Chereads / Cyberpunk: Arasaka Secret Son / Chapter 102 - Heywood

Chapter 102 - Heywood

----------

"Hello everyone, this is the author. As always, thank you very much for your messages in the previous update.

In this chapter, due to the pain in my ear I have had less patient with the part I like the least, which is translating. However, I believe I've been careful, but if you notice any mistakes, please leave a comment, and I will correct them as soon as I can. Thank you, guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter—it's one of the longest ones."

----------

Sora accelerated his father's Porsche through the streets of Night City, heading into Heywood. Noticing the change in the atmosphere around him as he drove. The streets were filled with people speaking Spanish, and colorful murals adorned the streets, telling the stories of the community and Los Valentinos.

As he stopped at a traffic light, Sora could feel the gaze of a group of Valentinos who seemed to be casually hanging out but were actually keeping an eye out for strangers entering the neighborhood.

Heywood was the territory of the Valentinos, who, in addition to their illegal activities, also acted as self-proclaimed "protectors" of the neighborhood. The NCPD didn't have much respect or authority in the area, although not to the level of the chaotic Pacifica district which they didn't even enter. In Heywood, they did, but they had to be cautious and never alone.

Sora continued his drive through Heywood, attracting attention with the flashy Porsche. As he approached the Wells' apartment building, Sora's mischievous nature took over, with a mischievous grin, he abruptly slammed on the brakes, causing a loud bang from the trunk on the hood, which made him chuckle, picturing Wrench's face after the impact

The sound of the screeching tires after the abrupt braking caught the attention of the two Valentinos who were guarding the entrance. Reacting swiftly, they approached to the car, with their hands tightly gripping their weapons. As Sora, or rather Okami, stepped out of the car, the Valentino in front, who seemed to be their leader, breathed again and asked with a hint of suspicion in his voice, "Do you have it?"

Sora nodded with his helmet in response. Upon doing so, the younger of the two Valentinos ran into the building to inform.

A few minutes later, Guadalupe Alejandra Wells emerged from the building accompanied by several more Valentinos. Her face appeared more relaxed, and her body language was lighter, something that didn't escape Sora's notice. That made him smile beneath his helmet, assuming that her son, Jackie, had awakened

When Guadalupe stepped out, her eyes briefly stopped at the Turbo Porsche, surprised for a moment as if recognizing it before correcting herself and redirecting her gaze to Sora, who leaned against it. She asked him seriously, "Well, Okami, do you have him?"

Sora responded directly by opening the hood/trunk of the Porsche. Upon seeing what was inside, Guadalupe and the Valentinos suddenly changed their expression to one of surprise and anger. One of the Valentinos standing next to Guadalupe pulled out the characteristic knife, with its engraved blade and golden details, of the Valentinos. He moved it swiftly and mercilessly toward Wrench's stomach, who was conscious, without legs or arms in the trunk.

When the tip of the knife was about to pierce Wrench's stomach, Sora's left tattooed arm grabbed the Valentino's wrist, holding him back. The Valentino stared fixedly at the mercenary who stopped him, and upon capturing his gaze, Sora calmly said, "Dude... not in the car."

"Santiago, the mercenary is right. We have all the time in the world to make him pay for the death of your brother and the rest. Go cool off and inform your parents," Guadalupe said, turning away from Santiago and addressing the other Valentinos present. "And rest of you, let the rest of the families know... Tell them that we finally have him and also that someone informs 'Padre,' although he should already know," Guadalupe added, glancing once again at the eye-catching Mercenary Vehicle.

After listening to Guadalupe, "Santiago" violently shook his arm, freeing himself from the tight grip of the mercenary who had not let him move an inch. He angrily sheathed his knife before leaving, his expression filled with hatred towards the killer of his brother, one of the Valentinos who had helped Jackie and Gear.

Santiago withdrew, accompanied by the rest of the Valentinos who also left to follow Guadalupe's instructions.

