OG: Chapter 28

The Debriefing that I went through with Suzie Q was pretty quick, honestly, she was more interested in the fact that I'd zeroed both Nikita Letov and Igor Baranov than she was in hearing about the fight with Aleksander Yurinov. Apparently, between the attacks on the Red Cyclone Bathhouse and the Hotel Vladivostok, we'd wound up zeroing around seventy-five Gangoons working as enforcers for the Night City Organiskaya. They only had one-hundred-fifty Boeviks in their entire Mob. They were down about half their full strength, with a lot of that weighted toward Preem enforcers rather than new blood or fresh recruits just off the boat.

Apparently, we'd done such a good job that we'd earned a Nova Bonus. Jaquito, V, and I each were getting an additional twenty grand for the day's fighting. Apparently, when Rita and Punchin' Judy had gone after the Tyger Claws Casino, they'd managed to Klep a bit over a million eddies from hacking the on-site database. Suzie Q was spreading it around to keep the Huscle, that was, us, from taking any alternative offers the Tyger Claws or Organiskaya might throw our way now that they were clearly losing. It was a decent plan, and the eddies were nova enough that I sure as shit wasn't gonna mention anything.

Apparently, Suzie Q was so confident that we'd crippled the opposition, she was sure the next time we went to Slammit On with the Organiskaya, we'd zero the rest of them and they'd be done. Jackie wasn't quite so confident. Apparently, they'd hired some Nova Huscle from back in the Old Country to augment what they had left. He filled V and I in on what he'd heard about the Huscle that the Organiskaya brought in to help out Aleksander Yurinov while we'd hunkered down at El Coyote Cojo for an evening a celebratory drinking.

"So, this Guy they hired, his handle is the Chechen, and he's about as Hard as the Russkies come these days. Former Spetznaz, sure, but that's just his education. He's damn seasoned to boot." Began Jackie.

"So what? He's a Former SovOil Cylon or something?" Questioned V.

"Worse. He's one of the Solos the SovOil Cylons called in when the rebels had too much heavy Iron." Informed Jackie.

"All right, how seasoned are we talking, here, Jaquito?" I queried.

"He was a veteran of the Kazakh Brushfire and Third Chechen Wars, even before going independent. He did jobs during the Caucasus War, fighting the Dagestanis for the Baku Soviet, taking on the South Ossetian and Abkhazian Separatists for the Tblisi Soviet, and fighting Circassian Rebels for the Central Government in Moscow. Then there was his work during the Ural Clearances. The Guy's no Gonk and cold as ice." Relayed Jackie.

"Ural Clearances?" Asked V.

"Nasty Biz. See, back in the twenty-forties, the last of the big Oil Reserves that SovOil could use to fund their operations were about to be tapped out, they had to diversify, but that takes time. Then, some of their survey teams found evidence of new oil sources deep in the Urals that might just give them the breathing room they needed to make the switch over to Choo-Two and other ventures. Only problem was that it was deep in Injun Country from their perspective." I informed.

"Injun Country for SovOil means anywhere there were Gonks who still held onto autonomous status from the previous century." Added Jackie.

"In this case, that's the Bashkirs and Udmurts. See, they'd had their Autonomy guaranteed by the Old Soviet Union back in the day, and the New Soviets had upheld that. These Gonks are non-Russian minorities in the Urals, and that brings with it a suspicion of the Corps from Moscow and the other big Cities." I continued.

"Smart of them. I'm guessing they refused to sell the land the Oil was under, and the Corpos sent the Cylons in to encourage them to bombshell?" Questioned V.

"Oh yeah. Bigtime. Only problem was, because they were Autonomous Republics, the Bashkirs and Udmurts had guns of their own. They started up a little guerrilla war in the Ural Mountains. That got SovOil to call in a shitload of Solos to help out their Cylons. The Chechen was one of them." Intoned Jackie.

"In case you're wondering, the Corpos won." I opined.

"Figures. What about this other Solo, Khanum?" Queried V.

"I don't know. She's new enough that if she has an extensive Jacket, it hasn't made the trip across the pond." Shrugged Jackie.

"She has to have zeroed someone important if she's being hired for the same Biz that the Chechen is." I pointed out.

"The Ograniskaya could just be getting desperate. We've zeroed a lot of their guys, after all. They could be pulling in anyone they can to reinforce their remaining Gangoons." Hedged V.

"I don't know, Choom. Seems a bit unlikely, especially if they can still afford Huscle like the Chechen." I mused.

