In City Center, beneath towering skyscrapers, two neon fish swam across the plaza. Eto Kei stood before the iron-glass, silently watching the large yellow fish for a moment before carrying his documents towards the office door on the twenty-second floor and knocking.
"Come in."
A deep voice sounded from within. Eto Kei took a deep breath, then pushed open the door and entered.
In the hundred-square-meter office, high-end decorations from around the world filled the entire room, and paintings with strong island nation cultural elements adorned the walls.
At a three-meter-long desk, a man wearing glasses was looking at Eto Kei.
"Mr. Tanaka, I have organized the documents you requested," Eto Kei said, holding the documents with both hands pressed to his thighs, bowing slightly towards the man.
"Why didn't you email them to me?"
"My apologies, time was of the essence. Two of our dispatched agents died, and there was an unexpected incident with the mercenaries. He is much harder to catch than we imagined. I printed this report immediately and brought it straight away," Eto Kei quickly explained.
As he spoke, he swiftly walked forward and spread the documents on the desk. The reason for using paper documents instead of digital was because, within Arasaka, the old-fashioned traditional style was still prevalent. Therefore, many people within Arasaka still used paper documents.
After all, in this era of human-machine interconnectivity, the privacy of paper documents, sometimes… truly is safer than putting things on the internet.
Tanaka reached out and picked them up. The papers still felt warm, having just been printed.
Picking up a sheet, he narrowed his eyes: "Eto, what exactly is going on with this person? Does he have any connection to Militech?"
Eto immediately replied: "No connection at all. According to intelligence provided by the Fixer we found, he was formerly a member of the Moxes gang and is now working as a mercenary at Afterlife. His team members are these individuals."
As he spoke, Eto separated a few sheets of paper and handed them to Tanaka.
"Maine, Dorio, Jackie, Rebecca…" Tanaka read the names one by one. Then, when he saw a white sheet of paper, he paused.
"What's going on with this person? No, how is she in Night City?" Tanaka pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to Eto.
Indeed, whether in the Old World or the New World, the daughter of this Polish executive and top hacker was truly a natural beauty.
Her short hair, a patchwork of low-saturation pink and ice blue, didn't follow mainstream trends, showing her own preferences and taste.
Hmph, such a beauty, yet she was used as expendable material. That executive… truly had a ruthless heart.
Eto took it, looked at it, and then quickly said: "My apologies, Mr. Tanaka, the agents haven't found the specific details.
However, according to intelligence from the Polish branch office, this person is being tracked by the branch company's investigation department. She should have escaped to Night City recently.
If not for this incident, neither we nor she… would have known…"
"Never mind, it's not important. What I'm more concerned about right now is him." Tanaka interrupted Eto, pointing at an image.
On it was a black-haired young man, holding a white-haired girl, leaping across rooftops.
"You just told me he did something like this, yet has no connection to Militech? Are you sure he isn't a Militech experiment? Has Militech created a new type of cybernetic weapon without our knowledge?"
"Impossible, Mr. Tanaka. He has a contentious relationship with the 6th Street Gang and has also disrupted Militech's plans. The Fixers in Night City wouldn't dare, nor would they have the guts, to provide us with false information," Eto immediately stated.
"Then what about Kang Tao?" Tanaka immediately asked again.
"We have not investigated any contact between him and Kang Tao."
…" Tanaka fell silent, his hands clasped under his chin. He quietly looked at the data report.
It recorded the black-haired young man's physical data: height, weight, cyberware implants, strength, speed, reaction, and so on.
Then, Tanaka spoke: "Then there should be no relation to Biotechnica either. If Biotechnica had this kind of technology, we would have known about it long ago."
"His body also doesn't resemble that of Animals gang members, without the swollen physique from excessive biochemical hormones. So… Eto,
do you think there could truly be a second Morgan Blackhand in this world?"
Eto Kei remained silent, as this was not something he could comment on.
Morgan Blackhand, throughout the entire era, he was the most outstanding, most powerful, and most famous solo.
Even Arasaka's internal killing machine, Adam Smasher, had to look up to him.
After the nuclear bomb incident, although the outside world rumored that Morgan Blackhand had died, only those within Arasaka knew that Morgan Blackhand… had not died.
Because after that turmoil, Arasaka personnel who arrived at the scene only found the remnants of Adam Smasher in the ruins. Morgan Blackhand… he had vanished without a trace.
Such a guy would not die; such a legend… could not silently leave this world.
"Eto, contact the anti-Militech department. I need their help. Have them assign some personnel, and temporarily put aside the Militech investigation, because this person is very important! His physical data will serve as valid proof for the success or failure of our experiments to headquarters!"
