"It's KK—Karl!"
Of the four in the room, Watanabe reacted first. Unlike his ex-classmates, who hesitated at the sight of the unfamiliar intruder, Watanabe had lived long enough in Night City to know exactly what to do.
He drew his Kenshin pistol instantly—only to find his hand wouldn't move.
His smart-linked cybernetic fingers sparked, twitching violently. Then the pistol slipped from his grip and clattered to the floor.
He stared down in horror.
His one weapon—gone. Against KK, that meant checkmate.
How the hell did he get in? Was it Kenichiro? That bastard—playing nice from Arasaka Tower while unleashing Karl on us from the shadows?!
Desperation turned to resolve. He was a veteran spy. And like any proper agent, he had a failsafe.
Time to take everyone with him.
"Don't even think about it."
Before Watanabe could blink, Karl was beside him.
No glance. No warning. Just a calm hand on the shoulder.
Watanabe's body locked up. Lights out.
He crumpled to the floor, unconscious.
"Fast work on the override, T-BUG."
"Please. You cracked the link the moment you looked at him. I just slipped in through the backdoor you left open."
While Karl and T-BUG exchanged notes, chaos erupted behind them.
Jack dropped in from the hole he'd made earlier, hitting the floor like a missile.
V kicked the door in. Hard.
And Oliver — covered in soot and looking like a corpse that lost a fight with a trash compactor — crawled out of the vent, ready to throw hands.
The three ex-Arasaka operatives didn't stand a chance.
"I've suffered enough today. Time to give it back!"
Oliver wasn't just the sniper. Years training under Karl had left him more than capable in close quarters. These washed-up ninjas? Easy pickings.
"The sim-chip versions were tougher than you clowns."
He'd fought Arasaka combat AIs — flawless, brutal, relentless. Compared to them, these guys were sluggish and sloppy.
"Sleep tight!"
Thanks to T-BUG, Oliver had slipped a compact pistol past security. One sharp swing — CRACK — the grip smashed into the back of a skull. Lights out.
"Oliver. Alive."
"Relax, it's fine. Soft hit. Worst case: mild concussion. Ripperdoc visit and they're good as new."
Oliver wiped his greasy hand on his shirt — and gagged.
"What the hell…"
His fingers were coated in oil and filth. Probably from crawling through that fan vent. He looked like a biohazard.
"Shower. First thing," Jack muttered.
Now that he saw Oliver in person, all the comms whining suddenly made sense. If that blob of dark gunk hadn't spoken with Oliver's voice, he wouldn't have recognized him.
"Yeah…" V glanced at his hands. "Climbing the building was way cleaner."
"Save the talk for later," T-BUG cut in, all business.
"I heard everything. The item's on the one V took out. Chest pocket — small box. Grab it and move. Reinforcements are en route. We stall here, we're screwed — and the intel might get fried in the crossfire."
"How're we bailing?" Jack asked, pointing at the hole. "Back through the Karl Express?"
"My rifle's still at the weapons check…"
V grimaced. His Copperhead was gone. "Screw it. It's just a Copperhead. Let's move. Tiger Claws are gonna be all over this place any second."
"I'll open the exit," Karl said flatly.
He cracked his knuckles, then leapt down.
BOOM!
Landing hard, he punched straight through the floor.
The entire structure shook.
BOOM. Another level gone.
BOOM. And another.
Panic spread through the building like fire. Screams echoed. Tiger Claws scrambled.
Karl didn't stop. Floor by floor, his fists punched their way to the bottom like a human wrecking ball.
"Well… that's one way to fast travel," Jack muttered.
He hoisted two unconscious bodies — one of his own, one of Karl's — and followed.
"Slow the hell down, Karl! Leave us a floor or two to land on!"
Oliver grabbed a body and jumped too.
V came last.
Before diving in, he followed T-BUG's instructions — found the small box on the downed enemy, pocketed it, and took the plunge.
In the stunned silence of Tiger Claw enforcers watching the building literally collapse floor by floor, the team dropped…
From the 20th to the ground.
In fifteen seconds flat.
.
.
.
🔥 Cyberpunk: The Relentless
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