The Sewers; Operation in Development

Author; As is almost customary; Apologies for the delay! But I've been deep in writing! I'm excited for you to read this chapter, especially the next one!

Originally, I aimed for a lengthy chapter of 8000 words to conclude this arc, but I ended up writing one of 12000 words, and it's not quite finished yet. Therefore, I've decided to split it into two parts.

I'll be translating and releasing the next chapter, which will mark the end of the Master's Arc, tomorrow. As always I hope you like it and don't forget to comment.

---

In a high-security basement, shrouded in darkness and illuminated only by a cold and intimidating red light, Yorinubo advanced slowly towards the end of the room where an imposing black metal cabinet rested. It resembled more of an upright armored coffin, with various tubes of different thicknesses protruding from it and disappearing under the floor and walls.

Upon reaching it, Yorinubo slid his hand over the black coffin, outlining it with a faint light. After hearing a positive 'beep,' the two doors of the metal coffin opened, revealing a battered spinal column with more metal parts than bone. A human heart pulsed in a transparent artificial pericardium, connected to numerous cables, creating the image of a fish in a tank. The back of his brain, without its usual shielding, was visible from inside the skull, connected to the spine.

After a moment of observation, Yorinubo uttered, "Adam, you can awaken now." His words triggered an instant reaction. With permission granted by the limited cyberware remaining in Adam's current state, his new red lenses lit up, and his metallic jaw moved without uttering a word.

Although Yorinubo had told Adam to wake up, he hadn't been sleeping. He had been in a black environment, unable to see, move, or feel anything. For three days, he counted to maintain his sanity in the darkness, without any stimulus, immersed in the loss of the sense of time.

After counting for three consecutive days, Adam regained the ability to hear, see, and speak. Observing the surroundings and Yorinubo's figure, Smasher had no difficulty deducing where they were. Seeing Yorinubo's impassive gaze, he knew he had to say something to not be dismissed as outdated and to carry out the only other thing that had kept him sane in the darkness.

"I'll accept your proposal."

"Hmm... You catch on quickly, Adam. After the Gala incident and the frivolous lawsuits I received because of you from the injured guests, something had to change. I've come to give you one last chance, but I'm glad you figured it out so quickly."

"But before accepting your offer, I want two things."

"I figured as much."

"What are they going to do to me?"

"The honest answer is, I don't know. They are interested in you. What I suggested last time was only what little they shared with me."

"My second demand is..."

"Revenge. Yes, I know."

"But before I submit to whatever they have planned, I have to be 'me' who kills Johnny Silverhand's son."

"What are you saying? That mercenary is his—? Are you sure of that?"

"Yes, I am. At first, I couldn't understand where his resentment and joy at seeing me consumed in the flames of my own missiles came from, but that way of speaking... the message he put on the Ebunike... now I understand," replied Smasher in his robotic tone, devoid of emotions but conveying clear hatred and resentment in his cold voice since he began speaking.

"Hmm... how interesting. What are you hiding, sister?"

"Do we have a deal?"

"What? Oh, yes, of course we do! This might be more interesting than I had anticipated."

"I want my DaiOni armor."

"Hahahaha... Adam. Do you want to start a war in the middle of Night City?"

"...." Finding the question obvious, Adam said nothing, just stared intently at Yorinubo.

"Alright, I'll get you a DaiOni, but even I will take a couple of weeks to bring it without raising suspicions, okay?"

"Fine... deactivate my cyberware and return me to the darkness."

"Adam... Have you lost your mind? I left you like there for three days to punish you. Do you really want to go back?"

"Yes, that place helps me to concentrate, if I don't want to lose my sanity. Call me when everything is ready."

-

In the underground of Night City, Jackie couldn't help but gaze at the countless gigantic concrete columns rising towards the darkness of the ceiling, understanding the purpose of the place. They were so tall that even the city's tallest skyscraper would seem tiny in comparison.

