"Don't worry about it. I'm on good terms with the Voodoo Boys. We're practically old friends," Arthur said with a wave of his hand, full of confidence.
"They should be thrilled I'm their new neighbor. Who knows? Maybe they'll roll out the red carpet and throw a welcome party."
Arthur genuinely believed the Voodoo Boys wouldn't touch him. He wasn't here to claim turf—he was here to increase employment in Pacifica. Surely, no one would turn down free money.
That's when the gunfire started.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Boom!
The sound of rifles cracking and a grenade detonation ripped through the air. Arthur's delusions of friendship with the Voodoo Boys disintegrated immediately.
"Get down!" he shouted, grabbing Lucy and pulling her behind the only cover available—their Sword in the Stone supercar—as bullets rained around them.
Lucy, hands shaking, shot him a death glare. "This is your idea of a warm welcome?!"
She couldn't believe she'd let herself be dragged into Arthur's nonsense again. What kind of enemy did you have to be to warrant grenades as a greeting?
"Just a little misunderstanding!" Arthur called over the noise, ducking lower.
Lucy fired off a couple of shots in retaliation, muttering, "I'm a hacker, not a soldier! I'm not built for firefights!"
Arthur flicked his cigarette to the ground in frustration. "Damn it! This must be about the time I blew up their server... ten years ago. I can't believe they're still holding a grudge!"
Right on cue, his phone rang.
The voice on the other end was laced with venom.
"Arthur, you bastard. Crawling out of hell again, are you? How's my little reception party treating you?"
Arthur recognized the voice instantly and rolled his eyes.
"You old hag! That server job was a decade ago. You still mad about that? I'm here on business now—here to bring prosperity to Pacifica! Can't you let bygones be bygones?"
The woman on the line let out a bitter laugh.
"Forgive you? You shut down Poseidon for three months, you trash heap. Do you know how many of my people died because of you?
"And now you're saying you're a businessman? A corporate dog? Disgraceful. Filth like you belongs in hell!"
Before Arthur could respond, the line went dead.
He stared at his phone, fuming.
"Maman, that spiteful witch... So what if Poseidon went offline for a few months? It's not like I nuked their entire net infrastructure. And she was the one treating me like garbage back then!"
Lucy, reloading her pistol, gave him a flat stare.
"If you don't have a plan, we're going to die. And for the record, I am not getting buried next to a lunatic like you."
Arthur smirked. "What's wrong with that? You're a psycho, I'm a psycho. Sharing a grave would be poetic."
Lucy groaned.
"Relax," Arthur said, pulling out his phone. "Support's on the way."
He dialed quickly, and the call was answered almost instantly.
"Hello, this is the NCPD hotline. How can I help you?"
Arthur didn't waste time.
"I'm under attack in Pacifica. Armed individuals are attempting to seize my private property. According to Night City law, you're obligated to protect me!"
A pause.
"Hello?" Arthur snapped. "Don't ghost me! My property number is S***9527B. I've paid taxes on it for years. If you don't get here soon, I'm applying for a refund!"
The operator sounded baffled. "Hold on, sir."
She checked the database, not expecting much. No one paid taxes in Pacifica. But then she saw it—an unbroken trail of property tax payments stretching back over a decade.
The operator blinked.
Who the hell pays taxes in Pacifica? This wasn't just any citizen—this was a five-star taxpayer. Even the mayor would shake this man's hand.
"Sir, I need to escalate your call to a supervisor."
"Then do it fast!" Arthur barked. "If you drag your feet, I'll be a corpse before backup arrives. Also, there are at least a dozen cyberpsychos here. Better send in MaxTac!"
"...Understood, sir. Please hold."
Arthur ended the call and grinned at Lucy.
"See? Help's on the way. We just need to survive a little longer."
Lucy glared, still fuming.
"If I die here, I'm blaming you for all of it."
Arthur lit another cigarette, completely unbothered.
"Relax. It's all part of the game in Night City."
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