Chapter 237: Fierce Battle at the Skyscraper

Words : 1883 Updated : Oct 5th, 2025

"Hey, you're on watch duty. Quit taking drugs." "I can't stop; my hands shake if I don't. Want some? I've still got a bit left." "Me? I'm not like you." Two members of the Tyger Claw gang stood by the windowsill. One of them took a deep inhale from an inhaler. "Ah, refreshing!" Thunk! A mantis blade pierced through his chest. The Tyger Claw, who had just exclaimed how good he felt, was gutted. Before his companion could speak, a massive fist smashed his head into pieces! Three figures entered through the window — this was the public area of the skyscraper. Jackie tossed the two bodies into a trash bin while V retracted her mantis blade, frowning as she gazed at it, deep in thought. Leo looked at her with a puzzled expression and asked, "What's wrong?" "...I regret it." "Regret what?" "We should've just driven straight in. This sneaky approach feels really unsatisfying." The three exchanged glances and nodded silently. Leo shook his head. "I told you from the start, our way was better." "Aaaaaaah!" "Keep your voice down!" V stormed ahead angrily. "Why didn't you stop me?" "I... sigh, forget it. There'll be another chance soon. I'll find us an access point; just watch closely." Before he could finish, footsteps from around the corner interrupted them. "Calling us all here in such a big fuss—those three must have already found a hiding spot." "Yeah, who would dare to storm straight in?" Leo and Jackie stayed calm, but V's expression twisted in anger. Leo made a hand signal to Jackie and silently walked toward a utility panel on the side. "If you want to start a fight, just do it. The earlier plan is still workable." V stormed ahead angrily. "Why didn't you stop me?" "I... sigh, forget it. There'll be another chance soon. Let me find a connection port. Keep an eye out." Before the words finished, footsteps echoed around the corner—Tyger Claw gang. "They made such a big deal calling us in; those three must've already found a hole to hide in." "Yeah, who'd dare just barge straight in?" Leo and Jackie remained composed. But V? Leo noticed her expression twisting with fury. With a quick hand signal to Jack, Leo quietly moved to a nearby control panel. "If you want to fight, fight. The old plan still works." [COMM LINK: Bryce] [Leo: We're inside. Could use some network support.] Small groups of Tyger Claws patrolled the building, joking around. "I bet those three? Just some braggarts, half-dead in a black clinic begging for a ripperdoc." "Hahaha—uh!" A cold gleam flashed around the corner. In their stunned gaze, the laughing gang member was shredded to pieces! "Enemies—" Boom! A heavy punch smashed into a sumo cyberwarrior's head, the sheer force crushing it like a watermelon. The alarm spread throughout the skyscraper, even reaching the NCPD, who rushed toward the main doors— Bang! The steel gates slammed shut. [Beep—] [Skyscraper Management: Attention, esteemed residents. The building is experiencing technical issues and has entered lockdown.] [Elevator systems are temporarily suspended; please use the stairs.] [External communication links have been restricted. Some security doors have been activated to ensure floor safety.] [Please remain calm in your residences while the issue is resolved. Estimated resolution time: -32,768 hours.] The ambushed Tyger Claws fell in pools of blood, horrified by the carnage and the trio's overwhelming presence. One gang member, drenched in his comrade's blood, collapsed to the floor, looking up to see reinforcements rushing from the stairs—only to be squashed into paste by a security door! Lights flickered out, leaving only dim red warning lights reflecting V's wicked grin. "I wanted to give you a peaceful death, but you just had to push it." "Mercy—!" Slash, slash, slash! V's mantis blades carved into their bodies, leaving bloody holes behind. The noise drew Tyger Claw reinforcements from across the floor. One waved his arm, shouting, "They're on our floor!" Bang! Achilles ripped apart the incoming gang member's torso. Jackie yelled in frustration, "Me cago! Leo, I can't aim right! I'm aiming for heads and missing!" Upstairs, a Tyger Claw set up a machine gun on the railing to suppress the group, but an electromagnetic round destroyed the concrete barrier—and his head along with it! V swung her weapon toward the next threat. "My aim's just fine! Stop whining!" "It's temporary! Just shoot the targets I pick for you—they're all staying still." Leo hunkered behind cover, firing controlled bursts with pinpoint precision. Through the skyscraper's camera network, Yinglong ammunition locked onto every enemy hiding behind cover. Footsteps echoed from both sides of the hallway. Coincidentally, the trio's magazines all emptied at once! "Jack, east! V, west!" Jackie and V fired one shot each, dropped their rifles, and lunged forward—fists and blades meeting the oncoming Tyger Claws. By chance, their opponents mirrored their own styles: Jackie faced off against a sumo cyberwarrior, while V encountered a cyber-enhanced kunoichi. Sharp mantis blades and crushing fists clashed with enemies whose cyberware was clearly outclassed. With their leaders down, the remaining gang members were little more than cannon fodder— Blood rained. Mechanical arms deployed tactical grenades: two in Leo's hands, two in the mech arms'. Leo lobbed his grenades upward, the mech arms hurled theirs across the floor, and the explosives landed with deadly precision. Boom! Jackie and V ducked behind cover as Leo slid fresh magazines for nekomata and Achilles toward them. They reloaded simultaneously. "My legs! My legs!" "I think I'm paralyzed..." "Help