The Deeply Loyal Big Brother

[TN: Last of the the three chapter goobye]

[Mysterious Hero: I'll list out the goods for you.]

[Shigure, Kinetic SMG, 20 units][DS1 Pulsar, Kinetic SMG, 20 units][Crusher, Kinetic Shotgun, 5 units][Tamayura, Kinetic Pistol, 30 units][RT-46 Burya, Tech Pistol, 10 units][G-58 Dian, Smart SMG, 3 units (Note: Comes with ammo)][FG-X Fragmentation Grenades, 2 crates][X-22 Flashbangs, 2 crates]

[Note: All are military-grade firearms]

[Brick: Tamayura? What an old-timer's gun. The rest are decent—I'll take them all.]

[Brick: But where's the real good stuff? These things are so common, you'd find them in a homeless guy's pocket! The Storm is alright, but can you give me something serious?]

"Lose the Tamayura, take the rest—name a price."

Chesson was stunned.

Leo had told him to clear out inventory, but he assumed it was just a joke. After all, Leo had way bigger connections—Kang Tao and Militech, both top-tier arms manufacturers. He had no reason to buy from Chesson.

Yet, when Leo spoke, he wiped out the whole stock.

Chesson quickly gave a number: "200,000. Damn, did I just land a whale?"

"Yeah, a real fat one. But you don't need to know who it is."

Leo turned to Roshan, who was itching to speak. "What else do you have?"

[Mysterious Hero: 220,000.]

[Brick: That's steep, man. I know my prices.]

[Mysterious Hero: When the whole city knows you're desperate for firepower, this price will seem like a bargain. And I promise I won't raise it.]

[Mysterious Hero: There's more.]

[Brick: Alright, keep talking.]

Roshan rubbed her hands together, listing off her inventory like a street vendor.

Her stock was mostly assault rifles, plus some heavy machine guns meant for fixed turrets.

When Leo heard "heavy machine guns," he waved her off, signaling her to hold onto those.

[Nowaki, Kinetic Assault Rifle, 7 units][D5 Copperhead, Kinetic Assault Rifle, 7 units][Kyubi, Kinetic Assault Rifle, 7 units][D5 Sidewinder, Smart Assault Rifle, 12 units]

[Mysterious Hero: Flat price—120,000.]

[Brick: I'll take all of them, but I have one condition—deliver them right now!]

[Brick: If you're late, your guns are going straight to hell.]

[Mysterious Hero: Deal.]

Leo nodded to his people. "It's a deal."

"Hot damn!" Chesson rubbed his hands together. "Boss, we're giving you sixty percent of this as tribute—"

"I don't want it." Leo shook his head. "You guys keep the money. My only condition is that you don't raise the prices later—I'll handle the negotiations."

Chesson and Roshan exchanged a shocked glance—

What a generous big brother!

Not only did he help them sell their stock, but he wasn't even taking a cut!

What they didn't realize was that Leo didn't need their money. He was already getting "subsidies" from Jefferson.

With a little maneuvering, this whole situation could be spun as Councilman Peralez's private funding helping Leo's business grow.

With that financial advantage, Leo could easily dominate the supply chain for the Maelstrom civil war.

What industries he could boost, what benefits he could reap—it all depended on his imagination and execution.

Leo stood up and turned to Roshan. "Bring all your heavy machine guns and fixed turrets to the Aldecaldos' base.

I'll buy them, and I'll handle the distribution."

Roshan nodded, deeply touched. At first, she had worried Leo wouldn't let her sell such heavy firepower.

It turns out that Boss was paying out of pocket.

"And the delivery?"

"We'll do it ourselves."

They even provided delivery!

The two arms dealers were on the verge of tears.

Night City was a cold, ruthless place. As two self-made entrepreneurs, only they knew how much this city had chewed them up and spat them out.

Only after working with Leo did they feel a bit of warmth in Night City.

Chesson got emotional, his nose tingling, and went in for a hug. "Boss! If you need anything just let me know!"

If I were you, I'd be figuring out how to get more stock. This market is hot."

With that, he turned and walked off, heading to the lounge to get V and Jackie.

As he walked, he messaged Panam at the Aldecaldo camp.

[Burger King: Bring all the clan's junkers over.]

