---
"Fucking bitch!"
The words tore through the chaos, barely audible over the sounds of an explosive blast. The voice was hysterical, borderline insane.
"Arasaka! Goddamn it, those cowardly bastards hired Arasaka! Militech didn't even bother to compete for this! That Arasaka bitch fooled me! Damn company dogs—just wait until I get my hands on you!"
The speaker, a burly, bald-headed Latino man with a fierce glare, wielded an MK.31 heavy machine gun. He spewed profanities in a frenzy as he stormed through the wreckage.
His body, hidden beneath a worn maroon overcoat, sparked with electrical surges. He was heavily modified: artificial muscle fibers, steel-reinforced bones, enhanced tendons, and subcutaneous armor visible beneath the torn fabric.
"Lads! Get going and salvage our assets! Whatever you recover, you've got my word—half of it is yours!" he roared, the promise booming through the air.
In the world of street gangs, this was an unusually generous offer.
Yet, the more perceptive of his crew had already caught on. They began stuffing valuables into their pockets and slipping away unnoticed. Arasaka? Going up against Arasaka was a death wish.
Still, some of the more reckless ones, either high from the adrenaline of their earlier looting or too loyal to their leader, showed frenzied expressions. Bloodthirsty and wild, they grabbed their weapons and rushed toward the gang camp now engulfed in flames.
"Ungrateful bastards!"
Though furious at the ones abandoning him—those he'd trusted with important tasks—the gang leader, nicknamed "Beard," knew he had no time to dwell on it. He needed to escape. He could only hope that the drug-addled psychos rushing forward could buy him enough time.
With that in mind, Beard wrenched open a nearby vehicle, a modified ride, and clambered inside. His crude movements made the entire thing rumble. The engine roared as he turned the key. He floored the accelerator and spun the wheel hard, making a sharp turn toward the exit.
Vroom... Vroom...
Behind him, the gang's camp was burning, flames licking the walls. Gunfire, explosions, screams, and the roar of collapsing structures mixed into a chaotic symphony of violence.
Thump! Thump! Thump—
The chaos was interrupted by a new sound.
Beard glimpsed flashing lights and shadows reflected in his rearview mirror. He watched in horror as several of his gang members—those who had charged ahead just moments before—were torn apart by high-caliber, sabot-discarding rounds. Limbs flew through the air, spinning helplessly before slamming into the ground.
The attackers were Arasaka's elite heavy assault soldiers.
The gang members were nothing to them. The soldiers, clad in Arasaka's tactical gear, tore through them like paper. In the flickering firelight, nanoblades sliced effortlessly through the cheap cybernetic augments and bodies of Beard's gang. Their helmets, marked with demonic faces splattered with blood and flesh, flashed red as their visors zeroed in on Beard's vehicle.
Fear gripped him, cold and primal, even as his enhanced spine kicked in. He slammed the pedal to the floor, his tires screeching as he took off. The streets blurred as he tried to make his escape.
But why were the soldiers suddenly standing still?
Beard's instincts screamed that something was wrong.
Zzz—
Without warning, his vision went black as if he had been electrocuted. His cybernetic eye systems had been short-circuited.
[Warning: Intrusion in progress.]
Arasaka hackers!
Then, a loud bang. The car window shattered, and Beard felt a massive, crushing impact against his chest. It was as if a spiked hammer had slammed into him. His entire body went limp, all strength drained from him.
The world spun.
The out-of-control vehicle slammed headfirst into a concrete barrier, lifting off the road, flipping over, and skidding before crashing violently into a nearby wall.
"Ugh—"
Beard's head spun. When his senses returned, he realized that half his body was crushed beneath the wreckage. The health scanner embedded in his chest screeched with alarms.
A sniper round had punched a hole the size of a bowl in his chest. His once-powerful, street-tough body lay twisted and broken, blood and coolant leaking everywhere. He was done for.
Tap tap tap—
In his final moments, Beard watched as the Arasaka heavy assault team approached, their steps slow and methodical. The Arasaka hacker, who had been hiding earlier, descended from his position, cradling a Byakko-tech sniper rifle. The hacker crouched before him.
With an emotionless glance, the hacker pulled a hacking terminal from his arm and plugged directly into Beard's bloodied head.
[Warning: Unauthorized access…]
Beard could only watch as his mind was invaded. Every piece of information—gang secrets, backup plans, funding locations, and safe houses—was pried from his brain in mere seconds.
The hacker stood up, mission complete.
"File Hakson Beard: execution complete."
A bright muzzle flash was the last thing Beard saw.
'Fuck Arasaka, fuck company dogs.' Those were his final thoughts.
---
That evening, Rio de Janeiro burned. The city had been in chaos for over a day, and now, only sporadic firefights continued. Arasaka's Special Rapid Response Force had completed its cleanup operation, successfully eliminating 1,328 wanted criminals, with countless others caught in the crossfire.
Arasaka's power had once again reigned supreme.
The heads of Rio's gangs were gone, and those who worked behind the scenes—intermediaries, mercenaries, and corrupt officials—had been purged.
Only the cleverest, the luckiest, and those hidden in Arasaka's shadows survived.
---
As dawn approached, the last of the Special Assault teams returned. Standing at a massive floor-to-ceiling window, V—clad in her sharp Arasaka uniform—watched over Rio's skyline in silence. She surveyed the burning city, her arms crossed.
The lights of downtown Rio still flickered, neon illuminating the towering buildings of the corporate sector.
In the center, it was paradise. Beyond that? Pure hell.
The sun would rise again, but for many, the new day would never come.
"Time to head back to Night City," V said quietly.
With a glance at the Arasaka clover logo and the interior of the command center, she shifted her gaze, walking toward the operational console.
Activating the heads-up display on her cybernetic eye, she sent her report. "This is V. The Arasaka operation to suppress the Rio de Janeiro riots is complete. Initiating mop-up phase."
Summary Report: Arasaka Group South American Investigation Team
Arasaka Information Department, Action Supervision Department Committee Meeting — Night City
Executor: V Alderhyde Russell
Mission Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Status: Completed.
---
Chapter 2: The So-Called V Alderhyde Russell
North California, Night City.
City Center, Corporation Plaza.
Gray clouds scattered across the sky, casting shadows over the towering 130-story Arasaka Tower. Its dark silhouette dominated the heart of Night City like a menacing obelisk, cold and imposing against the backdrop of the adjacent Militech and Kang Tao buildings.
Arasaka Tower—headquarters of Arasaka's Night City division—stood as a symbol of corporate dominance. Even those who despised it could not ignore its presence.