"You want me to keep looking into her?" Asked Jackie.

"Yeah. See if you can't get anything concrete." I nodded.

As I said that, however, my Cranial implants notified me I had a message. Meredith Stout wanted to meet tomorrow afternoon. At the Afterlife. I flicked back that I would be there, and took a sip from my Calavera Feliz as I pondered that. The Afterlife, there was a time I would've killed to just be in there, but now that I've actually experienced what this World has to offer? I felt like I had outgrown or was close to outgrowing Night City entirely, Afterlife, and all. In a world where things were low-enough sci-fi that Mass Drivers were rare, I was able to work with Vibranium, Adamantium, Uru, and so on. It just wasn't a good fit for me anymore. Still, it was only right that I go in there at least once before jumping out of here, right?

"Ernesto? You home?" Questioned Jackie, knocking me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, hermano. What's the Sitch?" I queried.

"You looked like you were pretty lost in thought there." Mused V.

"I just got a message about some biz I gotta take care of tomorrow, is all." I shrugged.

"What Biz would that be?" Asked Jackie.

"You remember when I told you two about getting sent a Gig by Millitech?" I questioned.

"I thought you handled that already?" Queried V.

"I did, but now I gotta give a report. The Face wants it in person." I answered.

"When tomorrow?" Asked Jackie.

"The afternoon, which means I'm gonna have to bombshell soon." I responded.

"Que Onda! At least have a shot with us before you go!" Groused Jackie.

"Yeah, Jackie's ordered a bottle of Centzon Totochtin Indigo!" Insisted V.

"Fine. One shot, Jaquito." I agreed.

Soon enough, the Bottle came over and with it, three shot glasses. Jackie poured out one for each of us, and I took my glass and raised it into the air, joining the shot glasses held by Jackie and V. I nodded to both of them before grinning.

"Arriba, abajo, al centro y para dentro!" I grinned in a toast, moving my shot glass around before downing it. Jackie snorted and followed my movements, doing the same thing. V just looked confused at the both of us. I waggled my eyebrows at her as the tequila burned down my gullet.

"What was that about?" Questioned V.

"It's a traditional toast. Up, down, to the center, and in." I grinned.

"Mexican?" Queried V.

"Si, es verdad." I nodded.

"Don't worry. Ernesto here might have to bombshell, but I'll teach you." Chuckled Jackie.

"And on that note, I really do have to bombshell." I remarked.

And with that, I left a couple hundred Eddies on the table and made my way out of El Coyote Cojo and toward my Paladin Five-Hundred. I got into my Armored Vehicle Masquerading as a Street-Legal Car and drove off toward my Apartment. As I did so, Stanley Media seemed to be giving a nighttime broadcast regarding the ongoing Japantown Gang War. Apparently, today had been the Bloodiest Day yet in the Japantown War, a confirmed one-hundred-thirty bodies had hit the floor, which sounded about right for the amount that we'd zeroed with Suzie Q's grand offensive.

They were calling it Bloody Tuesday, the single deadliest bout of Gang Violence since the Time of the Red, which wasn't as interesting as the fact that Mayor Lucius Rhyne was apparently calling a special session of the Night City Council slated for Monday. Apparently, if the War didn't stop by then, he was going to have no choice but to ask the Night City Council to declare Japantown an active combat zone. As I pulled into the Megabuilding which my Apartment was situated in, I reflected that he probably wouldn't get the chance. The fighting was winding down thanks to our efforts. All that was left now was the final push, and we'd win this.

Of course, in the event that didn't happen, it'd go to a vote, and I was pretty sure at least Saka and Dynalar would move to block it, Saka cause of the Biz they did out in Japantown and Dynalar because I seriously doubted they wanted their bigass corporate campus to effectively be in the One Block. It would be too close to a Combat Zone for the Corpses in the Dynalar C-Suite to feel comfortable with.

For now, though, I had things to do. I had to recycle my armor, as the constant combat had worn through various components, and the chestpiece had taken damage in the fight with Aleksander Yurinov. I was having my Autofactory replicate a new one, while also moving over to my new library addition to my living space. While the Autofactory and Workshop were situated in the same, large, extradimensional space, I had recently gained a library of various magical books and tomes. Mostly, these were for rituals, alchemy formations, and enchantment schematics, but a few were something that getting down would be immediately useful. Namely, the Shadow Clone Scroll and the Chakra Opening Books.

