Cyberpunk: The Ultimate Saga

"What do you think?"

As they walked along the neon-lit streets of Night City, Lena Fox's voice was soft but serious.

"What do I think? Of course, we go for it," Leon Black replied casually. "It's immortal-level gear—the only one of its kind in Night City. Even if we don't know exactly what it does, just that alone makes it worth it."

Not long ago, Leon had been racking his brain trying to uncover any trace of immortal-tier equipment. Now, out of nowhere, an opportunity was dangling right in front of him. Was this a sign? Was the main quest finally beginning through a key NPC?

"But this puts us right in the middle of the power struggle between top factions," Lena said, her brows furrowed. "That doesn't really match your usual laid-back philosophy."

Leon paused, glancing toward the corner where a man was pushing around a vagrant. It was Sasaki Lang, always eager to throw his weight around.

"Lena, in this era, we rarely get to make true choices. The world forces them on us," Leon said, his voice calm. "The storm brewing over Night City is only getting stronger. And right now, we don't have the ability to fly away. We can either ride the storm—or be swept away."

"As Arasaka security, hiding isn't an option. So we stand our ground. And if we have to stand, we might as well gain something from it."

He gently patted Lena's head, a small smile on his lips. "Philosophy is part of life, sure—but it's not the whole thing."

"Hey! What are you doing here?" Sasaki Lang finally noticed them and stumbled over. When he caught sight of Lena, his eyes gleamed with lust, and he reached toward her.

The last time he'd seen Lena, she'd been unconscious in the hacker pod. Now, standing on her feet, confident and beautiful, she caught his attention instantly. His mind, driven by primal instinct and synthetic stimulants, couldn't process restraint.

From a shallow perspective of Eastern beauty standards, Lena was indeed exceptional—elegant, mysterious, and striking. No wonder Sasaki Lang couldn't control himself.

But what he didn't know was that Lena Fox had a strict boundary: only Leon Black could touch her. Anyone else, even a teammate, was strictly off-limits.

Sssst!

A burning smell filled the air. Smoke curled from Sasaki Lang's cybernetic eye, which had gone dark. His body spasmed briefly, knees buckling. Then, without a word, he collapsed face-first onto the concrete.

"Sasaki!"

"Captain! Sasaki's down!"

The team members who had been loitering nearby rushed over in alarm. Inside the nearby bar, Edge Wilson froze mid-flirt and rushed outside. He was met by the sight of his teammate lying motionless and unresponsive, while Leon stood beside him—calm as ever.

"Sasaki… he's dead," the team medic said grimly after a quick check.

"Leon Black!"

Wilson didn't need evidence. He knew Leon had done it. No one else could fry a cybernetic eye so surgically. But Leon hadn't even tried to cover his tracks.

Does he think I'm a joke?

Wilson stormed toward Leon, face dark, fury building in his synthetic muscles.

"Leon, got anything to say for yourself?!"

"Oh, hey there, Wilson," Leon said casually. "Long time no see. How's the money-grabbing business been treating you?"

That smirk. That damn smirk.

Wilson's control snapped.

With a snarl, he activated his cybernetic arms and threw a monstrous punch. The force behind it shattered nearby lightbulbs, blew out shop windows, and sent screaming civilians scattering. The punch, strong enough to obliterate a steel car, thundered toward Leon's face.

The pavement beneath Leon cratered from the redirected force of impact, clouds of dust billowing around him.

"Nice shot, Captain!"

"That's how you handle a murderer!"

Wilson's team cheered wildly. In truth, their excitement had less to do with justice for Sasaki, and more about seeing their captain put an arrogant rival in his place.

But Wilson wasn't cheering. As the dust cleared, he realized something was wrong.

Leon was still standing.

Not only standing—but completely unharmed. His face wasn't bloodied, not even scratched. His expression was cold, focused. He stared into Wilson's eyes, unfazed and unblinking.

"The guy's dead. Your anger's justified. But we're done here," Leon said quietly, turning slightly so Wilson's still-clenched fist hovered past his cheek. "Next time, I can't promise you'll walk away."

Wilson's pulse spiked. His body froze. And Leon smiled faintly, whispering so only Wilson could hear:

"Relax. Just a friendly warning."

Then he turned and walked away, Lena following without a word.

Only after they disappeared into the alley did the others start to process what they had just witnessed. Some were confused. Some were scared.

All were thinking the same thing.

"Is that guy even human?"

"You totally scared them," Lena teased once they were out of sight.

Leon shrugged. "Letting idiots mess with us makes us look weak. Showing strength keeps the fools away."

"So what now?"

"We complete the mission."

"That woman from earlier?"

Leon smirked. "Oh no. That's the V."

---

Time passed quickly when you were knee-deep in chaos.

I was working on a bomb—calculating the blast radius, testing timers—when Walf's message popped up.

"We found Su Petrochemical's people. Come now."

Coordinates included. Not far.

"You're really in a rush," Lily Cross grinned, chomping her lollipop. "Guess it's time to blow something up!"

"Should we tell Dakota?" Ethan Cross asked while adjusting drone surveillance near the docks.

"What for?" Lily scoffed. "She wanted to use us. If she wants to play, she should be ready to lose. Rule of the jungle, baby."

"I was just being polite," Ethan muttered. "We're all murderers here."

Mike Taylor didn't say a word from the driver's seat. But he stepped on the accelerator harder.

---

Meanwhile, back at base—

"Walf! Where are you?" Dakota Smith searched the empty tent. Something felt wrong.

She stopped, eyes locking onto a barely visible button on the floor.

She bent down slowly and picked it up. It was no ordinary button. The precision of the components told her everything: this was sabotage.

Dakota's heart sank.

That woman! She knew the innocent act was fake! She had never trusted her completely—and now her instincts screamed: danger.

Could it be? Were the powerful, elusive cleaners being whispered about lately… actually them?

And if Walf had overheard them back then—he probably thought they were easy prey. He was planning to rob them?!

Idiot! Dakota cursed, her face twisted in rage.

She tried calling Lily Cross.

The call was answered immediately.

Lily smiled sweetly, lollipop in her mouth. "Hey~ Dakota! Got some leads on Su Petrochemical?"

"Where's Walf?" Dakota asked calmly, despite her storming heart.

"Oh, he's not dead. Yet."

"What?! You attacked them?!"

Lily blinked. "Uh, yeah? You wanted me to wait to get hit first?"

"How many casualties?"

"Hmm… Didn't I say? Walf's still alive."

Dakota's voice trembled. "You mean the others…"

"They're all dead~" Lily said cheerfully.

The video feed flickered to a grisly scene—burning vehicles, black smoke, blood and torn limbs. A real-life nightmare.

Dakota stared, stunned. "Was that necessary? You trying to start a war?"

Lily's eyes narrowed. "We tried playing nice. But someone thought they could screw with us and walk away. That's bullying the honest folks."

She quoted her mentor's mantra:

"When the world cheats you, scorns you, mocks you... you crush it underfoot."

Then she gave a warning.

"Unless you send us Su Shihua's contact, Walf won't live much longer."

The camera turned. Mike Taylor was standing next to Walf's bloodied body. With a brutal stomp, he crushed Walf's arm into pulp. Walf didn't even scream—his body twitched involuntarily.

"Every ten minutes, Mike takes a limb," Lily said coldly. "You're running out of time, Dakota."

The screen went black.

"YOU BASTARDS!" Dakota roared, flipping over her desk in rage. "I'll kill you all!"

But after a few moments, her anger faded, replaced by icy focus.

First priority: save Walf.

Even if he screwed up, her people came first.

pàtreøn (Gk31)