"Tch, what is waiting for you..." Sora thought, looking at Wrench who was conscious in the trunk, not uttering a word even when he had been moments away from being stabbed.

A few seconds later, two figures emerged slowly from the apartment building. One of them was the young Valentino who had rushed out to inform Guadalupe of Sora's arrival.

His face was flushed from the effort of helping the second person move, bearing some of the weight of their heavy body. This person had just awakened from grave injuries. Despite their weak body, their eyes showed no signs of it. He had just awoken from a cruel dream that he could barely remember, but... in that dream, she was still fine... in that dream, his girlfriend Gear was still alive.

Soon after awakening, Jackie learned that, contrary to the Valentinos who couldn't find him, the mercenary his own mother had hired did. He had captured the man who shot him eight times, killed his friends, and... had brutally modified his own daughter against her will, leading her to take her own life.

All of this made Jackie's mind push his weak body forward, evident in his eyes that were fixated on the mercenary's helmet, or rather, the two blue stripes on his helmet.

At the same time, the mercenary returned the gaze, able to perceive the pain Jackie felt through the hatred that showed in his eyes. Seeing that broken look, Sora couldn't help but empathize with Jackie, imagining for a moment "If someone did something like that to Judy... What could I be capable of doing...?" Deciding to stop thinking about it, due to the disturbing ideas that flooded his mind when he considered that dangerous, for all, hypothetical world.

Unintentionally, Sora realized something. Until now, he had always roasted Johnny, considering him a lunatic for the things he had done, but maybe he wasn't so crazy after all, only a broken man. Understanding Johnny's motivations and actions when Sora himself was assaulted by similar ideas.... even some more disturbing and dangerous than the ones Johnny himself made.

While Sora pondered, Guadalupe saw her son leave the building. She quickly approached him, using the other free arm of her son to help him move. Her face displayed relief and concern, making an expression from the mixture of the two emotions that only a mother could do in such a way.

Nevertheless, reading the eyes of her son, Guadalupe didn't even try to tell him to go back to rest. Instead, she stared intently at the person responsible for him being here, the young Valentino who had informed Jackie about Wrench and led to this situation.

Unaware of Guadalupe's reproachful gaze, the young Valentino was too focused on breathing to avoid collapsing while carrying Jackie.

"Show it to me, please..." Jackie said upon reaching Sora, practically unable to stand on his own, supported by the young Valentino and his mother.

Before doing anything, Sora glanced at Guadalupe, who nodded before saying, "Mi hijo, I understand you want to see it, but... you have to rest. Promise me you'll go back home once you've seen it."

"Yes, don't worry Ma" Jackie responded, smiling at his concerned mother.

Guadalupe, upon seeing her son's smile, turned to Sora and, reluctantly, said, "Open it."

When Sora opened the car hood, Jackie narrowed his eyes for a moment, clenching his fists tightly, visible as his arms were wrapped around his mother and young Valentino. He spoke with a polite tone, "Hello, Mr. Lewiski."

For the first time, Wrench reacted upon hearing his surname from a voice with a Latin accent, raising his head in surprise to see another ghost—the secret boyfriend of his daughter, Valentinos, whom he had shot nine times and was still alive.

"I see you're still alive. I should have shot you in the head one more time, kid," responded Wrench, calmly, almost cordially. But...

"Son of a bitch!" Guadalupe jumped at Wrench's words. Who wasn't satisfied with shooting her son eight times. Jackie stopped her mother from getting agitated, before replying

"If shooting me one more time would have kept Gear out of trouble, I would agree, old man," Jackie said willing to give his life if it meant Wrench hadn't touched Gear. at the same time.

Upon hearing his daughter's name mentioned in Jackie's sincere and heartfelt response, Wrench was the first to break the calm tone, shouting, "Don't mention her! You damn Wetback! If it weren't for you, she would be a proud Maelstrom!"