The Latter would, if I understood the diagrams correctly, not only allow me to access more mystical energy, but would, in theory, allow me to access various energy sources. Chi, Chakra, Spiritual Energy, maybe even Psychic Energy, though I was a bit leery of that, since the acupuncture diagrams for that required me to effectively stick needles into my spine and the base of my skull, something I definitely wasn't prepared to do without a way to unring that bell if it turns out that I fucked up. I'd start with Elemental Nations Chakra first, since that was what I needed for Shadow Clones.

Of course, the books didn't call it that, instead calling it Prana, but it was the same mixture of Physical and Spiritual Energy as Elemental Nations Chakra. I'd imagine things would get confusing quickly if they used the Elemental Nations term for it while using the regular terms for the Chakras of the Body. Regardless, if I could successfully manage to awaken my Prana, then just having Shadow Clones was gonna make everything I did so much easier.

Of course, the way to unlock that particular energy required unlocking Chi and Spiritual Energy first, which was annoying. Fortunately, each of those only required a few Acupuncture Needles placed in a few areas to open up a specific Chakra. In the case of Spiritual Energy, that was the Crown Chakra, and in the case of Chi, that was the Solar Plexus Chakra. Fortunately, both were more well understood than Prana. It seemed it would be a two-day process, as I would need to open those Chakras first before placing needles to open the Heart Chakra and allow a space for Chi and Spiritual Energy to mix and form the Prana. Opening the Heart Chakra could knock you out for up to twelve hours, and that wasn't something I was prepared for with the meeting tomorrow afternoon. I would have to do it afterward.

Once I had everything set up, I began to insert the needles into my pathways, priming them with Mystical Energy and Alchemical Oils as I did so. The proper placement required several mirrors and painstaking effort, which was why I was glad I hadn't stayed behind at El Coyote Cojo to drink with Jaquito and V. In the end, however, I managed it, and a sudden wave of lethargy overcame me as my body began to adapt to the new energies coursing through it. The Books warned me that this would likely happen, though I would only be asleep for eight hours instead of twelve. In the end, I managed to shrug off my boots and climb into bed before fully losing consciousness.

As I slept, I dreamed of a vision of my enemies sent to me by Hepheastus. . .

XXXX

Wakako Okada was furious! They had dared to attack Jig-Jig Street! The heart of her power! How dare the Mox do such a thing? It was unconscionable! Of course, that was how she felt inwardly, outwardly, her anger was far more controlled. She could not afford to be seen ranting and raving. Not now, not when those still left needed stable leadership to guide them through this crisis. The fact that over a dozen of her personal guard had been slain in a diversionary attack on her Pachinko Parlor galled her, as had the attacks on Clouds and the Sea Bar Casino. Both of those attacks had been more devastating from a loss of blood and treasure perspective, but attacking her directly was a loss of Giri.

That could not stand. She had to zero the perpetrators and make an example. The only problem was that with the fighting having gotten so out of control, her faction was losing strength at an unsustainable pace. The Tyger Claws may have had over five thousand members, but in actuality, those members were spread out between multiple cities. San Francisco, the LA Metroplex, Oakland, and San Diego all had branches. In reality, Night City only had one thousand Tyger Claws within its borders. Of those, she could only have called upon four hundred or so as part of her Faction, and that had been at the start of the War.

Really, the Lion's Share of Members was loyal to Burai. Of course, Burai was loyal to Hayato and really tended to be hands-off when it came to factional politics. That was, of course, unless something big happened to change that. Wakako losing more than half the members of her faction in a matter of a few weeks of warfare might just be that sort of issue, along with the loss of Millions of Eddies at both Clouds and the Sea Bar Casino. That was why she had come to the Nakagawa Kabuki Theater in the Eponymous District. She had decided it was better to call for a meeting rather than to wait and be summoned to one. Perhaps by showing initiative, she could lessen the loss of Giri to a non-fatal level.

Of course, she had expected only to see Burai and Hayato there. She had not expected to see the heads of the Branches of San Francisco, LA, Oakland, and San Diego as well. That didn't bode well for her, especially not with Osawa and Chiba here. The Heads of the San Diego and LA Branches had more reason than most to dislike Wakako, as she had been responsible for both men being sent out of Night City to take charge of San Diego and LA. They could have challenged her for dominance in Japantown, after all, especially in those chaotic days in the aftermath of her late husband's death. They had been too well-connected to zero, but not connected enough to avoid the soft exile of being sent to another city.

