"Control Seisen. Wait for my arrival."
As Arasaka Seisen read aloud the hidden meaning embedded in the ciphered code, Karl paused in thought.
There was no doubt that this order had come from someone at the top—and judging by the content, the sender would be arriving in Night City soon.
"Seisen."
The message referred to him by name, and there were very few individuals in Japan with the authority—and audacity—to issue such a command directly.
In fact, within the Arasaka hierarchy, only a select few had the power to give an order like this.
And considering that the message used a World War II-era encryption method—a relic of a bygone age—it left little doubt as to who had sent it.
"Saburo Arasaka… is he coming to Night City?"
The emperor of Arasaka. Born in 1919. Now 158 years old and still the supreme leader of the megacorporation—was personally making his way to the city.
"Well, now that's big news."
Karl glanced at Seisen, who seemed deep in thought. "If he's coming, then we've got almost the entire Arasaka family gathered in Night City. Aside from Hanako—if she shows up—it's basically a full family reunion."
Seisen shot Karl a look. "A backstabbing family reunion. Every time someone attends, someone else ends up dead. And given your job as my bodyguard, you'll be there too."
"Eighty-two years old and still worried about dying young?"
Karl gave Seisen a smirk. "Still, I hope nothing too nasty goes down at the gathering."
"Then I might need to increase your pay."
That comment drew thoughtful expressions from the rest of Karl's crew.
When do you get a raise?
One: when the job gets way too dangerous and the client feels guilty.
Two: when the job expands and demands more than originally agreed.
Seisen didn't say which it was—but the implication was clear. Whatever was about to happen… was already set in motion.
"A raise, huh…" Oliver muttered.
"Guess we better get ready then," Jack nodded.
"Elite Arasaka agents from Japan, huh? Saburo Arasaka's personal troops... the so-called Hundred-Man Squad."
V's eyes gleamed with excitement. "I've heard the rumors for ages. But I wasn't part of the team back then. Never got to test myself against them. Wonder what they're really like."
"You just can't resist a tough fight, can you?" Karl sighed. "I thought you'd be worried. Instead, you're getting fired up. Do you really need to be this hyped about a fight?"
Still, even Karl had to admit—there was a thrill bubbling in his chest.
Back when they had encountered one of the Hundred-Man Squad, the guy had been a discard. A sacrificial pawn. Karl hadn't even been involved in taking him down. He still had no idea how strong Saburo's actual inner circle of guards really was.
Karl's impressions of the squad were shaped by two people:
One was Chiyome.
Kenichiro once told him that if it hadn't been for her origins, she could have been part of the Hundred-Man Squad.
The other was Takemura Goro.
Karl had heard from Hanako that Takemura had originally been trained for the squad, but was instead promoted due to his outstanding performance—becoming Saburo Arasaka's personal bodyguard.
Both of them ranked among the top five fighters Karl had ever seen. If their level of skill represented the squad's standard, then the Hundred-Man Squad was terrifying.
Just imagining a hundred fighters at Chiyome's level made Karl's scalp prickle.
But then he remembered the squad member who had broken away—later taken out by combined efforts of Brown and Maine's teams. That guy had been hunted down by Chiyome and ultimately eliminated without much effort. If that was the average skill level of the squad…
Then maybe the Hundred-Man Squad wasn't all that impressive after all.
After all, that operative had been officially deployed. He couldn't have been the weakest link. If he represented the average, or even slightly above average…
Karl's brows, which had furrowed at the thought of Chiyome and Takemura's prowess, gradually relaxed.
He had been thinking about it the wrong way.
Chiyome and Takemura didn't reflect the norm of the Hundred-Man Squad—they were exceptional precisely because they weren't part of it.
One was a former bodyguard for Michiko Arasaka who went on to guard Hanako. The other, Saburo's personal shadow. Their abilities were beyond the squad's standard. That disposable agent? That was the true average of the Hundred-Man Squad.
If that guy was their benchmark…
Karl recalled the footage Maine and Brown had transmitted after finishing the job. His conclusion:
Nothing special.
Not bad. But nothing that would cause Karl serious trouble.
If they were all at that level, then even a hundred wouldn't be too much to handle.
Karl felt confident that his team could stand their ground—maybe even wipe them all out.
Of course, he wouldn't assume there were no outliers. Just in case there were elite-level ninjas in the mix, Karl figured he'd better spend the next few days prepping.
At the very least, he needed to fully adapt to the neural sync chamber and grow accustomed to that eerie sense of foresight it offered.
While Karl was lost in thought, Seisen had already finished packing up the laptop—clearly intending to study it further back at base. Meanwhile, Jack and the others looted the apartment for valuables.
As for why they only took physical items?
What valuables do the Tiger Claws usually have? Vehicles, cyberware, real estate.
The apartment? Couldn't move it.
Cyberware? The guy from Japan barely had anything worth salvaging.
Vehicles? High-end rides were too much hassle. Biometric-locked keys meant they'd have to hack and scrub IDs, then verify them in the garage. Too time-consuming. Cash was just easier.
Once everyone was done, Karl spoke:
"Time to move."
He could already hear police sirens drawing closer.
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