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Chapter 369c
🕑 Added 2025-09-01 15:36:57 +0000 UTCChapter 369c
2-in-1-chapter
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Then, her expression froze.
Because she saw Leo draw a revolver from his holster and fire two rounds each into the heads of Marcus Masafusa and Jun Hanakami.
These two senior members of the Tyger Claws, who just a moment ago had been immersed in the world of braindance, had their skulls burst open the next second.
They died right there, slumped on the sofas in the meeting room.
Blood and brain matter were splattered all over the floor.
Then, Leo turned the barrel and fired the remaining rounds into Hiromi Sato’s head, sending him off to accompany his superior—so they wouldn't be lonely on their way to the afterlife.
When Leo had emptied the revolver’s cylinder, Maiko Maeda finally snapped out of her shock.
“What the hell are you doing?! Are you completely brain-dead?!”
Maiko lunged at Leo, shouting furiously. She was on the verge of losing it.
Victory had been within reach, the fruits of success clearly in sight—only for Leo to obliterate it all in an instant.
This was a result she could never have imagined: that Leo would kill not only Hiromi Sato, but both of the Tyger Claws high-ranking members as well.
Did he not fear retaliation from the Tyger Claws?
Without those two executives, how could Cloud be held?
Even if the Mox took control of Cloud, the Tyger Claws would never tolerate their influence extending into Japantown.
He had ruined a carefully arranged game of chess.
“I know exactly what I’m doing,” Leo said calmly, opening the cylinder of the revolver and loading fresh rounds one by one.
“Now give me a reason not to kill you.”
“So it’s all been planned,” Maiko said through clenched teeth, unwilling to accept it. “But you forgot something—I’ve also had implant upgrades.”
As soon as she spoke, Maiko lowered her posture and lunged forward.
Bang—bang!
The door to the meeting room slowly opened.
Leo stepped out.
Behind him, Maiko Maeda lay lifeless on the polished black flooring, her body still and her eyes open in disbelief—one bullet through her brow, the other through her heart.
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At a food stall under the megatower, steam from cooking oil mixed with the damp heat rising from the street, and the sky above was choked with smog, colored faintly pink by distant neon. Judy stood across from Leo, her face tight, her shoulders stiff, like she was holding something in.
“You killed her.” Her voice was strained. “You really killed her.”
Leo looked at her without turning away. “You heard what she said in the meeting. She was another Hiromi. Just dressed differently. She wasn’t planning to change anything—only take his place.”
Judy took a step back from the table. Her hand covered her mouth, and when she spoke again, it came out louder. “But you didn’t say anything! You didn’t tell me that was your plan! We agreed—Cloud would belong to the dolls. We agreed they would run it. That’s what we were doing all this for. You didn’t even give me a chance to stop it.”
Leo’s voice stayed level. “The people at Cloud?” Leo paused, then continued. “They don’t know how to manage a club. They don’t know how to handle finances, negotiate protection, or deal with gangs and clients. Even if the Tyger Claws didn’t retaliate, Cloud would fall apart under internal problems. Someone like Maiko would step back in sooner or later.”
Judy shook her head, her voice rising. “That wasn’t your call to make. It wasn’t supposed to be you deciding everything! I brought you in to help—not take everything and choose who gets to live.”
She was shaking now, and her words were less clear. “You don’t get it. I trusted you. I thought you understood. I didn’t think you’d just execute her like it was business as usual.”
Leo waited a moment before responding. “It wasn’t personal. It was necessary. Maiko had already decided how things were going to be. She was going to reshape Cloud in her image, and no one could stop her— or was willing to, except me.”
Judy turned away for a moment, trying to catch her breath, then turned back. “You could’ve told me. You could’ve warned me. You just… did it. Like she didn’t mean anything.”
Leo didn’t answer immediately. There was nothing in his expression that hinted at regret or anger.
“I did what needed to be done,” he said quietly. “I couldn’t leave her in place. And if I had tried to involve you, you would’ve hesitated. You would’ve tried to talk her down. You would’ve believed she could still be reasoned with and change. That’s why I didn’t tell you.”
Judy stared at him, and for a moment it looked like she might say something else—but nothing came. Her hands fell to her sides.
“I’m not okay with this,” she said, voice breaking slightly. “I know you think it’s over, but I can’t look at what happened and just accept it.”
She wiped her face with her sleeve and turned away again. “I just… I need time. I need space. Can we talk later?”
Leo nodded once.