"Heh... that you're capable of thinking that... I can only..." Jackie paused for a moment, with his gaze filled with hatred, clouded by tears as he thought of Gear. Finding solace in the hope that justice would be served for her. Taking delight in knowing what awaited Wrench, he continued, "You were the one who killed her, old man, never forget that... and now you'll pay for it. You'll be surprised by how seriously we the 'Wetbacks' take revenge..."

"So be it! Wahahawah, it's better if she's dead than with y-" Something snapped inside Wrench, who started to laugh, being interrupted before he could say anything that could hurt Jackie even more.

"BAM!" By Guadalupe, who slammed the car hood shut, enclosing Wrench inside again.

"That's enough! You! Take Jackito back home. Look, your wounds are starting to bleed again," Guadalupe took control of the situation, seeing the small bloodstains on her son's bandages due to his increased heart rate upon seeing Wrench and forcing his injured body to move.

The young Valentino took a deep breath before moving, cursing internally as he took on most of Jackie's weight again. When Guadalupe let go of Jackie's arm and ordered them to go back. As Jackie was re-entering the building, he stopped and turned to Sora, and said, "Thank you."

He nodded in response.

When only Mama Wells and Sora remained, again. Guadalupe moved to the side of the Porsche and said, "Let's take him to a quieter place," as she got into Johnny's car, not waiting for Sora's response, adding under her breath, "I always wanted to ride it."

-

Guadalupe drove Sora to the alley behind the Wells' apartment building, near the Coyote Cojo. This brought a smile to Sora's face as they reached a familiar garage—the garage of Jackie.

Guadalupe got out of the car and opened the garage door herself, letting him in, while curiously observing Sora's classic Porsche. Once inside, Guadalupe closed the door behind them, and her eyes lit up as she informed with her IDn of their location.

Sora turned off the engine and got out of the car, and just before opening the hood. Guadalupe, wanting to ask numerous questions to the mysterious mercenary now that they were alone, decided to start with an apparently innocent question about the car. "Tell me, how did someone as young as you manage to get a classic like this?" Guadalupe inquired, her tone filled with curiosity.

Sora let out a brief laugh, hidden behind the helmet, before responding; "It's a bit complicated, Mrs. Wells. Actually, it's an inheritance." Innocently, Sora did not realize the impact his words would have on Guadalupe.

Her eyes widened for a moment before she regained her composure, returning to her serene expression. However, her mind was anything but serene,because.... this was not the first time she had seen this same car...

The first time was when she was just a teenager, seeing its previous owner get into it after one of his concerts in Heywood.

Piecing together Sora's words about inheritance and recalling the face without his helmet, now she was able to recognize those facial features that seemed faintly familiar to her. especially his eyes. In that instant, her intuition began connecting the dots, realizing the strange connection between the young mercenary before her and a certain rockstar/terrorist from the past.

Sora, noticing Guadalupe's sudden silence and poker face, asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Oh! Yes, sorry. I was just thinking about what it would be like to have that kind of... inheritance," Guadalupe replied with a smile, completing her sentence.

Sora was slightly puzzled, not understanding the double meaning behind Guadalupe's words, but he didn't like the smug smile she gave him, reminiscent of Rogue's superior expression when she knew something he didn't or when she found out who he really was.

Before Guadalupe could ask another question, someone knocked on the garage door. When she opened it, they found three impressive Valentinos lowriders, their bodies shining with vibrant colors and golden metallic parts, and an imposing Thorton SUV, also displaying the band's distinctive colors

Besides a lot of Valentinos, two important figures emerged from the lowriders: "Padre," the Fixer from Heywood, and Gustavo Orta, Jackie's close friend and the current leader of the Valentinos since his uncle Campo Orta's incarceration two years ago.

Padre's calm and experienced gaze surveyed the scene, shifting to one of gruffness as it settled on the Mercenary who had accomplished what he couldn't: finding the culprit behind the deaths of Heywood's young people, whether they were Valentinos or not. Bringing a little peace to the affected families, achieving what Padre had been unable to do.

