without knowing anything, starting to shout when they realize there’s no one to meet them.

Looks like ten of them. I trigger a ten-count on Team Holo’s interface and reach for the power.

I close my eyes just before zero and flip the switch.

In an instant, the blazing floodlights reveal their positions and shatter the silence with chaos.

While they start looking around in a panic, I wait for Sasha’s signal, trigger another ten-count, and flip the switch again.

Just when they’re starting to adjust to the blinding light—everything goes dark.

In that confusion, I use the scanner on my optical implant to mark enemies, charge the Nekkomata, and release.

The bullet cracks through the dark like lightning, trailing arcs of electricity—striking a Raffen Shiv guy square in the head, blowing his brains out.

As Sasha sends out the PING daemon, their bodies light up in red outlines.

Hiding randomly won’t save you now.

Another charged shot from the Nekkomata punches through a flimsy barrier and blows off a second head.

I prioritize the ones outlined in red, leaving the more meatbag-looking ones to Vanny and the others.

It’s all over in minutes. One of them tries to surrender—I shoot him from behind without hesitation.

Panam looked horrified, but for us, this is just another day.

"I'm not sorry—we don’t take prisoners. You guys did the same, didn’t you? It’s just your turn now. Die without mercy."

I finish off the one still twitching on the ground with a mercy shot.

Once we’ve eliminated every Raffen Shiv in the area, we toss the bodies into a nearby incinerator and cremate them.

Not like anyone’s gonna collect the ashes.

"Don’t take anything valuable."

"We’re not scavengers. We’re mercs—we kill or get killed. We’re not so broke we need to pick meat off corpses. We’ve got this whole cleanup down to a routine."

Yeah. Sooner or later, we’ll end up the same.

Which is exactly why we try to reduce the odds, even if just a little.

We’re lucky—we’ve got the Little Boss’s protection on our side.

No one retaliates without a damn good reason. And we make sure they can’t—by wiping out everyone, even the lowliest grunts.

...There was that one time a guy’s family came for us on a suicide mission, but hey—once you dive into the gutter, you’re just as guilty.

If you’re a scavenger? Even less excuse. They were only being tolerated till now—why couldn’t they get that?

...No. Maybe it’s just that this is the way Night City’s been for so long, people went with the flow.

And now the bill’s come due—for complaining and doing nothing.

Feels a lot like Japan’s post-war economic boom, except now it’s Night City’s turn.

...Back then, civilians were just being consumed. Now, thanks to the Little Boss’s financial schemes, the tables are turning—civilians are starting to prey on gangs and scavs.

We’re the vanguard of that shift. The more we flaunt the Little Boss’s power, the more the people thrive, the more they accept being tamed, the more they worship him—and become the burning flame of this so-called social purification.

...Not that the Little Boss planned any of that.

I asked her about it once, just on a whim—She gave me this blank stare like “What the hell are you talking about?” and flat-out said, “What the hell are you talking about?”

The truth is, the Little Boss is just doing whatever it takes to raise her own quality of life. The citizens are just feeding off her leftovers.

Still—the scale of it, man... The Little Boss really is something else.

【What a clown show. Not a masquerade, but a full-on circus act. Brings back memories—back when I used the power of rock to send fans storming Arasaka Tower. But this? This frenzy puts that to shame.】

"You’re seriously remembering that gig? You were just inciting a riot, man."

【Reminds me of when we played PARANOIA with Kerry and the others. Citizens! Happiness is mandatory! That kind of deal. Though things are a bit backwards here. UV Computer, Citizens are happy! You know how it goes.】

ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! Johnny aimed his finger-gun at me with every fake shot, and I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

…Oops. Caught Panam’s skeptical glance. Time to get back on topic.

"So, the stolen goods—they intact?"

"Yeah. They came here to do business, after all. And it was a pretty big amount, too. …Kinda sucks that Nash wasn’t there, though. Anyway, let’s head to the motel we arranged with the buyers. I’ll pay you your cut from what we get there."

"Nah, we need to loop Rogue in first. Especially if you’re using a fixer—you’ve gotta handle this properly. Otherwise, it'll bite you later and tank your reputation."

"Hah, I’m done working with that smug hag. Bet she used me as bait to drag you guys in and set this all up. She knew from the start Nash was with the Raffen Shiv. Figures she pushed back so hard."

"…Yeah, well, fixers don’t usually try to stop you, period. More often, they’ll twist it into some new scheme or job. This was on you, Panam. Don’t go pinning it on someone else. You should be grateful she at least tried to keep you alive. That’s one thing you better not get wrong. Take it from a fellow cyberpunk who’s been around the block."

"…Fine. If you’re going that far, I’ll believe you. Haa… And here I thought I was finally standing on my own two feet."

"I screwed up plenty too, you know. If Jack hadn’t been around, I’d probably still be rotting somewhere. You’re still just getting started. Someday, this’ll be a funny story you laugh about—how lucky you were this time."

"Hmm… That so?"

"Yeah, that’s so."

With Panam’s mood back to normal, it looked like we’d wrapped up Rogue’s job just fine.

That tone she used—it was definitely like talking to a granddaughter.

She probably had a soft spot for Panam, and that’s why she handed the job off to us in the first place.

Panam, looking proud, climbed into her custom Caliburn and beckoned me over. I sighed and slid into the passenger seat.

"By the way, what’re you gonna do with that hunk of junk?"

"I asked Mitch to pick it up with the rest of the Raffen Shiv’s vehicles. We’re nomads—can’t have too many cars lying around."

"Fair point."

I pinged Team Holo that recovery wasn’t needed and headed for the motel.

Whatever’s in that cardboard box—it’s worth quite a bit, apparently.

Just hope it’s not drugs or something nasty. Please let it be car parts or some harmless mods. Please.