Chapter 116: Loyal to the End

"Look around you! The corporation decides everything! Your clothes, your food, your home, even your transportation—it's all controlled by the corporation, even your birth and death!" "I don't understand, why do you turn a blind eye to it?" "Before I ever dealt with the corporation, yes, I was just a simple farmer. The worst, and the thing I hated most, was farming— But ever since I got involved with the corporation, I lost my land, lost my water, and I spent a long time thinking about that soldier I killed— Then I started building houses, but after years of work, I didn't get a single cent! And now you're telling me that it's not those damned bastards' fault that they owe me money? Why don't you suggest I go after Militech instead?" Yeah, you could go after Militech—if you dare." The audience jeered, and Ziggy-Q chuckled, "But you're a coward! You only pick on the easy targets!" Hector's veins bulged, "Have you ever left the studio, Ziggy-Q? Have you ever stepped outside this fake, artificially lit studio and seen the sun? When the sun shines on the land, and a family starts their day's work, hoping for a good harvest— Since I got involved with those corporate bastards, I've spent every day longing for the days when I hated farming the most— Yes, I'm an outlaw, I killed a corp dog when I was 24, I've robbed oil fields, hijacked cars, smuggled goods, I've done it all. But every time I tried to be a good man— I worked as a transporter for the corporation, but the pay wasn't even enough to cover fuel costs; I built houses in Pacifica, but the contractors never paid me; I tried to farm, but the corporation took my land away!" He shakily stood up, "This world is messed up! Every time I get screwed, it's because of the corporation, and yet you all still demand evidence from me? And what's this about preying on the weak? Do you think I'm a child who'll be fooled by your rhetoric?!" "This sounds like you're just making excuses for your illegal actions." "Illegal actions, my ass! Did you ask for my vote when your council elections were held? Did you involve me when you made your laws?!" "But it's the law that allows you to be here, and it's Night City's market that gives you a platform to speak. You should be thankful for these things!" "Thankful?" Hector sneered, "You're good at pretending to care. You know what? I never make excuses—." The gun pointed at Ziggy-Q, and for a moment, the host panicked. But the gun was empty. "So, if you had bullets, you'd even kill me? But what did I do? I invited you onto the show! Inspector, please escort this lunatic out." "Now, let me show you what happens when you insult a desperate nomad—" Just as Inspector Krasko moved, Hector suddenly swung the gun, slamming the butt into her jaw! The blow hit a nerve-dense area, sending Krasko's head reeling. Hector followed up with a kick to Krasko's stomach, his strikes precise and fast, displaying the true nature of an old-school outlaw. Maybe they didn't have the top-tier implants that the best mercenaries in Night City had, but their combat experience made them as formidable as the best warriors. He had only been pretending to be in pain; in reality, he had used up all his neural suppressants before coming here. Besides, how could physical pain compare to the guilt and struggle in his heart? This scene startled Ziggy-Q, and Hector's next move terrified him even more— Hector tore off all his ragged clothes, revealing his burnt and charred skin! He reached into his own arm—yes, inside his arm!—and pulled out a bullet! "Remember, this is my doing!" Bang! ... Bang! V reacted instantly, activating her Sandevistan and yanking Jackie down! Almost simultaneously, bullets pierced the reinforced glass of Biotechnica Tower, leaving deep black holes in the glass and walls— They recognized these bullet holes—they were made by a Nekomata! Leo shouted urgently, "Jackie—report!" "Mierda! I'm fine! What the hell happened?!" "That bitch tricked us!" Koch was scared out of her mind. She had no idea how Leo suddenly caught on or that the people outside would start shooting— But she knew she should run in the chaos! Leo, watching Koch trying to escape, shouted angrily, "You tricked me and now you want to run—V!" Koch shouted as she ran, "Don't kill me, I can be a hostage!" V coldly raised her gun, "Gladly—" Bang! Achilles took a shot, blowing Koch's head clean off. A hostage? Yeah, right. Koch's presence in Biotechnica Tower had led Leo to misjudge—he thought she hadn't been abandoned yet! Moreover, the previous company dogs Leo had dealt with had all been ready to screw the corporation over from the start, which made Leo lower his guard— If Murphy, Kuno, and Morton were all disloyal to the company, why would Koch remain loyal after everything? But Koch was indeed loyal to the end! The equipment had been in Biotechnica Tower all along, and she had requested to deploy it without reporting any malfunctions, which naturally raised suspicions! The corporation had already decided to throw Koch under the bus, but she thought she could still salvage the situation, so she didn't buy into the big promises Leo had made! She gambled everything on pulling off a major success this time! However, in the end, she was left with no value at all—no value to the corporation and no value to Leo! "What now?!" "Run! Get inside the building!" Leo hurriedly ran to Koch's corpse and pulled out an access badge from her clothes—her privileges had been heavily restricted, so she had to rely on an access badge to stay in the building. Whoosh— Blinding white light flooded the office, illuminating the entire room— The roaring wind and the deafening sound of floating engines filled the air as the Manticore rapidly ascended! "Shit." "Stop gawking and run!!" Leo screamed over the comms as V and Jackie stood frozen, staring in shock. "You two idiots—waiting to be shredded by the Manticore's autocannons?!" At Leo's urging, the two turned and bolted through the office door—just as the Manticore rose to their level! Koch's office was spacious, but less than 30 meters deep. For a hovering armored vehicle, that distance was close enough to see every detail on its body— A Militech soldier crouched on the side of the VTOL, pulling the trigger and opening fire! The thick reinforced glass was punctured with several bullet holes and then shattered under the impact of large-caliber rounds! The bullets tore through the glass, slamming into the walls with the sound of a heavy hammer striking the surface! Leo and his team could even feel bullets whizzing past behind them! The trio sprinted at full speed, with bullets chasing them—thankfully, it took some effort to punch through Biotechnica's reinforced glass. And since they were already inside the building, continuous firing wasn't feasible—the efficiency was too low— After all, this was Biotechnica's corporate tower. The Manticore approached the shattered glass, and a heavily-built Militech soldier mustered all his strength and jumped out, crashing through the already fractured glass! "We've entered Biotechnica Tower, deploying soldiers now." "Roger that—Biotechnica Tower's internal defense system is activated. Be sure to identify allied combat drones. The MaxTac hackers have integrated into the coordinated combat network." Several well-equipped soldiers jumped out of the VTOL, guns at the ready, advancing quickly into the building, while others began setting up rappel gear on the walls. "Copy that, tracking the target." Outside the building, another Manticore hovered at the same height as the Militech one. But this VTOL had the words "MAX-TAC" painted on its side. Inside the vehicle were four heavily armed super-soldiers— But they didn't seem eager to engage directly in the battle. One sniper, after setting up his rifle, let out a disappointed "Tsk." "Haha, you missed!" A giant soldier laughed, patting the sniper on the shoulder. Then he turned to the woman sitting with her arms crossed in the chair and asked, "Lieutenant Rory, why don't we go in and take care of those guys? Give us something to have fun with." "There's no evidence of a cyberpsycho incident. The enemy might just be small-time crooks. HQ wants us to wait and see, only providing limited support. It looks like a case of corp-on-corp action—honestly, I'm more curious how those small-timers got in. Keep an eye on the walls." A few seconds later, the hacker in charge of network security for the unit spoke up with a puzzled tone. "Rather...interesting..."