As Wakako bowed and took her place at the foot of the table, Hayato cleared his throat, speaking up as loudly as his current, crippled, state would allow him from his wheelchair. It was clearly time to begin this meeting.

"Wakako-San, it has come to my attention that you have taken advantage of my recent illness to start a war in Japantown without prior approval. A war that has seen hundreds of our loyal Tyger Claws zeroed and millions of Eddies lost." Intoned Hayato.

"Who would say such things, I wonder?" Asked Wakako.

"Do you deny it?" Questioned Burai.

"Whether I deny or not, I do not need to do so to you, Burai." Intoned Wakako.

"But you do need to do it to me. Answer his question, Wakako-San. Do you deny starting a war in Japantown that has seen many of our men zeroed and millions of eddies Klepped by the enemy or lost altogether?" Queried Hayato.

"I did start a war, but it is not yet over. I still have allies that can bolster our forces, and we can strike back." Hedged Wakako.

"And how do you plan to do that?" Asked Chiba, the Oyabun of the LA Tyger Claws was a large man, bald and scarred. Wakako knew that if he removed his shirt to show it, then a tattoo of a Bear trampling a snake would be visible across his back, one which doubled as a dermal imprint for fooling scans.

"We know who it is that is giving us so much trouble. It's the Mox, and they are uniquely vulnerable. They have even fewer enforcers remaining than we do, and their primary strength lies in Techies and Netrunners. Both of those require infrastructure to work properly, one sharp blow aimed at Lizzie's Bar will shatter their knees, I know it!" Insisted Wakako.

"And these allies, you speak of the Russians?" Questioned Osawa, the Oyabun of the San Diego Tyger Claws. Osawa was still a beautiful woman all these years later, though that was largely based on the anti-aging treatments she paid hundreds of thousands of Eddies for every year. Wakako could never justify spending upwards of three-quarters of a million Eddies on such a thing personally, she wasn't that vain, after all. Osawa was, and the Kitsune Tattoo across her back fit her perfectly, while simultaneously doubling as an ECM Dermal Imprint.

"The Organiskaya have proven to be capable allies. I have no reason to doubt that they will abandon us. They have too much Giri of their own for that." Answered Wakako.

"The Organiskaya is in no position to help us do anything. They were hit even harder than we were. Both of the Night City Branch's Avtoritets, their Obschak, their Sovietnik, and half of their Boeviks were zeroed in attacks on the Red Cyclone Bathhouse and Hotel Vladivostok at the same time as Clouds and Jig-Jig Street." Pointed out Burai.

That was news to Wakako. Of course, she hadn't been in contact with their Pakhan since before the attacks. She'd had to deal with her own losses first before she could even think of talking to her allies. If true, this was not good news for her. This was a colossal problem that she'd stepped into and one that she likely wouldn't be able to walk out of.

"Wakako-San, you should know that we were speaking before you arrived. This council has decided, and I agree, to strip you of your Giri. You are to be declared Yono, unfit to do business or associate with by anyone of Giri. However, because of our history, I will give you one week to pack and leave Night City. Then, I must turn my back on you entirely." Announced Hayato.

"So that is that, then? There is no alternative?" Queried Wakako.

"The alternative is that I accept your Seppuku here and now. This is a bad situation, Wakako-San. I cannot ignore it, not even for you." Intoned Hayato.

"I see. In that case, may I be allowed to leave? I have affairs to arrange." Asked Wakako.

"You may. I am truly sorry it came to this, for what it's worth." Affirmed Hayato.

Wakako Okada said nothing, simply made her way out of the meeting room, and began to make her way back to her penthouse. It would take her a few days to get her affairs in order. She had been integral to the running of things in Japantown, and a lot of her eddies were tied up in various pieces of Biz around the district that she would need to liquidate or divest from. It would be best that she get a head start on that now.

In the meeting room that she had just left, however, the talk had turned to salvaging the situation. In the end, Nakagawa Hayato, AKA Shinobu the Second, had decided to reach out to offer peace to the Mox. He would agree to certain concessions if it meant saving face from this debacle and salvaging some Giri from the situation. Burai, however, only frowned behind the bright red oni mask he habitually wore. Wakako had been allowed to get her affairs in order. That was unacceptable, as if she had time to get her affairs in order, she had time to scheme, or perhaps even collude with the authorities. She had enough information on the Tyger Claws' operations to bury everyone in this meeting room twice over and now lacked the Giri to restrain her from doing so.

