After leaving the Holy Land, V immediately set out to find Goro Takemura.
By the time she found him, the once-proud bodyguard had long since lost all traces of his former glory.
He had become utterly decadent.
At this moment, Takemura was sitting on the street, clutching a bottle of cheap alcohol as he drank heavily.
Lurking around him was a group of watchful Scavengers.
They circled like vultures, patiently waiting for him to drink himself unconscious.
The moment he passed out, they would rush in and strip the fresh cyberware and organs from his body.
Naturally, V had no intention of letting that happen.
Without saying a word, she rushed forward.
A swift kick sent one of the Scavs sprawling.
Then another.
Within moments, the entire group had been scattered.
Immediately afterward, she hauled Takemura to his feet and brought him to a relatively safe hotel nearby.
After booking a room, she laid him down and prepared to ask him about Herman.
"Goro."
Her tone was urgent.
"Pull yourself together. I need your help."
But Takemura seemed not to hear her at all.
He only muttered to himself in a hollow voice.
"It's useless…"
"Everything is over."
"No one can overthrow Yorinobu Arasaka."
"Saburo Arasaka's great revenge… can never be fulfilled…"
Before he could finish, he collapsed to the floor.
Then he began to weep.
Bitterly.
As if his soul had already left his body.
Seeing him like this, V felt a wave of frustration rise within her.
Still, she forced herself to remain patient.
"Goro."
She crouched beside him.
"First tell me where Herman is."
"The Relic chip was made by him. I need him if I want to stay alive."
Yet Takemura remained immersed in his grief.
Only after a long silence did he slowly lift his head.
His voice was weak and hoarse.
"He… escaped the company."
"I've been searching for him for a long time."
"But it's as if he vanished into thin air."
"There's been no trace of him."
Then, after a pause, he added,
"You can try the Afterlife."
"All the information I gathered before points there."
His expression darkened.
"I went there myself."
"But she drove me out almost immediately."
His fists clenched.
"Because my investigation threatened that damned Huanyu Group."
"That corporate dog."
His voice dripped with resentment.
"She and Yorinobu Arasaka are birds of a feather."
"They're working together."
"They brushed off Saburo Arasaka's murder as if it were nothing."
The moment Rogue was mentioned, Takemura's emotions flared violently.
He was filled with fury and unwillingness.
He simply could not accept such an outcome.
Nor could he forgive those who stood with Yorinobu.
V, meanwhile, could only look at him helplessly.
She gently patted his shoulder.
"Alright."
"You need rest first."
But Takemura showed no sign of calming down.
Instead, he continued in a voice full of bitterness.
"This makes me furious."
"Yorinobu Arasaka actually did such a thing."
"He betrayed his own father."
"He betrayed the entire Arasaka family."
"And that Huanyu Group…"
His expression twisted.
"They've been fanning the flames from the shadows."
"They don't care about anyone else."
"All they care about is their own interests."
V listened in silence.
Her heart was full of mixed emotions.
To some extent, she understood how he felt.
And yet—
from the perspective of ordinary people, and even herself—
Yorinobu replacing Saburo was actually an incredible thing.
Especially after learning that Yorinobu's goal was to reform Arasaka…
and that he was, at heart, a true revolutionary willing to betray his own class—
V couldn't help but feel a trace of admiration.
To turn against one's own family and status for the sake of the people—
that kind of resolve was rare.
A man like that truly deserved respect.
But she couldn't explain any of this to Takemura.
Not now.
As Saburo's most loyal follower, he would never accept it.
Nor could she admit that she herself was currently working for Huanyu Group.
After all—
Takemura had once saved her life.
If it hadn't been for him, she would have died under Dexter's gun.
At the time, had Dexter realized she was still alive, he would have shot her again without hesitation.
But because Takemura had pursued and intercepted Dexter first—
she had been given a second chance.
For that reason, V genuinely carried a sense of gratitude toward him.
And that gratitude made everything feel far more complicated.
On one hand, she didn't want to see her friend suffer.
On the other—
she didn't want Takemura causing trouble for Xiao.
"Goro."
As she prepared to leave, she couldn't help stopping once more.
"You shouldn't live only for someone else."
Her voice softened.
"If revenge is impossible…"
"Then try living for yourself."
"Instead of drinking yourself to death in some alley and waiting for Scavs to come harvest your kidneys."
Her gaze was firm.
"Don't let the living grieve for you."
Takemura slowly raised his head.
His face was full of endless loneliness.
"I began serving Arasaka when I was eight."
His voice was hollow.
"The meaning of my life…"
"Was to exist for Saburo Arasaka."
"My world contained only him."
Then he let out a bitter laugh.
"Who else would grieve for me?"
V turned back fully this time.
"At the very least…"
Her expression was sincere.
"We're friends, aren't we?"
"I'm here."
"Jackie."
"Viktor."
"Misty."
"We're all still by your side."
There was no hesitation in her words.
Only genuine feeling.
She truly did not want Takemura to continue sinking like this—
only to one day die like a stray dog in some forgotten corner of Night City.
Takemura stared at her.
For the first time, something stirred in his eyes.
Emotion.
And shame.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"I will…"
His voice trembled slightly.
"I will try to break free from Saburo Arasaka's shadow."
"And live for myself."
Then he slowly set down the bottle.
"Thank you, V."
"My friend."
A relieved smile finally appeared on V's face.
She nodded.
She believed he could do it.
After that, she quickly left the hotel room.
"Frozen dumplings, filthy corners…"
"Night City really never changes."
Inside her mind, Johnny Silverhand—who had been silent this whole time—finally spoke.
For the first time, he voluntarily initiated a conversation.
V moved swiftly through the shadows in stealth mode as she responded.
"Mm-hm."
"What are you trying to say?"
Johnny's voice carried a cold edge.
"You really plan to work with the company?"
"They're not going to cure you."
"As long as you still have value, they'll keep using you under the guise of treatment."
"They'll squeeze every last drop out of you."
"And when there's nothing left…"
"They'll throw you away."
His warning was sharp.
He had witnessed her entire deal with Xiao.
And he did not trust him in the slightest.
V slowed to a stop.
For a moment, she fell silent.
Because deep down—
she knew Johnny was right.
But she also knew something else.
She had no better choice.
Working with the company was dangerous.
Possibly fatal.
But right now—
it was the only path left open to her.
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