Leo blocked the katana slashing in from the right.
As for the blade swinging in from the left, he had no sword free—and didn't need one. He simply reached out his left hand, the Powered Arm Bracer clamping onto the blade.
The Ripper, completely unprepared for this developnt, looked shocked. He tried pulling with all his might, but no matter how hard he yanked, he could not pry the katana free from the bracer's grip. Both n were locked together, straining for an advantage. Whichever side gave out first would be cut to pieces.
Just then, Leo—only an arm's length away—smiled at him. In the next mont, he drove his forehead forward in a vicious headbutt.
The blow left the Ripper reeling. Leo released the katana, then shoved the dazed enemy to the ground. Lifting his right hand with its Powered Arm Bracer—glistening in the cold downpour like a cross of judgnt—he hamred it down onto the Ripper's skull.
The Ripper's head slamd into the pavent, forming a spiderweb of cracks. Blood splattered across both the ground and Leo's bracer, only to be washed away by the rain. Leo kept pumling him like a pile driver, fist after fist, until the Ripper's head was gone completely. His corpse lay there like a mound of raw at, devoid of life.
People hiding in nearby shops and buildings stared in stunned silence at what had just transpired. Even the Trauma Team leader and the dic, who had been saved by Leo, felt their throats tighten in shock.
A shop owner trembling behind his counter had just called NCPD monts earlier. Seeing the Ripper reduced to paste, he changed his tune, stamring into his phone,
"If you guys are busy…y-you really don't have to co."
Noticing Leo about to leave, the team leader finally shook off his daze and hurried over.
"Wait, please—hold on!"
Leo turned back to look at him, causing the leader to shudder despite himself. He knew this man had saved his life, but he could not escape a certain underlying fear.
"You saved us. I owe you."
With that, the leader transferred several thousand eurodollars. "I know it's not much, but it's all I can manage."
Leo confird receipt of the paynt, then walked away without further delay. He left behind the wide-eyed stares of the team leader, the dic, and the onlookers huddled in nearby buildings.
---
Outside Lucy's apartnt door:
"All right, I'm heading out," Leo said.
"Wait." Lucy's voice ca from behind him. "You're soaked. Why don't you co in and take a shower first?"
In 2077, people still hadn't eradicated common colds or fevers. The poor, who couldn't even afford Trauma Team's cheapest plan, sotis died of plain old pneumonia.
Leo thought for a second and accepted Lucy's offer.
While Leo showered in the bathroom, Lucy slipped out to buy him so clothes. After all, his were thoroughly drenched by the rain. He couldn't just wear them again straight out of the shower.
She returned soon enough—there was a small clothing store just downstairs.
"I left the clothes outside the bathroom."
"Thanks."
Once he was finished showering, Leo changed into the outfit Lucy had bought and stepped out, towel in hand, rubbing his hair dry.
"I've got a hair dryer," she said.
"It's fine. A towel works, and my hair isn't that long anyway."
But Lucy had already fetched the dryer and grabbed him by the hand. "Sit."
Leo offered no resistance, seating himself obediently. Lucy started blow-drying his hair.
Unable to move from the chair, Leo's gaze wandered around Lucy's apartnt. The layout was more or less the sa as the last ti he visited, except for a bathtub filled with ice in the corner and an old poster on the wall. He recalled that neither item had been there when she first rented the place, so that faded poster must have been Lucy's own addition.
Sensing his curiosity, Lucy tried to act casual. "How does it look?"
"That poster? Looks like one of those old recruiting prints they put out back when they were colonizing the moon—trying to get people to head out there and do manual labor. That was quite a while ago."
"Yes, exactly. So?"
"You want to go to the moon?"
"Mm-hmm."
Lucy did not deny it. She had a secret, buried deep within. Ever since she escaped Arasaka's facility, she had been afraid of being found again. Arasaka's reach was everywhere, so she never dared stay long in any one place. In Lucy's eyes, nowhere on Earth felt safe. Maybe only on the moon would she finally be free.
"Sounds pretty great to ."
A faint smile curved Lucy's lips. Even if Leo was simply humoring her, it made her happy.
Still, she said coolly, "If you're just saying what you think a girl wants to hear, that doesn't make feel any better."
"Not at all. I an it."
Living in space? He had always found that idea aweso. Before he ca to Night City, Leo had loved sci-fi and the stars. If this were his old life, he would have been the type to back "Star Citizen" or pre-order Bethesda's "Starfield." Truly a dream co true.
"There—it's done," Lucy said, setting the dryer aside. She walked to the fridge. "Want sothing to drink? Cola again?"
"Yeah, thanks."
Lucy pulled out a beer for herself and a cola for Leo. She usually only kept beer on hand, but this ti, there were a few bottles of soda as well. She handed Leo the cola, and they sat quietly, sipping their drinks in silence.
As their glasses ran low, Lucy suddenly stood. "I've got sothing to show you."
She took out what appeared to be a pair of sporty earphones.
"Ever tried one of these?"
"That's a braindance wreath, right?" Leo eyed the device in her hand curiously. "C'mon, I live in Night City—everyone's done a braindance at least once. So, what're you about to show ?"
"You'll see." Lucy gave him a sly smile, placing the braindance wreath in Leo's hands. Then she told him to lie down on the bed.
Next, she grabbed a pink pouch—one of those small "umbrella" packages, as so people jokingly called them—and tore it open, revealing a BD chip that she inserted into Leo's wreath. Lucy also donned a wreath of her own, then lay beside him.
"So parts of this still need editing. Hold on… Let's see. If it's soone's first ti diving into this kind of braindance, these paraters need to be dialed down. And here…maybe let's keep this setting. It won't break imrsion—actually, it'll enhance it…"
While Lucy fiddled with the settings, Leo watched her profile. Compared to her delicate features, even Night City's neon skyline seed to lose its splendor.
"What is it? Do I have sothing on my face?" Noticing his gaze, Lucy turned, sounding amused.
"No, it's nothing."
After a flurry of adjustnts, Lucy finally finished calibrating the BD. "Ready?"
Leo gave her a nod.
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