Gearbound: Cyberpunk 2077-Chapter 193

"That's right," Dexter said.

"When are we leaving, then? What are we still waiting for?"

"No rush."

"No rush? You literally just said you couldn't wait until morning."

"You overheard that? Well then, Mr. Leo, no point pretending anymore. Do it."

Even before Dexter had finished yelling "do it," the bodyguard behind Leo had already made his move, launching a sudden sneak attack.

The bodyguard was trained. Not only had he installed gorilla arms, but he also mastered various combat techniques. In his mind, a sneak attack would guarantee success—

Smack!

Before he could even process what was happening, Leo casually caught his punch with ease.

"How... how is that possible?"

"Come on now, you're really weak."

Leo's left fist slammed into the bodyguard's chest. Even without wearing his Falchion suit or power armor, Fitness Lv.9 gave him strength far beyond an ordinary cybernetic.

With a dull boom, the bodyguard coughed up blood midair, crashed into the bathroom glass wall, and collapsed unconscious.

Seeing Leo handle his trusted bodyguard so easily, Dexter stumbled back, terrified, barely able to stay upright.

He knew Leo had escaped Arasaka's encirclement—a feat that alone marked him as dangerous.

(Arasaka had locked down media access; the public knew Saburo Arasaka was dead, but not how he died or what happened inside Konpeki Plaza. Dexter only knew Leo's team had fought their way out but had no idea they had even killed Adam Smasher.)

Still, Dexter had never imagined Leo would take down his best man bare-handed without even drawing a weapon.

Shaking with fear, Dexter drew a pistol, pointing it at Leo. Feeling the cold steel grip gave him a sliver of courage.

Despite being unarmed and unarmored, Leo was completely confident he could handle Dexter. He didn't rush to kill him. Instead, he asked calmly, "Dexter, what the hell are you doing? Lost your mind?"

Dexter ripped off his sunglasses and hurled them onto the floor. "That's rich coming from you! WNS, Channel 54—hell, even the underground nets—everyone's talking about you! I sent you to grab a chip, not to kill Saburo Arasaka!"

"You realize what you've done?! You killed a fucking emperor! A god! Anyone even remotely tied to this is gonna fucking die!"

Leo crossed his arms in front of him. "And you don't think that's your fault? What kind of fixer are you if you didn't even know Saburo Arasaka was in Night City?"

Dexter's face twisted with rage. "You think I have access to his schedule? Besides, who told you to kill the old man?!"

All Dexter could feel was burning frustration. He had hired them to steal the relic. Instead, they stirred up a shitstorm by assassinating the emperor of Arasaka.

Leo corrected him coldly. "We didn't kill Saburo Arasaka. His death has nothing to do with us."

"Bullshit!" Dexter snarled. "Go tell that to the Arasaka ninjas hunting you!"

He shook his head. "Don't blame me, Leo. You're the ones who went into Konpeki. The only way I live is if you all die."

Leo looked at him, deeply disappointed, as if realizing for the first time what kind of man Dexter really was. "Is that so, Dexter? I should have known you'd be this kind of person."

"Better late than never, right?" Dexter sneered. "Remember what we talked about the first time we met? Guess I'm better off a nobody after all."

As soon as he finished, Dexter pulled the trigger.

Clang!

The high-speed bullet struck Muramasa's blade—Leo had drawn it the instant the trigger was pulled. Sparks flew as the bullet ricocheted harmlessly into the wall, leaving only a shallow dent.

Leo stepped forward, crossing the distance in a single flash.

With one swipe, he severed Dexter's gun cleanly in half, and in the next instant, Muramasa was resting against Dexter's thick, trembling neck.

Realizing his imminent death, Dexter—still wearing his flashy gold chains and oversized jacket—dropped to his knees, groveling without a shred of dignity.

"Hey, hey, brother, no need to be rash, alright? Let's talk. We can talk this out."

"Oh, now you want to talk? Weren't you trying to kill me just a second ago?"

Dexter bowed even lower, his voice trembling. "I know I fucked up! I know saying sorry won't fix this! But listen, brother—I've got a lot of money saved up. Years of hustling as a fixer, I'm not broke."

Eyeing the blade still pressed against his neck, Dexter swallowed hard. "If you let me live, I'll give you everything I've got."

Desperately trying to sweeten the deal, he added, "And listen, Arasaka's locking down the city, right? All exit routes are gonna be swarming with troops. But it's okay—we can escape through the spaceport. Slip away without anyone noticing."

The offer seemed to make Leo pause.

He thought for a moment, then slowly withdrew his sword into its sheath. Coldly, he said, "How much money?"

"Five hundred thousand."

"Only that much?"

Leo frowned.

When he worked with Padre crafting smart weapons, he could pull in three hundred and fifty thousand a day. Five hundred thousand wasn't even a month's profit.

For someone like Dexter, who'd been a fixture in Night City for years, this was pitiful. freewebnoveℓ.com

Dexter winced. Inside, he cursed.

Five hundred thousand eurodollars wasn't small—most people in Night City couldn't even scrape together fifty thousand.

Sure, when Dexter had been at the top of his game, he'd had much more, millions even. But he wasn't a miser. He spent what he earned. What was the point of hoarding it? You couldn't take it to the grave.

If he still had millions sitting around, would he be risking his life trying to pull a stunt like this against Arasaka?

"No choice, huh? Fine. Transfer it—now."

Dexter didn't dare hesitate. He quickly transferred 250,000 over.

Leo checked his agent and scowled. "Didn't you say you had five hundred thousand? Why did I only get half?"

"Wait, wait! Brother! It's not that I don't trust you. I just need to make sure I'm safe first, alright? As soon as I'm in the clear, I'll send you the rest!"

Leo nodded slightly, indicating he accepted that—for now.

"Get out of my sight."

"You're not coming with me to the spaceport?" Dexter's voice wavered with fear.

Night City was Arasaka's home turf. Now that Saburo was dead, the city would be crawling with patrols, checkpoints, and death squads. Anyone connected to the case would be hunted down without mercy.

"If you wanted to survive, you had to flee before the lockdown fully sealed the city. Maybe escape to another country, somewhere outside Arasaka's grasp. Maybe even a remote region no megacorp bothered to touch—or off-world, to the moon."

But Leo didn't explain. He simply said, impatiently, "Before I change my mind—crawl away!"

Dexter shivered.

He didn't know what kind of trump cards Leo still had. He couldn't understand why Leo would just let him go. Didn't he worry that once he was safe, Dexter would stiff him out of the remaining money?

Of course, Dexter only dared to think this—he wasn't stupid enough to say it aloud and "remind" Leo.

All these thoughts flashed through his mind in a split second.

Without wasting time, Dexter scrambled up and bolted for the door.

Just as his hand was about to grab the doorknob—

Bang!

A gunshot rang out.

Dexter first felt an intense pain in his leg. His right leg buckled, unable to support his weight. He crashed to the floor face-first, sprawling out in a pathetic heap.

Desperately, he clawed at the door handle, trying to pull himself up.

Another shot.

This time, it was his arm—his massive arm, thicker than most people's calves—that was hit. Dexter screamed in agony, collapsing again, no longer able to even touch the doorknob.