"Lucius Rhyne?"
At the mention of the name, everyone instinctively pictured the same image.
Bloated face. Thick neck. Short and squat.
Lucius Rhyne had been born with the unmistakable look of a politician.
During the Unification War, when the New United States attempted to seize Night City and fold it into the federal system, Lucius Rhyne had supposedly led the people in heroic resistance. Under his leadership, Militech tanks were repelled, and Night City proudly declared full independence.
Don't believe it—
because that's exactly what it says in the mayor's campaign brochure.
Or rather, don't believe it—
because that's exactly what it says in the mayor's campaign brochure.
In the eyes of most Night City residents, Lucius Rhyne was nothing more than a corporate bagman, the city's greatest con artist.
Greedy. Lustful. Ambitious without ability.
During his tenure, he achieved absolutely nothing. Night City was even ranked the worst city in North America.
His only redeeming quality was weakness.
He bowed to corporations easily.
He was easy to control.
In short—
a born puppet.
Before V arrived, Lucius Rhyne primarily answered to Night Corp.
After V arrived, he severed ties without hesitation and pledged loyalty exclusively to Arasaka 2077.
That wise decision earned him 91.5% approval in the new mayoral election—reelection was all but guaranteed. His subsequent performance also satisfied V greatly.
As Night City's nominal highest administrative authority, Rhyne obeyed V unquestioningly. Orders he understood, he carried out seriously. Orders he didn't understand, he carried out seriously while trying to understand them.
He was a shameless, greedy politician—but precisely because of that, he saved V a great deal of trouble.
And then—
He died.
In a car accident.
"A car accident isn't that hard to accept," Lucy said, glancing at her boyfriend. "David crashes cars several times a month. If he died in one, I wouldn't even be surprised."
David: ?
V nodded. "A car accident isn't strange. But do you know what kind of car he was in?"
"What kind?"
"A Delamain executive vehicle."
Everyone froze.
Choose Delamain—leave your worries at the door.
That slogan wasn't just marketing fluff. As V's original life-saving ride, a Delamain vehicle might look like a car—but treating it as a sedan-shaped tank wouldn't be wrong.
Reinforced chassis. Heavy firepower. Windows capable of stopping fully charged Nekomata tungsten penetrators.
And now you're telling me that this vehicle got into a traffic accident, bumped into a roadside fire hydrant, and the passenger died?
"I think the odds of President V being possessed by a rogue AI are higher," David said with a bitter smile.
"Exactly," Jackie agreed seriously. "You sit in a Delamain and still die? Who's that unlucky?"
V glanced at Jackie with a strange look. Jackie was completely baffled.
"What? Was I wrong?"
"No," V said. "You're absolutely right."
Then she turned to David. "Possessed by a rogue AI?"
"Urban legend on the Night City Net," David laughed. "You're too strong, V. People made up all kinds of theories. Some say you underwent genetic modification—a secret Biotechnica experiment. Others say you're actually a full-on android. And the really crazy ones say you're an alien from Alpha Centauri… something called a—uh—nec—"
"Necromancer?"
"Yeah! Necromancer!" David snapped his fingers. "You browse the Night City forums too?"
Not really. But she'd heard that one plenty in her previous life—mostly from Prophet Garry, that lunatic preacher outside Viktor's clinic. She'd tossed him a few eddies from time to time, until he suddenly disappeared one day. Probably silenced.
"And the rogue AI thing?"
"That one's recent. People think it's cool—but that's it. Just cool."
V nodded. She knew better than anyone that she was human. The rumors didn't matter. You couldn't stop them even if you tried.
Enough trivialities. The real issue was cleaning up the mess Lucius Rhyne left behind.
Even aboard the shuttle, V switched into work mode and began issuing orders.
"River, this is yours. Find out the truth behind the mayor's death. The public deserves an explanation."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Jackie, keep an eye on the factories. Watch the production lines. I want nanobot output and quality guaranteed."
"No problem!"
"Rogue, street stability comes first. That's on you."