She didn’t understand it yet. Maybe she never would.
He had known how this would affect her. From the beginning, it had been clear there was unresolved history between Judy and Maiko, and her emotions were still tied to that past.
But he could not have made a different choice.
He had seen what Maiko was planning. If left alive, she would have turned Cloud into her own territory, operating under a new name but using the same systems. It would have changed nothing.
Leo did not believe in second chances for people like her.
He had never failed a contract. Every objective given to him had been completed fully, without fail. And if a problem required a permanent solution, he carried it out directly. That was how he operated.
Now that Cloud was under Mox control, the dolls could continue their work under better conditions. Higher pay, protection, reduced shifts, and freedom from exploitation.
Wakako’s sons would take over the area once held by Markus Masafusa and Jun Hanakami, keeping the Tyger Claws from interfering again.
It wasn’t perfect. But it was sustainable.
And it was the best possible result under the circumstances.
Judy would come to understand that—someday. Or she wouldn’t.
Either way, what had needed to be done was already finished.
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With Judy’s situation resolved, Saul and the Aldecaldos had completed all preparations for relocation.
They could move at any time.
Leo made a call to Meredith to confirm the location of the exchange.
Then, he headed to Afterlife to retrieve the money from Rogue.
He brought Saul and the others with him to the designated meeting point, where they conducted the deal with Meredith: cash on one side, goods on the other.
Meredith was genuinely surprised that Leo had managed to pull together that much money.
But she had no intention of pulling a double-cross.
Six hundred million eddies was a lot, yes—but killing a client capable of paying that much would be nothing more than killing the golden goose.
And Meredith, who had learned that phrase back in grade school, wasn’t about to do anything so foolish.
Once the payment had been verified, Meredith generously lent Leo fourteen large, older-model military transport aircraft—along with the pilots to fly them.
Militech would help transport all fifty Basilisk armored vehicles and twenty Scorpiontail heavy assault aircraft to the specified destination.
Leo only needed to pay a friendly surcharge of ten million for the extra support.
The transaction was complete.
Leo ordered everyone to board the heavy military transports and depart for La Paz, the capital of Bolivia.
As for himself, he stayed behind.
Originally, his plan had been to travel to Bolivia together with the others.
However, during the events involving Judy, Leo unexpectedly gained something of considerable value—an unplanned windfall that led him to change his mind and remain behind for a while longer.
He compiled a detailed list of materials and handed it to Rogue, asking her to acquire everything he needed.
Then, he locked himself away inside a private room at Afterlife, one that Rogue had arranged specifically for him.
Aside from a rigid seven hours of uninterrupted sleep each day, he dedicated every remaining minute to production and development work.
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Half a month later.
Leo, visibly fatigued, finally emerged from the room.
In his hand, he carried a reinforced alloy case.
Inside the case was the culmination of two weeks of sleepless labor: a batch of newly developed combat support modules—devices capable of enhancing an ordinary person to near-special forces level in under an hour.
Leaving the room, Leo immediately took a Delamain taxi to Konpeki Plaza, where he booked a luxury suite.
There, he slept for several hours, followed by a long shower and a proper meal.
Only once he felt fully refreshed and clear-minded did he place a call.
Half an hour later, a middle-aged man in a tailored suit arrived at the suite to meet with Leo.
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Lister was the official liaison for the Republic of Texas in Night City, responsible for military procurement on behalf of their Department of Defense.
Earlier that day, he had received an unexpected call—from someone claiming to be the CEO of Aurora Private Military Company—who said he had a product line unlike anything currently on the market, and wanted to arrange a meeting.
The location proposed was Konpeki Plaza.
If the meeting had been set at Tom’s Diner or in some grimy back-alley dive, Lister would have ignored the call altogether.
However, someone who could rent a place at Konpeki Plaza gave him pause.
The hotel’s rooms were expensive, even for short rentals, and its security was considered impeccable—there had never been an incident there...officially at least.
After some thought, Lister concluded he had nothing to lose by showing up.
Inside the suite, Lister finally met Leo.
But the moment he laid eyes on him, he realized something didn’t match up—the head of Aurora PMC was far younger than he had expected.
“Mister Leo, is it?”
“That’s me. Good to meet you, Mister Lister.”
Leo extended a hand, and they shook briefly.
He then gestured for Lister to take a seat.
Once they were both seated, Leo reached into the alloy case and retrieved a firearm, placing it gently on the table.
“Mister Lister, do you recognize this weapon?”
