Inside a Maelstrom hideout
"We went overboard... again," says V.
The place is a wreck. Broken doors, shattered windows—destruction everywhere. A lot of Maelstrom gang members are sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain.
"Yeah, but it was fun. I mean, we know martial arts now," says Jackie.
It took Judy three weeks to gather all types of martial arts data and edit it into a BD (braindance). V was the first one to use it, and it worked perfectly. Before, when we sparred, she just threw punches and kicks—nothing special. But now, she fights with precision. And when she activates her Sandevistan, it's like battling a character out of an anime. Her parkour skills are ridiculous too—she can even run on walls.
Jackie was next. His punches hit way harder now, and with his optics, he can catch bullets. (In the game, when you use optics with or without any cyberware hacks, time slows down or stops completely, like the Sharingan from Naruto. Plus, Gorilla Arms don't just enhance strength—they boost speed, too.)
As for me, it took a little longer to adjust because my defense is so over-the-top. I had to make a custom rig just to handle the power—looks like something a mad scientist would use on a monster. But in the end, it worked. Now I know martial arts, and it feels incredible. I move like Jackie Chan, using the environment to run, jump, and turn anything into a weapon—chairs, ladders, ropes, whatever's around. (By the way, I highly recommend my readers watch some Jackie Chan movies. The guy did all his own stunts, no special effects or wires. And check out Jackie Chan Adventures, the cartoon series—it's awesome.)
"Okay, we've had our fun. Let's finish the gig," I said.
We were hired to recover some stolen goods. After finding them, we head outside—only to spot more gang members. But these guys aren't Maelstrom; they're from the Tiger Claws. Many of them are injured or dead, thanks to Lola.
"Good girl. You took out the Tiger Claws while we were busy," I said.
Woof [happy].
Ever since the incident at Lizzie's Bar, the Moxies haven't killed any Tiger Claws—they didn't want the gang to retaliate against their bar. But they didn't let them off without a few scars. After that, the Tiger Claws started spreading rumors about a "green man and his dog" attacking their gang. From time to time, Tiger Claws would come after us. None of them ever made it back.
"You guys really hold a grudge. It's been almost a month since I beat up those gangsters assaulting the Moxies," I said.
"F**k you, you shouldn't mess with the Tiger Claws!"
Bang.
I shot him in the head.
"I'm getting real tired of hearing, 'Don't mess with the Tiger Claws,' 'We are the Tiger Claws,' 'Tiger Claws this, Tiger Claws that.' Even when you try to sneak up on me, you yell 'Tiger Claws.'"
Compared to other gangs, the Tiger Claws aren't shy about causing chaos, even during the day when civilians are out and cops are on patrol.
"Compared to other gangs, you guys are idiots," I said.
"How dare you!" said a female gang.
"We are the Tiger—"
Bang.
A bullet grazed her cheek.
"I'll put a bullet in your head if you finish that sentence."
She shut her mouth, not daring to speak.
Woof [Car].
Lola was alerting me to a car approaching. It stopped at a distance, and two people stepped out—one man and one woman, both dressed in sharp business attire, with a modern Japanese flair. V and Jackie tensed up, ready for action, but I could tell these two weren't armed.
"Hello, are you Mr. 8, leader of the Cyber Dogs?" the woman asked.
"Yes, I'm 8. But I'm no leader—there aren't any leaders in the Cyber Dogs," I replied.
"We're members of the Tiger Claws, sent by Wakako Okada."
So, it's finally happened.
"Very well, do you have her contact number?"
"She wants to meet you face to face," said the woman.
I glanced at V and Jackie.
"You guys want to tag along?"
"Count me in. I want to meet this Wakako Okada. I've heard she's a famous fixer in Westbrook," said Jackie.
"I got nothing better to do, I'll tag along just in case," V added.
"Wakako only wants to speak with you, Mr. 8. Just you," said the man.
"Then I'll have to kindly decline the request. Whatever she wants to say to me, she can say it in front of my friends. Like I said before, there's no leader in the Cyber Dogs."
"Give us a moment to contact Miss Wakako," said the woman.
"Of course."
We waited for about three minutes.
"Miss Wakako says it's fine to bring them," said the woman.
"Thank you, and sorry for the trouble."
I gave a small bow of respect.
"What about them?" V asked, pointing at the beaten Tiger Claws.
"Today's their lucky day. Leave them," I said.
We headed to our car and followed the two Tiger Claws sent by Wakako.
"What do you think she wants from us?" V asked.
"I'm betting it's business," I said.
"You think this could be a trap?" Jackie chimed in.
"I highly doubt it. Wakako is a well-known fixer in Japantown. She wouldn't stoop so low as to try and eliminate the four of us," I replied.
Woof [hungry].
"We'll eat in Japantown—hopefully not artificial food," I said.
Minutes passed, and we arrived in Japantown. The place was a mix of Japanese and Chinese culture, with plenty of people who looked like yakuza, covered in tattoos.
"Please follow us. Miss Wakako is this way."
We followed the two into an arcade packed with people playing pachinko. Passing through a door, we finally stood before Wakako Okada.
"Miss Wakako, we've brought the Cyber Dogs," said the woman.
