A week later.
Leo looked at the sleek, silver briefcase on his workbench and felt a wave of relief.
"Finally done."
He lifted the briefcase off the bench and set it on the floor, placing both feet on its sides. In an instant, the container unfurled like a blossoming flower, swiftly wrapping around his entire body. The whole process took only a few seconds.
Wearing the exoskeleton armor changed his appearance drastically. He now stood noticeably taller than before. Its design resembled a streamlined, silver-white knight's suit, complete with thick titanium-alloy plating on the outside. That alloy boasted remarkable toughness and could bear enormous loads. It was also impressively resistant against both kinetic and tech-based ammunition.
Beneath the external plating lay a one-piece bodysuit made from titanium-based composite materials, processed at a nanoscopic scale for exceptional flexibility without sacrificing high tensile strength. This suit provided an additional layer of ballistic defense. It also contained a buffer gel that automatically adapted to the wearer's body asurents. Upon impact, the gel could rapidly pressurize and alter its density, dispersing force to prevent severe harm.
The bodysuit was designed so it could be worn continuously if needed, while the exoskeleton folded down into a compact, briefcase-like form when not in use. Deploying it took only a few seconds.
Along with the exoskeleton ca a helt that fully enclosed the head. Nobody would go into a fight without head protection. The built-in tactical goggles gave the wearer total battlefield awareness and doubled as a gas mask. Even if soone tossed him onto the Second Battle of Ypres—history's first poison-gas warfare—he wouldn't have broken a sweat.
Of course, the armor didn't just grant excellent defense and battlefield survivability; it also carried built-in lethal armants.
The first were palm cannons hidden inside both hands. They could be fired imdiately or charged for extra power, hitting slightly harder than an anti-materiel sniper rifle.
Next were smart shotguns concealed in the shoulders, normally stowed beneath the shoulder plates. When activated, they would unfold and fire shells that could track targets automatically.
Finally, miniature anti-armor missiles were tucked away at each elbow. Additional features included decoy flares for evading heat-seeking missiles, plus optical camouflage—thanks to a nanoscale computer in the suit that could gather environntal data and alter its color and brightness to blend seamlessly into the surroundings.
All that remained was to give the exoskeleton armor a na. Leo recalled how Prince Marth had once wielded the Falchion, slaying the Shadow Dragon deus and restoring peace to Archanea. Of course, no real "evil dragons" existed in this world—but the gacorps looming over humanity were little different from modern-day dragons in their own oppressive sense.
"I'll call you Falchion."
Leo retracted the exoskeleton, letting it fold neatly back into the elegant silver briefcase. Opening the door, he found Crispin in the next room, bobbing his head to music. Crispin's job was to handle Leo's als and keep anyone from disturbing him.
"Hey, man, you done?" Crispin asked.
Leo nodded, ready to leave the safehouse. "Tell Rogue I said thanks."
"You can do that yourself," Crispin replied, hinting at sothing. "She wants you to call her. Says she has a job for you."
...
"Rogue, Crispin said you have sothing?"
"Yeah, that's right. There's a rc who ripped off once. The loss wasn't huge, but she ran before I could catch him. Now she's back in Night City, and Wakako introduced her to the Tyger Claws. I asked her to hand her over, but she refused, so I need soone to go into Tyger Claw territory and take him out."
Leo was surprised anyone would have the nerve to cross Rogue. She was the queen of fixers in Night City, soone who always had a steady supply of pri gigs with hefty payouts. Most rcs would do anything to stay on her good side, so who was foolish enough to burn that bridge—only to crawl back later?
"I figured you'd send Emrick or Crispin."
"No, they're too conspicuous. Everyone would recognize my people the mont they set foot in Japantown. If Wakako refused , you can bet she's keeping tabs on all my usual faces. The Tyger Claws might even have plants watching the Afterlife. Sure, I could post a job for so random rc, but I only trust my own crew and a few other folks. If they fail, it'll be a real ss. That's why I called you.
If you could wipe out a Maelstrom hideout, you shouldn't have much trouble sneaking into a Tyger Claw base. And if you get discovered, well... you can just clean house, right?"
"Got it. Leave it to ," Leo agreed without pushing for extra paynt.
Rogue sounded pleased. "Thanks. About the job's fee—"
"I'll do it free this ti."
Rogue had covered his earlier purchases without demanding interest, so he felt it was only fair to return the favor. That was how networking worked: you help , I help you. There was always more money to be made later, and building good relationships paid off in the long run. Extorting people could get you blacklisted or put down on their priority list, and that was a real disaster.
And besides, now he'd have a chance to put Falchion through its paces!
...
Night City's Japantown was a hybrid of New Arican Las Vegas and Tokyo's Kabukichō: a neon-soaked entertainnt district, glittering with casinos and clubs. Enormous billboards covered the buildings, while streets overflowed with holo-adverts luring passersby into spending sprees. The place dazzled the senses until you lost track of ti, or how much money you'd blown.
It owed its success to its privileged location and imposing skyline. On one side lay the corporate city center, ho to ga-corp offices. On the other, the mansion-filled North Oak neighborhood. Sprouting from between them stood countless casinos, rising like a massive net cast for the flying cars overhead, angling for a share of unimaginable wealth. Their brilliant glow served as giant billboards visible from Watson and Charter Hill.
Unlike the lofty, nacing presence of Corporate Plaza, Japantown tempted you in with sweet illusions—promising the penniless and desperate one night of moneyed dreams.
According to Rogue's intel, the rc who had crossed her—soone nad Ken—was hiding at a shrine in North Oak, far from Japantown's central districts. Once a tranquil, sacred place, the shrine's priest had been bribed by the Tyger Claws, turning it into a den of vice—a hidden base for the gang. Ever since Wakako introduced Ken to the Tyger Claws, they had hidden him there.
Though Japantown's glitzy establishnts—bars, restaurants, braindance clubs, brothels, and casinos—were all largely under Tyger Claw control, this particular hideout wasn't in the middle of the bustle. The Tyger Claws ran nurous "legitimate" businesses, but behind the scenes, they handled just as many shady deals.
They ran laundering operations, thrived on the sex industry, traded in human trafficking, and dabbled in illicit Flash production and sales. They also took on dirty jobs for pay. Among all the powerful connections they had, their ties to Arasaka were strongest. Everyone knew Arasaka preferred to outsource its dirtiest work to the gangs, compensating them with advanced gear and military-grade weapons.
Why they chose to shelter soone who'd crossed Rogue was beyond Leo's understanding, and he didn't really care to figure it out. Rogue was notably easy to get along with, no matter her status. She didn't flaunt her power or rub it in your face. If you ca up short on funds for the gear or intel she provided, she wouldn't humiliate you—just quietly say "pay back when you can."
Try that approach with Faraday, Wakako Okada, Dexter, or Kirk, and you'd probably get chewed out on the spot.
In any case, Leo had a job to do.
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