Cyberpunk: The Relentless

"Stay still!"

Under the escort of two Arasaka operatives equipped with military-grade ICE defense gear, the blue-eyed suit was taken to a designated isolation and detention room.

Watching the man being escorted away, Karl turned to the approaching Kenichiro Arasaka and asked, "Is the situation downstairs taken care of, Mr. Kenichiro?"

Kenichiro, dressed in his immaculate red-and-black suit, not a wrinkle or bloodstain in sight, responded to Karl's question with just a silent nod. That alone was enough for Karl to understand.

"Looks like the cleanup downstairs was... brutal."

"Saying 'brutal' might not even cover it," V added, walking over with Jack and Oliver. His combat gear was splattered with blood, clearly having taken down more than a few enemies. As he neared Karl, he continued what he'd started to say earlier. "Pretty much the whole First Unit got wiped. As for the employees—about half made it out alive."

Even if the casualties were mostly mid-level staff, it still represented a significant resource loss for Arasaka.

"Have they confirmed who tampered with the power supply?"

Karl looked at Kenichiro again, and this time the man did answer: "It was an Arasaka employee assigned to the distribution room."

So it was an inside job...

Thinking about it, that made sense. If it weren't someone inside the power management team, how else could they cut power to an entire floor of Arasaka Tower before the response teams could react?

"The identity of the attackers… oh, wait. That's probably not part of my job description. I'll keep my nose out of it," Karl said as he folded his arms, watching the guests being quietly ushered out of the banquet hall now that the event was officially ending. "That's your internal Arasaka business anyway, right, Mr. Kenichiro?"

Kenichiro neither confirmed nor denied. His eyes lingered on the blue-eyed man being taken away, then he gave new orders through his comms to ensure a secure escort. Turning back to Karl, he abruptly changed the subject with a calm tone: "Your team performed admirably. Far better than I expected. It was my mistake to think your presence was unnecessary."

Even if the topic shift was a bit forced, the admission was enough to make Karl blink in surprise.

Wait a minute.

Did Kenichiro Arasaka just… admit a mistake?

Seriously? Karl had known this guy for a while now, and his impression of Kenichiro had always been that of a rigid, stone-faced block of concrete. Never a kind word, always stone cold. He never imagined this man could say something as humble as "I made a mistake."

Wasn't the usual Kenichiro move to coldly say, "You performed acceptably. You'll be paid. You may leave now"?

What the hell did V do to make Kenichiro have such a change of heart?

As Karl reeled, Kenichiro shifted his attention to V—specifically V—and there was a trace of genuine admiration in his eyes: "You have considerable potential. If you're interested in leaving behind mercenary work, come find me. You're someone worth cultivating. I'd personally take you under my wing."

…What?

Watching Kenichiro say that with a rare pleasant tone, Karl instinctively rubbed his eyes.

He still remembered when he borrowed a car from Kenichiro and mentioned picking up a friend. Kenichiro, after scanning Karl's social circle, had made a rather condescending remark: "A common drifter. You really befriend anyone."

And yet, now, after only two brief encounters—including the one where V just passed a note—Kenichiro was suddenly gushing over him like a prized recruit?

Something was off. Was Kenichiro even himself?

That suspicion creeping in, Karl nonetheless voiced his displeasure:

"Hey, Kenichiro—what's that supposed to mean? You that desperate for people that you're trying to poach my friend?"

His voice carried a hint of irritation and suspicion, his eyes locked on Kenichiro's face, searching for any sign of deception or ulterior motive.

But no matter how hard he looked, Kenichiro was still the same as always—stoic and sincere. The man meant every word.

"Someone with true potential shouldn't be left to rot in the streets," Kenichiro said coolly, glancing at Karl. "Compared to your temperament, his is far more suitable. He has real room to grow in both protection and assassination."

Karl scowled at the comparison, but nearby, Oliver and Jack were already turning to look at V.

They were just as baffled at Kenichiro's sudden interest in V. But recalling the battle downstairs, they started to understand.

Kenichiro never drew his weapon once. The heavy lifting had been done by V, wielding a thermal katana while darting through the darkness with Sandevistan. The image V projected—silent, deadly, efficient—was strikingly similar to that of an Arasaka shinobi.

And he was wearing Arasaka combat gear the whole time. He basically looked the part.

So that's it—Kenichiro saw V's style and potential and decided he was worth grooming?

Still, Oliver and Jack remembered Kenichiro already had a protégé: Chidoume, who currently guarded the Arasaka heiress. So did he really see something special in V… or was this a case of ditching a failed "main project" for a promising "backup"?

They couldn't tell for sure.

But one thing was clear—neither Karl nor Kenichiro had the final say.

Almost simultaneously, all four turned to V, who stood there a little dazed, having barely processed what was happening.

Only V could decide what came next for him.

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🔥 Cyberpunk: The Relentless

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