Eto Kei hesitated for a moment and said: "Mr. Tanaka, the Cybernetic Gorilla is still…"
"It doesn't matter. He's gone mad, he's dead, but that just means we've lost one expendable. And a dead him will be more valuable than a living him," Tanaka said after some thought.
"Using his body, we might be able to find a way to mass-produce Morgan Blackhands. You should understand how much headquarters values gene biology in private, right, Eto… no, Kei? You were transferred from headquarters, coming to Night City is just for a golden touch. Once you return to headquarters, you can start directly from middle management." Tanaka looked at Eto Kei with a smile and continued:
"So you also need a report, a report… proving that you can be a company executive."
Hearing this, Eto Kei took a deep breath and nodded forcefully: "Yes, I understand. I will contact the Fixers and agents immediately."
"Mm, this matter needs to be well-planned. We must lure him out and involve the Fixers of Night City. We must strike, and strike true!" Tanaka said.
Eto Kei bowed, then left the office.
Tanaka sat in his seat, opened his computer, and began watching various video clips related to the black-haired young man.
At present, Tanaka wasn't the only one who had discovered him. Tanaka believed that Militech, Biotechnica, and even Kang Tao from the East, must have also noticed this remarkable young man.
After all, he had become famous overnight in the streets, becoming a rising star among mercenaries within a single day.
The story of him annihilating the Badlands Nightwalkers had spread to every mercenary, and corporations, of course, paid attention to street affairs, so they naturally knew about this person.
Without advanced implants, yet possessing such combat power, how could such a person not pique their curiosity?
Night City is a place of great change. Those who become famous here can even have the ability to influence the world…
Morgan Blackhand was like that, Johnny Silverhand was like that, so now… will this kid become the next secret weapon to change the corporate landscape?
After a moment of thought, Tanaka closed his computer. "I look forward to meeting you, Jax…"
Late at night, Heywood—a car pulled up beneath Heywood's skyscraper. Jax looked up at the massive steel beast, its form dimly revealed in the dark night.
Then he looked at the person sitting beside him, Lucy, whose delicate face had become grimy and whose beautiful hair was greasy and plastered to her cheeks.
"We're here, Lucy."
Getting out of the car, which was a Delamain rental—the most convenient and fastest taxi in Night City.
Jax opened the window and waved to Lucy. All these troubles today… since the afternoon, the two of them had been on the run.
First, they were chased by unknown individuals, then by the NCPD… until the NCPD stopped pursuing them, only then did Jax and Lucy stop.
Such a large-scale attack, even the NCPD couldn't sit still. But actually, this kind of thing isn't rare in Night City.
However, this doesn't mean the NCPD can do nothing. After all, they have to put on a show for the public and demonstrate their stance, right?
Hence, this is also why Lucy looked so dirty now.
Jax was naturally the same; his clothes were tattered, the baseball cap he wore when leaving home had disappeared at some point, not to mention the large bloodstains on his body.
Of course, that was the enemy's blood.
And just as Jax was about to close the window and have Delamain take him back to Santo Domingo, a hand suddenly rested on the window sill.
Jax looked up. Under the streetlights, Lucy was bent over, one hand on the car window, the other supporting herself on the roof.
She looked down at Jax, the bright white streetlights illuminating her face. Her ice-blue short hair became dreamily iridescent, her orange lip gloss alluring and full. She spoke softly:
"Do… do you want to come to my place and watch a Braindance together?"
Before Jax could speak, Lucy continued: "If you go back now, it'll be past one in the morning by the time you reach Santo Domingo. It's too late, and there might be NCPD checkpoints, right?"
"Anyway, you don't have anything else to do when you get back, do you?"
"My Braindance equipment is really good. The haptic feedback is among the best. Why don't you come and try it?"
Jax looked at Lucy, his expression gradually becoming strange.
It's so weird…
Why did he feel like a little boy being lured by an older sister?
What Lucy said about Braindance was very similar to…
"My cat can do a backflip."
Hmm, should I go?
Actually, Lucy was right. In the early hours of the morning, it wasn't just mercenaries and gangs who were active, but also the NCPD.
And if you were unlucky late at night, you might even run into MAX-TAC…
So, if he went back and was really stopped for inspection, there was no guarantee he wouldn't have to flee again.
After all, he had been wandering around Heywood all day today.
Jax hesitated.
"Using it to watch a 'Dangerous Girl' Braindance, you'll definitely experience a different feeling. A good Braindance adapter is like, like an implant, the effect is completely different." Seeing Jax hesitate, Lucy seemed to think of something and immediately added seriously.
Jax: "…"