In the end, Burai would send one of his men to Wakako's Penthouse in the night to act as a Shinobi. It would take a few days to arrange, but by the Week's end, Wakako Okada would be meeting with her ancestors in the Pure Land. It was unfortunate, but such loose ends could not be allowed to remain free. It had to be done.

Even if he had to go behind Nakagawa-Sama's Back to do it. . .

XXXX

I woke from my slumber and the visions of Wakako's impending doom as my alarm blared out and the energetic tones of Stanley Media rang out over the airwaves. I swung out of bed, pulling out the acupuncture needles that had still been stuck in my body, feeling way more refreshed than I had ever been previously on waking up. Even after my body had acclimated to the Super Soldier Serum, I hadn't felt this good. I made my way into my Autofactory and checked on the progress of my new armor. It was finished, and with a grin, I grabbed it and took it into the magical section of my workshop for enchanting and treating with Alchemical Substances.

That part of the armor creation process took the rest of the morning and into the afternoon, as I had to brew alchemical oils and waxes, set up enchanting formations and scribe runes, and actually apply all those things to the armor itself. By the end, I had a brand new suit of armor that could shrug off most of the stuff I would run into out there. Now, however, I had to shower, change, and head to the Afterlife for my debriefing with Meredith Stout. Fifteen minutes later, I was on my way out the door, armed and armored once again.

The Afterlife was a decommissioned morgue, down a flight of stairs underground. You couldn't just walk in off the street, not unless you had enough Rep or a Referral. Fortunately, it seemed I satisfied both criteria as the Bouncer, a bigass Animal named Emerick Bronson nodded at me as I approached.

"Big E. Been wondering when you were gonna show up here." He grunted.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later." I shrugged.

"Apparently. Took you long enough." Huffed Emerick.

"I've been busy." I pointed out.

"So I hear, first you help kick Sixth Street out of town, now you're doing the same with the Tyger Claws and Organiskaya. Rogue was starting to wonder if you were ever gonna take a break from zeroing gangoons to stop in." Rumbled Emerick.

"I'm here now, you gonna let me in?" I questioned.

"Yeah, go on through. There's a blonde waiting for you down there. Screams Corpo to me, so hindsight twenty-twenty." Warned Emerick.

"I know." I nodded, then I made my way down and into the afterlife.

Down here, under the street level, everything had a neon glow. Blues, Greens, and Yellows abounded as I bellied up to the bar and ordered a Calavera Feliz, and the pounding sounds of chromatic rock filled the entire bar, drowning out conversations to all but the direct participants. As that came out, I noticed someone take a seat next to me. A familiar shock of blonde hair and a glimpse of a cocksure smirk from the corner of my eye revealed that Meredith Stout was here before she even spoke one word.

"Bourbon Lancer, please." Ordered Meredith Stout. As the bartender moved to make her drink, I turned to face the Corpo I was here to meet, nodding at her as I sipped my beer.

"Miss Stout." I greeted her.

"Ernesto. Tell me you have good news." She demanded.

"I have good news. I was able to accomplish all but one objective." I confirmed.

"I see. I can guess which one. Do you have the others with you?" She queried.

"I do." I nodded.

"Then we're gonna need a full debriefing. Fortunately, the Afterlife has private rooms exactly for such things." Meredith mused as her drink order came out.

"One second, before you leave to handle whatever Biz you've got, Rogue wanted me to ask you about your drink. You're Big E, right?" Asked the Bartender.

"I am. Rogue wants me to pick a drink?" I questioned.

"Yeah, she's been hearing about you going after all those Gangoons. First Sixth Street, now the Organiskaya and Tyger Claws. She's pretty sure you're gonna burn out rather than fade away, and wanted me to lock down a drink for you. I'm Claire, by the way, Claire Russel." Informed the Bartender, Claire.

I wasn't sure how to take the fact that Rogue thought I was gonna get zeroed in a blaze of glory soon, so instead I focused on something else. I focused on what exactly I wanted my drink to be. Honestly, if Rogue thought I was gonna get zeroed soon, I might as well play into that with my drink.

"One part beer, one part gin, one part vodka, one part vermouth, one part rye, one part rum, one part brandy, and one part bourbon all served in a beer glass." I offered.

"What do you call that?" Queried Meredith.

"I call it a Blockbuster." I grinned.

"Well, now it's Big E." Smirked Claire.

"It's a one-way ticket to the drunk tank, is what it is." Scoffed Meredith.

"It's good for when you don't wanna think about stuff for a while." I shrugged.

