"Honestly, I don't know much about Hanako Arasaka," Karl said after a moment of silence upon hearing that the mission involved her. "But I've heard bits and pieces from some old acquaintances.
"According to them, Hanako Arasaka is a gentle and refined woman, completely different in temperament from the other iconic woman of the Arasaka family—Michiko Arasaka. She's rarely ever left the Arasaka estate in Japan throughout her life. Even when she did, she was always tightly protected by a full squad of Arasaka ninjas. Her personal security detail is second only to Saburo Arasaka himself… That's about all I know."
Karl claimed that was "about it," but his account clearly outlined Hanako's personality and her security measures in impressive detail.
As a mercenary, Karl's intelligence network was already top-tier. If someone wanted to take action against Hanako Arasaka, this intel alone would be enough to formulate an initial plan.
But Karl's real purpose in saying all this was to lead into the key question:
"So, Hanako Arasaka—are we here to help her, or take her out?"
That was the real point he had been building up to.
Whether helping or taking her out, understanding the target is essential. Karl wasn't just sharing intel—he was making sure the "newcomer" in their squad understood what this mission might really entail.
Even though Johnny Silverhand had risen to fame half a century earlier, back when he was a rockstar shaking the world, Hanako had not yet become well-known—her appearance, even, was rarely documented.
Besides, people change. In this era, Karl needed to ground Johnny in current facts instead of letting him spiral the moment he heard the name "Arasaka."
"Fucking Arasakas," Johnny Silverhand scoffed. "As if Night City didn't already have enough of those bastards. You'd think the world revolved around them. And now one of their old princesses decides to show up outta nowhere."
Clearly, the name "Arasaka" still triggered deep resentment in him. But he didn't say much else—just fixed his eyes on Rogue, waiting to hear her answer: help, or hit.
Rogue didn't respond to Karl's direct question. Perhaps because of Johnny's presence, she didn't deliver her usual decisive response. Instead, she posed a different question:
"Have you two heard of the memorial festival for Saburo Arasaka? The one they're holding in Japantown?"
"That fucking thing where they're trying to summon his soul or some bullshit?" Johnny barked. "That bastard's already burning in hell, and people still want to throw a goddamn party for him?"
For all his vulgarity, Johnny did confirm something useful—he knew about the festival.
To be fair, extracting key info from Johnny's profanity-laced rants was a skill in itself. As his (ex-ex-ex?) girlfriend, Rogue was long accustomed to this and simply cast a sidelong glance at Karl.
Once Karl nodded in acknowledgment, Rogue continued:
"To put it simply, Hanako Arasaka arrived in Night City aboard the White Whale, that massive supercarrier docked at the port. She came straight from Japan for this event—to mourn Saburo Arasaka.
"During the festival, Japantown will be flooded with Arasaka agents, bodyguards, and netrunners. At the center of the street, there'll be a parade float—well, more like a raised festival platform—that will slowly pass through. Hanako herself will be on it."
"Festival platform? What the hell is that?" Johnny asked, frowning.
"It's a kind of aerial parade rig. They'll lower it onto the street for the procession," Rogue explained. "Arasaka loves putting on a show in Japantown. These floats are all about flexing corporate power. And after the show, they leave Japantown littered with garbage."
In his projection, Johnny's arms folded tightly across his chest. He snorted, contempt plain in his voice. "Typical. Show off for five minutes, then leave the cleanup to the grunts. All corpos are the same."
Rogue ignored him and continued. "During the festival, all the CCTV systems in the city will be fully engaged. Japantown will be under maximum surveillance. The entire district will be locked down before and after the event. No one knows how early Arasaka's agents will start lurking."
"So you're giving us a full lecture about this piece-of-shit festival just to make us go watch some Arasaka scum cry their eyes out for that old bastard?" Johnny spat. "That's disgusting just thinking about it."
"Oh, you're going," Rogue said coldly. Her eyes gleamed. "Otherwise, how would you get close enough to Hanako Arasaka?"
"…Interesting," Karl finally spoke, a spark of curiosity lighting up his face.
He had only wanted to test out Johnny Silverhand's abilities on a simple job—but now, things were getting a whole lot more fun.
Anyone who knew Karl well would know: once he got interested, everything was negotiable. Rogue saw the shift in his expression and knew she'd succeeded in baiting him. She'd deliberately kept the mission details vague—to give Johnny time to acclimate, and to feel out Karl's attitude.
Now, looking at him, Rogue was confident: this was a job she could trust him with.
A curious KK—even acting solo—was still the most reliable mercenary in all of Night City.
And truthfully, this job wasn't suited for large teams anyway. The more people involved, the easier it would be to blow their cover. Karl and one Johnny Silverdog were just right.
"Since you both understand the setup now, I'll tell you the task."
Rogue pulled out two datachips and tossed them—one to Johnny, one to Karl.
"I need you to infiltrate Hanako Arasaka's float during the festival—when she comes forward to mourn Saburo. You'll enter the float's private lounge and extract her activity recorder. Copy the data and get out before she returns."
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🔥 CYBERPUNK: THE RELENTLESS
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🔥 THE STORY DOESN'T STOP HERE. NEITHER DOES HE.
Night City breaks people every day.
Some crawl away.
Some disappear.
And some simply refuse to stop.
Cyberpunk: The Relentless has 500+ chapters ahead available for readers who want to keep going.
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⚡ NO BRAKES. NO MERCY. NO TURNING BACK.
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Every victory creates another enemy.
Every enemy leads to something bigger.
And Night City always wants another body.
🔥 500+ CHAPTERS AHEAD.
👉 Why stop now?
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