Chapter 371
2-in-1-chapter
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The same logic applied here.
The Shadow special forces unit was indeed the pride of Texas, but even Lister had to admit: a force of just 1,500 was far too small.
If they ever found themselves at war again with the New United States, and if combat losses mounted faster than replacements could be trained, they would inevitably fall into a massive disadvantage.
But if the Combat Assist Chip were available, the entire equation changed.
Even an ordinary civilian, someone who had never held a gun, could be fitted with the chip and deployed as a special forces-grade operative.
And the chip could also be used to enhance Texas’s existing Shadow troops, making the strong even stronger.
Thinking this through, Lister was already inclined to buy.
He said, “Seven hundred thousand per unit is too steep. If you could bring it down to six hundred thousand and extend the warranty to two years, I’d be able to report it more easily to my superiors.”
“Alright. Six hundred fifty thousand—no lower. And the warranty can be extended to three years. Let’s call it a gesture of goodwill between us.”
The manufacturing cost of the Combat Assist Chip was only a few thousand eurodollars. Extending the warranty to three years was inconsequential. The point was establishing a long-term cooperative relationship, which could always deepen further down the line.
Lister agreed without hesitation, and the two exchanged contact information.
The Republic of Texas wasn’t a military dictatorship. Although Lister was the liaison, he didn’t have the authority to make a decision on such a large military procurement. It had to be reported to Congress, which would then authorize the funds before Leo would be paid.
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Once their conversation ended and Lister had left, Leo checked out of Konpeki Plaza.
Although they had conducted this deal in one of Konpeki’s luxury suites, he wasn’t the least bit concerned that Arasaka might interfere.
He had known all along that every room in Konpeki Plaza was equipped with surveillance systems.
That’s why, when entering, he had brought a little netrunner device.
It was no larger than a fingertip, but when attached to a camera, it could interfere with the signal, rendering the surveillance nearly useless.
As soon as Leo entered the suite, he had deployed the jammer, effectively blinding the room’s monitoring equipment.
So, aside from the two of them, no third party would ever know what was discussed in that room.
Six hundred fifty thousand per Combat Assist Chip.
If the Republic of Texas intended to purchase three thousand units, that would total 1.95 billion eurodollars.
In the short term, Leo would no longer need to worry about funding.
However, he had no intention of using that money to repay the seven hundred million he owed Rogue—not because he was trying to weasel out of it, but because they had agreed that the debt wouldn’t be due for several years. There was no need to pay it back early.
Especially now, with Aurora PMC hiring large numbers of personnel and preparing to expand into Bolivia—every cent would be needed.
As for Rogue’s debt, it would be repaid exactly when promised. Leo still had three mining operations in Bolivia; the revenue from those alone would be enough to settle the debt, without any need to rush.
And the enhanced Combat Assist Chip—the one that could turn a person into a Captain America-type soldier...
Leo wasn’t foolish enough to put that version on the market.
Every country did the same: the weapons they sold were always the stripped-down versions.
As for the upgraded ones? Those stayed in-house of course.
If the best and most advanced equipment were sold to others, wouldn’t that be the same as aiding the enemy?
Now that everything in Night City had been settled, it was time to return to Bolivia.
However, just as Leo was preparing to find Meredith to purchase another aircraft, an unexpected call came through.
“Mr. Leo, are you free right now? Could we meet?”
That stiff, awkward voice—Leo recognized it immediately. It was Takemura.
But…
Why did his voice sound like that?
Compared to last time, it was even hoarser, more fatigued.
“Where are you now? I’ll come to you.”
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They met again at the same place as before—an abandoned pier in Japantown.
When Takemura stepped into view, Leo could hardly believe his eyes.
Leo still remembered clearly what Takemura looked like when they first met—upright, sharp, composed, the very image of a high-ranking bodyguard.
But now, he was gaunt, his skin pale and lifeless, and his eyes dull and unfocused.
Gone was the tailored coat he used to wear; instead, he had on a filthy, tattered overcoat that looked like it had been pulled out of a dumpster. In some places, the fabric had torn open completely.
His samurai topknot was unkempt, greasy, and matted. His cheeks were sunken, and dark circles hung under his eyes. He looked utterly worn out, drained in both body and spirit.
A rough, patchy beard covered his jaw, clearly untrimmed for weeks. Even his fingernails had grown out uneven and dirty—no longer the clean-cut image he once kept.
It was evident that Takemura hadn’t had proper rest or nutrition in a long time. His entire being exuded a constant sense of poverty, hardship, and quiet defeat.
This was the same man who had once stood proud—now reduced to this.
It was a sad thing to witness.
“Takemura? What happened to you?”
Leo didn’t bother asking, "How have you been?"—it was obvious he was worse off than the last time they met.
“I got screwed. Bad.”
Takemura began to recount everything that had happened since their last encounter.
He had once served directly under Saburo Arasaka. But after Saburo’s death, Yorinobu named Takemura as the murderer.
All of his Arasaka cyberware was remotely shut down. His digital bank accounts were erased. He couldn’t even show his face—if an Arasaka ninja spotted him, it would mean immediate death.
