Chapter 322
2-in-1-chapter
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"Shut up, David. We'll put our personal grievances aside for now. I need to teach this woman what manners really mean."
"I think I'm very polite. No need for anyone to teach me," V said as she pushed David aside, concealing her gun hand behind her back. "But I don't mind stepping in as someone's parent to properly educate an unruly child—otherwise, with that foul mouth of yours, you'll get yourself killed on the street one day."
"You should know, this is Night City—everyone's packing."
Tanaka Katsuo couldn't listen anymore.
With a roar, he lunged at V, his body moving like a predator—so fast David couldn't even see it clearly.
Maybe Western elites liked to pretend that "respect for women" was part of their gentlemanly code. But back home, in certain circles, even the refined didn't hesitate to keep their women in check—status and fame offered no protection behind closed doors. Especially if they were traditionalists, which many from Arasaka were.
His cyberware: a Gorilla Arms 400 series, the essence of martial arts implants.
Tanaka believed this set of implants would let him beat this infuriating woman until she knelt and begged for mercy.
But V was faster than Tanaka.
With both hands on her pistol, she fired two rapid shots directly into Tanaka's knees.
Pop! Pop!
Suddenly, Tanaka's knees gave out. He lost his balance, and his predatory charge turned into an out-of-control crash—slamming face-first into the stairwell where V had just stepped aside.
This time, Tanaka was even more miserable than before.
His face smashed directly into the stairs—flesh torn, blood everywhere, and even his nose broken.
Clutching his shattered nose, he glared furiously at V, who was calmly detaching the suppressor from her kinetic pistol.
"It hurts like hell! What did you do?" Tanaka gasped for breath between sharp intakes, his face twisted in pain. "Even my dad never hit me!"
"You're finished! My father is a senior executive in Arasaka's R&D division—he won't let you off!"
V, who had just separated her pistol and suppressor, had been ready to leave with David.
But hearing Tanaka's arrogant threat made her frown, and she turned back.
"Here's some advice, kid: when your opponent is far stronger than you, the smartest thing you can do is keep your tail between your legs—not piss them off again."
As soon as she finished speaking, V's combat boot came down hard on Tanaka's hand.
A piercing scream burst from his throat.
But V wasn't done. She twisted her foot, grinding his hand beneath her boot.
Tanaka's eyes rolled back as he passed out.
"Passed out already? Pathetic little shit."
V withdrew her foot, no longer bothering with the battered Tanaka, and walked out of the staff passage.
David glanced down at Tanaka. Despite how pitiful he looked, David couldn't muster an ounce of sympathy.
On the contrary, he felt a deep satisfaction—especially after Tanaka had insulted his mother.
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V drove the armored SUV back to Rocky Ridge, bringing David straight to Leo.
As soon as they met, David pleaded, "Sir, please give me a job. I can do anything! And what I can't do—I can learn! Please!"
"Arasaka Academy refused to reverse their expulsion decision?" Leo asked.
David silently nodded.
Leo glanced at V. "Does he know how to handle a gun?"
V simply shrugged.
David shook his head, confused. "A gun? I… I don't know how."
"You've never even held one?"
That was unusual.
Most city kids would have some familiarity.
After all, Night City was dangerous; every household had at least one or two firearms for protection.
You couldn't reason with a burglar breaking into your home at midnight.
But if you had a gun, the whole situation was different.
Leo fell silent for a moment, thinking it through, then made a decision.
"For now, stick with Mitch and Scorpion. When they're drilling José, they can take you along too. Doesn't matter if you don't know who José is—you'll get to know him soon enough."
José was at Rocky Ridge just for training. He wouldn't be staying long.
But having David familiarize himself with the heir of a tire company wouldn't hurt.
In Leo's view, José was a decent kid—he didn't act like a spoiled rich kid.
Making friends with him wouldn't be a loss for David.
"V, take him down and help him settle in. Tomorrow, bring him to Mitch and Scorpion."
V nodded. "Leave it to me. David, follow me."
David bowed gratefully. "Thank you, sir."
He didn't ask what Leo intended for him, nor what kind of treatment he'd receive.
Because in his current condition—young, inexperienced, and having no skills—he was in no position to be picky.
Whatever Leo arranged, he would accept.
After all, Leo had already covered his and his mother's medical bills—and it was Leo's team who had rescued him and taught Tanaka a harsh lesson.
David believed things couldn't possibly get worse.
After V and David left, Leo sat in his chair, falling into deep thought.
At first, he had considered assigning David to the construction crew.
But then he realized: David was still so young and completely unskilled. What could he possibly do on a work site? Carry loads?
David was still at the right age to learn—it would be a waste to put him on construction.
And this was Night City—not a safe place like Europe....Well, relatively safe in the context of this cyberworld.
Even José, a rich heir, was learning how to use firearms.
So Leo reconsidered: no matter what David might do in the future, letting him learn to shoot and giving him the ability to protect himself could only be right.
Even if later he discovered that David had talent as an HR professional or manager, and moved him into an administrative role, the time spent training firearms wouldn't be wasted.
As for concerns about training him only to have someone else poach him later?
Leo wasn't worried—because the conditions he provided, no one else could match.
About ten minutes later, V returned.
"David settled in?"
"All set."
"Alright, so tell me what's going on."