As he pondered, it took Jackie a moment to realize that the Arasaka Tower, the city's tallest building at 620 meters (2034 feet), could easily fit into this vast space. After all, that's what the Geofront system was designed for, according to Okami—a security system in which, in the event of a potential crisis, the entire city could take refuge underground, descending whole blocks through the giant rails located on each column.

Gear, who had been surveying the area in an attempt to recover some memories from her clouded mind, sighed and turned to Jackie, still immersed in the contemplation of the ceiling's darkness. "Jackie, are you okay?"

Jackie, snapping out of his reverie, replied, "Uh, yeah, yeah. But the important thing, 'little one,' is how you're doing. Have you remembered anything?"

"Jackie, please, don't call me that," Gear retorted with a serious, almost sharp tone.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"I understand, and I really appreciate it. But now, in my current state, that name..." Gear paused, refraining from uttering the affectionate nickname that reminded her of the body and everything she had lost.

"I get it, sorry," said Jackie, trying to conceal his dejected tone.

Before Gear could respond, Sora interrupted the conversation. "Oi! Have you remembered anything, Gear? If not, let's get out of here. Everything being so quiet... I don't like it. We need to hurry; I don't know how long old Morgan and the rest will be able to outpace us."

With Gear's negative response and no findings on her part, Sora's entire team, consisting of two Netwatch agents, his uncle Hiroyuki, his partner Magnificent Curtis, Night Corp's assistant, along with a special operations team from the corporation, got back into the off-road vehicles to head to the next designated area as quickly as possible.

-

Meanwhile, in the upper level beneath the surface, specifically in the sewer level, Morgan and Rogue's team successfully rendezvoused with Sergeant Hammerman and Frost's teams in one of the wider sections of the sewers.

The three teams formed a defensive line using the APCs as a barrier to withstand the onslaught of the "hollows" horde. These beings, seemingly devoid of emotion or life in their eyes, recklessly charged at them while murmuring the Master's controlling signal in an unsettling chorus.

Through the combined efforts of the three teams, they managed to establish a fragile balance in the battle, repelling enough of the hollows' horde to hold their position. The overwhelming number of enemies caused the fallen hollows' bodies to fill the gaps in the APC barricade, solidifying the defense.

On the surface above them, the city streets trembled due to the intensity of the battle, causing accidents at intersections as traffic lights collapsed.

Despite all this chaos, what transpired in the sewers went largely unnoticed by the inhabitants of Night City, who had no idea about the intense battle raging beneath their feet.

Amidst the subterranean battle's fervor, the APC turret cannons blazed red-hot, unleashing .50 caliber bullets followed by a deafening roar that transformed the tireless biomechanical adversaries of the master into a shower of sparks and fragments with each impact.

However, this spectacle came at a cost: the cannons, forged from an exothermic alloy, dangerously burned after each burst, necessitating pauses to prevent them from melting. Meanwhile, mercenaries and NCPD agents, shielded behind the APCs, illuminated the dark sewers with the constant flashes of their weapons, contributing to the chaotic symphony of gunfire and explosions in the battle.

Despite the continuous rain of bullets, the Hollows advanced without concern for their own lives, humming the sinister melody of the Master. Amidst the tide of Hollows, a corridor opened, allowing the advance of three imposing Golitahs of the Master, heavily armored.

The presence of these Goliaths, seemingly poised to disrupt the fragile balance of the battle, made the mercenaries and NCPD agents who saw them pale, and some, overcome by fear, even stopped firing.

As they initiated their charge, all the present mercenaries and agents instinctively concentrated their fire on them. However, this only served to instill more fear, causing additional individuals to cease firing.

Despite the intense concentrated fire of the rest, all their shots were blocked by the large shield of the leading Goliath in the charge, including the .50 caliber rounds from the APC turret. Those who stopped firing couldn't shake the thought that 'resistance seemed futile, and the end seemed near.

Until suddenly three powerful shots rang out from two smoking electromagnetic revolvers. These shots effortlessly pierced the large shield and hit the knees of the three Goliaths, causing them to fall and halt their advance.