Penniless, Takemura had no way of leaving Night City, and returning to Japan was out of the question. Japan was Arasaka’s home turf.
So, he had no choice but to stay.
Without money, and with no other way to survive, he was forced into the very line of work he once looked down on—mercenary work.
And then, he got burned.
Getting burned on a merc job wasn’t uncommon. It was part of the business. Even government intelligence agencies sometimes misread information and sent people to their deaths based on false intel.
And for mercenaries it was even riskier.
Takemura’s last mission had gone completely sideways. Not only did they fail, but they also ended up provoking a wealthy client.
The client put out a bounty—ten million eddies—for the heads of every merc involved in that job.
One by one, the other mercs who’d worked with him were hunted down and killed by bounty hunters or desperate crews looking for the reward.
In the end, Takemura was the only one left alive.
He knew he couldn’t stay in Night City any longer.
Even trying to get help from other fixers didn’t work—none of them were willing to stick their necks out for him.
Just when despair was closing in, he thought of Leo.
“So, you want me to smuggle you out of Night City?”
Takemura nodded.
“I’ll never forget this kindness. One day, I’ll repay it.”
“Helping you get out isn’t the issue. But…”
Leo was about to leave anyway—taking Takemura with him wouldn’t be much trouble.
But right now, Aurora PMC was short on people, and Leo knew exactly how capable Takemura was.
Takemura, however, seemed to misunderstand his hesitation.
“Mr. Leo, I don’t have a single eurodollar to my name. But rest assured—we samurai keep our word. What I promise, I will fulfill.”
“If you’re still worried, I’ll work for you. Half a year… no, make it a full year. I’ll give you a year of my service.”
Leo sighed.
“No, Takemura, you’ve misunderstood. That’s not what I meant.”
There was no value in forcing someone into servitude.
Leo had no interest in coercing people into working for him. If someone was going to dedicate themselves to his cause, it had to be because they wanted to—fully, willingly. That was how loyalty endured.
“If I remember correctly, Takemura—wasn’t your plan to meet with Hanako Arasaka? The Arasaka Requiem is coming up soon. Once that’s over, she’ll leave Night City and return to Japan.”
“If you miss that chance, you may never get to see her again.”
“If you choose to leave with me now, you may never return to Arasaka. Are you sure that’s what you want?”
Takemura fell silent.
Of course, he knew—if he left Night City with Leo now, all hope of returning to Arasaka would be gone. His chance to reclaim what had been stolen from him would disappear for good.
Takemura understood that if he left Night City with Leo, he would miss the chance to meet with Hanako Arasaka. There would be no going back to Arasaka, and he would never recover what he had lost.
But…
After being betrayed and framed by Yorinobu, all his hope, all his focus, had been pinned on Hanako Arasaka.
After their last meeting at the abandoned dock, when they had parted ways, he had gradually come to terms with reality.
Even Oda, the one he trusted most within Arasaka, refused to get involved—so could Hanako Arasaka truly be expected to go against the now-dominant Yorinobu Arasaka, just for someone like him?
In truth, Takemura Goro, who had climbed up from the slums of Chiba Prefecture, was not ignorant of how ruthless megacorporations could be. He had simply spent too long trying to numb himself to that truth.
It wasn’t until Saburo Arasaka’s death that he finally realized—
He had never changed anything at all.
The person he was now was no different from the one who used to live in the slums of Chiba.
He was still a man considered no more than trash.
And so, Takemura chose to give up.
Even though he knew full well that the Arasaka Memorial was fast approaching.
His silence was the clearest answer.
Just a glance at his expression told Leo everything he needed to know.
So he didn’t press further. Instead, he shifted the topic.
“Which country do you want to go to?”
“As long as it’s not Japan, anywhere is fine.”
Takemura was clear about one thing.
If he returned to Japan, he was as good as dead.
Leo nodded slowly.
A thought began to take shape in his mind.
“If I send you away, have you decided what you want to do?”
Takemura didn’t hide anything and answered frankly.
“Maybe I’ll keep taking mercenary work,” he exhaled lightly. “To be honest, killing’s about the only thing I’m good at now.”
“If that’s the case, why not come work for me?”
Takemura paused, then looked up at Leo, visibly surprised.
Leo gave a faint smile.
“You probably haven’t been following what I’ve been up to, but I’ve set up my own private military company. If you come work for me, I won’t be able to match what Arasaka paid you, but at the very least, it’ll be better than scraping by doing mercenary jobs.”
“A private military company?”
“Aurora PMC,” Leo said, pulling out a tablet and opening the company’s official site. “Here. Take a look for yourself.”
Takemura took the tablet and quickly became absorbed in what he saw.
The more he looked, the more astonished he felt.
He had never imagined that Leo had already become such a figure—a true rising force.
After thinking it over, he made up his mind.
Leo was right. Working for him would be far better than wandering the mercenary circuit.
Takemura had ended up in his current desperate situation precisely because he’d been backstabbed while working as a hired gun.
This time, he was lucky Leo could get him out of Night City—but what about next time?
Living as a mercenary meant always watching your back, with low pay and high risk. If given a choice, Takemura would never want to keep living that way.
Now, the choice had come.
He didn’t hesitate any longer, and agreed.