"I'm not an Arasaka 2077 employee," Rogue said, then sighed. "But fine. Night City finally looks like something worth keeping. Would be a shame to let it fall apart again."
"It won't," V said calmly. "One Lucius Rhyne is dead. We'll just replace him."
She turned to Sasha. "There was another mayoral candidate, right? What was his name?"
"Jefferson Peralez. Lawyer. Former district attorney. Current city council member. He ran in this election too, but without your backing, his approval rating was only 4.3%."
"Background and platform?"
"Born poor. Spent most of his childhood on the streets. Earned a law degree through sheer effort and intelligence. As a councilman, he performed exceptionally—flexible when needed, ruthless when necessary. Deep down, he's an extreme idealist. His slogan is ensuring all poor children receive education and all struggling families live decent lives."
V raised an eyebrow. "Wait—are there still kids in Night City who can't go to school?"
Sasha smiled. "No. That's why his support is so low. When he says 'poor children,' he means outside Night City. He wants to export Night City's education and social welfare systems."
Everyone sucked in a breath. Johnny sneered.
"This kid's got balls."
"Having ideals isn't bad," V said, shaking her head. "He's a good person—but his stride's too big. Easy way to tear your balls off."
"I'm no saint. Areas outside Night City aren't my concern. Night City isn't a holy city either. What its people built through blood and suffering isn't a bargaining chip for someone else's ideals."
"He can be a good man elsewhere. But using Night City's money to play savior? No."
"This city doesn't need that kind of mayor. Find someone else."
"What are the requirements?"
"Same as Lucius Rhyne."
"Then I recommend his former deputy—Wilson Holt. Greedy, lustful, and most importantly, shortsighted. Only cares about money. No grand ambitions."
"Perfect," V said immediately. "Night City needs a mayor that simple and honest."
"Have him prepare his inauguration speech."
"Understood."
That was that.
Elections. Democracy.
Just political theater to placate the masses.
Unfair? Illegal? Sure.
But fairness and law were also political constructs to placate the masses. Same difference.
V made the rules—she wasn't bound by them. She chose the mayor best suited for Night City. End of story.
Johnny looked annoyed. "Why don't you just become mayor yourself? Save the trouble."
"I already have the authority and prestige of a mayor," V replied. "Running a flashy election would just waste time and money. Why the hell would I bother pulling my pants down just to fart?"
Johnny didn't hold back. "You're just lazy."
Obviously. Who isn't?
Instead of campaigning, V would rather spend a few more days vacationing on the Moon.
Returning to Earth wasn't because of Lucius Rhyne. He was a useless politician—die and be done with it. Plenty more where he came from.
What mattered was the deployment of the new nanobots.
Every new technology brought controversy, and biological nanobots were no exception. Their AI paradigm differed radically from traditional mechanical AI, and many scholars questioned their safety, issuing warnings both internationally and among the public.
Most just wanted funding. A few were genuinely concerned.
The international community—controlled by megacorp elites—was unaffected. V didn't care either. She only cared about Night City.
To ensure smooth public acceptance, V had Nakamura Kayo handle academic criticism, while Lucius Rhyne dealt with civilian skepticism. Government endorsement carried more legal weight than corporate messaging.
That was efficiency—not ideology.
But now Rhyne was dead, and the rollout stalled. That was why V cut her vacation short.
Honestly, Rhyne's death was obviously suspicious. But V didn't care. River's investigation was just for public closure.
Still, curiosity lingered.
Who would bother killing Lucius Rhyne?
To attack Night City? Killing Rhyne meant nothing.
Personal vendetta? Then how did they override a Delamain executive system? Did they have corporate-grade servers and compute power?
No matter how she thought about it, it made no sense.
Unless—
This was aimed at me.
V shook her head.
She had no enemies left among humanity.
Anyone who could've been her enemy was already dead.
The rest were friends—whether they liked it or not.
As V pondered, Misty suddenly spoke.
"V, I did a reading for you. Want to hear it?"
