Heywood, Vista del Rey – Nightfall.
"Are we... really doing this?"
Staring at the crimson-lit bar ahead, Oliver swallowed hard, clearly uneasy.
For a straight guy like him, this place was way outside his comfort zone—so much so that he'd rather take on a hard-mode opponent from a training chip than walk into that bar.
"Are we sure the ex-trainee is really inside?"
It wasn't just Oliver. Jack stood next to him with a similar look of resistance.
"If Misty finds out I stepped into a place like this..."
"You two scared?"
T-BUG's voice crackled in through the comms.
"Didn't you always brag about being fearless?"
"Yeah, yeah, chica, we talk big… but this place is a whole different ballgame."
Jack groaned. "Right, Karl?"
He glanced at Karl, hoping for backup.
"...Huh?"
Karl turned, clearly not paying attention.
"What are you guys talking about?"
"The bar!" Oliver pointed at the sign above the entrance.
"Don't tell me you didn't recognize this is the Big Bird SpinSpin Bar!"
"Of course I recognized it."
Karl shrugged.
"It's a well-known freedom-of-love bar, right? Who cares?"
"The place is packed. I'm trying to figure out how to find our target without drawing too much attention."
"...Karl."
Oliver looked at him, half in awe.
"Me and Jack aren't worried about the mission. We're saying—it's kind of awkward for three dudes to walk into a gay bar together, no?"
"You scared people'll think we're gay?"
Karl casually pulled out Endless Night, gave it a quick check, and slid it back into its holster.
"Then we clear the place first."
"...You're not seriously planning to walk in and shoot into the ceiling, are you?"
"Not that extreme," Karl replied.
"That'd draw way too much attention. Unnecessary."
"Then how?"
"With this."
He held up a long cylindrical device.
"Toss this in. Clears the place without making a scene."
"A smoke grenade?" Oliver asked, glancing at the bar again.
"Not a bad idea. But what about bouncers? Cameras?"
"I can block comms and cameras for a bit," T-BUG cut in. She was all business now.
"Three minutes. Ball-Ball's upgrades aren't done, so I'll have to brute force it. That's all I can give you."
"Three minutes is plenty, BUG," Jack nodded, checking his gear.
"Alright, Karl. Let's run it."
"Oliver throws the smoke and holds the entrance. T-BUG hijacks the systems. Jack, you take care of any guards—especially those with anti-jam optics. I'll locate the target and finish him."
"Solid plan."
Oliver checked his weapon.
"But Karl, you don't have cyber-eyes. You sure you can tag the target in the smoke?"
"I'm not stupid."
Karl pulled out a compact device.
"NCPD gear—borrowed from Officer Johnson. Head-mounted thermal goggles with tagging."
"Looks familiar..." Oliver squinted.
"Same model as MaxTac?"
"Not even close. These are basic cop-issue, both in function and price. You can even buy them, though you'll need to go through a ton of paperwork."
Karl adjusted the goggles, tested them, and nodded.
"They're a pain to get nowadays. Most folks in Night City just use cyber-eyes. Way more features, and no hassle with wearing or calibrating gear."
Without hesitation, Karl strapped the thermal goggles on right there on the sidewalk—no one batted an eye.
Even when they pulled out guns and grenades, the few pedestrians nearby barely glanced at them.
In Night City, as long as you didn't shoot, it was just another Tuesday.
Someone checking their weapon or holding something grenade-shaped? Nothing new.
Everyone's packing heat. Hell, more people clean their guns in public than their damn shoes.
Start shooting though? Then it's every gonk for themselves.
Target: Former Militech ACPA trainee, smuggled an exosuit into Night City.
Location: Currently relaxing inside the Big Bird SpinSpin Bar.
Reward: None (for now).
Time limit: Three minutes.
Karl gave the signal.
"Move out."
No further words needed.
Oliver walked up to the bar entrance, flashed a charming grin at the bouncers—built like Animals.
They almost thought he was a flirty customer—until he pulled something from his jacket.
"What the—"
Eyes wide, the guards barely had time to react before Oliver lobbed the device inside.
"Grenade!!"
One bouncer managed to shout before Jack activated his Berserker and dropped them both flat.
Inside, panic erupted.
Patrons fled from what they assumed was a frag grenade—until it hissed and flooded the entire bar with dense smoke.
Coughing filled the room.
Through the haze, Karl stepped in—Endless Night in hand, gear locked and loaded.
Target located: A sharp-eyed, brown-haired young man bolting for the back door.
P.S. Feeling way better today—got my grip strength back. Should be back to triple uploads tomorrow!
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