📢 [NetSignal – Encrypted Broadcast from the Undernet]
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See you on the Net, cybertrash 💀
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Morning of the next day.
A rare sunny day in Night City—finally, a glimpse of blue sky.
Outside the All Foods factory.
"Lucky! What took you so long?" Jackie shouted, straddling a flashy, loud motorcycle and waving.
"Hah…" Roqi yawned massively as he walked over, waving lazily. "Don't even ask. It's all because of you."
"Me?" Jackie blinked. "You went out to get me a present or something?"
"Heh." Roqi's yawn dissolved into a laugh. "Something like that. A gift not for you to use, but definitely for your benefit."
Jackie scratched his head. "Don't play coy, just spill it already. Now I'm curious."
"Business first." Roqi wagged a finger. "V, how'd it go with Meredith Stout?"
"Did what you told me. We're cooperating now. She gave me a chip to use as payment." V pulled out a chip full of colorful circuitry, but noticeably missing the word "MILITECH."
"Perfect. We'll pay with that." Roqi nodded.
"I scanned it. There's malware and a daemon on it… If we give this to Maelstrom, shit's gonna hit the fan," V warned.
"Pff, chingón," Jackie slapped his thigh. "So we're going in hot, huh?"
Roqi glanced at the entrance below the ramp behind a pile of garbage. "Get ready. Go in, play along, no sudden moves, and then…"
"Then blast their chrome heads off, mano," Jackie patted the pistol on his waistband.
"Are we sure about this? Maybe we should be more careful," V said, rubbing his chin.
Sometimes when Roqi's plans sounded too simple and reckless, V would start second-guessing the whole thing.
"Militech's got our backs. Especially Meredith Stout—she's probably more desperate than we are," Roqi reassured them.
"And how do you know that?" V asked, curious.
Roqi suddenly sighed, throwing the two of them off. "I wish I really did know everything. But once we're done with the Relic job… that'll be about it."
V and Jackie: (??)
"Alright, let's head in." Roqi snapped his fingers. "By the way, have you guys been waiting long?"
"No biggie. My mama always says good things come to those who wait."
Jackie shrugged, totally unbothered.
"Good."
Last night, after leaving Lizzie's Bar, V called Roqi even though it was super late. Roqi had made it clear—no matter the time, talk things through. Always.
But V couldn't help feeling like Roqi's brain worked like a damn machine—he processed the info at lightning speed, and before V could even finish explaining, Roqi had already broken it all down and come up with a plan. Like he knew everything.
Dexter had already paid for the Flathead drone from Brick. But just as they were about to pick it up, Royce staged a coup and overthrew Brick. Now it wasn't even clear if the deal still stood.
Jackie felt bad about the money, even if it was Militech's. But the thought of wrecking the place soon had him grinning.
"Let's go see what those bastards are up to," V said.
"Knock knock—let's see if anyone's home," Jackie said, finally hopping off his beloved bike. "I hate dealing with these cyberpsycho freaks. Why'd it have to be them?"
"They're just a gang, right?" V asked.
Jackie shook his head and strutted up front. "Take Valentinos, for example. They believe in God and the Virgin Mary, and they value honor. You know what they want, how they operate, where the lines are."
"But Maelstrom? They don't follow any street code."
Even though Jackie had left the Valentinos, he still had strong ties with his old crew. Especially his mother, Guadalupe Alejandra Wells—everyone called her Mama Wells.
She was beloved in the community. No matter who you were, if you stepped into her home, she'd listen to your troubles and feed you a delicious meal. Like every loving mother, she'd do anything to protect her child—even die for them.
She was a major figure in Heywood. Even the toughest Valentino gangers showed her respect. The Padre once said Mama Wells wasn't just kind-hearted—she was tougher than any gang boss in the whole district.
Totally absurd—like some hidden boss character. Roqi used to think that was just flavor text. But in reality? Hell, Adam Smasher was small potatoes—just a hunk of meat in a tin can. There were way scarier people out there.
