Chapter 323
2-in-1-chapter
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If Leo wasn't worried, her fretting was unnecessary.
Once Panam finally agreed, Leo turned to Lucy.
"Lucy, start it."
Lucy nodded.
She pulled out a drone control chip and slotted it into her neural port.
Her pupils flashed blue.
At the same time, the armored SUV's rear hatch opened and a reconnaissance drone lifted off.
Its optical camouflage engaged, and after a ripple of shimmering light, the drone vanished into the night sky.
As she piloted the drone, Lucy shared its feed with the others so they all saw what she saw.
From above, Night City looked entirely different from how it did from street level—a glowing, sleepless city. It's dirt and crime hidden beneath the brilliance and shadows.
North Oak was no different.
Leo had thought the district's villas were too spread out and isolated—wouldn't that make it dimmer than the city center?
But as he saw the drone's live feed, he realized he had misunderstood.
Even though the homes were spaced far apart, the winding mountain roads in North Oak were well-lit, giving the entire district a bright and orderly feel.
The drone flew silently for several minutes until it found a traditional Japanese-style residence atop a flattened hill, surrounded by tall greenery, with two roads leading to it.
Lucy spoke up. "Found it. That's our target."
Leo said, "Zoom in a bit."
Lucy adjusted the camera, zooming and enhancing the image until everyone could clearly read the glowing holographic nameplate at the gate, which displayed the name Tanaka in both English and Japanese.
Leo nodded. "That's the one. Let's check their security."
Lucy carefully maneuvered the drone around the perimeter.
"The house is shielded, I can't scan inside. But there are seven visible guards and thirteen concealed positions outside. There's an automated turret on each side of the roof—they cover most of the grounds."
"There's also a back road for escape."
At that moment, Panam raised her hand.
"If you're going through with this, then I'll set up here." She marked a spot on the drone feed with a red circle.
Everyone could see her mark—highlighted and clearly visible.
"There's a hill here that's slightly higher than the Tanaka estate. I can cover you from there. You know I'm a sniper—good visibility is key."
Leo examined the location and agreed—it was a solid choice.
The hill was higher than Tanaka's compound and only five hundred meters away—a perfect range for an experienced marksman like Panam.
If they were lucky and Tanaka or his son exposed themselves, the whole thing could end quickly and cleanly.
Even if they weren't that lucky, Panam's overwatch position would give them an edge.
Finally, Leo concluded, "We'll deploy a signal jammer outside their perimeter first. That should disrupt their automated alarm system for at least three minutes."
Panam would position herself atop this small hill to observe the situation inside the mansion and provide covering fire as needed.
"If there's an opportunity to take out the Tanaka father and son, don't hesitate."
"V and Lucy, we'll enter from the side. The goal is to finish this in under three minutes."
"Anyone have objections? No? Good. Then we begin now."
….....................
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The Delamain cab crossed the elevated road and entered North Oak.
The luxury vehicle stopped at the base of the hill where Panam was setting up. She grabbed her sniper rifle and climbed quickly up the slope.
Leo, V, and Lucy also disembarked at this point. The distance from here to the top of the hill where the Tanaka residence stood was only about five hundred meters. The mansion, brightly lit, was already clearly visible from here.
Driving a Delamain cab up the road directly would make them an obvious target. So the three equipped themselves, stepped off the road, and moved into the dark woods along the roadside.
Such woods, shrubbery, and green spaces were common in North Oak—designed to emphasize the wealth and status of its elite residents.
Due to mass extinction of flora and fauna, plants had become a luxury by 2077.
Why was Konpeki Plaza the best hotel in Night City?
Because it featured imported live greenery throughout its premises.
North Oak's landscaping followed the same principle.
…
After passing through the woods, the three reached the base of the cliff supporting the Tanaka estate.
They approached from the west side, where the cliff was nearly vertical—almost ninety degrees—unlike the gentler eastern slope or the mansion's front.
Security inside the estate maintained minimal vigilance on this west face because of its steepness.
At the cliff base, Leo raised a clenched fist. V and Lucy immediately crouched, weapons at the ready, watching left and right.
Leo trusted them completely. He pulled a cylindrical object from his pack, about the length of an arm but thicker than a thigh, and placed it upright on the ground.
He activated it and quickly tapped several commands into its touch panel.
When the red light on top of the cylinder turned green, Leo lightly patted both V and Lucy on their shoulders and said quietly:
"Signal jammer is active. Let's move—we have two minutes fifty-nine seconds."
With the jammer active, their own comms were suppressed as well. But that was fine—they could switch to whispers and hand signals.
Leo scanned the compound with his tactical goggles and confirmed that none of the visible or hidden guards were looking their way.
He gave a thumbs-up to V and Lucy.
The two women pulled out grappling guns and fired them toward the cliff top.
As Leo kept watch, they used the grappling line's retraction force to ascend swiftly.
Once they were up, Leo followed suit and ascended the same way.