me!" The shooting ceased, leaving only the wounded groaning in pain. The Tyger Claws, hiding behind cover and staring at the mutilated bodies of their comrades, were paralyzed with terror. Three fighters—just three—had suppressed 30 elite gang members! The high floors offered no refuge; technical sniper rounds pierced through concrete. Cyber-enhanced melee fighters were no match up close. Hiding was futile, as smart bullets hunted them relentlessly. EMP grenades disrupted communications, amplifying their terror. Even those attempting to retreat to upper walkways were obliterated by grenades. What now? Their hesitation cost them the fleeting chance to turn the tide. Leo's eyes gleamed with streaming data. "Cloudtop Database is between floors 12 and 22. Ascend." Jackie and V vaulted up the walls to the second floor, stepping over crawling Tyger Claws. Leo shot a webline and swung to the opposite side. "ばか野郎!撃て!このまま隠れて殺されたいのか?" ("You idiots! Fire! Do you want to die hiding like this?") A desperate roar over comms rallied the terrified gang members, who shakily raised their guns—but the pressure they faced was now overwhelming. The trio positioned themselves in a triangular formation, covering each other's floors. In the pitch-black H8 Megabuilding, muzzle flashes, EMP bursts, and magnetic rounds streaked through the air, painting a battlefield of chaos. Explosions illuminated the trio's phantom-like movements. Gunfire mixed with the thuds of concrete falling, the shrill cries of mangled flesh, and the dull impact of fists striking walls. The Tyger Claws' adrenaline surged; cyberware overloaded. Yet, the fight turned into a slaughter as their ranks thinned. Some fled, others jumped to their deaths. The battle ended in an explosion. V reached the 20th floor, firing a frustrated shot. Bang! "Why's there no one left?!" The sound echoed through the silent building. A man in a purple suit cowered behind a wall, trembling at the terrifying spectacle he had witnessed. [Please remain calm in your residences while the issue is resolved. Estimated resolution time: -32,768 hours.] Shattered glass marked Jackie and V's dramatic entry. Mechanical arms hoisted Leo through the window. Standing firm, Jackie and V high-fived, exhilarated. "That was insane!" "It was. But we're out of ammo—switch to handguns." Mechanical arms dismantled their spent weapons, neatly storing the parts. While Jackie and V reveled in their victory, Leo remained silent. The heat sinks on his back glowed red-hot, ejecting onto the floor. Back to Bryce. [Bryce: Inside? What do you mean "inside"?!] [Bryce: Say something! Forget it—I'll check the news myself.] [Bryce: Boss, what the hell are you doing?!] [Bryce: Are you insane?! The deal was to investigate the Tyger Claws and assist the NCPD!] [Bryce: Not expose political corruption! Not clash with the NCPD!!!] [Bryce: Stop now! We can still negotiate a new plan!] [Bryce: Stop, damn it!!] [Bryce: Burger King—Leo! Do you think netwatch has endless patience?!!!] [Bryce: Aaaaaaaaahhhh!!!] [Bryce: boss, I'm begging you, say something!] [Bryce: Boss?] [TN:Snak, snake, Snaaaaake!] Despite Bryce's seemingly endless chatter, he had provided Leo with crucial network support at the start of the battle, taking control of the skyscraper's systems. Throughout the operation, Leo managed eight mobility disruptions, 22 cases of cyberware and weapon malfunctions, 14 forced reboots of cyber eyes, and 10 instances of cyberware overheating. These custom daemons were optimized by Leo in cyberspace himself. However, with additional computational demands for the mechanical arm controlled by "Little Octopus" and real-time battlefield orchestration, his brain was nearing its limits. Without Bryce's support, maintaining control over the skyscraper network would have been impossible. [Leo: It's done. We're heading to the Cloudtop database now. You'll get whatever you want—every single doll is still here.] [Leo: But something feels off. It's too easy. Do you think Arasaka set up a trap for me?] Somewhere in Pacifica, Bryce felt his heart skip a beat. He didn't know how to respond to Leo's concerns but maintained a professional demeanor. No way could he cancel the job now and tell Leo to back out. Besides, things seemed to be playing in his favor for the moment. Thinking it over...what did the NCPD and Night City government even matter to him? Sure, netwatch operations were meant to stay covert, but there wasn't a hard rule about it. And after all, it was "Burger King" raising the ruckus. What did that have to do with him? Bryce closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady himself, convincing himself to roll with it. [Bryce: Boss, just do whatever you feel like. I've got your back.] Steam vented less intensely from the exhausts behind Leo. "Alright, our employer says we're awesome. Let's move forward." As he spoke, Leo noticed a man in a purple suit crawling in front of him, sobbing hysterically. V crouched beside the man, poking his face with the barrel of a gun, while Jackie pressed a foot down on the man's leg—already flattened beyond recognition. Leo asked, "Who's this?" V replied, "He says he's the manager of Cloudtop? Calls himself 'Woodman.' "Doesn't look like it, though. Judging by his state, I thought he'd crawled out of some sewer. What do we do with him?" "Bryce, you heard that. He's your problem now." [Bryce: Got it, boss. There's probably a terminal in the next room. Plug him in, and I'll walk you through diving for the data.] [Leo: Why are you calling me 'boss'?] [Bryce: Right now, you are the boss.] (End of Chapter)

Chapter 237: Fierce Battle at the Skyscraper

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