"Thank you for allowing me to examine the bodies, Lord Arasaka." With permission granted, Takemura Goro crouched to inspect the corpses. Wit
"Thank you for allowing me to examine the bodies, Lord Arasaka."
With permission granted, Takemura Goro crouched to inspect the corpses. With his sharp eyes and cyberware, he quickly determined that the deceased had all died within minutes of one another—almost exactly when Saburo Arasaka had fallen.
Judging by the wounds, their deaths came shortly after Saburo's.
Their cause of death…
Takemura noted the fine slashes on their necks, still faintly bleeding, and understood instantly.
They had been in the middle of charging when someone slit their throats with clean, precise strikes.
Whoever did this had to be armed with a monomolecular weapon and capable of killing four assassins in a single instant.
Takemura glanced at Karl, the mercenary stationed beside Senno Arasaka.
According to intel, Karl carried a monowire. With his skillset, dispatching four incoming attackers that quickly wouldn't be a problem. And the timing lined up.
But one critical discrepancy stood out in Takemura's mind:
Saburo had died first.
Then the assassins had been neutralized.
That gap in timing raised questions.
Was this whole attack orchestrated by Senno?
Did he have Saburo assassinated… and then order Karl to silence the hit squad?
As Takemura's grief slowly gave way to clarity, suspicion began creeping in again. Had Senno orchestrated it all?
But if Senno was truly responsible, would he have allowed Takemura to examine the bodies?
Still unsure, Takemura ventured cautiously, "May I ask exactly what happened, Lord Arasaka?"
"I didn't see clearly."
That vague answer made Takemura's heart skip—but then Senno added,
"It all happened so fast. I saw nothing. My father was assassinated—killed by cowardly scum. I nearly died myself. If Karl hadn't saved me, you would've failed your duty twice today!"
Senno's indignant tone—infused with post-trauma outrage and that same old reckless arrogance he had shown for the last fifty years—was oddly convincing. The doubts forming in Takemura's heart faded once more.
He bowed, apologizing again for his lapse.
Then he turned to Karl—the man who had killed the attackers.
"Could you tell me what happened in detail? The information might help us determine who was behind this."
Karl didn't hesitate.
He nodded. "Saburo and Senno were arguing. The topic was family—things got heated."
That didn't surprise Takemura.
Karl continued. "As the shouting escalated, I heard a door open. The bathroom."
Takemura's gaze shifted toward the bathroom.
Earlier, when they had arrived with Saburo, no full sweep had been done—at Saburo's direct order. The bathroom and shower were the only blind spots in the suite.
If the attackers had hidden there...
Takemura's cybernetic interface activated, drawing on lingering clearance from Saburo's authority. Surveillance intel flickered across his retinal display.
Three key data points stood out:
First, the intruders were identified as Militech personnel, who had infiltrated the Konpeki Plaza earlier in the day under the guise of guests.
Second, the Plaza's netrunner suite had been breached. The attack occurred around the same time the intruders checked in. The source of the breach? A Militech prototype Flathead.
Third, surveillance footage showed the group entering the suite while Karl and Senno had gone downstairs for drinks. The footage was unaltered and timestamped—just two minutes before Saburo and Takemura had arrived.
The pieces aligned in Takemura's mind.
Militech agents had been after something.
The Relic.
They were targeting the Relic Senno had stolen from Saburo. When Saburo's unexpected arrival disrupted the plan, they hid in the bathroom.
When the argument between Saburo and Senno began, the intruders emerged.
Yes. That had to be it.
Saburo had demanded the Relic's return. With their cover blown, the Militech agents made a desperate move—charging from the bathroom to kill both Arasakas and escape.
Bold. Reckless.
Militech bastards.
Takemura's fists clenched.
Karl continued his account: "When they burst out, one of them activated a Sandevistan. They were too fast. I shielded Senno and used my monowire to take them out."
"And after that?"
"After it was all over, I realized Saburo had taken a round to the head. He dropped instantly."
"So you're saying... Saburo-sama died because you didn't protect—"
Takemura's words caught in his throat.
Karl shrugged. "What else would you call it? I wasn't hired to protect him. I prioritized my client. You expect me to fight cyber-enhanced killers and protect two people at once? I'm a merc, not a miracle worker."
Takemura's lips parted—but no words came.
What could he say?
Why didn't you protect Saburo instead?
He wasn't foolish enough to say that in front of the man he now served.
And who was really to blame?
Now that he thought about it...
Who told him not to sweep the suite?
Who had ordered him to leave?
Takemura stopped himself.
Because if he followed that thought to its end—
He would have to admit that Saburo Arasaka...
had brought about his own death.
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🔥🦾 CYBERPUNK: THE RELENTLESS 🦾🔥
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