All the mercenaries and agents who witnessed it snapped back to reality when Morgan's calm voice resonated from atop one of the APCs, "Focus on the Minions on the sides; I'll take care of these 3."

They all regained hope of survival and opened fire on the "Minions," providing cover for Morgan as he leaped towards the three injured Goliaths outside the barricade.

-

In a narrow maintenance corridor of the sewers, the muted footsteps of the Gamma team's sole survivors echoed. Viper, the burly mercenary, had lost all his comrades and now led the small group of survivors.

Limping behind him was Netwatch agent Bryce Mosley, clinging desperately to the wall due to his broken leg and severe chemical burns. Completing the group was Agent Simmons, the last survivor of a team that once numbered over 50 members. Simmons lingered at the rear, holding and checking the signal detector he retrieved from the Netrunner's corpse from the Gamma team.

Having to halt so that Netwatch agent Bryce could rest, he took the opportunity to express his gratitude: "Viper, thanks for getting me out of the APC... if you hadn't... I would have..."

Despite the circumstances, Viper let out a subdued laugh, with seriousness in his eyes, he replied, "It was your call that got us out of there. If you hadn't told us to get on the APC, we wouldn't be here talking about it."

"True, thanks," added Simmons, recalling how he managed to escape that hell thanks to Agent Bryce. Also, thanks to Viper, who suddenly threw him upward on the APC. Still, Simmons wasn't ready to say anything to him.

When attacked by the Horde, Bryce, in a desperate attempt when the situation seemed lost, tried to evacuate as many as he could in the APC he controlled. Accelerating to the maximum and speeding away, he passed over the Horde, leaving the vehicle severely damaged.

With no other options, Bryce launched the APC into the channel of highly corrosive artificial liquid to escape the Hollows. Although successful, several mercenaries and surviving agents on the APC fell into the channel and perished drowned in the sewer's disinfectant acid. Bryce also got injured, with a broken leg, and if it weren't for Viper's intervention, he would have fallen victim to the corrosive flow.

Observing genuine gratitude in Bryce for having saved him, Viper added with a laugh, "Still, if you're so grateful, and if we get out of this, tell those up above to give me a bonus... hahaha."

"I'm not sure I have that power, but I'll try. What I can do is hire you when I need help in the city. How does that sound? Netwatch pays really well," proposed Bryce.

"Mmm, tempting, but, I've lost my entire team; after this, I'm retiring..." replied the burly mercenary. Now that Bryce looked closely, he could notice small age wrinkles between Viper's cyberware and artificial muscles.

"Too bad..." Bryce couldn't finish his sentence when Viper interrupted him. "Don't jump ahead, man. I'm not going to turn down good eddies from Netwatch either. I can give you the contact of my sister Matilda; she, with her Animals, can help you better than I can."

As they spoke, the sounds of the battle in the sewers faded, replaced by the sharp and unsettling beeps of the signal detector held by Simmons. The detector's screen went crazy, filling with red dots.

Viper could only grip his weapon and aim it towards the end of the hallway, anticipating the arrival of the horde of Hollows. Meanwhile, Simmons, without hesitation, turned off the detector to avoid any noise.

Within seconds, the ground began to shake, accompanied by the echoing steps and humming of the swarm of Hollows, passing in front of the hallway where they were taking cover. The three, with hearts pounding, remained in complete silence, trying to make as little noise as possible so that the Hollows wouldn't notice their presence.

Netwatch agent Bryce Mosley tried to rise just in case they needed to flee at the right moment. However, in doing so, his long weapon, used as a crutch, slipped from his hands and fell to the ground with a resounding metallic noise. Bryce cursed himself, aware that the sound could have alerted anything lurking in the sewers.

At first, nothing seemed to change; the three watched as the pack of Hollows continued to run. Causing them to exhale a breath they didn't realize they were holding, until one of the Hollows abruptly stopped in front of the hallway entrance, while the rest of the swarm continued their sprint at full speed.

