"Damn it! Why don't you solve your own problems first? Next time, I'll take care of you first!"
Arthur cursed under his breath before stepping into the dark tunnel without hesitation.
A cool, eerie air surrounded him as he entered, making the place feel like a passage straight to hell. But Arthur didn't bother with any lighting tools—his cybernetic eyes adjusted easily to the darkness, allowing him to see clearly.
"You corporate dogs always hide information that doesn't need to be hidden," Arthur muttered. "If you guys were more upfront, maybe more cyberpunks would be willing to take your jobs."
The network monitor on the other end of the call chuckled. "That's not exactly true. The real reason we keep some things under wraps is because no one wants to take on these jobs otherwise."
Arthur nearly laughed in frustration. "Can't you guys do less shady work? You're either stealing from Arasaka or planting bombs for Militech. Who the hell would willingly take these jobs?"
He moved further into the tunnel, carefully avoiding a group of repair workers. Instead of confronting them, he took another route based on the map he had memorized.
"But for the simpler tasks, we have our own internal teams," the network monitor continued. "We don't need to outsource those. Cyberpunks are unprofessional and charge outrageous fees."
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Maybe the problem isn't cyberpunks. Maybe it's the idiots in your company making terrible decisions."
He walked deeper into the passage, sidestepping a sleeping homeless man and the pool of vomit next to him. His foot crunched something, and he looked down—it was a human skull, half-buried in the grime.
Tunnels like these were filled with homeless people. They were safer than the streets of Night City, offering protection from both the elements and the gangs. Even if a nuclear bomb hit the city again, the survivors would be the ones living down here.
Arthur smirked. "You know, instead of lying to cyberpunks, you could just build trust over time. Start by offering small, risk-free jobs at a fair price. Eventually, they'd come to rely on you."
The network monitor paused, intrigued. "Go on."
"Once they trust you, you offer bigger jobs with steady pay, making them feel like part of the company. After a few months, they'll be willing to do anything for you." Arthur grinned. "Then, when the time comes, you can deceive them properly."
There was a long silence on the other end.
"…Are you sure you're not a corpo?" the network monitor finally asked. "That was a little too detailed. Have you worked for a megacorp before?"
Arthur chuckled. "Nah, I just have a friend who fell for that trick. A Militech guy. Real simple-minded. Got scammed out of everything."
The network monitor hesitated. "Hey, uh… can you introduce me to your friend? I just want to… help him out. We're all friends here, right?"
Arthur smirked. "You just want to hire him, don't you? How about this—every job he takes, I get a 10% commission?"
The network monitor was silent again.
Arthur continued walking until he reached a section of the tunnel blocked by concrete.
After examining the area, he drew his mantis blades and stabbed them into the concrete. The reinforced material resisted slightly, but his cybernetic enhancements allowed him to carve into it like butter.
"Your plan isn't reliable," Arthur muttered. "This concrete is as tough as you corpo dogs. It'd take me three or four days to get through this."
The network monitor responded quickly. "Not that spot! Try the lower left corner. There should be a hidden door there."
Arthur followed the instructions and stabbed his mantis blade into the designated area. The surface felt solid at first, but after a few strikes, he discovered it was hollow inside.
With a swift motion, he sliced away a thin slab of concrete, revealing a hidden tunnel.
"Why is this even here?" Arthur asked.
"It wasn't us," the network monitor admitted. "It was left by Knight International. They built these in case the tunnels needed to be reopened in the future."
Arthur smirked. "Let me guess—because of Johnny Silverhand's nuke?"
He stepped through the opening and found himself in another tunnel, slightly more reinforced but still decayed.
The network monitor guided him. "Keep moving forward. You'll reach the outskirts of Little China, near the Voodoo Boys' underground base."
Arthur frowned. "And how exactly do you expect me to get inside?"
"The Voodoo Boys have blocked all entrances using old maglev train cars. They're not as strong as concrete, but moving them will make a lot of noise."
Arthur exhaled sharply. "Great."
"We have a plan," the network monitor reassured him. "I'll provide assistance when the time comes. All you need to do is insert the virus into their systems. I'll take care of the rest."
Arthur clenched his fists. "Sounds easy enough, but I know better."
He knew the real danger wasn't breaking in—it was being detected. The Voodoo Boys were expert netrunners, and their underground base was crawling with hackers. If he was exposed, they could fry his brain in seconds.
And no amount of cyberware could protect him from that.
Arthur moved carefully, his footsteps silent against the cold tunnel floor.
Soon, he saw a faint blue glow in the distance—a telltale sign of netrunner activity. He was getting close.
He pressed a hand to his temple, activating his cyberware to scan for signals. Multiple encrypted channels pinged back at him, confirming the Voodoo Boys' presence.
"Looks like I'm here," he whispered.
The network monitor's voice crackled in his ear. "Alright. Stay low. You'll need to bypass their security systems first."
Arthur exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "Let's get this over with."
With that, he stepped forward, vanishing into the shadows of the underground.
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