As they took the elevator up from the parking garage, T-Bug called.
"Your target is a girl named Sandra Dorsett. Her biomonitor signal was lost a few hours ago—likely kidnapped," she reported, her voice flat and mechanical.
"The target might already be dead. Not sure if you're too late," she added.
On screen, the bald, dark-skinned woman remained expressionless, her tone cold and detached. Maybe working too long with virtual systems had made her this way.
"We won't be too late. And yeah—*we*. You may be working remotely, but you're part of the team too," Jack quickly interjected.
"Part of the team? Interesting," T-Bug muttered after a brief pause, though her expression didn't soften.
"You two can stop goofing around. Focus on the rescue," Lin Yu interrupted before the banter got worse.
"Right, and T-Bug, no getting distracted either!" Jack added, tossing the blame her way.
Lin Yu just shook his head and said nothing more.
Exiting the elevator, they found themselves in a run-down apartment building—narrow hallway, rooms lining both sides.
The lighting was dim, trash littered the floor, graffiti stained the walls. It was even worse than Lin Yu's own apartment.
"Target should be in Room 1237, but I can't find her biomonitor signal," T-Bug informed them.
"Damn, I hate jobs where we don't know if they're alive or dead. Let's move quick!" she added, the smallest hint of urgency creeping into her voice—an acknowledgment that she now saw herself as part of the team.
Other residents were still milling about. Lin Yu and Jack shooed them back into their rooms as they advanced, aiming to avoid civilian casualties once the fight started.
Room 1237's door was locked, but hacking this level of security was child's play. Worst case, Lin Yu could just slash it open with his mantis blades.
Inside was a complete mess, piles of trash everywhere.
In the real world, garbage couldn't be broken down into crafting materials like in the game, so Lin Yu ignored it and headed straight for their goal.
After passing through two doors, they found the room filled with biotech equipment—and a corpse lying on a hospital bed.
"Shit! Are we too late? V, is this the person we're looking for?" Jack asked urgently.
"Sandra Dorsett, corporate second-tier personnel protection. We're looking for a rich girl—this doesn't fit," Lin Yu replied, though he already knew this wasn't their target. Still, he took the time to explain for Jack's sake. Better not to seem too inhuman.
At the other end of the room, there was another door—the real path forward.
"Heads up. Someone might be inside," Lin Yu warned.
He slowly pulled the door open.
"Got eyes!" Jack said excitedly, spotting movement through the narrow gap.
As he spoke, he was already gripping a pistol in each hand.
A Scav rat roamed the room, shirtless but armed.
Scavs were a notorious organization in Night City, infamous for kidnapping people and harvesting their organs for sale.
"Rat" was the term for ordinary Scav members.Just like the deeds they committed, the rats were thoroughly repulsive.Unlike in the game, this rat wasn't standing idly in a corner waiting to be slaughtered by players; instead, he patrolled the room alertly.His senses were much sharper too—he reacted the instant the door opened.However, Lin Yu was already charging forward!
The Mantis Blades' instant dash activated, and with a single slash, he cut both the rat's gun and body clean in half!
Lin Yu even caught the falling upper half of the corpse, preventing it from making any noise, achieving something close to a stealth kill.
"Jack, be careful. These people seem a lot more alert!"
Lin Yu whispered a warning.
These enemies felt more like real people than even those in the highest difficulty settings.
And here, there were no do-overs—everything demanded boldness and precision.
The two continued moving forward.
"Don't lose focus. Someone's coming—you're about to be discovered!"
T-BUG's warning came immediately.
Both of them dove into cover behind the wall, sharpening their vigilance to the utmost.
The battlefield changed in the blink of an eye, and even though Lin Yu knew some of the story beats, he couldn't predict everything that would happen.
These living, breathing enemies were full of unpredictability!
This was where T-BUG truly proved her worth, constantly monitoring the situation.
"Damn those kidney thieves!"
Jack pressed against the wall, muttering under his breath.
Conversation and footsteps echoed from a distance, growing steadily closer.
"Stay calm. Strike only when you have a clear shot."
Jack advised, and Lin Yu nodded in agreement.
This mission was a rescue operation. They couldn't just charge in recklessly; if the enemies panicked, they might kill the hostage.
Second by second, time ticked away.
Three people emerged from around the corner.
Now!
Lin Yu and Jack exchanged a glance and lunged out at the same time!
Lin Yu swung both arms wide in a horizontal slash, taking out the two on the right.
Jack rushed forward, grabbing the man on the left around the neck and snapping it with a crisp crack.
Their teamwork was seamless—there were no embarrassing mix-ups like attacking the same target.
Having taken out this patrol team, the two pressed on.
After following the path into the main hall, they found at least several dozen enemies gathered there!
★★★