On the other hand, Gustavo looked at Okami with gratitude, recognizing the assistance the Mercenary had provided, allowing them to carry out one of the most important things for the Valentinos: revenge.

Tension filled the air as the families of the victims exited the SUV, their eyes reflecting clear pain and resentment, as they awaited the encounter with the person responsible for the deaths of their children, siblings, uncles... or even fathers, with a young pregnant woman among the group of relatives.

Sora opened the hood and threw Wrench's battered and limbless body at the feet of the families, almost as an offering. The silence grew even deeper as they saw it. After a while of insults, kicks, and tears from the relatives, Gustavo ordered his men to pick up Wrench and take him to a more discreet location. Santiago, the Valentino that Sora had apprehended earlier, was the first to move. He grabbed Wrench by the hair and carried him to one of the Lowriders.

Father, with his deep and calm voice, addressed the families, sharing words of comfort and explaining the fate that awaited the killer of their loved ones. The families listened attentively to Father's words, with their eyes reddened by the pain and tears, while they kept their gaze on the person who had taken away someone irreplaceable from them. Some of them even changed cars to ride in the Valentinos' Lowriders and participate in what would happen to Wrench.

-

After the Lowriders carrying Wrench and the SUV with the families left, only a few Valentinos remained to protect Gustavo and Padre.

Padre was the first to speak, fixing his gaze on Sora and saying defiantly, "Mercenary, tell me what you really want as payment. I don't buy for a second that someone on the payroll of the Queen of Afterlife only wants Guadalupe's food as payment. I've tried it myself, and it's not that great."

Father's provocation managed to upset Guadalupe, who responded with annoyance, "Oye!" On the other hand, Gustavo remained silent, looking directly at Sora, waiting for his response.

Don't be like that, 'pops'... I really don't want anything more as payment. Some broadband access in Valentino's territory will do for me," Sora replied with the synthetic voice of his helmet.

Upon hearing this, Gustavo nodded, accepting Okami's suggestion to move more freely in Valentino's territory as a Merc friend of Heywood. Gustavo was more than satisfied with maintaining a good relationship with the skilled mercenary who accomplished what they couldn't—finding Wrench and bringing him practically to their feet.

On the other hand, Guadalupe affirmed, proud of her culinary skills, frustrating Padre, who tried to change Sora's mind, hoping that his true nature as a Merc would be revealed and he would ask for more Eddies like any other Merc in the city.

However, their expressions reversed when Sora spoke again. "But... if you're so grateful, you can always do me a favor," he said, causing disappointment to appear on Guadalupe and Gustavo's faces, assuming that in the end, he would ask for Eddies or perhaps to be paid in... spices. Meanwhile, Father smiled internally before Sora added, "I'd appreciate it if you could provide me a safe place to store my car for a few weeks" pointing his head towards the Porsche inside Jackie's garage.

This made Guadalupe and Gustavo smile again at the small favor the mercenary asked for in exchange for his help. It was Guadalupe who responded, "You can leave it in Jackito's garage. He won't be using it for a few months until he recovers."

"That'll do, Mrs. Wells, thank you" Sora thanked her.

"Okami, we're leaving now... thank you for your help. From today on, consider yourself a friend of Heywood. I'll spread the word to the others, so if they see you around the neighborhood, they won't get in your way," Gustavo said, bidding farewell to Sora with a handshake.

"Mercenary, I don't know what you're planning by asking practically nothing for your work, but that doesn't change the fact that with your help, you have brought peace to the families of Heywood. And for that... thank you," Padre added as he got into the same lowrider as Gustavo and the rest of the Valentinos.

"I'm also going back home to check on Jackito. Here, Okami, this is the key to the garage," Guadalupe said, placing a hand on Sora's shoulder, grateful for everything he had done, and handing him her son's garage key. "And whenever you want me to repay you, with a good meal, bring your girlfriend too. I'm sure she's a lovely person... And thank you for everything you've done."