When Viper was about to squeeze the trigger of his weapon, the cybernetic eyes of the Hollow, with one foot inside the hallway, lit up. It began humming loudly, obediently following the Master's new command. In an unexpected turn for the three, the Hollow turned around and sprinted down the corridor as fast as it could, almost frantically.

Confused yet grateful, the three waited until the Hollow swarm be far enough away before advancing through the narrow maintenance auxiliary corridor. Upon reaching the end, they found themselves at one of the main sewer channels, an unsettling silence replacing the previous traces of battle.

With no other choice and now with a clear path, they decided to head in the opposite direction of the Hollow swarm, fearing encountering another massacre similar to that of Team Gamma with one of the other teams.

As they turned a canal junction, they were suddenly blinded by powerful flashlights and the sound of weapons being aimed at them. It was a small group of mercenaries and agents from the three teams who had left the APC cordon and were following orders to track the Hollow swarm, which surprisingly had stopped attacking and had run off.

Realizing that Viper, Simmons, and Bryce were survivors from Team Gamma, the three were guided inside the APC cordon, where Morgan and Sergeant Hammerman were quickly organizing everyone to pursue the Hollows. They were concerned about the reason behind their sudden retreat and... their possible new objective.

-

A few minutes earlier.

The four off-road vehicles comprising Sora's team relentlessly advanced toward the second location marked by Gear through the monotonous landscape of the city's underground, where giant columns stood as silent witnesses to the repetitive journey.

The only variation in the uniform environment was in the large numbers identifying each of the gigantic columns. Their colors and the letters in front changed as they crossed different districts quickly through the underground, thanks to the absence of traffic signals, jams, or speed limits.

Sora, in one of the central vehicles, was the first to notice how, as they approached their target, the sound of falling water became more pronounced. Checking the map on his helmet, Sora confirmed that the area they were heading to was near one of the giant walls of the Subsurface.

Before reaching the coordinates indicated, they encountered a transformation in the ground: hundreds of meticulously designed channels in the concrete floor, of various widths and depths, crisscrossed the ground between the columns with water flowing in all of them.

Upon reaching the target, they saw how this intricate system was fed by gigantic locks that opened and closed in different apparently random patterns, as far as the eye could see, arranged on the upper part of the subsurface facade in front of them.

Each time the locks opened, hundreds of liters of water cascaded from above to be stored and branched into extensive channels on the ground, some of them kilometers long.

When the vehicles stopped, Gear wasted no time examining the surroundings, hoping to recover some of her cloudy memories. Jackie couldn't help but approach one of the channels, scoop up some water with his hands, and bring it to his face. After smelling and tasting it lightly, he raised his eyes in surprise and exclaimed, "It's saltwater!"

It was Curtis, the Netwatch Agent, who replied, "It's from the sea..." Curtis looked into the darkness that made the ceiling invisible and added with a certain fondness in his voice, "We're under Pacifica." Ironically, this was the most peaceful visit to his district that Curtis had had in years

Meanwhile, Gear focused on recalling, closing her eyes and concentrating on the humidity in the air felt through her Cyberware, the sound of water falling from the microphones instead of ears on her head, and the slightly salty smell in the air.

Gear didn't remember anything... but she felt something, felt impatience tinged with fear through the signal that ordered and controlled them the first time she was in the Subsurface. She remembered a false disappointment, masking the Master's unconscious anger transmitted through the signal for the failure of the hollows to find what he was looking for.

She also relived a feeling of struggle, of confrontation, but this one was different; it wasn't from the Master, it was from herself. Gear began to remember how, while investigating this same site the first time, she rebelled against the Master and tried to resist the signal that controlled her.

As Gear expressed everything she remembered aloud, she led Jackie and the group to one of the gigantic columns, pointing out five slash marks that perfectly matched the sharp retractable claws of Gear's cybernetic arms.

While Gear recovered more memories, Sora decided to explore the area on his own. Thining about the purpose of the numerous water channels.

'We're looking for the servers Night hid. Considering the insane level of "prepper" Richard seemed to be, at the level of 'I'm going to build my city capable of withstanding attacks from Angels.'