Upon reaching the hilltop, Leo surveyed their surroundings.
They were now positioned northwest of the mansion.
The area was dense with tall plants, and conveniently, a massive boulder shielded their landing point from view—none of the guards near the house had spotted them.
V and Lucy crouched behind the boulder. When Leo arrived, V made a hand gesture asking "What's next?"
Leo motioned for patience, then used his tactical goggles to scan again, sharing the positions of all security personnel with them.
He whispered: "Tanaka's hired security has major gaps in their defensive coverage—they haven't locked this place down properly."
"We're going to exploit this gap, cut the mansion's power, and Panam will cover us. That's when we take out the Tanaka father and son."
"I'll lead. Lucy, stay close behind. V covers the rear."
With that, Leo raised his weapon and moved out from behind the boulder.
As planned, Lucy followed second, with V taking the rear.
The three moved in a single line through the woods, advancing toward the mansion.
…
Inside the Tanaka residence.
Tanaka sat silently, listening to his son's sobbing complaints.
His face betrayed no emotion—no one could read what he was thinking.
Tanaka Katsuo, whose wounds had already been treated, exaggerated everything that had happened at Arasaka Academy as he recounted it to his father.
Then came waves of sobs and sniffles.
After a while, Katsuo finally realized something felt wrong.
His father still sat like an unmoving stone—showing neither anger nor sorrow.
As if the one humiliated at the academy (or so Katsuo believed) wasn't his own son.
If not for the fact that his father's eyes were wide open, Katsuo might have thought he had fallen asleep.
"Father?" Katsuo asked hesitantly.
At last, Tanaka spoke—but his tone immediately made Katsuo uneasy.
"Finished?"
"Y… yes."
Tanaka's response left Katsuo bewildered.
He had expected fury.
After all, he was the son of an Arasaka R&D executive—a VIP at Arasaka Academy, pampered and exalted.
Though privileged, Katsuo considered himself diligent—not a useless rich kid.
At school, he had gathered two followers and ranked near the top academically.
All his life, he viewed himself as his father's heir—a good son.
But now, after his first time ever coming to his father in tears after a humiliating experience, why was his father reacting this way?
No empathy, no consolation.
Through his father's Kiroshi optics, Katsuo saw only one emotion: anger.
But the anger wasn't directed at those who had humiliated him—it was directed at him.
Tanaka let out a heavy sigh.
His face was full of disappointment.
Working at Arasaka Tower, he had dropped everything the moment his driver-bodyguard Marcus called to say his son had been injured at school.
And for what?
His son's knee had merely been shot.
And now here he was, whining and crying like a child.
Until tonight, Tanaka had considered his son acceptable. Top marks at the academy, two lackeys under his wing—that was… adequate.
But tonight's performance had left Tanaka thoroughly disappointed.
Crying and sniveling like this? It was disgraceful.
If this was his true nature, Tanaka would have preferred his son had died at Arasaka Academy rather than bring shame upon the family.
Tanaka's expectations had always been strict.
But it wasn't because he wanted his son to succeed.
It was because he could not tolerate his son disgracing him—or the Tanaka family name.
If Katsuo ever embarrassed them, Tanaka would rather see him dead.
"You still don't think you're a disgrace?"
Tanaka's sudden shout made Katsuo flinch violently.
Katsuo stared at his father in disbelief.
He couldn't comprehend why his idol—his role model—was now blaming the victim.
His eyes burned.
He didn't cry, but his heart filled with grievance.
He felt that, no matter what, his father should not scold him without reason.
"Father, I—" he began.
But Tanaka cut him off harshly: "Don't speak another word!"
"Father…"
"Silence!"
Smack!
A loud slap echoed.
Katsuo froze, stunned by the blow.
Tanaka had not held back—the slap left clear red marks across Katsuo's face.
"Look at you now. Do you look anything like my son?"
"Katsuo, I've told you before: one day you'll join Arasaka, just like me. If you work hard enough, you might even rise to my level—or beyond."
"But if this is the best you can do, you'll never surpass me. You might not even measure up to the ordinary employees."
"You were assaulted—and you come back here sobbing? How shameful! I never taught you to behave like this. Why couldn't you give me a calm, accurate report of the incident? Where are all the things I taught you? Have you forgotten them all?"
After this harsh rebuke, Katsuo felt even more aggrieved.
This time the tears finally flowed, sliding down his face.
For the first time, Katsuo felt a deep hatred toward the man standing before him—his father.
But Katsuo didn't hide his emotions. His face plainly reflected his inner feelings.
And Tanaka saw it all.
"You hate me, don't you, Katsuo?"
Only then did Katsuo realize his mistake—he nearly broke into a cold sweat.
"Starting today, you won't return to Arasaka Academy. Go to your room and reflect. If you can't figure this out, then don't even think about joining Arasaka. You might as well be a street thug."
Katsuo opened his mouth to speak—but in the end, he said nothing.
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