When Sora was alone, having found a safe place to leave the Porsche and finished with his work, he contacted Eco to pick him up and take him home. He felt a bit worried about how silent Judy had been all night, as she usually texted and called him from time to time to check how his night was going.

While waiting for Eco, Sora used his Grapple to climb up to the rooftop of the nearest Mega-building, so he could take off his helmet without worrying about prying eyes from other buildings.

-

25 minutes later

Sora lay on a rooftop, his legs dangling and moving to the rhythm of the song playing through the open rings in his ears.

Kerry Eurodyne's version of "Chippin' In"

[♩ Chips are buzzin', Implants hot ♩]

[♩ Ridin' high ma' slots are shot ♩]

[♩ Metal burnin''neath ma'skin ♩]

[♩ I'm Chippin' In! ♩]

[♩ Chippin' In - got my back to the wall ♩]

[♩ Chippin' In - c'mon hear ma' call ♩]

[♩ Chippin' In - I'm the man of steel ♩]

[♩ Chippin' In - Fuckin' Feel it ♩]

[♩ I'm Real! ♩]

"Tch, I understand that he changed it when he released it as a solo, to make it more commercial and sell better, but... I still prefer the original version by Samurai sung by Johnny," he thought as he exhaled the smoke from his third consecutive cigarette, not having to worry about the dangerous side effects of tobacco thanks to his nanobots, which were nothing special in this era, with cyberware like artificial lungs and tracheas to smoke as much as one wanted.

Sora opened his eyes when he felt something touching him, finding Eco in his adult form with his complete body that had climbed up to the rooftop to let him know of his arrival. Sora waved his hand at Eco and propped himself up slightly.

Understanding Sora's gesture, Eco happily lay down behind him and Sora rested his head on Eco's cold and rough fur, made of nanobots, joined in a linear pattern, imitating the fur of an animal. After a while, Sora remembered something and asked Eco, "Eco, do you still have the briefcase I gave you?"

Eco responded with a "Woof!" affirmative bark, opening the section of his chest and handing Sora the compact briefcase with an engraved golden lance, which Eco had been carrying even when he was in the Yaiba.

Sora took the briefcase and carelessly opened it over his stomach, examining the ten gold coins inside and storing them in his jacket before he stared at the elegant black card with golden lines of a digital stylus that remained in the briefcase.

His eyes lit up automatically as he held it in his hands and felt the card activate, transmitting information to the network. That made Sora close his eyes and use his digital projection to follow the card's connection through cyberspace.

His projection navigated through the dark cyberspace illuminated by pulsating lights representing the constant flow of information between different servers, in the form of imposing constructions of code of different colors.

Sora followed the signal of the card, leading him to a large server located in the state of Virginia, in the physical world. After investigating it for a few minutes, without using his White-code to hack into the server, due to the forced promise his mother made him do, after the incident three years ago.

But just as he was about to return to his body, after having found nothing, something caught his attention.

In Sora's vision of the cyberspace, possibly being the only human capable of seeing it due to his assimilation level with the Cyberspace, he witnessed the Lazarus's server in front of him performing an information download. However, it was not through the cyberspace where Sora was located. Instead, it was downwards, piercing through the floor that represented the limitations of the secure network behind the Blackwall, conducting a download to something separate and below the network.

Unable to contain himself, Sora broke his promise to his mother and used his white-code to hack into the Lazarus servers and follow the strange connection outside the network. His physical body's heart raced as he launched himself into the unknown dark space, outside the network following the connection.

After being surrounded by nothing but distressing darkness for what seemed like minutes to Sora, although it was only a few excruciating seconds, he arrived on the other side. He found himself in a new private cyberspace with several servers distributed throughout the world and... beyond it, with the main one situated 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) below the water's surface in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Surprised to see a private cyberspace, strictly prohibited by Netwach. That is why the rest of the corporations had their own private spaces within the network and not their own Cyberspace like Lazarus seemed to have made.

