Chapter 10: Securicine (Part 1)

January 10, 2074, evening.

"Regina Jones?" Hitata sat obediently beside Rogue, sipping ice water in small mouthfuls.

"A Fixer from Watson with an extraordinary background." Rogue gently swirled her glass, taking a shallow sip; the sweet yet spicy taste was nostalgic.

"Hitata Castedei, you are truly the talk of the town; in just one short day, you've become famous among the Fixers. Wakako has suffered a huge, silent loss because of you."

"Killing forty-one core members of the Tiger Claws in a single encounter, tsk tsk," Rogue reached out to pat Hitata's neat short hair, "where did our little Hitata find such a powerful partner?"

"Rogue!" Hitata shook her head, trying to dodge the claw-like hand, but unfortunately failed, "He... his name is Yahweh, my boyfriend!" Hitata set down her water glass, placed her hands on her hips, and spoke with considerable pride.

"Hitata!" Rogue let out a heavy sigh, "I only worry you are being deceived... don't be like..." She cut off her words, slowly lowering the hand that had been rubbing Hitata's hair.

"She treats you very well, Hitata," Yahweh sat beside Hitata, carefully observing Rogue's subtle expressions and the words she held back.

"She is my greatest benefactor in Night City..." Hitata replied softly, realizing that Rogue had something difficult to say, perhaps the direct reason she often cared for and looked after her, yet she did not intend to press the matter. Just as she knew Yahweh also kept things from her, digging too deep would only harm their bond; preserving some private space for each other was more conducive to maintaining their relationship.

In Night City, lasting bonds were priceless treasures. Hitata Castedei knew this truth clearly in her heart.

"Here is her contact information," Rogue handed Hitata a Crystal Yuan, "I've verified it; it's safe and non-toxic."

Hitata took the Crystal Yuan and inserted it into the Neural Interface on the other side of her head.

"Hey, Miss Hitata Castedei! I'm Regina Jones; if you want to take jobs in Watson, give me a call," the woman on the line was a capable lady wearing a monocle eyepatch and military-grade bulletproof vest. "Of course, if there's a commission, I'll also proactively call you, just like today; I actually have a job for you right now." She paused, seemingly reviewing information.

"Someone reported five gunshots at a black Clinic in the Kabuki district of Watson; go check it out, try to capture them alive, but lethal force is permitted if necessary. Stay safe, Miss Hitata Castedei." After a polite remark at the end, Regina Jones hung up the phone with swift decisiveness.

"Wow..." Hitata raised an eyebrow, not quite accustomed to Regina's blunt and rapid speech.

"That's just how she is; she has a military background and does things by the book, but surprisingly, she's a good person." Rogue patted Hitata on the shoulder and downed the remaining strong liquor in her glass in one go.

"Kabuki is actually quite close to here; we can walk." Hitata rubbed her fists together, eager to get started on a job.

"Hitata!" Before Hitata could rise and leave, Rogue called out to her, "Even if you fail a hundred times on the path you choose for yourself, do not regret it!" She spoke softly, offering admonition to Hitata and a warning to herself.

"I will never regret it!" Hitata did not turn around, punching the air with force. Watching the resilience and determination hidden beneath her beautiful profile, Yahweh smiled, walked shoulder to shoulder with her, and together they left the Afterlife nightclub.

Watson was once a thriving core district of Night City, where offices of famous corporations and cutting-edge medical centers were located. Unfortunately, times have changed; under the influence of economic decline, Night City's capital and power centers have shifted to Downtown, leaving behind a chaotic region blending neo-militarism, kitsch, and Entropyism.

Nowadays, the living environment here is terrible; people struggle to survive under the brutal rule of corporations and gangs, living in misery and constantly facing the possibility of dying on the streets, making it a key area of focus for gamblers betting on the Dead Man's Lottery.

Kabuki was once controlled by Japanese medical corporations, which is the origin of its name, but now it has become a lawless zone, the most chaotic place in all of Watson.

Entropyism dominates Kabuki; various dirty storefronts, small vendors, food trucks, and streetwalkers mixed with a stench that hit the face. Hitata, wearing a pink hood and carrying a military backpack, gently covered her nose, taking quite a while to adapt.

Yahweh stood to the side, constantly alert to potential threats.

"This place is truly chaotic," he shook his head; although they had only crossed a few streets, it felt like entering another world.

Hitata discreetly stroked the Dynamite Pistol hidden behind her waist, ensuring she could draw and counterattack immediately in case of a sudden firefight.

"One hundred meters to the mission target," she activated the scanning mode of her Optical Camo, where the yellow mission marker was clearly visible amidst a scattered distribution of illegal structures.

"No threats for the moment," Yahweh added calmly, putting Hitata at ease as she proceeded to the mission destination.

Following the winding, narrow alley deeper in, Hitata arrived before a black Clinic. The doors and windows were tightly shut; under the flickering of crude neon lights, the clinic's pale walls appeared exceptionally eerie.

"Attention, there is one life sign inside the clinic ahead." Yahweh hacked into the clinic via the network, unexpectedly discovering that all surveillance cameras inside had been destroyed, forcing him to switch to biological scanning mode for detection.

"Received!" Hitata drew her Dynamite Pistol, ensuring a round was chambered.

This was the action plan she had just discussed with Yahweh on the way; she wanted to try the feeling of fighting side by side and coordinating with him. She was a weak rookie, but she did not want to forever hide behind a man.

Rogue's intuition was accurate; Hitata and she were essentially the same kind of people—strong and proud, willing to pay any price to catch up to someone.

Hitata quietly circled the clinic once; the surroundings were unusually silent, as if a strange mist shrouded the area. She took a breath, nodded to signal Yahweh.

Thus, the tightly closed clinic door slowly opened, effortlessly hacked remotely by Yahweh.

She put on her mask, raised her pistol, leaned her back against the doorframe, and waited quietly. Three seconds later, she leaned sideways and threw a smoke grenade inside.

Hitata crouched and rushed quickly into the room.

"Yahweh, confirm the situation!"

"No danger on the first floor; the target is in the basement." Yahweh looked at Hitata with approval; she actually looked the part.

Although he did not understand Hitata's thoughts, he chose to respect them.

Hitata crouched, stepping one by one toward the stairs leading to the basement, ensuring she made no sound.

The basement door was of traditional construction, unable to be hacked, and could only be breached manually.

After a brief surprise, confirming that a violent breach was feasible, Hitata assumed a power stance, leaning her slender body slightly forward, and pulled an Electromagnetic Shock Grenade from her waist pack—a high-grade item capable of causing temporary cyberware malfunction. With one foot on the ground, she aimed her other foot at the position beside the door lock.

She exerted force with her entire body, kicking hard, and simultaneously tossed the Electromagnetic Shock Grenade through the gaping door crack; upon hearing screams from behind the door, she charged in seamlessly, raised her hand, and fired two shots into the legs of the man writhing on the ground clutching his head in agony, preventing his escape.

Only then did she have the leisure to observe the scene behind the door.

The basement was a mess; roughly estimating, there were five victims, with severed limbs scattered everywhere, and blood, like paint, had thoroughly coated the entire basement without missing a single spot. Four skulls were placed in the four corners, while one skull was nowhere to be found.

"What the f*ck!" Hitata slammed the Cyberpsycho hard onto the ground; he was a middle-aged man covered in fresh blood.

"..." Yahweh silently surveyed the surroundings and let out a sigh.

It was truly a hellish scene; humans always seemed quite adept at harming their own kind.