He probably designed these servers to be completely self-sufficient. To achieve that, he would need a power source independent of the city's supply and a cooling system.'

Concluding, Sora looked at the different meticulously designed channels with different shapes and lengths. Then, he focused on the background mechanical sound behind each lock opening, releasing hundreds of liters of water. The sound of a turbine spinning from the water flow generating electricity.

With the two requirements fulfilled, Sora started his own agenda and began releasing nanobots from his arm, mixing them with water from different channels to figure out where it was heading,

For Sora, once he learned about the Geofront system from Miriam Night herself, it was inconceivable for him to leave something like that in someone else's hands.

Although the probability of something going wrong was less than 1%, he was not willing to relinquish control over a system that had the potential to save or 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 the city where he himself lived and the few people he cared about.

The tense silence of the underground was interrupted by Gear's exclamation: "I got it! I remember everything-" Her voice was drowned out when four Spider Walking Drones for maintenance uncoupled from the columns, falling suddenly on her.

Jackie reacted immediately; disarmed by the order of Night Corp's assistant, he could only shout "Gear!" as he rushed towards her.

Who was on the ground desperately gripping, with her metal hands, the drills of the Spider drones on top of her, trying to drill into her head. Before Jackie could reach her, four figures emerged around Gear and the Spider Bots.

Sora unsheathed Getsuga and sheathed it after making a quick cut that split one of the Spider bots in two.

Hiroyuki used his mantis blades to horizontally section several layers of his.

Magnificente, with a simple gesture of his hand, hacked and turned off the green lights of the Spider Bot's lenses, leaving it motionless and inert.

Meanwhile, Ryuji, Night Corp's assistant, pulled out a hilt without a blade and aimed it at the Spider Bot threatening Gear's life. In an instant, a retractable blade unfolded quickly, piercing the machine, turning off its drills and other maintenance tools it was trying to use to finish off Gear.

The scene fell silent, only interrupted by Gear's ragged breathing and the subtle hum of sparks coming from the inert machines.

While Sora helped Gear up, he commented, "We have to move quickly. We don't know how long he's been aware of our presence. It's only been uncovered because he thought killing Gear was worth it... And well, is it?" He asked looking to her.

"It sure is! That bastard... I know where he's hiding! Let's pay him a visit," Gear replied, unable to hide her joy despite the attempted murder, after remembering the server's location.

"You heard her, let's go," ordered Hiroyuki, urging everyone to head to the vehicles, concerned about the possible arrival of more enemies.

"Gear, is the third place the one?" Magnificente asked.

"That's the one," she replied as she climbed into one of the black off-road vehicles.

-

As they approached the third location, tension within each vehicle suddenly thickened and became palpable. When several elevators around them, similar to the ones they had used to reach the underground, began descending filled with Hollows.

The Hollows, waiting for the elevator to complete its descent. Observing and relaying the acceleration of the convoy prompted them to receive a new order, that maked them recklessly jumped from the elevetors, with the first Hollows to fall serving as a cushion for those following.

The bizarre spectacle in progress— Prompted the drivers to step on the accelerator as they witnessed the constant rain of humans jumping from elevators. Then, the surviving Hollow rose among the corpses of their comrades and began chasing them, unconcerned by their injuries and broken limbs.

Shocked by the picture, Night Corp's assistant unable to conceal his nervousness, asked Gear, "Woman, how close are we supposed to be to the servers? For your sake, I hope you're not lying."

Ignoring the threats, Gear responded promptly, "We're almost there!"

Hiroyuki, trying not to show it but somewhat anxious, then asked his companion, "Curtis, once we arrive, how long will it take for you to gain us access?"

Magnificent, despite the situation they were in, maintained his calm expression and shrugged towards his companion, replying, "I don't know, Hiroyuki. If it's some program from Richard's era, there won't be an issue opening server access. But if that thing has updated it... I won't know until I see it.

