Chapter 85: Zzz! Relic Chip Malfunction!

Chapter 85: Zzz! Relic Chip Malfunction!

Seeing that V was unwilling to cooperate, Dexter DeShawn shrugged, feigning nonchalance as he made a call. The call was to Maman Brigitte, the leader of the Voodoo Boys.

Not long ago, Alt Cunningham had sent a request to Maman to spare V's life. Maman then passed this request on to DeShawn. However, DeShawn also received another call—from Arasaka.

In this call, an Arasaka operative warned DeShawn that V had to die, or they would personally gut him and hang his entrails on his front door.

The mastermind behind this was none other than Saburo Arasaka's son, Yorinobu Arasaka. After the incident, Yorinobu used the corporation's resources to quickly identify DeShawn as the middleman through a process of elimination.

On one hand was the LA company, requesting that V's life be spared; on the other was Arasaka, demanding V's elimination. After brief consideration, DeShawn decided to side with the mightier Arasaka.

After all, Arasaka was the true powerhouse of Night City. As for Li Ang's LA company? They had no choice but to step aside—Night City belonged to the strongest.

"I've located V. He's fine for now," DeShawn said nonchalantly, his calm demeanor giving the impression that he had everything under control. This made V, who was already overwhelmed, relax slightly.

"Mr. Li Ang wants to meet him? Ha, as if that's possible."

The moment V heard Li Ang's name mentioned in the call, he immediately became alert. He recalled the Chinese man who had established the law of "Equivalent Exchange" in Little China.

'Why would Li Ang want to meet me? Could it be that he already knows about me and Jackie stealing the Relic chip?' V's mind was racing.

"Alright, I understand," DeShawn said as he hung up. His cybernetic eyes reverted from their blue hue to a natural iris color, signaling the end of his conversation with Maman.

"What's going on? You just mentioned Li Ang—does that mean he's our real employer?" V frowned and asked, his suspicions growing.

Considering the poor relations between LA and Arasaka—complete with minor clashes—V began to suspect that Li Ang might have orchestrated his and Jackie's mission.

"No, I don't know what's happening either. All I know is that LA is sending people to find you. Whether they want to carve you up and sell you to Arasaka or they're interested in sparing your life, no one knows," DeShawn replied, shaking his head.

Truth be told, even DeShawn was conflicted about who to hand V over to. This was a lose-lose scenario where offending one party was unavoidable.

'Forget it... With this mess, there's no way I can stay in Night City! I might not end up as a wealthy cigar plantation owner in Cuba, but I can still settle for being a small-time tobacco trader,' DeShawn thought to himself.

After some consideration, he decided to hand V over to Arasaka. As for the LA company's mercenaries? DeShawn doubted Li Ang would go so far as to send someone after him in Cuba.

"V, listen to me. We need to leave this place immediately. You have to come with me because neither LA nor Arasaka will give you a good outcome."

Hearing DeShawn's somewhat loyal words, V felt a hint of gratitude. It seemed this middleman had at least a shred of conscience and didn't plan on abandoning him outright.

"Alright! I'll go with you," V finally let his guard down around DeShawn.

"Good boy. Now go clean up in the washroom. You look like a mess, and there's no way you're crossing Night City's borders looking like that," DeShawn advised kindly.

V felt a rare warmth in his heart upon hearing this.

"Thanks. I'll go now."

Dragging his tired body, V stumbled into the washroom. But as he opened the mirror, he caught sight of DeShawn raising a handgun behind him.

"DeShawn! What are you doing?!"

V's pupils dilated in shock as he turned quickly to face DeShawn, only to find him and his goons pointing guns directly at him.

"I'm sorry, V… but today, you must die!"

Before V could react, a high-speed bullet pierced his skull, and he collapsed heavily to the ground.

Zzz...

At the moment of impact, V felt a faint electric current buzzing in his brain. Then, everything turned to Infinity blackness and void. His life seemed to end at that very moment.

[Zzz! Relic Chip Malfunction Detected!]

...

...

Boom!

Mann pumped his shotgun, aiming at a NUSA agent's head before pulling the trigger. The agent's skull exploded in a gruesome mess—his final victim.

Nearby, reed and Alex turned pale with fear. They had just witnessed NUSA agents and elite members of the MetaCorp team being executed one by one by Mann.

Alex couldn't stop her stomach from churning. She vomited for the fourth time, her stomach completely empty by now.

"Mr. Reed, Ms. Alex... So you do fear death after all. I thought NUSA agents were supposed to be ruthless killing machines," a voice said.

From a dimly lit corner of the alley, Li Ang emerged, flanked by Morgan Blackhand, Lucy, and other bodyguards. He was dressed sharply in a black suit.

The flickering neon light cast an eerie glow over half of Li Ang's face, while the other half was swallowed by the heavy darkness of the night.

"From now on, your records in NUSA's databases will be erased. The new United States will honor you with the Patriot's Medal and provide your loved ones with compensation because, in President Myers' eyes, you are already dead."

Though Li Ang's tone carried a chilling sense of death, his words implied that Reed and Alex would survive—for now.

"If you want something from me, just ask. But please spare Alex's life," Reed said, lowering his head. He was ready to sacrifice himself for his partner.

Li Ang could see that death alone was not enough to intimidate Reed.

"I'm letting you live so you can work for the LA company from now on. Myers may want you dead, but I can keep you alive."

Li Ang knew the LA company couldn't openly take in two NUSA agents, so they would have to remain in the shadows, waiting to be activated when needed.

Reed was a skilled NUSA operative with excellent combat ability and expertise in stealth. However, his loyalty to the long-gone America was a glaring flaw—one that made him a perfect "ideal employee."

Alex, on the other hand, was a skilled hacker longing for freedom. Years of mission pressure had left her disillusioned and resentful toward NUSA.

One loyal warrior and one disillusioned agent—both pawns in Li Ang's grand chessboard.