"Good, leave us. I want to speak with them in private."
"Yes, Miss Wakako," they replied in unison.
The two left, leaving only us with Wakako.
We all gave a respectful bow.
"Do you know why I contacted you?" she asked.
"There are two possibilities: you either want to hire us, or you want to talk about the Tiger Claws we killed."
"You're sharp, child. Do not worry about the Tiger Claws—they were stupid, greedy, and ignorant."
Woof [idiots].
Wakako glanced at Lola, her expression one of surprise.
"It's been a long time since I've seen a dog, and it seems he can talk."
"Yes, but only one sentence at a time. It's something I created—it's not completely finished."
"Quite impressive. Now, let's get down to business. I heard from the Tiger Claws that you've dealt with them multiple times, with ease. I gathered some information about your group. You've built quite the reputation in Heywood. You drove the Maelstrom gang out of their territory and eliminated a frightening number of scavengers. You could say there aren't any left in Heywood."
I glanced at my group—V was smiling, Jackie had a shit-eating grin, and Lola was wagging her tail.
"So, I want to hire the Cyber Dogs for some gigs."
I looked at everyone.
"What do you guys think?"
"I'm in," said V.
"Count me in," Jackie added.
Woof [yes].
"We agree, but we have conditions," I said.
"Yes, I'm aware. You don't harm innocents, and I've heard you torture those who cross the line—like child murderers or rapists. From the information I gathered, I even asked El Padre about you. He told me it's best to speak to you face-to-face, but he left me with a document of your first gig. To think, you killed a group of scavengers in the most gruesome ways possible, and your payment was... a child's toy."
"It was an action figure—or maybe a doll, I still can't tell the difference. Her parents wanted to pay me, but I didn't have the heart to accept it. Thankfully, the little girl offered me her action figure... doll? To others, it may seem worthless, even stupid to accept, but to me, it's precious. No amount of money can replace it."
"You're willing to go that far. Tell me, if there was a child murderer, but he was protected by a big corporation, would you still kill him, knowing the risks?"
I looked straight into her eyes.
"Yes. I don't care if they have connections. They could be the president or even Arasaka itself. I won't hesitate to kill or torture those who don't value life."
The room was quiet.
After a minute, Wakako nodded.
"You're a foolish child, but I can see you're not bluffing. Very well. I'll contact you when I have work. You may go."
We all bowed and left.
Afterward, Wakako called El Padre.
"Hello. I spoke with the child. It's hard to believe he has no cyberware... Yes, he told me that no matter who it is, if they cross the line, he won't hesitate to kill."
In Heywood, inside El Coyote.
Mama Welles was forcing us to help her cook.
"Come on, keep stirring, Jackie! V, don't cut the vegetables too small! 8, stop playing with the food and start seasoning the chicken."
After our talk with Wakako, we headed to El Coyote to celebrate. I opened my system and pulled out some real food—thank God I added food mods. I showed Mama Welles that the food was genuine, not artificial. She immediately went full commando on us, and none of us knew how to cook. Lola was sitting on the table, waiting for the food.
"Why am I cooking? I'm the one who brought the food," I complained.
"Oh, so you don't want to eat?" Mama Welles asked.
"What? No, it's just—"
"Then stop complaining and start cooking."
"Yes, ma'am."
Some time passed, and the food was ready. We sat down at the table to pray. Jackie tried to sneak a bite, but Mama Welles used what felt like Conqueror's Haki.
"Jackie, if you dare take any food while we're praying, I'll make sure you regret it," she said, eyes still closed, head bowed.
I was both surprised and terrified.
End of Chapter.
"Hello, everyone! Sorry for the late chapter. A lot has happened lately; I got sick and tried to write while feeling unwell, but it made me feel worse. After that, my car broke down, and I had to pay a hefty amount to fix it. I've also been asking friends and family if they can drive me to work. It's been one bad day after another, but what can you do? That's life."
I would also like to thank the people that left a review.
SolEl
First of All I think this FF has a lot of potential. Until the current chapter (13) the interactions with "NPCs" and the world arround him seem genuine and are fun to read which is quite important because the MC has gotten the OP Starterpack. English is not my first language so can't critique the grammar but a can say that i did not struggle in any way to read this, which is a huge plus in my book. For now i will happily recommend every cyberpunk fan to give this a read.
"Thank you, SolEl! It means a lot to me that you're enjoying it. This is my first fanfic, and I want all the characters from the game and anime to stay true to their respective platforms. I don't want to change their personalities. For example, Judy is a lesbian, and she will remain that way because that's who she is as a character."
ScottyTheD
Bad grammar, many spelling mistakes, and average sentence structure. If the author just ran each chapter through Chat GPT with the prompt; "Fix spelling, grammar and sentence structure." And then uploaded the result. This story would be way better.
"Yes, I know English isn't my native language, and it's hard to write a story this way. As I mentioned before, English is a well-known language. But if what you said about ChatGPT is true—that it can help me with all the errors as long as it doesn't change my story—then you have my thanks. It will help me greatly, and hopefully, I can use it in this chapter. Thank you!"
Eladzha
God of Story God of Story God of Story etc.
"Thank you, but I'm still learning, and hopefully, I can keep improving."