"This is your reward. Keep it safe."
The white-haired woman in a traditional kimono handed over a thick envelope with a gentle smile. Her name was Okada Wakako—an old fixer who had seen more blood than ink.
"Thanks," Leon Black replied calmly.
He took the five thousand eurodollars and without a second thought passed it to Lena Fox, standing quietly beside him. Lena, the team's unofficial financial manager, received it with both hands and a bright smile. Born from the slums and hardened by the street, she had a sixth sense for money. Paper or chip, fake or real—her cybernetic eyes and fine-tuned fingers could tell instantly.
This skill was more than useful. It was essential.
Most of Leon's transactions couldn't go through traditional banking systems. As a corporate operative officially employed by Arasaka, all his account activity was monitored. Suspicious transfers from unknown sources would be flagged instantly.
That's why he preferred cash. The scent of freshly printed bills, the rough texture between his fingers—it gave him peace of mind. And with Lena managing it, his chances of getting scammed dropped to zero. Not that anyone dared try scamming someone backed by Arasaka... but still, better safe than sorry.
For transactions above ten thousand eddies, they'd switch to chips—slim, encrypted memory cards. Plug-and-play, simple, direct, and anonymous. Sometimes, they used local communicator transfers, similar to QR code payments of the old world.
"Heh... never thought I'd see someone from Arasaka handling street-level jobs like this," Wakako chuckled, adjusting her glasses as she watched Lena methodically count the bills.
Leon gave a thin smile. "Money is money. No shame in earning it."
That was part of the reason he joined Arasaka in the first place. Beneath the neon lights and high-tech glitter, this world was still ruled by power and cruelty.
When Leon first arrived in Night City, he was nothing—bullied by gangs, cheated by landlords, underpaid by bosses, even attacked by stray dogs for his synthetic protein packs.
The boy raised in comfort had no choice but to evolve. He became calm, calculating, and ruthless. He learned that kindness had no place here unless backed by strength. He wouldn't be stepped on again. Ever.
That drive pushed him to train day and night. He targeted Arasaka because their recruitment was straightforward. As long as you obeyed and didn't question authority, they let you in.
Even a low-tier Arasaka employee commanded respect in the city.
And Leon was far more than obedient. He was smart. He might not have grown up playing corporate politics, but in his previous life, he'd watched enough to understand it. Slowly, steadily, he rose through the ranks.
Ten years later, he had carved out his place. But he didn't aim for higher management. That world was built on lies and legacy. It wasn't a game he could win. And more importantly, he knew a storm was coming—a seismic shift within Arasaka itself.
He had no intention of being caught in that quake.
That's why these years had been about one thing: money. He was preparing for the future—whichever form it might take.
Wakako, noticing Leon's unwillingness to continue small talk, turned her attention to the young man slouching near the pachinko entrance.
"Yuto, are you having fun outside lately?" she asked with a gentler tone.
Arasaka Yuto shrugged, clearly bored. "Eh, it's alright. Wandering around, eating, buying stuff, fighting once in a while."
The reply was typical. With a surname like Arasaka, Yuto didn't have to fight for rent or food. He wasn't like the others.
Wakako nodded slightly. She'd introduced Yuto to Leon's squad two years ago. She treated him differently, not just because of his last name, but because she owed his family something.
Still, many in the squad had issues with him—especially Lily Cross.
Lily, who had clawed her way into the team through grit, loathed the idea of someone just being placed on the team. Lena Fox was a hacking genius and makeup specialist. Ethan Cross was a sniper with unmatched stealth. Mike Taylor handled demolition and frontline assault with terrifying precision. Lily herself was an ace driver and top-tier mechanic.
And Leon? He was a jack-of-all-trades who could fight, lead, negotiate, and charm. Reliable, respected, and deadly when needed.
