"€12,000 bounty…" Arthur murmured quietly after checking the updated NCPD record. "Not twelve. Twelve thousand."
He almost laughed.
Either the NCPD system had lagged earlier, or someone had "misplaced" a zero in Satoni's file.
Kickbacks?
Data tampering?
In Night City, nothing surprising.
Satoni, however, had not checked any database.
He only saw one thing—
Arthur Vale standing calmly in front of Puff Bar, surrounded by people.
As a 6th Street Gang member operating in Santo Domingo, Satoni was bold in his own territory.
He was the classic bully.
Respect the strong.
Step on the weak.
Borrow power from the gang's name.
In his mind, nobody in Santo Domingo would dare oppose 6th Street openly.
He ignored Dorothy.
Arguing with a woman—even if you win—was pointless.
Instead, he swaggered toward Arthur, smiling mockingly.
"Didn't expect the owner of Puff Bar to be this young."
He lifted his hand.
He intended to slap Arthur's cheek lightly.
A gesture of humiliation.
But—
BANG.
"Aaah—!"
Satoni's hand froze mid-air.
In the next instant, he grabbed his head and collapsed to the ground.
Behind him, the three other 6th Street members dropped simultaneously.
Screaming.
Convulsing.
The entire bar went silent.
"What happened?"
"Did their cyber-eyes just short out?"
"Is there a netrunner attacking?"
"Quiet! Brother Arthur hasn't spoken!"
Arthur's pupils dimmed as data streams vanished from his vision.
This was not a simple hack.
Since unlocking deeper control of his virtual soul, Arthur had discovered something.
If a Puppet Trojan was a network-level invasion tool—
Then direct signal manipulation was something else entirely.
Electromagnetic pulse.
Sonic frequency resonance.
Localized neural interference.
He hadn't touched the Net.
He hadn't triggered ICE.
He had simply used precise vibrational disruption focused on the optic implants and neural link ports.
Result?
Temporary overload.
Localized nervous system shock.
Satoni rolled on the ground.
His cyber-eye displayed static.
The electric surge felt like his brain was being cooked from the inside.
Arthur looked down at him calmly.
"Satoni," he said softly. "Seems like you won't be collecting your harmony fee today."
He paused.
"Go back. Tell your boss I'm just a ripperdoc. I'm not interested in gang politics. If he wants to talk, he can come for a drink."
Satoni trembled.
"You… how dare you… touch me…"
Arthur did not respond.
He gestured casually.
"Throw them out."
The 6th Street members were dragged outside like broken mannequins.
Arthur did not kill them.
There was no need.
Dead men brought revenge.
Living men brought opportunity.
If the 6th Street leader came personally—
Arthur could deal with him.
A chip installed at the right time solved many future problems.
Dorothy spat toward the street.
"Trash. Coming here to cause trouble."
Arthur stood quietly.
His mind was already analyzing consequences.
6th Street was large.
Nearly three thousand members.
Veteran background.
Heavy firearms.
Plenty of Sandevistan users.
Satoni was insignificant.
But escalation was possible.
Conclusion?
Destiny Church needed stronger security infrastructure.
Arthur could not personally handle every conflict.
If he continued doing everything himself, expansion would stall.
As he stepped outside, his gaze swept the street casually—
And stopped.
Familiar face.
Spiky black hair.
School uniform.
Arasaka Academy logo.
Arthur narrowed his eyes slightly.
David Martinez.
The future edge runner.
The boy who would one day clash with Adam Smasher.
Talented.
Resilient.
Dangerously adaptable.
In Arthur's opinion, David had greater raw potential than Bane.
No background.
No connections.
Yet he would rise through sheer will.
Arthur had once considered recruiting him.
Now the opportunity stood in front of him.
Original storyline?
Meaningless.
Arthur believed in one rule:
"Fate is taken, not followed."
David was still young.
Still driven by his mother's dream.
But that didn't matter.
Strong individuals shaped the world.
Weak ones adapted.
Arthur turned to Dorothy.
"See that boy in Arasaka uniform?"
Dorothy followed his gaze.
"Yeah?"
"Go beat him up. Bring him to the workshop."
Dorothy blinked.
"…What?"
Arthur walked away calmly.
"I'll be waiting."
Dorothy shrugged.
Reasons didn't matter.
If Brother Arthur said so—
She would do it.
---
David walked alone toward school.
He ignored the four gang members thrown from Puff Bar.
Street violence was background noise in Santo Domingo.
If you stared too long, you got dragged in.
If you got dragged in, you paid.
He kicked an empty aluminum can lightly.
It rolled across the cracked pavement.
Then—
A shadow blocked his path.
Bright red hair.
Shaved sides.
Wild rooster-like spikes.
Tattooed arms covered in aggressive designs.
Dorothy.
David frowned.
He stepped sideways to walk around her.
A leg wrapped in fishnet stockings extended and blocked him.
"Uh?"
Dorothy grinned.
"Kid. You messed with the wrong person. Someone paid me to teach you a lesson."
David's eyes widened.
"Σ(っ°Д°;)っ!!!"
"That bastard Tanaka hired assassins?!"
Dorothy paused.
"…What?"
Before she could clarify—
David turned and ran.
Fast.
Faster than she expected.
Dorothy cursed and sprinted after him.
David wasn't trained.
But fear was powerful motivation.
He zigzagged through pedestrians.
Dodged a vendor stall.
Slid under a hanging banner.
Dorothy closed distance quickly.
"Stop running!"
"Why would I stop?!"
David leaped over a low barrier—
And Dorothy grabbed his collar mid-air.
They both crashed to the ground.
"Oof!"
David struggled wildly.
"I didn't do anything!"
Dorothy pinned him easily.
"Relax, brat. You're not dying."
David stared up at her.
Confused.
"Then why are you attacking me?!"
Dorothy thought for a moment.
"…My boss wants to see you."
"Your boss? I don't know any gangs!"
Dorothy smirked.
"You will."
She lifted him by the collar.
David kicked.
Failed.
Ten minutes later—
They reached the workshop.
Dorothy shoved the door open.
"Brother Arthur. Delivery."
David stumbled forward.
Arthur stood by the workbench, calm as ever.
He studied the boy carefully.
David stared back.
Suspicious.
Defensive.
"What do you want?" David asked.
Arthur walked closer.
"Your name is David Martinez."
David froze.
"How do you know that?"
Arthur ignored the question.
"You live with your mother. She works double shifts. You attend Arasaka Academy on scholarship. You hate it."
David's breathing tightened.
Arthur's voice remained even.
"You want power."
David clenched his fists.
"So what?"
Arthur smiled faintly.
"I can give you something better than school."
Dorothy leaned against the wall, watching.
David hesitated.
Suspicion battled curiosity.
Arthur stepped aside.
"Sit."
David didn't move.
Arthur continued:
"You can keep chasing someone else's dream."
He tapped the workbench lightly.
"Or you can build your own."
Silence filled the workshop.
Outside, Night City hummed.
Inside—
A turning point formed.
David swallowed.
"…What exactly are you offering?"
Arthur's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Opportunity."
And for the first time—
David didn't run.
_______________________________
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