Chapter 65

The atmosphere inside the container was, to put it mildly, the worst, thanks to our live show ending at such an awkward time.

In the end, 《Machine Dragon》 turned out to be an uncontrollable stray dog.

Originally, we were supposed to make a proper declaration of war after the show and set the stage with a just cause.

【...No, that’s not it. We just didn’t make it in time. We played one song too many. That girl was already... at her limit.】

"What do you mean by that, Johnny?"

Everyone except Kerry, who knew the situation, gave puzzled looks—but frankly, I didn’t have the time or capacity to care.

What did he mean the boss was at her limit?

Johnny hooked his aviators onto his chest, his face twisted like he’d just bitten into a bug, and lit a cigarette.

【I mean it literally. You were probably having too much fun with your first live show to notice... but that girl, of all things, shed tears during Archangel. No sobbing, no sniffles, just... silent tears. And Archangel's a song for would-be terrorists—there’s nothing in it worth crying over. So those tears had to be for some other reason.】

"Yeah... fair point. There's nothing in Archangel that could move someone to tears..."

【...Back then, when I had my side gouged out by Adam Smasher, Morgan Blackhand came to back me up out of sheer loyalty and helped me escape. Just like when I held my spilling guts and made my way to the rooftop, I guess the girl realized her time had come. Everything was pouring out of her wounds, and it must’ve felt like Death himself was counting down. Hah, in my case, I actually got torn in half on that rooftop, forcibly kept alive, and hit with Soulkiller.】

Maybe thanks to our psychic resonance, Johnny seemed to be gradually recovering his memories through me.

Back then, the reason his memory cut off before reaching the rooftop must’ve been because he’d used every last ounce of strength to climb up there.

So... calling out 《Machine Dragon》 earlier than scheduled must’ve been the boss’s own decision.

"Hey, Vitt. What’s Johnny saying?"

"Huh? Johnny? Why are you bringing up Johnny’s name?"

"Ahh, so this is how you felt back then—no wonder you locked down the place after trespassing... Well, to keep it simple: that dude’s got a memory trace of Johnny in his head through Arasaka’s top-secret 《Relic》. I was skeptical too, but the guy can perfectly copy Johnny’s guitar, breath and all, and he even knows private stuff. That’s the explanation. Satisfied?"

"……Haaah!? Then today’s live was a perfect reunion show!? Why the hell didn’t you say something that important from the start!?"

"Hah... well, even if you had known, it wouldn’t have changed what we had to do in front of Lady Jugra, right?"

"……Lady? Wait... Don’t tell me you’ve got numbers?"

"Heh, without that woman’s support, I’d probably still be trash. ...Well, I only got clean because she wiped out the drugs, so let’s not get too sentimental."

"Ugh, whatever! So what did Johnny say!?"

Geez, Kerry sure gets intense whenever Johnny comes up...

With a wry smile, I relayed Johnny’s earlier words.

Henry, who probably owed a lot to her, collapsed to his knees. Nancy, the one who’d been covering it for the news, clutched her head like she wished she hadn’t heard. Denny sighed deeply with a solemn expression.

Kerry’s face went completely still, and he let out a sigh so deep it felt like it came from his soul.

"...So if you guys screw up, we’re the ones getting hunted down by Arasaka."

"No, that won’t happen. Or rather, it can’t happen. By now, whoever’s left in Arasaka Tower is probably getting all of 《Machine Dragon》’s pent-up rage. And once I call Alt into the mainframe, their brains are toast. The only ones who’ll survive are the few who ran before the show started. No matter how it plays out, Arasaka’s finished. We’re about to destroy the heart of their lifeline: 《Relic》."

"...Haaah. You know what? Just call yourself Johnny Mark II already. Dragging us into this insane mess..."

Even so, Kerry flashed a ferocious grin and flipped off the direction of Arasaka Tower.

Considering everything he’d endured because of Johnny, it made sense that he’d be reacting this way now that justice was finally coming.

