By now, the trapped Sasquatch’s face was crimson.
As they stepped further into the room, the group finally saw clearly what had caught her.
A massive gap—tens of square ters across—had been torn into the circular glass do above the mall.
From it extended a long tal arm, fixed to the roof. At its end was a huge chanical claw clutching Sasquatch tight.
“Damn it! Put our boss down!”
One of the Animals roared, raising the light machine gun at his waist and aiming it at the middle-aged man at the controls.
“Idiot!!”
Arthur strode forward, stopping the man before he could pull the trigger. His voice was rough and hoarse.
“Or do you know how to run that damned machine?”
The guy was odd—reckless, charging headlong, yet sohow always keeping himself safe.
When they stord in, he’d stayed tucked behind Sasquatch, firing his machine gun blindly from cover.
Arthur didn’t slow his steps. This wasn’t the ti for a standoff—and besides, the Animals’ business wasn’t his.
The machinery groaned on. Luckily, Sasquatch’s body was tough enough to endure for now, and the claw wasn’t closing fast. They still had ti.
“Shut down the machine!”
Arthur barked at the middle-aged man, closing in with a few quick strides.
“Do it, and I’ll let you walk out of here alive!”
His voice rang loud and clear, echoing through the hall so everyone could hear.
The man trembled, his lips drained of color. He stamred, but no clear words ca out.
“It’s the Animals... they’re the problem,”
Arthur thought briefly, but he forced the idea down.
He kept his fierce glare as he seized the man by the collar.
“Move it, bastard! Or I’ll put a hole in your forehead!”
He hauled the man off the console. The raw nace radiating from Arthur made the engineer swallow hard.
anwhile, Sasquatch had stopped struggling. Her body only twitched weakly under the crushing force, unable to resist.
It was clear—the panicked man couldn’t be counted on. Too late for that.
Then, unexpectedly, the heavy rumble of the machinery slowed... and stopped.
“I’ve got it!”
Jessica’s voice rang in Arthur’s mind, followed by her long exhale.
“It wasn’t hard—just an industrial program. The only tricky part was the timing.”
Arthur had no ti for her explanation. He flung the engineer to the ground and growled:
“Consider yourself lucky! If you want to live, then get the hell out of here!”
His words echoed through the space. No one else seed to notice anything off.
Arthur was using this chance to protect the defenseless engineers.
The Animals killed like their na implied—a pack of wild beasts gone rabid.
Everyone in Night City knew it, which was why the middle-aged engineer had tried bargaining for his life instead of surrendering.
Respect was earned only in the ring.
If Jackie hadn’t beaten their leader there, Arthur and Jackie would’ve had to fight their way out.
But to their credit, the Animals kept their word. After Arthur’s declaration, the engineers finally had a shot at survival.
At this point, Arthur was already considered one of them.
With no objections, the engineers’ lives were spared. Arthur bent down and hauled the dazed middle-aged man to his feet.
“What’s going on? Put her down! This is the last ti I’ll say it.”
He gave the man a deliberate wink before shoving him back toward the console.
Arthur had already done more than enough for strangers. If the man still couldn’t grasp the situation, then too bad.
He wasn’t about to turn on the Animals for their sake. He wasn’t a damn saint.
Maybe the engineer finally understood. He steadied himself, stopped stamring, and began working the controls.
Within seconds, the machinery roared again—but this ti in reverse.
The claw lowered slowly, setting the unconscious Sasquatch onto the floor.
Her skin was crimson, blood vessels burst from the crushing force. Her arms were twisted grotesquely, her earlier fearso presence gone.
“I’ll take care of the boss. The rest of you, gather the surviving engineers.
Bring the elders and the kids from the base as well. And all the gear—bring everything.”
Sasquatch’s deputy, usually at her side, finally stepped forward. He shoved aside the gunner with the light machine gun and barked out orders.
“And don’t forget... our friends’ belongings.”
His authority was clear. The noisy Animals scattered instantly, each hurrying to carry out his commands.
The mall felt suddenly empty as the dozen or so gang mbers dispersed.
The deputy then called for n to carry off the unconscious Sasquatch for treatnt.
Now only three remained. The middle-aged engineer looked at Arthur and Jackie with wide, fearful eyes—especially at Jackie’s tall, muscular fra.
“See?”
Jackie shrugged, stepping over to lift the slumped man up.
“Happens every ti. People mistake for an Animal... not a great misunderstanding.”
He said it over his shoulder to Arthur.
“You’ll probably need to stay here a while, if you want to leave with the others.”
Arthur ignored Jackie’s tone and spoke directly to the engineer.
“Listen. These engineers can help you manage this place. That’s the only way to keep your people alive.”
“Th-thank you...
Thank you for saving our lives.
I’m not leaving. Not leaving. If we go, we go together...”
The man muttered, trembling, almost like he was talking to himself.
“You’re all together?”
Arthur asked, puzzled. Ordinary colleagues wouldn’t be this emotional.
“Yes, we’re together. We ca together...
The company stopped paying us. We nearly lost our lives on top of it...
Thank you...”
...
(70 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser
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