While they argued, Sora opened the vehicle's door and, with unsettling calmness, said, "Go ahead, I will catch up with you later." Surprise and disbelief filled the vehicle as they watched Sora, in line with his words, jump from the moving vehicle

Unable to believe it, Hiroyuki couldn't help but exclaim with panic in his eyes, "We have to turn back!" Reliving his worst memory, as he saw Sora roll on the ground and dust himself off in front of the approaching horde of Hollows.

Hearing his panicky companion, Curtis, for the first time, broke his amiable expression and, with a mix of incredulity and firmness, said, "Hiroyuki, what are you saying? I don't know what the mercenary is thinking, but it's his decision. Focus on your mission."

Hiroyuki could only bite his lip until he tasted his own blood, trying to concentrate on his duty. He wanted to trust Sora, but at the same time, the heartbreaking memory of Ishida's end made him want to forcefully take the vehicle, turn around, and take Sora away from danger.

Although Hiroyuki was attempting to regain his composure and focus on the mission, he suddenly saw once again the last look Ishida gave him before passing away. Then, the lifeless eyes of his brother when he witnessed his son's lifeless body.

This sight prompted Hiroyuki to open the door with the intention of following Sora, ignoring Curtis's grip on his arm and the fixed gaze pleading with him not to do it

But when Hiroyuki looked at Sora before jumping, Sora was staring at him, paying no attention to the horde of Hollows approaching behind him.He raised his left hand slightly while shaking his head, indicating for him to stop

Then, Sora turned around, facing the tide of Hollows, assuming a drawing stance. He planted his feet firmly on the ground while gripping the sheath and hilt of Getsuga with both hands.

In the next instant, his black-arm gripping the hilt and Getsuga itself shone brightly, creating a sudden flash that blinded Hiroyuki and filled the dark underground with light. Emanating from the gigantic discharges escaping from his arm and sword.

Following that, Sora unsheathed Getsuga. 

The way Hiroyuki tried to comprehend what he saw was by forming a question in his head: 'Is that an EMP?'

When Sora unsheathed Getsuga, which emitted violent electrical discharges, with his black-arm bathed in electricity, Hiroyuki could see how the resulting shockwave, violently ionized with small discharges appearing and disappearing, made the Hollows in the first layers of the horde fall to the ground like puppets whose strings had just been cut.

The rest of them slowed their charge and stopped, clutching their heads as if experiencing interference with the signal controlling them. 

Despite the wide range of the attack, due to the sheer number, those unaffected by the consequences ruthlessly passed over their own. 

Hollows with close combat Cyberware charged, while those equipped with makeshift Cyberware capable of launching 50 cm bolts electromagnetically fired at him.

Sora moved slowly, easily dodging the bolts. Despite it speed, their Cyberware took too long to store energy for the shot, giving him plenty of time to scan their trajectories.

While avoiding the bolts, Sora couldn't help but make a predatory grin as he took his hands under his jacket and unsheathed his two Malorians.

To then start playing a duet with them. Piercing multiple heads at once with his powerful silver Malorian, and despite firing without aiming with his black Malorian, all its smart bullets elegantly snaked through the air until they found their target.

When the Hollows equipped with close combat Cyberware attacked him, Sora sheathed his silver Malorian and used the grapple gun within his black right arm to move away to the top of one of the gigantic columns.

Continuing to shoot with his black Malorian in his left hand as he ascended and from the top of the column, forcing the Hollows to climb it to reach him. By the time they did, Sora continued taking advantage of the surroundings, escaping to another column.

Hiroyuki, with half of his body outside the car, remained motionless, watching him fight. He reflected on how, at this moment, Sora must have a wild smile under his helmet, like his brother when he enjoyed combat.

Thinking that, a smile also appeared on Hiroyuki's face too, pushing away the bad memories. Concluding that worrying about Sora was foolish, Hiroyuki, focused on his duty, re-entered the car and closed the door.

-

While Sora bought them time, the black SUVs continued to race at full speed. Night Corp's special forces defended the moving convoy, firing from the windows at smaller groups of Hollows descending from other elevators.

Inside the lead SUV, Gear struggled to guide the team through the confusing and repetitive underground. 

