Chapter 66 - A Small Reminder

Arasaka Academy was located in City Center, not far from Arasaka Tower.

By the time Carl spotted the towering corporate monolith, he had already arrived at the academy.

After saving the taxi driver's number and telling him he'd call again if needed, Carl stood in front of Arasaka Academy's gates.

From the outside, a school in 2075 didn't seem all that different.

Groups of students clustered together in small circles, some laughing, chatting, others running around, playing.

The whole scene gave him a momentary sense of déjà vu.

As if, no matter how much time passed, students would always be like this.

Still... even if these Arasaka Academy kids seem innocent now, the moment they step into Arasaka Corporation, they'll start losing everything that ever made them happy.

A corporation was a place that twisted people.

Watching them, Carl couldn't help but think about his own past.

But standing at the school entrance, just staring inside?

Yeah, that was pretty suspicious.

It didn't take long for Arasaka security to start approaching him.

A guy not wearing a uniform, clearly not a student, loitering near the entrance—he had already been flagged as a potential threat.

"Hey! What the hell are you looking at? You know where you are? This isn't some place street rats like you can just wander into!"

At the shouted command, Carl turned toward the three Arasaka security guards approaching him—each armed, each wearing the standard corporate security uniform.

His eyes narrowed slightly, as if annoyed by the glare of their cyber-optics.

"I know exactly where I am."

Carl made no sudden movements, allowing them to close the distance.

"Then get the fuck out already!"

One of the guards was already on alert, confused by how calm Carl was despite being confronted by Arasaka personnel.

But the Arasaka uniform gave him confidence, gave him a sense of power.

He held his aggressive posture, his tone still filled with arrogance.

"This spot I'm standing on—"

Carl remained polite, as if explaining something to security guards unfamiliar with Night City's laws.

"According to Night City regulations, this is a public space."

"Public space...?"

One of the guards scoffed, as if mocking the idea of city regulations.

"Who the hell cares about that?"

Wearing Arasaka's uniform must have really inflated his ego.

He was already acting like the law didn't apply to him.

Carl sighed.

Sure, their attitude sucked, but he always tried to reflect on himself first.

Honestly?

If he were a school security guard and saw some random guy standing outside the gate, staring in, he'd be on edge too.

Since he could understand their reasoning, there was no need to escalate things further.

"...Fine. I'll leave."

Carl turned and walked away, and the three Arasaka guards made no move to stop him.

They had only wanted to get rid of the suspicious guy.

Even if their words were harsh, they weren't actually demanding that he 'crawl' away in humiliation.

They weren't blind—Carl had a gun holstered at his waist.

If things really escalated, they might not die, but even getting injured would be a huge problem.

"...Oh, one more thing."

Halfway through leaving, Carl suddenly paused, as if remembering something.

Then, he casually offered them a small piece of advice:

"You guys should probably avoid getting this close to a merc next time."

The Arasaka guards looked confused—until Carl's fingers twitched slightly.

"Could be dangerous."

Carl smiled.

"Schwip."

A sound so soft it was almost imperceptible.

A thin whisper of something slicing through the air.

By the time the three Arasaka guards realized what had happened, they all had thin, shallow cuts across their necks—just deep enough to break the outer layer of skin.

A cold sensation crept across their necks.

Then, a mix of mild pain and warmth.

In that brief instant, the Arasaka security guards finally understood what had just happened—their pupils shrinking in shock, hearts pounding in sheer adrenaline-fueled terror.

They had just felt the Reaper's scythe graze past them—and they never even saw it coming.

"If that guy wanted to... I'd already be dead."

As this frightening realization sank in, each of their accounts suddenly received a 100-eddie transfer.

"Go have a drink after your shift. My treat."

Carl casually waved his hand behind him, his tone completely calm—as if that split-second moment of terror had just been a friendly reminder.

The three Arasaka security guards stood there, frozen, hands still clutching at their barely-bleeding throats—which, in reality, didn't even need pressure to stop the bleeding.

They watched Carl's retreating figure, yet none of them could say a single word.

That moment had burned itself into their very bones.

A deep, primal warning.

It told them that if Carl truly wanted to, even now, as he walked away with his back to them, they still wouldn't stand a chance.

A full minute passed before one of the guards—who was still pressing his already-healed neck—finally snapped out of his daze.

With a bloodstained palm, he pointed straight at Carl's fading silhouette, his voice shaking in disbelief:

"That guy—! I just remembered! I know who he is!"

"No need to say it. I already figured it out."

Another security guard finally caught his breath, gasping for air.

The sheer shock of facing death had left him nearly suffocating, and the arrogance he had moments ago was completely gone, replaced by an expression drenched in cold sweat and fear.

"That crazy bastard... Holy shit—I just realized who he is. HQ literally sent out warnings about him! They told us not to mess with him if we ever ran into him!"

"Fuck, fuck, FUCK—did I seriously just talk shit to the guy who went toe-to-toe with an ACPA?!"

The third guard, the most aggressive one, suddenly felt his legs give out, collapsing onto the ground.

Earlier, he had been the loudest, the rudest, the most confrontational.

So naturally, Carl had paid him special attention.

As he touched the side of his head, horror dawned upon him.

A chunk of his hair was gone.

His already thinning hair—his struggle against baldness—and now, even the "shoreline" of his hairline had been erased.

Tears welled up in his eyes.

He was already going bald.

Now, with a fresh patch of missing hair, even the remnants of his dignity were slipping away.

"It was all natural... I hadn't even gotten hair implants yet..."

Behind the shaken Arasaka security guards, a young man wearing an Arasaka Academy uniform stepped out.

His punk-styled hair stood out as he curiously glanced at the terrified guards, then followed their line of sight toward the distance.

But when he looked—

There was nothing there.