Within the bodies of those modified monsters, an unknown and mysterious force was constantly repairing the flesh ravaged by cyberware and drugs.
With her sharp eyes, V caught the faint glimmer of silver-white light flickering beneath several torn muscle wounds.
Her pupils instantly contracted.
"Holy shit…"
"They're all Mechanical Cultivators who've awakened primal power."
Her scalp tingled.
"These Scavengers are completely insane!"
This was clearly the laboratory of some mad scientist.
They had actually captured members of the Mechanicus and turned them into experimental subjects.
Inhuman experiments.
Relentless torture.
Bodies twisted beyond recognition.
V could almost imagine what would happen once news of this reached the Mechanicus.
The retaliation would be catastrophic.
Not only the Scavengers—
even whoever was backing them from the shadows would never escape.
At that moment, V understood that taking action herself would be meaningless.
This was no longer a problem she could solve alone.
Without hesitation, she retraced her route and returned to the surface.
She rushed back at full speed to the hidden village where Panam had parked the taxi.
The moment Panam saw her, she immediately ran over.
"V!"
Her voice was full of urgency.
"What happened?"
"Did you find my car?"
Her eyes were filled with expectation.
But V only shook her head.
"Panam."
"Call your clan immediately."
Her tone was grave.
"Tell the Mechanicus to issue an extermination order."
"There's nothing left for us to do here."
"???"
A string of question marks practically appeared over Panam's head.
Then her temper exploded.
"What the hell do you mean by that?!"
She nearly shouted.
"You want the Mechanicus to wipe the place clean?"
"Then why the hell did I even come to you?"
"I just want my damn car!"
"Where is my car?!"
Seeing her on the verge of losing control, V quickly explained.
"These Scavengers captured a group of low-level Mechanical Cultivators."
"They've been using them for human experiments."
"Inhuman ones."
Her voice grew colder.
"They've tortured them beyond recognition."
"I can't move on this myself."
"If I interfere directly, it'll cause trouble with the Mechanicus."
As she spoke, she sent the footage she had recorded in the basement to Panam.
The moment Panam saw the video, her expression froze.
Then it shattered.
"Is that… Nancy?!"
Her voice trembled.
Those motherfucking Scavengers…"
Her rage exploded instantly.
"These bastards…"
"Inhuman trash!"
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
Inside that living hell, she had seen someone she knew.
Someone from her own clan.
Panam and Nancy had never been especially close.
At most, they had been casual friends.
Nancy had left the clan much earlier.
To make money, she had come to Night City to sell goods from the Holy Land and blessed water.
Back then, she had made a fortune.
But after that, she completely lost contact with the clan.
Panam had never imagined that the next time she saw her—
it would be like this.
Reduced to a test subject in a Scavenger laboratory.
Even if they hadn't been close, they were still clan.
Still family.
The killing intent in Panam's eyes surged like a volcano about to erupt.
But after the initial burst of rage, she forced herself to calm down.
Suppressing the fury inside her, she dialed Saul's number.
The moment the call connected, she only said one sentence.
"Saul."
"I found Nancy…"
Her voice cracked.
"She's dead."
After that, she immediately hung up and sent him the footage V had recorded.
Then she slumped against the steering wheel and silently broke down.
V stood beside her, gently patting her shoulder, unsure how to comfort her.
Inside the Central Cathedral of the Mechanicus, a Mechanical Sage was swinging a massive hammer with all his strength against a bronze bell that weighed dozens of tons.
Dong—
Less than three minutes after Panam's call, a deep and resonant bell toll rang out from Pacifica.
The sound spread instantly across the entirety of Night City.
Dong—
The bell's deep resonance carried a strange divine force, as though it were striking directly against the soul.
Countless people stopped where they stood.
Some instinctively lowered their heads.
Others folded their hands and began to pray.
Under normal circumstances, the cathedral bell rang every day.
Three times in the morning.
Three times at noon.
Three times in the evening.
It marked the beginning of work, the lunch break, and the end of the workday for followers of the Mechanicus.
But this time—
the bell did not stop after the third toll.
It continued.
Again.
And again.
Each strike was heavier than the last.
More solemn.
More oppressive.
By the time the thirty-third bell rang, the entire city had fallen into silence.
Every follower of the Mechanicus.
Every citizen of Night City.
Everyone understood what it meant.
Thirty-three bells.
A Holy War.
The Mechanical Cultivators who had been praying slowly opened their eyes.
The crimson glow in their pupils no longer held sanctity or peace.
Only endless fury.
And murder.
Every Holy War required a direct decree from the God of All Machines.
Which meant only one thing—
someone had crossed a line so severe that it had enraged the deity itself.
The entire city was instantly plunged into tension.
Mechanical Cultivators began mobilizing at once.
Squads assembled.
Weapons were armed.
Units moved into formation.
They prepared to throw themselves into the coming holy war.
Ordinary citizens, meanwhile, could only watch in fear, uncertain what disaster was about to unfold.
In this city of technology and mystery, a storm had begun.
And the thirty-three bells were only the beginning.
"Holy shit…"
"The Mechanicus actually declared a Holy War?!"
The entire city was stunned.
No one could understand what had happened.
Who had managed to provoke those fanatics to this extent?
Inside Arasaka Tower, executives and guards were jolted awake in terror.
People leapt from their beds.
Orders were issued immediately.
Every available force in Night City was rapidly concentrated around the tower.
The Arasaka Guard.
The Tiger Claws.
Centaur mechs.
Almost every combat-capable unit under Arasaka's control was mobilized for defense.
Some senior executives didn't even have time to get properly dressed before boarding AVs and rushing toward the tower.
No one wanted to become the first target.
The other megacorps reacted the same way.
But none of them had any idea why the Mechanicus had suddenly gone berserk.
Inside the conference room, Michiko Arasaka slammed her hand against the table.
"Yorinobu."
Her voice was sharp.
"Tell me the truth."
"Did this happen because you attacked Huanyu Group?!"
Yorinobu, seated at the head of the table, glanced at her expressionlessly.
"Don't be ridiculous."
His tone was utterly calm.
His relationship with Huanyu Group and the Mechanicus was practically inseparable.
If they truly wanted him dead—
they wouldn't need a Holy War.
A single squad of Mechanical Sages would be more than enough to erase him.
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