When Sora reacted again, he pulled his ass as fast as he could out of Lazarus' Cyberspace, thinking that he hadn't been detected yet, and when he returned to his physical body on a rooftop in Night City, he exclaimed aloud, "What the fuck is in the middle of the Atlantic...?"

After witnessing something he probably shouldn't have, it made him remember his conversation with Rogue at Afterlife about Lazarus.

"Lazarus isn't what you think, it's not the major leagues of the Mercs, as some sell it. Lazarus is..." Rogue said while examining the gold coin Sora had given her, telling him everything she knew about Lazarus. "An extremely secretive and unknown corporation to the general public.

The reason for its creation years ago, financed by the World Consortium of Corporations (WCC) and most stable governments worldwide, remains unclear. Furthermore, all copies of that agreement are heavily censored, even for the subsequent CEOs of the corporations within the WCC, as well as for the Presidents of the countries that financed its creation.

Over time, the motive behind Lazarus' founding has been lost. And no matter how many mercenaries join and how long they remain inside, no information has ever leaked about the high council and its leader, known as 'The Boss,'. It is rumored that she is the daughter of the corporation's creator, but as with all information about that elusive corporation, there is no confirmation whatsoever.

Furthermore, Lazarus operates in a peculiar manner. They don't recruit mercenaries because they lack efficient personnel; on the contrary, they recruit individuals from an early age, taking them out from the worst slums in the world to ensure their loyalty. These individuals undergo rigorous training and become part of Lazarus' internal staff. At the same time, this internal staff is the one managing Lazarus, assisting and supporting the mercenaries they hire to ensure the completion of their missions."

Sora was perplexed. "Wait, so they train their own personnel? I thought they hired mercenaries for a specific reason. It seems like they're using mercenaries as cannon fodder while keeping their own staff safe. What the hell are they up to?" Sora asked, seizing the moment when Rogue paused talking to take a sip from her glass.

Rogue stared at him for a moment and then replied, after finishing her sip, "Hah, they all do that, don't they? That's what being a mercenary means. As for what they're up to... who knows. There are all kinds of theories. the ordinary ones think it's all about money, while the more peculiar ones believe they're preparing for some kind of coup or revolution... and then there are the most disturbing theories suggesting they're preparing for a war, a war like no other..."

After recalling the conversation with Rogue and having peeked behind the scenes of Lazarus, Sora muttered, "Ahmm... What a load of crap," as he stood up and casually dropped from the rooftop of the building...

---

19 hours later. 4 days until Gala Night.

23:30h at night

Sora was taken aback for a second by the late call he received on his IDn before accepting it.

["Sora, are you still working?"] he heard his grandmother Aoi's voice.

Sora lazily responded, ["Hey, grandma, what's up? Yeah, but it's a quiet night, and I'm about to head home."]

Aoi sighed heavily before continuing, ["I need you to do me a favor. Your grandfather went out for drinks with an old acquaintance, and things seem to have gotten out of hand."]

With a certain resignation, Sora asked, ["Do you want me to go pick them up?"]

["No, I just need you to send them home in a Delamain Cab. Can you do that, please?"]

Sora let out a curse inside as he had to postpone his plans to go home. ["Grandma, they're adults, they can take care of themselves. Judy has been angry with me all day, and I've finally managed to calm the beast."] Sora said speaking through his IDn.

Remembering the previous night when he came home and found Judy waiting for him, dressed in a sexy black lingerie set that lifted his "spirit" instantly and made him drool. But his excitement quickly faded when she covered herself up and her expression changed to anger upon discovering the garage filled with weapons and learning the story from Rebecca and Sasha. Sora cursed his friends inwardly at that moment.

And now that he had managed to calm her down a bit, Sora was trying to convince her to put on her sexy lingerie again.

["Stop complaining and go get your grandfather!. Besides, making Judy angry is practically your default mode,"] Aoi said in a playful tone, not giving Sora a chance to respond before hanging up the call.