Something in Meredith's face softened just a touch before it slipped right back into her normal haughty Corpo Bitch Mask. How would she know what that was like? She didn't seem Old Enough to have someone zeroed in front of her during the Fourth Corporate War, and if she'd fought in the Unification War, it wasn't on the front lines. Not with the way her life turned out. Looks could be deceiving, though, and even though all the preem anti-aging treatments were Draga enough to cost six figures, I bet that there were Corpo Benefits packages that included them.

"Come on, let's head to a private room for a debriefing." Insisted Meredith.

She led me over to the back rooms, where in another timeline, Dex Deshawn would have conned V and Jackie into making the biggest mistake of their lives with the Saka heist. She took a seat on one of the sofas lining the wall of one of the back rooms and nodded at me as she sipped her drink.

"All right, first, let's hear how the Gig went. In detail, please." Intoned Meredith.

So I told her. About hijacking the security systems, about zeroing the Cylons inside, about the Combat Robot and all the other projects, about the Scientists and Corpos that needed to be zeroed, about accomplishing the objectives, and most of all, about sanitizing the facility and also tipping the Wraiths off that there was a shitload of Iron, Eddies, and who knows what else unclaimed just waiting to be Klepped, ensuring the Wraiths would be caught on camera looting the site so that Saka would think that their local security had hazed them instead of it being a Millitech Gig.

This I backed up by flicking Meredith the detes on various projects that I'd klepped the data of, including the ones she wanted for bonuses, but also the Combat Robot that had been a surprise. By the end, Meredith Stout looked suitably impressed as her ocular chrome flashed in the telltale way that indicated she was poring over data she'd just been flicked.

"This is better than I could have hoped! Between this and the molehunt, my next promotion's locked in. I'll be a shoo-in for Night City Branch President once Thorston gets his next bump!" Exclaimed Meredith.

"You sound happy." I commented.

"That's because I am. You know, when I decided to contact you, I thought it was a long shot, you could be as good as Blackhand, but you probably wouldn't be. You delivered, though. You delivered more than I expected. That calls for a reward." Smirked Meredith.

"You already promised me bonuses." I pointed out.

"I did, but I think this calls for something more. A thorough debriefing. Very thorough." Grinned Meredith.

"Is that so? What did you have in mind?" I asked.

"Meet me at the No-Tell Motel in three hours, and I'll show you." Retorted Meredith.

And with that, Meredith Stout stood up and sashayed her way back out of the back rooms with a bit of extra sway in her hips that the form-fitting skirt she wore only seemed to accentuate. Was I going to get in bed with a Corpo literally? Would that be considered selling out? I wasn't sure, and I honestly wasn't sure I cared. By the time the rendezvous was scheduled to happen, I found myself at the No-Tell Motel, regardless of any feelings of selling out to the Corpos that this little bit of Stuffit might elicit.

Meredith Stout, it turned out, was a bit of a freak in bed. She liked being choked, but she also liked to switch it up in terms of roles, too. Honestly, I wasn't sure about the whole thing, but fair was fair, and it wasn't like a bit of candle wax was gonna actually do anything to me. Turnabout was fair play, though, and by the time we were on round three, I managed to find myself back on top. The details after the third go got a bit hazy, what with the multiple rounds and all the booze. Suffice it to say, I didn't make it back to my apartment to try opening my Heart Chakra to mix my Spiritual Energy and Chi into Prana tonight, though.

When I woke up the next morning, I found myself a hundred-twenty-grand richer in Eddies. Meredith, however, was gone, having left a note that she'd contact me when she needed my services again.

And I could only blame Bullshit Corpo Recovery Chrome for that. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, here's the next chapter. The MC gets a bunch of stuff done, crucially, he turns in his mission for Meredith Stout, and begins working on Chi and Spiritual Energy in preparation for working on Chakra from Naruto, which his MCU Mystic Books are calling Prana. That will serve him well in the next jump. Of course, he also gets his own little version of Venus in Furs, but that's incidental. The most notable thing here is that Wakako is out of power in Japantown and the Tyger Claws, soon to be assassinated, and the Tyger Claws are suing for peace with the Mox without the Organiskaya.

At any rate, the next chapter will be the start of the final attack on the Organiskaya. I'll also have character sheets updated and out before then as well. We don't have much left in Cyberpunk to go after this. It's pretty much finishing off the Organiskaya, and Aleksander Yurinov along with it, now. Then the MC will be jumping out to his next world.

Stay tuned. . .