The mission should have ended with Koch’s rescue.
At least, that’s what Victor originally thought.
Instead, everything had become far more interesting.
Inside Arasaka’s secure database, two mission notifications still hovered in the corner of his vision.
[Mission: Infiltrate Dogtown using Maine’s Crew] Reward: 1 Attribute Point, 2000 Achievement Points [Mission: Eliminate Maine’s Crew] Reward: 2 Attribute Points, 5000 Achievement Points At first glance, the second mission seemed far more attractive.
More rewards.
Less trouble.
No future risks.
Simply execute the captured mercenaries and collect the benefits.
Simple.
Efficient.
Profitable.
Yet Victor wasn’t interested.
Because he had already noticed something strange.
The system had issued a mission involving the entire crew.
Not individual members.
No separate rewards for Rebecca.
No rewards for Sasha.
No rewards for David.
No rewards for Lucy.
No rewards for Kiwi.
Nothing.
That detail immediately caught his attention.
The system rarely gave missions without reason.
Which meant Maine’s crew likely held future value.
Far greater value than a few immediate attribute points.
Victor wasn’t the type of person who sacrificed future opportunities for short-term gains.
Especially not in Night City.
Especially not when Dogtown was involved.
A faint smile appeared beneath his helmet.
The choice had already been made.
Maine’s crew would live.
For now.
Of course, before dealing with them, there was another matter requiring attention.
Arasaka’s enemies.
The Maelstrom gang.
— A blood-soaked katana flashed through the darkness.
SWISH!
The blade plunged directly into a Maelstrom ganger’s open mouth.
The man didn’t even have time to scream.
Victor twisted the sword.
Then pulled upward.
The gang member’s head split apart as blood sprayed across the factory floor.
The corpse collapsed immediately.
Silence followed.
Canris looked down at the body.
Then toward Victor.
“Boss.” Victor flicked blood from the blade.
“What?” “What do we do next?” Victor glanced toward the sprawling industrial complex ahead.
A former machine factory.
Now a Maelstrom stronghold.
One that had previously interfered with Arasaka operations.
One that had become a convenient target.
Without hesitation, Victor issued orders.
“Seal the perimeter.” Canris grinned.
“Already underway.” Victor continued.
“Recover anything that belongs to Arasaka.” “Destroy anything that shouldn’t exist.” “And eliminate everyone inside.” The grin widened.
“Now that’s more like it.” Canris immediately relayed orders through the tactical network.
Within seconds, Arasaka Special Operations moved.
Hackers infiltrated the factory network.
Security systems were hijacked.
Turrets changed allegiance.
Locked doors unlocked automatically.
The entire facility was compromised before most of its occupants even realized they were under attack.
Green lights replaced red.
Access granted.
Victor moved first.
Like a black phantom.
Canris and the assault teams followed behind.
Then— The slaughter began.
Gunfire erupted throughout the factory.
Alarms screamed.
Metal walkways shook beneath running footsteps.
“Damn corporate dogs!” A Maelstrom ganger leaned around a corner.
A sniper round immediately punched through his skull.
Orange matter splattered across a nearby wall.
The Special Operations sniper calmly spoke into communications.
“Target neutralized.” Then he shifted to his next target.
Elsewhere, Victor entered the factory’s central production floor.
Dozens of Maelstrom members occupied the area.
Most were heavily modified.
Chrome-covered monsters.
Cyberpsychos waiting to happen.
The moment they spotted him, the entire room erupted.
“Kill him!” “Rip that corpo bastard apart!” “Take his chrome!” Weapons rose.
Bullets filled the air.
Flames erupted from countless muzzles.
Any ordinary person would’ve been reduced to meat instantly.
Victor wasn’t ordinary.
The world slowed.
His Sandevistan activated.
Time stretched.
Sound disappeared.
Bullets floated through the air like drifting snowflakes.
Victor stepped forward.
One movement.
One draw.
One slash.
Then he sheathed his blade.
Everything became silent.
For a heartbeat…
Nothing happened.
Then— PFFT!
Blood exploded.
Several bullets split apart mid-flight.
Bodies collapsed.
A dozen gang members fell simultaneously.
Among them was the gang leader.
Headless.
The corpse remained standing for several seconds before toppling backward.
The surviving Maelstrom members stared in horror.
“He killed the boss!” “What the hell was that?!” “Sandevistan!” “No—” One ganger took a step backward.
Then another.
Then panic spread.
“Run!” “Run, damn it!” “Are you waiting for that cyborg to cut us into pieces?!” Too late.