["You-"]

[Call ended]

Sora was left with the words on his lips and let out a sigh of resignation, receiving a message from his grandmother Aoi a few seconds later, containing the address of the bar where his grandpa was with his... old friend.

-

At the same time, Sora moved using his Grapple, resignedly heading towards the address Aoi had given him.

Aoi was looking out of the large window of the apartment, her gaze fixed on the sprawling cityscape, when her warm expression that she had right after ending the call shifted to a serious one, with slightly drooping eyes that gave her a touch of sadness. Shortly after, she made another call on her IDn.

["He's on his way"] Aoi said in a dry and disgruntled tone.

["Thank you Aoi.... I know you don't agree, but if someone else told him he would be suspicious, I promise it's something that will be good for him"]

[I couldn't care less about what you say, Musashi! You know how resentful that boy can be!. Once he realizes everything... he won't even want to speak to us! And tell that old pervert that if he crosses a line with Sora, I swear he'll pay, even if I have to tell Hanako herself."]

[D-don't overreact... Hiroyuki and I are here to make sure nothing gets out of hand.]

[I hope so... Musashi, because as long as Sora is mad at me it will be twice as long as I'm mad at you, for bringing me into this and making me lie to him].

After finishing Aoi hung up, not allowing Musashi like Sora to respond, but for a different reason.

-

Meanwhile, on Urmland Street in Little China, District Watson, near one of the alleys of the pedestrian street filled with various businesses, some of them being fronts for other not-so-legal or without sufficient permissions.

[Darling, don't be...]

[Call ended]

"Tch, he is coming... damn it, why do you always convince me to do these things?... this one's gonna cost me," Musashi said aloud, resigned as he was left with the word in his mouth on his call with Aoi, and even more so, imagining what his future weeks at home would be like.

"Hoho! Here he comes. I can't wait to see what you two have taught the boy... Wahahah," said a deep voice, broken by years of smoking

"I bet 500 eddies on Sora," Hiroruki suddenly said, anticipating what was about to happen.

"Brother!" Musashi exclaimed at his younger brother's sudden bet.

"What's up, Musashi... don't you want to bet?" Hiroruki responded with a smile.

"Uh... alright, I'll also bet on Sora. Damn it, if Aoi finds out, she'll kill me."

"Really! After all these years fighting against me or together, you're betting on the kid? Do you think I'm senile or something?" said the broken voice, feeling somewhat insulted by the brothers' bets, thinking that "him" would lose against a kid under 20.

"Don't be like that. I'm just telling you that if Sora gets serious and... calls all his pets... I don't see a way for you to stop him, even if it's you... Morgan," Musashi responded seriously, remembering how terrifying Sora can be.

"Yeah, when he created that... He forced us out of the city to test it by fighting... even when both of us went against him at the same time, we couldn't stop him," Hiroyuki said, recalling the forced excursion to the Badlands, to test the offensive mode of his crow systems Fool and Eco, working together with him.

Upon hearing them, Morgan chuckled, "Wahahahaha, that makes it interesting. I truly believe it... I bet 2000 eddies on myself! Hide now, I want to prepare until he arrives," he laughed as he lit a cigar, intrigued by the type of fighter the Hatake Brothers had created.

-

As Sora swung onto Urmland Street in Little China with his grapple, where the best ripperdoc in the city is located, and also Sora's ripperdoc, although he didn't need one, he just wanted to meet Viktor. His concentration was on the messages he was having with Judy.

[Jud, I'm going to take my grandfather in a Delamain and then I'll go home...]

[....]

[Come on, don't be resentful. Have you considered forgiving me yet?"]

[maybe.jpg] Judy replied.

When Sora saw the "maybe.jpg," he couldn't help but quicken his pace upon seeing the photo of Judy's legs in black stockings with a garter belt.

So distracted that he didn't notice the precise shot that cut the cable of his grapple at the worst possible moment. "Shit!" Falling from a height of 50m/160ft.