Chapter 113: Don’t Lose It Here!

Anders Hellman was frozen in place, the color drained from his face. His hand hovered uncertainly over the pistol lying beside him—half a thought from grabbing it, half a thought from abandoning the idea entirely.

If he didn't reach for it, he'd die anyway.

But if he did… what good would it do against the man who'd just carved through Kang Tao's drones like paper?

In the end, his trembling fingers slid away from the weapon. He raised his hands instead, forcing a shaky, brittle smile.

"W-what do you want?" he stammered. "You can take everything here—data, hardware, credits. I've got enough in my accounts to make it worth your time. Or… if it's cyberware you're after, I've got some high-grade pieces—Arasaka prototypes, rare stock, I can—"

"Enough," Neo interrupted flatly, stepping closer. His eyes were sharp, his tone calm—but in that calm, there was danger, an edge that cut through pretense.

"I'm not here for money or chrome, Doctor. I want to talk about the biochip. The one you built for Arasaka—the Relic."

At that word, Hellman's blood ran cold.

"Relic? Arasaka? Are you one of their men?" he demanded, voice cracking. "Did Yorinobu send you?!"

Neo's lips curved faintly. "I'm not Arasaka. But I have someone with me who used to be."

The sound of boots echoed from outside. Takemura Goro stepped into view, his presence like the cold edge of a drawn blade. His gaze locked onto Hellman with quiet intensity.

"It's been a long time, Anders Hellman," he said.

Hellman's mouth fell open.

"Takemura…?! I should've known. If you're here, then it's Arasaka—Yorinobu's behind this! He still won't let me go?!"

Panic began to crack his voice. "I built the Relic! I did my job! Isn't that enough? I wanted to leave—to start over! Damn it!"

He slammed his fist against the metal wall of the AV. "You people never let anyone go free!"

Neo's hand moved faster than thought.

SLAP!

The blow echoed like thunder in the confined space. Hellman staggered sideways, blinking, stunned.

"You done throwing your tantrum?" Neo said coldly. "You've been hiding in your labs too long, Doctor. Get your head out of the sand. You think Arasaka's pulling my strings? You think anyone could hire me?"

Hellman blinked again, dazed—partly from the strike, partly from the realization.

Takemura stepped forward, his expression composed but his voice iron-hard.

"If this were before," he said, "I'd have dragged you back to Arasaka Tower myself. But things have changed. The world has changed."

Hellman's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Takemura looked him dead in the eyes. "Saburo Arasaka is dead."

The words hit like a bullet.

Hellman froze, blinking rapidly, as if his brain refused to process the sentence. "Dead? That's… that's impossible! He was—he is—the emperor of Arasaka! No one could—no one would—"

"It was Yorinobu," Takemura said quietly. "He killed his own father. Then spread a lie through the company that Saburo was murdered by a cyberpunk terrorist."

Neo stood silently behind him, arms folded, letting the truth sink in.

Hellman's face twisted. "So that's it. He did it—and you're saying he pinned it on someone else? On who?!"

"On me," Neo said simply.

Hellman stared. The air between them went still.

Takemura continued, "Now he controls Arasaka. And he'll keep that throne unless someone exposes what he did. I plan to do exactly that—and I need your help."

"My help?" Hellman barked a dry laugh. "You're out of your damn mind. What do you think I can do? You want me to testify? To point a finger at Yorinobu Arasaka and say, 'He killed his father'? I'm a ghost, you idiot! My name's poison in every corporate system in this city. The moment I speak up, I'm dead!"

Takemura didn't flinch. He drew his katana and rested the edge lightly against Hellman's throat.

"You misunderstand me, Doctor," he said calmly. "I'm not asking."

The cold steel pressed closer. Hellman swallowed hard, beads of sweat trickling down his temple.

Neo leaned against the AV's frame, watching the exchange with quiet detachment.

"You're out of options, Hellman," Takemura went on. "Work with us, and maybe you'll live long enough to see Arasaka bleed. Refuse…" He tilted the blade just slightly, enough for a drop of blood to trickle down. "…and you die now. Simple choice."

Hellman's voice was barely a whisper. "Fine. You win."

Takemura withdrew his blade and nodded once. "Good. Then we move now."

He turned to Neo and bowed slightly. "Mr. Neo, I owe you my thanks. You've given me what I need. This debt, I won't forget."

Neo's eyes narrowed faintly. "Let me ask you one last time, Takemura. You're really prepared to burn everything? No matter the cost?"

"Yes," Takemura said without hesitation. "Even if it kills me. Yorinobu must answer for what he's done. If I survive, I'll repay this debt—even if it means serving you in my next life."

Neo shook his head slowly, the ghost of a smile tugging at his lips. "Don't say things like that. Just do what you have to do."

Takemura bowed again. "As you wish."

He turned, gripping Hellman by the collar, and led him toward the waiting vehicle outside. Within moments, they were gone—swallowed by the rising sun.

…

Panam appeared beside Neo, arms folded, watching the two figures disappear into the desert.

"So that's it?" she asked. "We go through all that trouble just to hand him over?"

Neo's gaze stayed on the horizon. "Hellman's not useful to me. And Takemura…" He sighed softly. "He won't succeed."

Panam frowned. "You sound sure of that."

Neo's expression didn't change. "Because men like Takemura always think the truth is enough to change the world. But in Night City, truth dies long before people do."

He turned back toward the convoy wreckage, the morning wind tugging at his coat.

"Come on," he said. "We've got bigger storms to chase."