"Originally, I was planning to hand this over with a drink... but screw it. Here—my parting gift. Take my gun. It’s the Overture ARCHANGEL, a custom revolver model. Fires EMP rounds, got a modified grip to reduce recoil. A bit much for self-defense, but it’ll serve you well, I’m sure."

I gratefully accepted the Overture, offered to me with its case loaded with custom rounds.

It packed more punch than my Lexington Custom, and most importantly, EMP rounds were the perfect gift considering what was coming.

"Thanks. That’ll make a huge difference. We’re almost at the outskirts of Night City, so get off here. Delamain! Prep for landing."

『Understood. Initiating landing sequence.』

As the container AV lowered altitude and gravity pressed on me, I turned my thoughts to what came next.

Apparently, the assault on the construction site was already over.

...With that Basilisk armored carrier Panam somehow jacked, plus the armed vehicle we used in the Hellman raid the other day, and even AVs thrown into the mix, it was said to be a one-sided massacre.

They were doing final adjustments on the excavation machine, so if I headed over now, I should make it just in time to regroup.

"Well then... good luck, Vitt. And Johnny. …Johnny, seems like I didn’t let myself go enough. Hearing your music, your voice, I remembered the rock I’d forgotten. …Thanks. Playing with you was the best."

【...Hah. Acting all big now, are we. But well, looks like you finally pulled yourself out of that creative slump. ...Follow your own path. That’s what I did—what I always will. Take care, Kerry.】

"...That’s what he said."

Even though he was right there, I couldn’t see him—so Johnny’s farewell through me came off as a bit comical.

Even though he’d just said something cool, too.

“Heh, what a sloppy ending. But, I guess it’s just like us. Go shake up tomorrow’s scream sheets. Alright then, time for the victory party. Same place as always.”

As the container AV landed, Kerry gave me a push on the back and practically kicked me out.

Jeez… according to the boss, this wasn’t supposed to be a farewell just yet.

But with that mischievous grin on Johnny’s face, this had to be intentional.

Climbing into the pilot seat of the transport AV, now without its container, I took off into the night sky, the four of them waving me off behind me.

“One last confirmation: our objective is to copy and destroy Mikoshi. The copy is anything besides memory traces—what we really need is the Soulkiller.”

【We’ll jack the excavation machine at the construction site, and blast straight to the tower’s base. If possible, we’ll bring Alt into the mainframe and paralyze the tower. Adam Smasher’s probably waiting along the way, so make sure to kill him. This is payback—for both of us.】

“I’m still alive, though... But seriously, is this really gonna work?”

【It’ll be fine. Unlike fifty years ago, you have allies. That alone—you can be proud of that, Vincent.】

“Shut it. Most of those allies—Jackals and Edgerunners—are technically the boss’s teams. I’m just walking the path that’s been laid out for me, unlike you.”

Honestly, every part of this operation had been within the boss’s grasp. Even the surprise live concert and the coordination around Machine Dragon—she’d been calling the shots in the end.

She probably saw through the surprise show too, but at least she looked like she genuinely had fun. That’s what mattered.

【...Vincent, let me tell you one reckless truth. That girl’s already at her limit. Once we’re past this climax, she’s almost guaranteed to collapse. But if we can RTA our way through this fast—really fast—we can minimize the strain on her. Worst case, you alone have to be ready to reach Mikoshi. If not, your heart’s getting blasted again, mark my words.】

“...I know. Once Alt’s called in, it doesn’t matter who jacks in. I won’t mess up the priorities.”

【Then good. ...There’s no meaning in a second life. Count me as expendable too, alright?】

“...Yeah, I got it. Just make sure Alt picks you up afterward.”

【Hah. Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. After all, I’m just a fake made of memories. The real me’s long dead. Theseus’s ship... nah, guess I’m more like the Swampman in this case. Wouldn’t be so bad to sink back into the muck.】

“Johnny, don’t get all gloomy on me. That’s not like you at all.”

【...Heh. Don’t forget this, Vincent. You’re not alone.】

With those final words, Johnny vanished from the passenger seat.

...No, seriously? You drop a line like that and then disappear?

I mean, sure, he’s trying to conserve energy for the final showdown—but at this point, the difference is negligible.