If logic failed, there was always the irrational.
Misty's business wasn't great—not because she was inaccurate, but because she was terrible at marketing. Her readings were usually eerily accurate, just too cryptic for most people.
V didn't understand them either.
But she was intrigued.
"Let's hear it."
Misty laid out the spread—three cards:
Death (Reversed)
The Tower (Upright)
Judgement (Reversed)
"Upper layer—latent, unknown danger." Misty lifted Death Reversed.
The card depicted an inverted skeletal knight on a white horse, trampling a kneeling pope. The black banner's five-petaled rose had withered. Dawn was swallowed by storm clouds. Even the crown drifting in the river below was rusted.
"Death reversed reveals suppressed endings—structural collapse beneath apparent stability. The Pope represents a decayed order. The corroded crown shows its continuation through subtler means."
"Together, they signify a neglected crisis spreading through inertial compromise."
"V—beware. A trap disguised as safety has already been completed."
V nodded. Everyone nodded.
"Middle layer—the detonation point of fate." Misty raised The Tower Upright.
Lightning split the crowned tower. Two figures fell from its burning heights. Golden sparks pierced the night like divine punishment.
"Building on Death reversed, accumulated crises breach the threshold. The Tower signifies irresistible disruptive force. The falling figures represent the collapse of both the cognitive self and the social self. The lightning is the universe's forced recalibration."
"This card declares: you stand on the ruins of false security. A major decision is unavoidable."
V nodded again. Everyone nodded again.
"Lower layer—the choice of the three selves." Misty lifted Judgement Reversed.
A winged angel hovered in clouds, trumpet pointed downward. Below lay a graveyard of coffins. One was open—the corpse inside had risen, turning its back on the light. Between them floated a cross, inverted like a dangling anchor.
"Judgement reversed reveals blocked awakening. The id is the risen corpse—your body senses danger but refuses to call out. The ego is the unopened coffins—rational judgment frozen by fear."
"The superego is the inverted trumpet—a 'safety illusion' imposed upon your free will."
"This card asks: when divine revelation is distorted by gravity, do you dare tear through collective hypnosis and listen to the instinct knocking inside the coffin?"
Misty concluded:
"From Death reversed to Tower upright—delayed endings return as exponentially violent catastrophes."
"From Tower upright to Judgement reversed—after the old self collapses, the three selves struggle amid mental ruins. The essence of choice is killing one version of yourself."
"From Judgement reversed back to Death reversed—unfinished awakening breeds cyclical crisis. The answer lies in the abyss the trumpet failed to reach."
Silence filled the cabin.
Then Johnny went, "Oh."
Rogue shot him a sideways glance. "You made a sound? You understood that?"
Johnny shrugged. "Doesn't matter if I did. V understood."
Everyone looked at V.
V was speechless.
I didn't understand a goddamn thing.
She twitched, then asked, "So… this spread doesn't sound very good?"
Misty shook her head. "Not exactly."
V relaxed. Everyone relaxed.
Then Misty added, "It's extremely bad. The kind of bad where one wrong step means death without burial."
V: "…"
Everyone: "…"
"Ahahaha!" Jackie laughed, scrambling the cards. "It's all bullshit. Don't believe it."
"Yeah, yeah. Total nonsense."
"Misty's got talent though. Great atmosphere. I'll bring some girls to support your shop later."
Misty smiled. "Thanks. Last month I only had three customers—one was a pizza delivery guy who came to the wrong address."
Everyone laughed.
Everyone except V.
Johnny frowned. "You're not actually believing this, are you?"
"Not really," V said. "But it reminded me of something."
She picked up Death Reversed.
"Latent unknown danger… I think I know who's behind this."
"Who?"
"If I have no enemies among humans, then my enemy must be something outside humanity."
She stood.
"When we return to Earth, assemble Arasaka 2077 security and netrunners. We're paying a visit to Delamain Headquarters."
"To do what?"
V curled her lips into a grin.
"Beat the shit out of it."