But Yuto? Aside from shouting motivational lines and vanishing at the first sign of danger, he brought little to the team. It was no surprise Lily openly mocked him. Perhaps Leon kept Yuto around for his connections—or perhaps it was something deeper.
Either way, Wakako had sweetened the deal. Priority missions, supply discounts, extra intel drops. With her support, the team had raked in serious profits these past two years.
Lily didn't complain now. She had bought a 100-square-meter condo near Concord Park. And this was only her third year of real work.
Looking back, she felt grateful her father pushed her to join this "bottom-tier" squad. It turned out to be the best decision of her life.
Ethan Cross felt the same. Once a proud elite from Tokyo HQ, he initially looked down on Leon's squad. He only joined because there was a sniper slot open. But after a few missions, he was humbled.
He remembered one job vividly—a 10,000-euro hit. Leon's team had barely begun to coordinate when Ethan spotted the target and executed a clean headshot.
The mission was over before it began.
When it came time to split the reward, Ethan expected the usual: the leader takes half, the rest split among others. But Leon handed nearly everything to him.
"Boss… this is too much."
"You earned it. We didn't even draw our weapons. Five hundred's enough for our dinner. Fair, right?"
That moment changed Ethan's view of Leon forever.
He wasn't just skilled. He was fair. Honest. Loyal.
And that loyalty made people follow him without question.
After the money was counted, Lena gave Leon a quick nod. All was correct. Time to leave.
Just as they turned toward the exit, Wakako's phone rang.
Her face darkened instantly.
"Yuto! Wait!" she called sharply. "I have something to tell you. Just you."
Yuto blinked in confusion, then looked at Leon.
"We'll wait outside," Leon said, giving him a small nod.
Before Yuto could respond, Wakako cut in, her voice heavier than before. "Mr. Black, Yuto might not be joining you on missions for a while."
Yuto stiffened. "Okada A…!"
"Yuto." Wakako's sharp tone silenced him. "Let me explain."
"…Alright." He looked defeated.
After all, he wasn't free.
"Mr. Black," Wakako turned back toward Leon.
Leon didn't answer. He simply placed a hand on Yuto's shoulder.
"You know how to find us."
Yuto lowered his head, then nodded. "I will."
Leon gave his shoulder one last squeeze before walking out with Lena.
"…Leon, about Yuto…" Lena hesitated.
Leon shook his head. "He's one of us. That's all that matters."
His eyes shifted to a wall of TVs outside a video store.
Every screen displayed the same live feed.
An Arasaka anti-terror drone rained bullets on Konpeki Plaza.
Two small figures sprinted ahead of the fire, their silhouettes barely visible against the explosions behind them.
If they slipped even once, they'd die.
Leon narrowed his eyes.
"Looks like things are about to get busy."
---
Thirty Minutes Earlier...
"T-Bug, are you sure about this?" V frowned at the bald netrunner on the comm screen. "Hacking Konpeki Plaza isn't easy."
T-Bug looked tense, sweat beading on her head. "You want to back out now?"
V didn't answer. Her gut screamed something was off. They'd worked with T-Bug before—busted into a Maelstrom den and extracted a Trauma Team client. But this... this felt different.
In truth, Flathead—the Militech spider-bot they deployed—did most of the work. It was only thanks to Jackie's manual control and V's support that they avoided triggering the alarm.
"Forget it," Jackie said, packing up the controller. "We've got what we need. Let's move."
They were after one thing: the Relic. A chip said to contain the soul of Saburo Arasaka himself.
Inside Yorinobu Arasaka's luxury suite, they located the Relic—stored in a climate-sealed case.
V found a sleek kinetic pistol on the bedside table. "Kongou? Nice!"
"Now's not the time," Jackie hissed. "We gotta go!"
Then, the sound of the door sliding open froze them both.
They ducked behind the window, barely breathing.
Two figures entered.
Yorinobu Arasaka—and behind him, the emperor himself.
Saburo Arasaka.
pàtréóñ(Gk31)