Cyberpunk: I didn't cheat.

The rain in Night City always carries a sour smell, but for Vito right now, such rainy days are the best cover.

He stood in the shadow of an abandoned factory in the Watson Industrial District, the "square mask" on his face shimmering with a faint neon light—the ever-burning night view of Night City.

This is a stronghold of the Scavengers, and also the "material processing plant" mentioned in the documents.

Vito took a deep breath and didn't rush in. Instead, he moved stealthily along the wall like a patient cheetah.

The factory was quiet, with only a low hum coming from afar. Vito avoided the two sentries at the entrance and, using the thermal imaging function of his prosthetic eye, saw an area deep inside the factory, enclosed by a safety net, where there was a strong human heat response.

He quietly made his way to the second-floor corridor and peered down through the gaps in the railing.

In that instant, Vito's pupils contracted sharply.

Downstairs wasn't some ordinary prosthetic body dismantling workshop, but a photography studio filled with pink lights. Several cleaners in protective suits were busy around a huge transparent container. The container was filled with boiling strong acid, and a living person was strapped to a chair, their lower body already immersed in the acid.

"The expression! I want that extreme expression of pain!"

A cleaner wearing a gas mask yells at the camera.

"Increase the acid concentration! This episode of Mewtwo's theme is 'dissolving,' and the audience wants to see him slowly melt away in excruciating pain!"

Before the victim could even scream, the strong acid corroded his vocal cords, leaving only a gurgling sound of bubbles in his throat.

Vito felt a chill run down his spine to the top of his head. It wasn't fear of death, but pure, physiological nausea and rage.

"These scum..."

Vito's voice was terrifyingly low. He no longer concealed himself, but instead leaped directly down the second-floor corridor.

"Who's there?!"

The Scavenger's sentries noticed the commotion and had just raised their weapons when Vito's Nine-Tailed Kinetic Assault Rifle burst into flames.

Da da da!

The distinctive high-frequency firing sound echoed through the empty factory. The immense impact of the kinetic bullets blasted the sentry away, the bullets even piercing his body and leaving a dense array of bullet holes in the wall behind him, but this was just the beginning.

Instead of seeking cover as usual, Vito's square mask gleamed eerily, and he walked straight into the pink studio like a vengeful demon from hell.

"Kill him! Kill him now!" the cleaner, who looked like a director, screamed, trying to grab the shotgun next to him.

Vito raised the muzzle of his gun, pointing the barrel directly at the transparent container filled with strong acid.

"Do you like sour flavors?"

Vito pulled the trigger, pushing the Nine-Tailed Rifle's rate of fire to its limit.

chug chug!

The high-velocity kinetic energy bullets accurately penetrated the bottom and side walls of the container.

Whoosh!

Scalding hot acid mixed with shards of glass gushed out. The cleaner director, who was about to raise his gun to fire, was instantly drenched.

"Aaaaaaahhhhh!!"

A piercing scream echoed through the factory. The strong acid rapidly corroded his skin, muscles, and even his prosthetics. He rolled on the ground like a madman, trying to wipe the acid off his face, but his fingers were also corroded until the bone was exposed.

Vito watched this scene expressionlessly, the night view of Night City on his mask still slowly scrolling, seemingly indifferent to the bloodshed beneath his feet.

The remaining scavengers were terrified; they had never seen such a brutal fighting style.

Vito gave them no chance to escape. He strode forward, slamming the butt of his Nine-Tailed Rifle into a scavenger's face, then pulled the trigger, the close-range spray turning the unfortunate man into a pile of minced meat.

The stopping power of the kinetic energy projectile was on full display at this moment, with blood and bits of flesh splattering everywhere, turning the pink studio into a nauseating dark red.

The air was thick with the smells of burning and sourness. Vito stood in the pool of blood, watching the director who was still convulsing, until he died.

"This is true dissolution."

Vito said coldly, then turned and left, leaving behind only a mess and the still-operating camera that had recorded this hellish scene.

……

After dealing with the Cleaners, Vito didn't stop. His anger needed an outlet, and the Night City gangsters were the perfect targets.

According to the documents, the Tiger Claw gang had hidden a shipment of newly smuggled goods at one of their hideouts in the Kabuki district.

Vito swapped the Nine-Tailed Rifle for the Malorian Prelude revolver, which he pulled from a holster on his thigh.

This gun has undergone extensive modifications, and with his newly implanted nervous system, it's practically a handheld cannon.

"Let me give you a name, how about 'Punishment'?"

The streets of the Kabuki district remained bustling, but the headquarters building was eerily silent.

Vito didn't sneak. He simply kicked the door open.

"Who the hell has the nerve to do that?!"

The Tiger Claw Gang members in the hall reacted extremely quickly, pointing several katanas and submachine guns at the door at the same time.

However, when they saw the strange man wearing a glowing cube mask standing at the door, they all froze for a second.

"New here? You'll have to get past this first if you want to join the Tiger Claw Gang..."

boom!

A loud bang interrupted the petty leader's nonsense.

The distinctive booming sound of the revolver from the Mallorian Overture echoed through the narrow hall.

Vito didn't aim for the head, but instead aimed directly at the small leader's chest.

The massive kinetic bullet released all its energy the instant it hit its target. The Tiger Claw gang member with the chest armor was thrown backward as if hit by a high-speed train, his chest armor and flesh exploding instantly, sending fragments flying everywhere.

"Fire! Take him down!"

The remaining Tiger Claw gang members frantically pulled the triggers, and bullets rained down on Vito.

Vito stood still, not moving an inch. The square mask on his face glowed red.

Ding ding ding!

Most of the bullets were deflected, and even those that hit the body were stopped by the subcutaneous armor.

"Is this all the firepower you have?"

The cube mask flashed.

He raised his revolver and began a one-sided massacre.

boom! boom! boom!

Each gunshot was accompanied by the dismemberment of a Tiger Claw gang member. Vito's marksmanship was precise and ferocious.

A Tiger Claw gang member tried to charge at him wielding a katana, but Vito shot him in the wrist, sending his arm and katana flying. He then shattered the man's knee with a second shot and blew his head off with a third.

Blood stained Vito's coat, but his mask remained spotless, and the miniature Night City cityscape appeared even more eerie in the bloody light.

The remaining Tiger Claw gang members broke down, dropping their weapons and trying to escape.

"Trying to leave?"

Vito's reloading maneuver was fluid and seamless.

"Entering my hunting grounds means bleeding."

He fired six shots in quick succession; the bullets ricocheted off the wall and accurately struck the backs of the fleeing men.

Within two minutes, not a single person remained standing in the hall.

Vito stood amidst the pile of corpses, gently blowing away the gunpowder smoke from his gun. He walked to a broken mirror and looked at his reflection—the cube mask shimmering with an eerie light, and his body covered in blood.

He felt himself changing. With each kill, each time he watched his enemy crumble before his eyes, he felt a strange sense of pleasure.

He holstered his revolver, stepped over a headless corpse, and walked toward the stairwell.