Due to the situation of being persecuted, the lack of a clear direction, and Gear's doubts and sudden changes in direction prompted Night Corp's assistant, who thought Sora was dead, to open his mouth again, expressing his discontent without concern for the rest of the group.

"You're going to get us killed! You don't know where Richard's servers are, do you? Instead, you're leading us straight to our death!" 

The assistant's complaints irritated Hiroyuki, who understood why Sora had problems with him. He immediately shot back, "Shut up!" 

After regaining his composure, Hiroyuki, in the calmest tone he could muster, asked, "Gear, where are we at?"

Instead of answering, Gear shouted, "Stop!" abruptly halting the convoy. Before it came to a complete stop, she rushed out.

At first, Ryuji thought Gear was fleeing, even reaching for his waist. However, her sudden stop and gaze at an apparently empty area on the ground made him pause. 

As if she woke up after few seconds staring at the ground. Gear ran towards the nearest column, feeling it for something.

Gear's strange behavior, halting the convoy and embracing a column without apparent reason, exhausted Ryuji's patience. "What are you doing!? Before you get us killed..." He pulled out a weapon and aimed it at Gear, saying, "I'll do it."

"What the hell are YOU doing? We don't have time for this!" Magnificent exclaimed at Ryuji, as Night Corp's team continued to shoot toward the Hollows in increasing.

"What I should have done from the beginning with this doomed mission. Take command! I won't let Night Corp's forces be wasted because of this woman's lies," Ryuji replied firmly, unable to completely hide his fear of dying in his voice. 

Adding, "I knew we shouldn't have trusted her. It's my fault for not being able to change Miss Sienna's mind and that manipulative mercenary she fell for. At least, he should be dead by now."

"What did you say?!" Ryuji's ominous prediction about Sora's fate prompted Hiroyuki to swiftly point his JKE-X2 Kenshin at him before he even realized it. 

Curtis was surprised to see his usually silent and efficient companion lose his composure for the second time in a mission, both incidents related to the mercenary.

Without hesitation, Jackie stepped in front of the weapon aimed at Gear, saying, "Please, trust her. I'm sure she'll find what they're looking for." Jackie wasn't entirely sure what they were searching for, but he was convinced that Gear would discover it.

After hearing Jackie's unwavering words, with no hint of doubt in them, Gear tasted her own blood as she bit her lip forcefully, feeling the pressure on her shoulders

The sound of gunfire becoming more constant and the eerie hum of the Hollows growing louder served as a maddening reminder of time running out and what would happen to Jackie if she was wrong.

Only thinking about Jackie's well-being, Gear didn't give up and continued feeling the column. When examining the last section, she was interrupted by a shot from Night Corp's assistant. 

But it wasn't aimed at her or Jackie; instead, it hit one of the maintenance Spider Bots that descended upon her again.

One of the Spider-bots, due to the assistant's shot, crashed to the ground. This time, Gear dodged the one that fell on her with a small jump backward. Closing her fist tightly, she shouted, "Show yourself, damn it!"

Through the Spider Bot, Gear's red fist collided with the column's wall. A few meters away, a small terminal emerged from inside of it.

Without wasting a second, while dealing with two Spider Bots, impaling one with his mantis blade and simultaneously shooting another with his Iconic variant of the Arasaka JKE-X2 Kenshin, with a closed grip. Hiroyuki urged, "Curtis!" to focus on the new terminal.

"Yes," Magnificent stopped fighting, handed a weapon to Jackie, and ran towards the terminal. 

After studying it for a few seconds. Anyone who knew Curtis would surprised when he broke his calm expression upon encountering the complex security system inside the terminal, not being fortunate enough for it to be from Richard's era.

It was a complex code almost at the level of an ancient AI.

"Cover me; I'll need... a couple of minutes," Curtis said haltingly, causing Hiroyuki to stare at him for a moment, almost seeming as if his reliable Netwatch companion was lying.

Following Ryuji's orders, Night Corp's team moved the SUVs around the terminal and part of the column to use them as a barricade against the approaching Hollows.