The transport AV crossed the Badlands and descended toward the now fully occupied construction site.

...Damn, there are craters all over the place. Looks like someone went full-on “we annihilated everything” mode.

Gathered around a bonfire, waiting for me, were the Aldecaldos, the Edgerunners—minus David—and the members of the Jackals.

I gave a quick nod to the main crew and made my way toward the Jackals, settling down next to Jack.

“Sounds like you guys wrapped up real quick.”

“Yeah, we were watching the live show while we did it—felt like a cakewalk. Big props to Jugra’s armored vehicle.”

“I think she even told Militech to lighten up on security. The guards at the site surrendered with just a few warning shots.”

“They were all like, ‘Work’s done for the day!’ and just went home. Glad we didn’t have to hurt anyone.”

“If the aim had been off by a few centimeters, though, it’d have been a bloodbath...”

...Seriously, the boss deserves way more credit.

She probably rallied them to help lay the groundwork for the Arasaka assault.

No doubt she held them at gunpoint and cracked some kind of morbid joke like, “Get in the way and I’ll slaughter you all.”

【Nah, it’s because Militech and Arasaka are old rivals. It’s more convenient for them if the girl—or rather, Delamain—takes control of Night City. Their HQ’s in the New United States, after all.】

Johnny dropped in with that smug, know-it-all attitude—and promptly kicked me in the ass as he vanished again.

Yeah, yeah. I was just about to bring that up, thanks.

“...So, how’s the prep looking?”

“There were a few wiring issues, but we got them fixed. Good thing Judy was here. I wouldn’t have figured it out.”

“...Well, this is about all I can do. I’ll handle support for the assault team.”

Even though Judy downplayed it, spotting an unknown machine’s wiring problem on first glance? That’s seriously impressive.

I shot a glance at Vary like, “Give her more praise, damn it.”

“Mitch and the others are doing the final adjustments now. Should be done soon—oh, look.”

From a yellow scaffold—probably where the excavation machine was—a circle was drawn in light.

They weren’t using holocalls, likely to avoid leaving behind any evidence later.

“Alright. Me, Dorio, Rebecca, and Lucy are the assault team. Kiwi and Pilar, you’re on support. From here, it’s go time. Edgerunners—assemble!”

“...Hah, Main’s really fired up. Well, we’ll show Arasaka that when it comes to us, it’s over in a blink!”

“Can’t believe we’re coming back to this again. Not the same lab, but close enough. Let’s wreck it.”

“Jeez, our girls are real firebrands. Guess I gotta keep watch. Right, Dorio?”

“Heh. That’s what we’re here for.”

“Feels like a guaranteed win, but even a cruise ship sinks if there’s a hole. Let’s make sure we plug it tight.”

The Edgerunners cracked grins, but behind those smiles, they were shifting into work mode—pure pro cyberpunks.

With a kill score in the thousands, their rep wasn’t just talk. Even up against a megacorp like Arasaka, their confidence was solid.

Main slung an M2067 Defender over his shoulder. Rebecca grabbed her Carnage Custom. Lucy tested her monowire. Pilar powered up his gear. Dorio rested her well-worn club on her shoulder. Kiwi donned her custom Faraday headgear.

“Alright, we can’t afford to fall behind. Let’s go bring down a major league!”

“Nihihi! I’m gonna turn them into a glorious, glorious mess!”

“Too early to get that hyped.”

“Well, let’s just do what we can.”

Jack brandished two Nue Customs. Vanny slammed her armored fists together. Sasha put on her cat-ear-shaped headgear with a sheepish grin. Vary spun the cylinder of his Búryaka Custom.

“Time to storm Arasaka!! Show ’em what rock really means!! Show ’em what it means to live as a cyberpunk!!”

—“OHH!!”

I raised my custom Overture high and shouted to rally morale, and everyone roared back in unison.

The Aldecaldos also straightened up. This was when the real fight began. They all turned to their roles with renewed determination.

Two elite teams hand-picked by the boss. A nomad clan. Let’s see Arasaka handle this.

For abandoning me. For underestimating the boss. Time to make them regret it.