[Panam: What's up? Big score?]

[Burger King: Something like that. I've got a trade-in deal—swap them for Mackinaws. No cost]

[Panam: No way! The old-timers will be fighting to sign up for this.]

[Burger King: Get them moving.]

Watson Northside.

North District: Once the Most Prosperous Industrial Area in Watson, Now Abandoned

Due to a massive earthquake and Arasaka's intervention, most businesses in this area went bankrupt. Night City had no means to revitalize it, leaving the unemployed with nowhere to go but the streets, scraping by day after day.

For the unlucky ones, they might wake up not in a safe shelter but in a filthy back-alley ripperdoc clinic—only to find their body modified with cyberware they never asked for, possibly even replacing their first and second sex organs with something... unexpected.

The Maelstrom gang loved doing things like that.

BOOM!

The roar of engines startled the homeless resting in dark corners. Their frightened eyes looked up, only to see a gunfight erupting on the nearly deserted streets.

A young and fit Maelstrom gang member held a Carnage shotgun in one hand, repeatedly pulling the trigger while shouting at the top of his lungs with a heavily modified voice, loud enough to echo across the street:

"Royce is a fucking piece of shit!!!"

A rocket shot out from a pursuing vehicle behind him. The guy didn't even flinch. He aimed at the one carrying the launcher and—BOOM!—blew his head clean off.

But that didn't mean the car could avoid the inevitable.

BOOM!

The rocket struck the rear of his van, the explosion flipping it over in a violent spin before it crashed onto its side.

The guy immediately activated Sandevistan, launching himself out of the vehicle just in time. His cyber-enhanced legs skidded along the pavement as he barely managed to stabilize himself, watching as his van slammed into the sidewalk and exploded once more.

BOOM!

The fire illuminated the approaching enemies. The guy took a deep breath, leaped into cover behind a nearby wall, and reloaded from the tactical harness strapped to his chest.

More Maelstrom vans screeched to a halt, surrounding him. A gang leader roared from inside:

"You think we're just gonna let you get away with this?! Come out now, and we'll make it quick. Otherwise, we'll drag you back and turn you into a goddamn toilet—just like your buddies!"

"Hahahaha!"

The guy's fury burned in his chest as he listened closely to the sound of their footsteps exiting the vehicles.

At the same time, his mind was racing as he spammed messages to his boss, Brick.

[Ellis: Where the fuck are you?! Still not here?!]

[Brick: On my way, on my way!]

BOOM——!

A massive Behemoth armored truck drifted around the corner, barreling straight toward them!

Ellis froze for a split second, then his eyes lit up in joy.

[Brick: Check out the new ride I stole! Badass or what?!]

[Ellis: Fucking badass!]

The surrounding Maelstrom members unleashed a storm of bullets, but their firepower barely left dents on the Behemoth's reinforced armor.

They could only watch in horror as the behemoth-sized truck plowed straight through them.

RUN!

CRASH!

The armored truck smashed into their vehicles, grinding them into a heap of twisted metal like a bulldozer. The Behemoth finally came to a stop, wedged between the wreckage.

Brick leaped down first, immediately gunning down a few hapless Maelstrom goons still on the ground. His crew followed, pouring out of the truck like an avalanche, guns blazing.

Brick and Ellis locked eyes—both their red cybernetic optics reflecting a mutual understanding.

Brick patted the truck and grinned: "Alright, boys, let's clean this up!"

BOOM!

Right as he said that, a rocket-propelled grenade slammed into the side of the truck, sending shockwaves through the battlefield.

It was an armor-piercing RPG—the warhead punctured through the Behemoth's reactive plating before—

Brick's eyes widened in horror. He dived for cover.

BOOM!

The Behemoth erupted into a massive fireball, consuming the truck and the Maelstrom gangsters inside.

"AAAAAARRRGHH!!"

One of Brick's guys, engulfed in flames, stumbled out of the wreckage—only to be gunned down immediately.

More enemy vans arrived from both sides of the street. The RPG had been fired from one of them.

Brick ducked next to Ellis, cursing: "Fuck! Since when did we have shit like that in our stash?!"

Ellis, face grim, growled: "You should know what's in our stash! We're fucking screwed!"