"David!"
The ninja who exploded and scattered left no trace of a body—it was remarkably clean and non-polluting—but David was still hit by the shockwave.
Already at the end of his rope, David finally couldn't hold on any longer and slammed straight onto the ground with a thud.
Lucy rushed forward, knelt on the ground, lifted David's head, and took out a pneumatic inhaler—a special formulation from Yoroshi-san, integrating neural stimulants, analgesics, immunosuppressants, and other components.
This was a very popular inhaler in Night City, remarkably effective against cyberware overuse. Although it was addictive, that wasn't a problem for them.
She quickly inserted it into David's nostrils. Within two breaths, his condition had clearly recovered, and he broke free from Lucy's embrace and stood up.
He was covered in all kinds of bloodstains, some his own, some from others.
His stamina was recovering rapidly. His previous breakthrough in Karate had given his strength a terrifying boost, and his body also seemed to have undergone significant changes.
His physical constitution was stronger, as was his regenerative ability. His five senses also seemed to be sharpening. David had an epiphany: he was training to become a ninja, and this was a sign of his progress.
"[Now docking. Please stand clear!]"
"David! Lucy! Are you guys okay?!"
The hovercar's alert sounded. Outside the window was the familiar figure of V. She had parked the car here for a quick getaway; David and Lucy just had to jump out the window to get in.
But clearly, the situation had changed. She had originally intended to help David and Lucy escape, but now it seemed that wasn't necessary.
David also breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing V. Although her combat power was less than his, after all, V's background was with Zaibatsu... Zaibatsu... Zaibatsu... David's mind went blank for a second, but he failed to notice anything amiss.
After all, V had been training for a shorter time than him. Otherwise, with her combat talent and years of experience as a mercenary, she would definitely be stronger than him.
"What are you spacing out for? Get in the car, quick. You want to hang around here?"
V urged the motionless pair. She could smell the nauseating stench of blood even from here. The number of corpses in the entire building was no small figure.
David and Lucy scrambled into the car. Only then did the realization of what he had done hit him—he had killed a ninja!
Immediately after, he smelled the foul odor on his body. Most of it was actually from the remains of the victims he'd picked up while moving through the building. But he had avenged them, right?
David thought of the Crime Ninja who had exploded and scattered. To treat human life so recklessly, even taking pleasure in it... was this the cruelty of ninjas?
The physical discomfort had vanished thanks to the inhaler, replaced by inner turmoil. Why did a ninja suddenly appear? Why did it target him and Lucy?
"What in the world happened to Night City?" A long-unseen confusion filled David's eyes as he sought an answer from V.
"...I don't know." V was silent for a long time before finally being unable to answer the question. She was just as clueless.
"The only thing I can confirm is that a large number of ninjas have appeared, but I don't know what they want."
V sped through the sky in her hovercar. Below, many districts could be seen billowing black smoke, and occasionally, strange cries of "Yeeart!" and "Gwaah!" could be heard.
The ninjas of Zaibatsu Cinema and the Soukaiya were still fighting each other. It seemed the news of a ceasefire would take some time to spread, as the battle had encompassed nearly all of Night City.
A large number of ordinary people and buildings were caught up in this battle between ninjas. The Lord had deliberately arranged things this way; death and chaos made his Virtual-to-Real Conversion Jutsu more effective.
David also saw the chaos in Night City at that moment, but he had no intention of getting involved—or rather, he didn't dare. The ninjas were too strong for him to handle.
"Where should we go now?"
"I don't know. It's best to find a place to hide first and wait for Schwarzer to contact us."
V didn't suggest going to find Schwarzer. Before the comms cut out, they had all seen it: multiple ninjas, and they clearly looked very strong, surrounding Schwarzer.
With their level of strength, they would only be a burden if they went. Once Schwarzer dealt with them, she would naturally come to find them. So, the most urgent task was to protect themselves.
Just as they were thinking this, the numerous screens across Night City suddenly lit up, all sorts of multi-colored displays being commandeered.
The person who appeared on them was none other than the uncrowned king of Night City, the true master of Arasaka Corporation, the legendary figure, Saburo Arasaka!
Behind him were his personal bodyguard, Takemura, as well as the Paragon Ninja and the Dark Ninja. They represented Zaibatsu Cinema and the Soukaiya, respectively, and the two discreetly made a hand gesture.
Seeing this, the ninjas in the midst of battle all ceased their fighting. They realized that this war, whose cause was unknown, was over.
Of course, that wasn't the main point. Matters between ninjas should be left for ninjas to resolve. At this moment, the appearance of Saburo Arasaka captured the attention of all of Night City. Everyone still alive was staring at his aged face on the screen.
"Good morning, citizens of Night City. The terrorist attack that occurred today has caused a great deal of chaos. I have already dispatched personnel to suppress it. I hope that everyone, for their own safety, will refrain from going out unnecessarily."
He quickly defined the battle between ninjas as a terrorist attack. And as for the so-called suppression, he hadn't sent a single person. The ninja war was already over, but by saying this, everyone would assume it was his doing, creating credit out of thin air.
Before the residents of Night City could cheer, he dropped even more explosive news.
"On a related note, I am personally issuing a contract. A bounty on one person, Lucyna Kushinada, for the price of... one hundred million eurodollars."
"The condition is that she must be brought to Arasaka Tower alive. If anyone kills her, that bounty will be transferred to your head."
Saburo Arasaka's words made many people doubt their hearing. Only after confirming it several times did they dare to believe it was really that number—one hundred million eurodollars?!
One hundred million eurodollars was an amount of money most people wouldn't even dare to dream of in their lifetime. There were very few people in all of Night City who had ever seen that much money!
In an instant, all of Night City was in an uproar. No terrorist attack could possibly stop their frenzy.
The only thing to note was that her life must not be harmed. This point sent everyone's imagination running wild. No one knew what Lucy's relationship with Saburo Arasaka was. An illegitimate daughter or something else? They only knew they had to capture her and 'invite' her to Arasaka Tower.
But everyone still had one question—
"Who is Lucy?"
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