After all, this was the real cyberpunk world.
As for Maelstrom, they were pure chrome junkies.
They ruled over Watson and the North Industrial District. You could easily spot them by their terrifying faceplates and aggressively modded optical implants—standard gear for the gang and a clear sign of their obsession with body mods and cyberware.
When you see Maelstrom, you might think—"Now these guys are real pioneers of bold transhumanist transformation."
And if they were only testing the limits of the human body on themselves, maybe you'd be right...
Unfortunately, they also enjoy experimenting on anyone unlucky enough to fall into their hands.
Maelstrom is infamous for extreme cruelty and public executions within their own ranks. Add in the production of illegal braindances and their aggressive, manic combat style, and you've got a gang teetering on the edge of full-blown cyberpsychosis. In truth, their operations aren't as insane as they look—it's all business at the end of the day. The more rumors that spread about them, the better their business does.
The business may not be insane—but the people sure as hell are.
Say what you will, just ripping out everything from the brow ridge down and replacing it with spider-like optical implants that stretch across their faces is already a visual nightmare.
Now picture that with multiple cyber-eyes—like six or seven red bulbs where the eyes should be—on a mangled face, and then one of them leans in and asks if you want to buy their gear.
They're nastier and crazier than your average gang.
Most gangs, you can find some excuse to downplay their behavior. Not Maelstrom. These guys are a violent, psychotic threat to public safety, known for horrific abuse of innocents and all kinds of criminal shit. The world would be better off without them.
Unfortunately, they're not few in number. The NCPD estimated their strength at around 1,300 members, but that stat's ancient history.
Roqi shook his head, trying to snap out of his daze from a sleepless night.
Why overthink it? Just go in guns blazing.
V pressed the intercom button. A deep, raspy snort came through—it sounded like a zombie beatboxing.
"Yeah? Who the fuck are you?" came the irritated voice.
"Open the goddamn door," V barked back, not in the mood to play nice with lunatics.
"Who the fuck are you? I don't know you."
"We're here to see Royce. Sent by Dexter."
The voice paused for a beat, like someone swallowing back a breath. "Head to the server room. Been expecting you."
With that, the metal shutter clattered open.
Inside was a dark space filled with shelves and machinery.
"Nice vibe. Just needs a couple potted plants," Jackie joked. "Damn, they really rolled out the welcome mat."
Two automated turrets stood right at the entrance, scanning in all directions with loud mechanical whirs.
Roqi glanced around—no cameras.
A small, restrained smile crept across his face.
"Why the hell are you grinning like that?" V turned to see Roqi smiling like a mischievous clown.
"I just remembered something that makes me happy," Roqi replied, stone-faced.
Looking at the turrets, V didn't share the cheer. "Never seen a food factory with this much firepower."
"They probably jacked it from some transport convoy…" Jackie scoffed, completely fed up with Maelstrom. "Bet they're armed to the damn teeth."
"Hey, what's that?" Jackie pointed.
As they moved deeper, the space opened up, revealing a few parked vehicles.
MILITECH—military-grade transport trucks.
"I thought these assholes only grabbed a few crates… holy shit, they took the whole truck!" Jackie slapped his forehead, finally understanding why Militech was so eager to crush Maelstrom.
"Wait, hold up."
Roqi stopped V and Jackie.
"Send Meredith a message—snap photos of this stuff, tell her to prep her crew. The moment the virus hits their systems, she goes in."
"And after that, you two head in on your own."
"What about you?" Jackie asked.
V also looked over, puzzled.
"You'll find out soon enough. Just go. Be careful." Roqi clapped them on the shoulders, flashed an OK sign, and walked back the way they came.
Jackie and V exchanged a glance, shrugged.
"Trust Lucky. He always has something up his sleeve," V said, confident.
"Let's roll," Jackie replied coolly.
.
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📢 Cyberpunk Alert! 📢
Loving My Girlfriend's a Cyberpsycho—Who Knew? 💘🤖You can read more chapters in advance exclusively on Patreon! 💥🧠
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