The sound of gunfire echoed in the air as Night Corp's team, Ryuji, Hiroyuki, Gear, and Jackie, struggled to protect Curtis. Hollows advanced relentlessly, accompanied by the maintenance Spider Bots under the Master's control.

Curtis, in front of the terminal, sweating intensively while trying to decipher the complicated security code, exclaimed, "I need more time!" feeling the pressure of every passing second. Without taking his eyes off the screen, he added under his breath, "This is more complicated than I thought."

As they fought. Suddenly, a couple of Goliaths became visible in the new incoming wave of Hollows.

Quickly evaluating the situation, Ryuji, not allowing them to rushed towards them. He ordered Night Corp's team to "Use it"

Then, two members of Night Corp's special operations team, dressed in black armor, balaclavas, and a black armored visor covering most of their faces, quickly searched for something inside the SUVs.

Pulling out an RPG-7 [Stormburner] from Militech with an aerodynamic design, sleek lines, and angular details reflecting Militech's characteristic style.

Its main structure is built with reinforced polymer alloys and composite metals, offering durability and strength despite its lightweight. The predominant color is matte green, with Militech's yellow logo discreetly engraved on the rear.

While one member took out the RPG-7, the other team member pulled out a briefcase with the "R" for the RPG. 

Carefully opening it after placing it on the ground, the Night Corp member loaded the intimidating olive-green rocket into the launcher tube, tapping his companion's shoulder to indicate that everything was ready.

When the special operations member aimed and fired the Militech Stormburner, the underground seemed to freeze for a moment before returning to normal after the smoke and fragments dispersed, revealing the empty space where the two Goliaths, along with most of the new wave, had previously been. 

Now, there was practically no trace of them.

As the team began to suffer casualties with the two Night Corp members using the RPG being the focus of the Hollows' attacks, Hiroyuki couldn't help but shout, "Hurry up, Curtis!"

Quickly turning his attention back to the fight, Hiroyuki grabbed Jackie by the shoulder, pushing him to the ground just before the space he occupied was pierced by several electromagnetically launched bolts.

"Th-thanks," Jackie spat, looking with some fear at the bolts embedded in the wall right where he had been a moment ago.

While Curtis tried to bypass the security system, he was distracted for a second when a pool of blood from the first casualties reached around his foot. Faced with this, Curtis made a reckless decision.

With a swift move, he directly connected his neural interface to the terminal, ignoring standard procedures. His cyberspace merged with the security system, and his face reflected a mix of determination and effort as he felt his processor overload.

"Everyone, get ready." Suddenly, after Curtis's statement, sparks and electric discharges began to emanate from his cybernetic implants.

The overload of his Cyberware also overwhelmed the terminal's software, causing a change in the concrete floor near the column as the smell of burnt flesh, plastic, and metal emanated from Curtis, unconscious.

The team, watched as the entrance to the servers was revealed from the concrete floor, right in the area where Gear had been staring. After one of the blocks moved, a ramp was revealed, leading into a dark hallway with metal floors and walls.

Ryuji, with a mix of relief and satisfaction, shouted, "Everyone, fall back!" His eyes gleamed as the four battered SUVs turned on and began to move, controlled by Ryuji, who used them as a mobile barrier for the team to reach the entrance.

After they approached, Ryuji had them crash into the Hollows. 

Hiroyuki, with Jackie's help, carried the unconscious Curtis, smoke still coming from his back and neck, having burned his clothes and the Netrunner suit he wore underneath. 

When they were passing through Night Corp's special forces cordoning off the entrance, Hiroyuki, before Ryuji closed the server room door, said, "We have to wait for So- for Okami."

"The Mercenary? It's impossible that he survived so many enemies, and we can't afford to wait" the assistant replied without a hint of doubt or guilt for what he did next, with the Hollows practically on top of them.

"No! Wait—" Hiroyuki couldn't finish when a hit to the terminal, followed by a shot after the entrance started to close, made him stop talking.