After waiting for about ten minutes, David and Jackie arrived at the towering skyscraper.
Jackie stretched his arms and glanced at Peter. "So, what's the deal with this gig? You really need to come all the way to Clouds for work?"
Peter leaned against the car, arms crossed. "Judy asked me to find someone—Evelyn Parker. She used to work here."
Jackie raised an eyebrow. "So, we're looking for a high-end doll, huh?"
David tilted his head. "High-end doll?"
Jackie nodded. "Yeah. Girls like Evelyn got exclusive clientele—big corpos, gang bosses. Clouds is Tiger Claw territory, so these dolls ain't just workers. They're assets."
David crossed his arms. "So, what's the plan?"
Peter's expression was calm, but his voice was firm. "We go in and clean house. Clouds is crawling with Tiger Claw gangers, but we don't need to be polite."
Jackie cracked his knuckles. "That's what I like to hear."
Peter had another reason to hit the Tiger Claws hard. Ever since Miyagawa Iris had tried to dig up info on Peter's crew through Okada Wakako—and failed—things had escalated.
The next day, Miyagawa's son suffered a cyberware malfunction and burned to death. Devastated, Miyagawa put a 100,000 eurodollar bounty on Peter and his team, offering the reward to anyone who could take them out.
But Peter and his crew always covered their tracks. Before every mission, they blacked out security cameras, and their hacker Chaomeng blurred or wiped their faces from footage.
That meant most of Night City knew about Peter's crew, but nobody knew what they actually looked like.
Now, the Tiger Claw Gang had the audacity to put a price on their heads. That was reason enough for Peter to make an example out of them.
Besides, the Tiger Claws were no different from scavengers—they were criminals wrapped in a thin layer of corporate legitimacy.
They trafficked people, forced workers into Clouds, manufactured Flash (one of Night City's most dangerous drugs), and worked as Arasaka's disposable enforcers.
Peter wasn't about to let that slide.
---
Infiltrating Clouds
The entrance to Clouds was sleek, designed to make clients feel like they were stepping into luxury.
A well-dressed receptionist greeted them with a practiced smile. "Welcome to Clouds—a place that understands your desires. Before your experience begins, please connect to our terminal."
Peter shook his head. "We're not here for pleasure."
The receptionist blinked in confusion. "Then… what's your business?"
Before Peter could answer, Jackie reached behind his back and pulled out two pistols.
David followed suit, gripping his Ajax rifle.
The receptionist gasped, stepping back in fear. "P-please, don't kill me! I'm just a receptionist—I don't know anything! They forced me to work here!"
Peter exhaled, motioning for her to move. "We're not here for you. Go back to your lounge, lock the door, and don't come out until it's over."
The receptionist didn't need to be told twice—she scrambled out of sight.
As Peter and his crew stepped into the main lounge, several Tiger Claw gangers lounging around immediately noticed the guns.
"Oi! No weapons in here!" One of them barked, drawing his own pistol.
"If you're not gonna shoot, don't bother pulling it out."
Jackie and David didn't wait for negotiations.
Gunfire erupted.
Within seconds, the first wave of Tiger Claw gangers were shredded in a hail of bullets.
Peter didn't waste time—he hacked into Clouds' security system, scanning the layout and the number of hostiles.
The actual size of Clouds was at least three times larger than its public area in the game.
There were over 80 armed Tiger Claw members stationed inside.
It made sense—Clouds was a massive cash cow for the gang. Many of Night City's most powerful corporate execs and crime bosses visited regularly, so its security was top-tier.
As they moved deeper inside, Peter spoke over comms. "Jackie, David, I'm sending you the layout and guard positions. Take out everyone on the lower floors. Don't touch the dolls—they're just victims. I'm heading to the VIP area upstairs."
Jackie checked his holo-display as the map loaded. "Got it, hombre. If you need backup, call us."
David nodded. "We'll finish up fast."
As Jackie and David headed for the lower levels, Peter moved up toward the VIP section.
---
The Wooden Man
Peter reached the upper floor, but as soon as he stepped forward, an automated turret dropped from the ceiling and opened fire.
BANG-BANG-BANG!
Peter jumped—mid-air quickhack—and punched the turret, shattering it into pieces.
He moved forward, undeterred.
Meanwhile, in an office deeper inside, the Wooden Man, a high-ranking Tiger Claw enforcer, received a frantic report.
"Boss! We got three mercs tearing through Clouds! They're taking out everyone!"
The Wooden Man scowled. This was supposed to be one of their most fortified locations—who the hell had the guts to attack it?
"Describe them!" he barked.
"They're fast, brutal. Every shot is a headshot. I think they're the same mercs that wiped out our data center last time!"
The Wooden Man's eyes widened.
He remembered that job.
A group of ruthless mercenaries had raided their facility a while back, leaving no survivors. The NCPD hadn't even investigated—it was just another gang dispute they didn't care about.
"F**k!" the Wooden Man cursed. "Who the hell did I piss off this time?!"
Then it hit him.
"This is about Evelyn, isn't it?"
A few days ago, Evelyn had started acting strangely—something about a chip had spooked her. The Wooden Man had made sure to teach her a lesson, punishing her severely.
Then, two days ago, he'd gotten bored of her and sold her off to Fingers.
"Sh*t… this is bad."
Before he could react—
BOOM!
The iron doors to his office were ripped off their hinges.
The Wooden Man turned in horror as Peter stepped through the smoke, eyes cold and unwavering.
"You the Wooden Man?" Peter asked.
The enforcer froze.
Peter frowned, took a step forward, and backhanded him across the face.
The force sent the Wooden Man crashing into the wall.
"I asked you a question," Peter said calmly.
The Wooden Man clutched his face, pain shooting through his skull.
"I—I'm the Wooden Man," he stammered. "You realize who you're messing with?! The Tiger Claws will—"
Peter cut him off. "Yeah, yeah. Tiger Claws, revenge, whatever. You really think I care?"
The Wooden Man's confidence shattered.
Peter hadn't come to negotiate.
He'd come to end him.
At that moment, Jackie and David rushed in, guns still smoking.
Jackie glanced at the Wooden Man. "Who's this piece of sh*t?"
"Our target," Peter replied.
Jackie cracked his knuckles. "Nice. Let's finish this."
Peter looked down at the trembling Wooden Man.
"Now… where's Evelyn?"
---
for more Episodes visit
patreon.com/Noan994