V's beautiful face showed a hint of confusion. "How did you know I had something to tell you?"
"Because I can read minds," Leo joked. "Alright, truth is, I guessed. But judging by your expression, I was right—something's up?"
V nodded, pulled a chair over, and sat opposite Leo.
"When I was at Arasaka Academy, I made an enemy while protecting David."
"Who?"
"Tanaka Katsuo. Son of Tanaka, a senior executive at Arasaka's Night City branch R&D division."
V proceeded to recount the entire story in detail.
Leo nodded. "You did the right thing."
"You're not mad that I caused a big problem for us?"
"What's there to blame? If I had been there, I probably wouldn't have been able to hold back either."
V's action had indeed brought them trouble. That brat Katsuo Tanaka, after returning home, would certainly embellish the whole story to his father. And as a senior figure at Arasaka, how could Tanaka senior swallow his pride when his son was beaten by someone connected to a disgraced ex-student?
Even if he thought his son deserved it, he couldn't just let it go.
Because if he did nothing, what would the rest of the company think of him?
So even if he felt nothing personally, he would have to react.
Tanaka was a high-ranking member of the R&D division, and an Arasaka executive. It was only a matter of time before they traced things back to them.
But—and this was the key—Leo trusted that V was a measured person. If there had been any other solution at the time, she wouldn't have struck first.
In other words, the fact that she acted meant the situation left no other choice.
"I caused this mess, so I'll take responsibility."
"You? How exactly?" Leo asked, then raised a hand to stop her as she bit her lip, clearly wanting to explain.
"I'm your boss. You work for me. That means it's my duty to protect you. This trouble—let me handle it."
"Besides, if I dumped this problem on my subordinates, what kind of boss would that make me?"
Leo thought for a moment. "Here's what we'll do. Go get Lucy, Panam, Mitch, and Scorpion."
Soon, V had gathered the people Leo requested.
"Lucy, Panam, come with me—we have something to take care of."
Panam joked, "Are we hijacking a corporate convoy?"
"No, but close enough," Leo replied, then turned to Mitch and Scorpion. "You two contact Saul. Have him send twenty Aldecaldos to guard this place. I'll pay €$500 per head for two days."
"When they arrive, issue weapons to them and keep this place under strict guard for forty-eight hours."
Mitch and Scorpion exchanged a look—they could tell something serious was going on.
"What's happening, boss?"
"I don't have time to explain now. Just do what I say. If all goes well, nothing will happen. Now go."
Leo had made himself clear, so they didn't press further.
"Boss, we don't know what you're up to exactly," Mitch said, "but don't worry. While you're gone, Scorpion and I will guard this place. Nothing's getting through."
That was exactly the attitude Leo appreciated—and why he liked soldiers. They were much more reliable than mercenaries.
Scorpion didn't say a word but gave a firm nod.
In truth, if tonight's action went smoothly, they could eliminate all future trouble in one stroke.
But Leo was cautious; he still wanted the defenses strengthened, in case anyone tried to raid their base while they were out.
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An hour later, their Delamain cab arrived at a deserted homeless encampment beneath an overpass near Japantown, close to North Oak.
During the drive, V explained everything to the others.
Lucy had no objections.
But Panam—normally scatterbrained and rebellious—widened her eyes in shock. "So… we're going to assassinate an Arasaka executive? Are you all out of your minds?"
Leo laughed. "Don't tell me you forgot about the Hellman job. You helped us back then—snatched Hellman right out from under Militech's nose."
Panam waved her hands quickly. "That was different! Back then we hit Militech's convoy outside the city. This time we're talking about hitting a corpo exec in the city!"
"And isn't North Oak a rich district? More cops, higher security. You think there won't be Arasaka guards on-site? And if we trip an alarm, how many Arasaka agents do you think will show up?"
Panam had no issue taking out a corpo—but hitting one in North Oak wasn't caution; it was reckless.
V was about to explain but Leo raised a hand to stop her.
He smiled at Panam. "Panam… don't tell me you're scared?"
Panam almost jumped as if her tail had been stepped on. "What? Me? No way! I'm just…"
Despite her protests, her eyes betrayed her hesitation—she avoided Leo's gaze.
Leo smiled again but didn't call her out.
He understood that Panam wasn't really afraid. It was just… different.
If this were about the Aldecaldos, she'd charge through fire and bullets without a second thought.
But this mission wasn't for the nomads, so she could think rationally—she weighed the risks carefully.
And thinking carefully was no bad thing.
Leo smiled and said, "Arasaka execs are still human. If we're fast and clean, no one will ever know it was us. Look at Richard Night—killed on the balcony of his own villa, and his murder is still unsolved to this day."
Assassinating an Arasaka exec would be hard—but not impossible.
And they had the initiative.
Tanaka Katsuo's father couldn't possibly imagine that before he even made his move, Leo was already coming for him—and his son.
Panam realized that three of the four people in the car were onboard, so her lone dissent wouldn't matter.
She sighed in resignation. "Fine. You're the boss. Your call."
Though Panam had only recently joined Leo's crew—and aside from the Hellman extraction she hadn't done much outside Rocky Ridge Mountain—Leo's generosity and decisiveness had left a strong impression on her.
A boss this generous and rich couldn't possibly be a fool.
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