Cyberpunk:Gained a body of steel

Afternoon, Santo Domingo

On a highway slicing through Santo Domingo, a sleek black limousine sped forward, gliding through traffic with practiced ease. Inside, Faraday sat comfortably, one hand holding a chip containing the coveted data for the prosthetic King Kong, while the other clutched a second chip containing intelligence on a certain man—Peter. He had spent the entire previous night collecting that data.

Once these two chips were delivered to the military technologist, Faraday would become the official middleman between them and Night City's bustling underworld. Just the thought brought a smug smile to his face.

But as the vehicle sped along, Faraday noticed two cars quickly overtaking them. At first, he didn't pay them much attention—this was Night City, after all—but then one car abruptly cut in front of the limousine.

"Get them out of the way!" Faraday barked at the driver, sensing something off.

As if on cue, the back doors of the van ahead flung open.

Da-da-da-da!

"Woooohooo!"

"Die, die!!"

A barrage of bullets rained down from the van. Several Tiger Claw gang members, armed to the teeth, opened fire on the limousine.

"F**k! Hit the brakes!" Faraday yelled in panic.

But before the driver could react, a bullet pierced his skull, killing him instantly.

"Oh, s**t!" Faraday cursed.

The bodyguard riding shotgun didn't hesitate. He kicked the driver's body out of the seat, lunged forward, grabbed the wheel, and slammed his foot on the brake. The car spun wildly, tires screeching, before finally coming to a screeching halt—just narrowly avoiding a complete crash.

"Take the middleman! Kill everyone else!" shouted a Tiger Claw leader wielding a gleaming samurai sword.

As the attackers advanced, the bodyguards inside the car retaliated, tossing out several grenades. Explosions erupted, momentarily slowing the gang's momentum. But the sheer number of Tiger Claw members quickly overwhelmed the defense.

Above, watching the chaos unfold from a nearby bridge, Faraday looked on, barely keeping his composure as his men fell one by one.

---

Later — Mall Parking Lot, Santo Domingo

In the quiet of a shadowed parking structure, Faraday handed over several data chips to a group of men from the military tech company. His expression was sour.

"This is everything," he said. "Data for the King Kong prosthetic and all the commission logs and movements of the person you asked about—Peter—since his arrival in Night City."

One of the company men nodded, accepting the chips. Faraday, still clearly agitated, added, "I risked my life for this. Got ambushed by the Tiger Claw gang—it had to be Ararata's doing."

"That's not something we're involved with," the man replied coolly. "Nor does it concern us directly."

Faraday narrowed his eyes. "Not concerned? I nearly got killed!"

"That doesn't prove Ararata ordered it."

"Who else can get the Tiger Claws to cross into another district to kill me? Do you think I'm stupid?"

"Look, we'll handle the prosthetic details on our own. We're not taking full responsibility. As for the intel on Peter, we'll need to verify it with HQ first. If it checks out, we'll honor our promise. The payment for the King Kong prosthetic has already been transferred to your account."

With that, the car door slammed shut and the vehicle drove away, leaving Faraday alone.

"Damn corporate dogs," he muttered under his breath once the car had vanished. "F**king SB suits."

---

Elsewhere in Night City

"So the first thing you do after coming back to life is go binge drinking and chain-smoking?"

Peter spoke into his phone, visibly annoyed.

"Ha! Peter, don't you always say I crashed all four of my love boats at once?" Johnny's voice crackled from the other end of the line. "Well, now I've got one lady on each arm!"

Peter sighed. "Right, right. I only gave you ten thousand eddies. That's your whole salary this month. If you want more, go do some commissions with Jack and the crew."

Without waiting for a reply, Peter ended the call.

He turned his gaze back to the shiny new prosthetic hand mounted on the workbench in front of him. A faint smile curled on his lips.

He reached out.

The prosthetic clicked into place, seamlessly attaching to his arm. A synchronization light blinked green.

Peter concentrated, and the palm of the prosthetic glowed, revealing a built-in energy emitter—not unlike Iron Man's iconic hand cannon.

Boom!

A blast of light erupted from his palm, instantly disintegrating the practice dummy across the room.

Peter examined the gauntlet, visibly impressed.

"Power output's good," he muttered. "But it needs a more stable energy source…"

Ding~

Incoming Call: Ling Xiaohan

Peter picked up. "Miss Ling, what can I do for you?"

Ling Xiaohan, the regional director of Kang Tao's Americas division, responded with a calm and elegant tone.

"I heard from Assistant Xu that Mr. Peter claims to have exceptional cooking skills. She even mentioned that you personally extended an invitation to me."

Peter blinked, caught off guard. "Uh… I…"

He remembered chatting with Xu Xinyue the previous night, casually mentioning his cooking. He didn't think she'd take it seriously, let alone tell Ling Xiaohan.

Now the director herself had accepted the invitation?

"There's an old saying in our country," Ling continued smoothly. "A man is only as good as his word. And I believe Mr. Peter is a man of integrity."

That made it even harder to refuse.

Peter had no choice but to smile awkwardly. "Well, since Miss Ling is so enthusiastic, when would be convenient for you?"

"There's no time like the present. How about tonight? No need to overdo it—just something homey and simple."

Peter nodded. "Alright. Time's tight, but I'll whip up something casual."

After exchanging a few more polite words, he ended the call.

"Damn it. I just had to be polite…" he grumbled. "Why am I cursed with manners?"

If word got out, most people in Night City would be dying of envy. Having dinner with Kang Tao's regional director? That wasn't something even high-profile politicians or corporate execs could easily arrange. If Peter had sold tickets to this dinner, each one would've gone for at least half a million eddies.

---

Back at Home

"Huh? Peter, you're home early today?"

V, lounging on the couch, looked up in surprise. She hadn't taken any major jobs recently and had stayed in. Jack and David, on the other hand, were out working freelance NCPD gigs, gaining street cred.

Peter usually stayed out until sundown, but today he was back while the sky was still bright.

"We're expecting a guest tonight," Peter replied, setting down his bag.

"A guest? Don't tell me it's a woman."

Peter smirked. "Yeah. Kang Tao's American regional director, Ling Xiaohan."

V was mid-sentence when the name hit her. "What did you say?! Kang Tao's… director?!"

"Yep."

V nearly choked on her own breath. "That's insane! Wait, seriously?"

Peter shrugged. "No big deal. You guys saw the live feed when Arasaka's Saburo got wiped, right? This is nothing compared to that."

---

End of Chapter 137