"Alright, I've taken care of it for you."

"Oh wow, if it weren't for our Night City big sis, my small-time mercenaries wouldn't have been able to handle this big assignment, and I'd definitely make a fool of myself in front of my employer."

Reyes eagerly went in for a hug, which Rogers deftly sidestepped.

"Cut the crap, have you thought about the price?"

The two had only crossed paths a few times, not really close. Reyes returning for assistance surprised Rogers.

"Last time, those guys didn't bother those mercenaries. Now you're stirring things up again. Are you really willing to go down that dark road with Lin Miao?"

Ideally, middlemen are a bunch of opportunists, exploiting mercenaries, avoiding risks—the least unprincipled group.

But Reyes daring to take Lin Miao's job at this moment was easy to get noticed, and once he caught their attention, even if Reyes survived, he'd be heavily scarred.

Yet Reyes didn't seem to mind; he casually leaned back on the sofa, legs crossed, saying

"I've always made money in a straightforward manner. I don't really want to get mixed up with those companies. Technically, the Watson District's issues aren't my concern, but I have a brother involved."

"He wants to do some good deeds, so I have to back him up, right? I need to be able to sleep at night."

Reyes truly didn't expect Lin Miao to charge in recklessly last time, and he even blew the place up!

Gone!

Such a huge place, gone!

He couldn't believe that Lin Miao, so meticulous, didn't realize what upsetting those people would cost, yet that guy came back alive.

Upon hearing about it, Reyes couldn't sleep that night. He was deeply shaken, unable to fathom Lin Miao's motives.

After collaborating with the Internet Supervisors to eliminate the Voodoo Gang in Taiping Continent, not only did he refrain from exploiting the Haitians, but he also took on a lot of work, including Lin Miao and Adcardo's affairs, which Reyes learned about.

"The old captain is aging; with this body, I might not live many years. Isn't it a waste not to go wild while I still can?"

Reyes leaned back on the sofa, exuding a carefree demeanor

"Isn't Night City supposed to be the City of Dreams? Now I want to chase dreams too, big sis, please don't crush them."

"Hah, do as you please."

Rogers was all too familiar with that look from the other person; everyone had the same expression back when they stormed Huang Ban Tower.

----

Kabuki Quarter

At this moment, the Night City's densest community is nervously staring at the distant blazing flames, unsure whether to flee or stay put, mostly praying that the fire doesn't come their way.

But not everyone staying in Kabuki Quarter is local, as it's still within Watson District.

"Aniki! Please!"

Within the Tiger Claw Tachi's hall, a young man kowtowed before his boss, Akasaka Ichirō.

"My family is in the disaster area. Please let me go back."

Sitting shirtless in his chair, Akasaka Ichirō's body was covered in tattoos, looking fierce.

He stared at his underling in silence before suddenly standing up, eyes wide, yelling

"Tetsuo! What do you think of your aniki? Do you see me as a coward who won't confront a disaster and leaves his underling to fend for himself?"

After shouting, he looked at the other gang members under Tetsuo's hopeful gaze.

"Anyone with family to the north, step forward!"

Several others stepped out; their homes hadn't been affected yet, but it seemed inevitable.

"You come with me to rescue your families, everyone else, what should we do?"

"Of course, follow aniki!"

"Tiger Claw Tachi, spread the grand spirit!"

Akasaka Ichirō grabbed a shirt from the coat rack, pulled up the underling still kneeling, and pushed him towards the door.

"Yoshi! Ikuzo!"

For Tiger Claw Tachi, business and reputation come first.

Openly, they're the most loyal group, beating the young and facing the old, often leading to gang-wide brawls.

In reality, it's often about power struggles, using underling conflicts as an excuse to maintain gang unity.

This time was no different. Tiger Claw Tachi had operated in Kabuki Quarter for so many years; if the fire spread, they'd suffer massive losses. They couldn't ignore it for various reasons.

Soon, the streets were filled with the imposing presence of Tiger Claw Tachi. Under their leaders' command, they charged towards the northern flames.

Besides Tiger Claw Tachi, the local Watson District gang Vortex Gang naturally couldn't stand idle, as they lived there too, even if they're crazy cyborgs, they had families.

Regarding the fire's cause, even they were clueless.

Quickly, tattooed Tiger Claw Tachi members and modified Vortex Gang maniacs appeared on the burning Watson District streets, alongside a few Haitians. Such large-scale gang crossing usually meant a brutal clash, but this time, they all ignored each other, focusing on evacuating civilians.

Without water, their actions were ultimately futile, merely watching the fire spread further.

Buzz—

Just after rescuing two people from a building's balcony, feeling a slight tremor underfoot

Is this...an earthquake?

Boom!

Perplexed, suddenly a surge of water burst a manhole cover, gushing out from the sewer, flooding the streets.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.