Chapter 302 – A Long-Lost Friend

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Wearing a full Arasaka combat uniform and standing at the edge of the banquet hall, Karl couldn't help but think—life sure was weird.

Back when he did jobs for Militech, he had to wear Arasaka uniforms. Now that he was working for Arasaka? Still Arasaka uniforms. Was this some kind of cursed wardrobe? Did all corps just share the same taste?

Despite the internal grumbling, Karl had to admit—this was one hell of a well-made outfit.

It didn't restrict movement, had plenty of spots to mount gear, and the armor was solid. Just this one set could probably fetch a few thousand eddies on the market.

Only downside? That Arasaka helmet that covered his face—stuffy and annoying as hell.

"Ahem, ahem."

Just as Karl was thinking that nobody was around and he could slack off a bit, V—also wearing an Arasaka combat uniform but without a helmet—walked up with his hands behind his back and let out two exaggerated coughs.

"What?" Karl muttered.

"Unit Four, are you maintaining proper surveillance?"

V, now sporting a chest badge reading Captain, 2nd Tactical Unit, looked all formal and stiff, putting on a serious act. "Stay sharp. Stay alert."

"Screw you," Karl replied, flipping him off beneath his gloves. "You nobody-faced bastard. Just 'cause you don't have a recognizable mug, you get to play squad captain now and act all big?"

"Hah, I feel ridiculous too," V chuckled, adjusting his slightly awkward outfit. "Never worn something like this before. Feels like wrapping yourself in corporate dogskin. How was my delivery?"

"Terrible. In Arasaka, superiors talk down to subordinates with their noses in the air. You sounded way too polite. One listen and they'll know you're faking it."

Karl rolled his eyes and looked around the wide, empty banquet hall. "How are Oliver and Jack doing? Are the guests starting to come in?"

"Not yet. They're still at the checkpoint, where Arasaka's internal ops are running secondary inspections. That Kenichiro guy's there watching them. I didn't need to do anything, so I came to check on you."

V glanced at the wall next to Karl. To most people, it looked completely unremarkable. But he knew there was a hidden emergency lift behind it. The same one they'd used to get up here. Karl's job today was to guard it.

"Speaking of security—Karl, have you seen Adam Smasher? Isn't he head of Arasaka Tower security now? Why hasn't he shown up at all?"

The moment V mentioned security, he remembered that infamous name. Even a former Nomad like him knew the legend of Adam Smasher. It felt odd that someone like him wasn't present for an event like this.

"Maybe he's here—just somewhere we can't see."

Karl swept his gaze across the surveillance cams hidden among the chandeliers. "If he's watching from the control room, he can see a lot more than we can down here."

"Yeah, maybe. Still, kinda wish T-Bug were here. Would've been cool to have her tap into those feeds and get a look at the tower's internal systems."

"Come on, V. I love T-Bug, but even she'd be in deep trouble trying to hack Arasaka Tower. We're just here to collect a paycheck. Let's not start any trouble."

Karl had long suspected that V was way too good at getting into trouble. Hacking Arasaka? That wasn't even a fantasy most mercs dared to entertain.

"So today we're just doing boring security duty?"

"What else? Fifteen thousand eddies a head. Watching over a fancy banquet. That's the dream gig, V. We're mercs—if the pay's good, we do the job. This one? Easy money."

"You sure nothing's gonna happen?"

"Don't jinx it, man."

Karl sighed. V's mindset really threw him sometimes. Like when he took a 30,000 eddie job and dragged two friends along just to help Karl's squad deal with those Ghosts. V always tried to match his work to the pay—honorable, sure, but also kind of bad for the industry.

He remembered V volunteering to wipe out an entire gang hideout for pocket change. Even Karl hadn't been that desperate when he started out.

"People are arriving."

Just as Karl was about to give V a long lecture about contracts and rates, he spotted someone entering the banquet hall.

And then another. And another.

"It's starting?"

Glancing at the well-dressed figures filing into the room, V nodded and headed toward the area he was assigned to patrol.

It was 6:20 p.m.—a perfectly normal time for a corporate banquet to begin.

This top-level banquet hall was one of four floors. The only people allowed in here were department heads or higher. Based on Karl's intel, the lowest ranked folks here were at Tanaka's level.

Yes, that Tanaka—the guy who got axed after the cyberware smuggling job, and ended up being "delivered" to Maine and his crew.

Karl calmly scanned the room through the visor of his helmet. No awe. No respect. These people didn't impress him.

He'd already killed a vice president. Sure, he hadn't taken out any board members or directors yet, but hey, never say never.

Let's hope I don't have to kill anyone tonight.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, something blue caught his eye.

Blue?

In Night City, bright hair colors weren't exactly rare. But this particular shade of azure sparked something in him—familiarity, maybe even nostalgia.

His gaze sharpened. He followed the blue… and then saw them.

A girl with long, sky-blue hair tied into a single ponytail. Violet eyes. Her face was unremarkable, but each cheek bore a patch-style cyberware implant.

Karl arched a brow.

He hadn't expected to see her here today.

A long-lost friend.

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