Victor disappeared again.
The factory transformed into a butcher shop.
Limbs flew.
Blood painted the machinery.
Bodies collapsed one after another.
Every swing of the katana removed another life.
No wasted movement.
No unnecessary effort.
Only efficiency.
Only death.
A few brave fools tried fighting back.
Most never even saw the attack that killed them.
The entire battle lasted less than a minute.
Then silence returned.
The factory floor resembled a nightmare.
Blood dripped from hanging machinery.
Severed cybernetic limbs decorated the walls.
The smell of gunpowder mixed with fresh death.
Only one ganger remained alive.
A young Maelstrom member.
Terrified.
His heavily modified chrome shook uncontrollably.
Victor tilted his head.
“Oh?” His optics scanned the cyberware.
“Kerenzikov.” The ganger nodded desperately.
“P-Please—” BANG!
The pistol shot ended the conversation.
The body collapsed.
Victor holstered the weapon.
Then walked toward the exit.
Outside, dozens of Special Operations personnel waited.
The moment they saw him emerge, everyone straightened.
“Boss.” “It’s finished.” The soldiers glanced inside.
Immediately, several faces twitched.
Every time Victor personally handled a mission, cleanup became significantly worse.
Gunfights left bodies.
Victor left art projects made from body parts.
One operative sighed.
“Logistics is going to hate this.” Nobody disagreed.
Victor ignored them.
To him, this was simply efficiency.
If a target needed to die, he preferred ending it immediately.
The stronger he became, the more practical that philosophy proved.
Soon, cleanup teams entered the facility.
Media crews arrived shortly afterward.
Public relations would ensure the story favored Arasaka.
As always.
Meanwhile, Victor boarded an armored AV.
Inside sat Sasha.
The captured netrunner remained perfectly still.
The past several hours had completely shattered her understanding of reality.
Maine defeated.
Dorio captured.
Rebecca unconscious.
Falco imprisoned.
Pilar disarmed.
And now…
She sat inside an Arasaka executive transport.
Waiting.
Victor entered.
The moment he did, Sasha instinctively straightened.
She couldn’t help it.
The memory of him tearing through Maelstrom lingered vividly in her mind.
Victor noticed immediately.
“You’re behaving well.” Sasha didn’t know how to respond.
Victor sat across from her.
“I have a business proposal.” Her eyes widened slightly.
Business?
Not interrogation?
Not torture?
Victor continued.
“We’ll discuss it later.” “When we return.” That was all he said.
The remainder of the journey passed in silence.
— The Arasaka tower dominated the skyline.
Cold.
Massive.
Unreachable.
Sasha had seen it countless times.
She never imagined entering it as a prisoner.
The AV landed.
Victor exited first.
After a brief exchange of signals, two operatives escorted Sasha inside.
Hallways stretched endlessly.
Luxury surrounded her.
Everything looked expensive.
Everything looked powerful.
For the first time since her capture, she began feeling slightly relieved.
If they intended to kill her…
Why bring her here?
Eventually, they reached an office.
A very large office.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked Night City.
The furniture alone probably cost more than most apartments.
Sasha sat nervously.
Waiting.
Minutes later— The door opened.
Victor entered.
No armor.
No helmet.
No weapons.
Only a tailored black suit.
For the first time, Sasha saw his face clearly.
Strong features.
A mixture of Eastern and Western ancestry.
Cold eyes.
The face of someone accustomed to making life-and-death decisions.
If she’d met him in a bar…
She might have tried flirting.
Now?
The thought seemed absurd.
The two operatives left.
The door closed.
Silence filled the room.
Victor walked toward a small refrigerator.
He removed two bottles of purified water.
One for himself.
One for Sasha.
The simple gesture surprised her more than any threat could have.
He placed the glass before her.
Then sat down.
Neither spoke immediately.
The city lights glittered beyond the window.
Finally, Victor leaned back.
His expression remained unreadable.
Then he spoke.
“Well then…” Sasha unconsciously straightened.
Victor’s gaze locked onto hers.
The pressure was immediate.
Unavoidable.
“Miss Sasha Yakovleva.” Her heartbeat accelerated.
The future of Maine’s crew might very well depend on what happened next.
Victor folded his hands calmly.
And smiled.
“Let’s talk.” In the next chapter, Sasha finally learns why Victor spared the entire crew.
What begins as a negotiation may become the first step toward reshaping Maine’s future—and revealing Victor’s true plans for Dogtown.
——————————– CREATORS’ THOUGHTS ShadowSamuraiTL Have some idea about my story?
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