Gearbound: Cyberpunk 2077

Chapter 227 - 227

"Ah, Nova?"

Everyone's eyes turned toward Papaya Nova. Though they were all gang leaders, Nova was the top dog—they were just small-time heads.

"At the end of the outer corridor, there's an elevator that can take us directly up," Nova said slowly. "But someone has to go out first to check the situation."

Silence fell instantly.

Go out? In this situation? Who the hell would volunteer for that? That was practically volunteering to be cannon fodder.

"You go."

"Fuck you, why not you?"

"I've got a wife and kid. You're single—no one's gonna cry if you die."

"Screw your mom. You trying to shove your love life down my throat right now? I'll shove a gun down your ass."

As the arguing spiraled out of control, the door suddenly made a noise. The shouting stopped instantly.

Papaya Nova reacted first, raising her kinetic assault rifle and unloading a full burst straight at the door.

Thud-thud-thud—

The door was riddled with dozens of bullet holes in an instant. Swapping out the mag in one fluid motion, Nova rushed toward the door.

"If you don't want to die, get your asses over here!"

With a fierce kick, she blasted the door open, took position at the frame, and fired another burst down the hallway outside.

When the bullets ran dry, she glanced back at Suhanov.

Gritting his teeth, he raised his twin pistols and rolled out the door—but the hallway outside was empty.

Every bullet Nova had fired hit nothing.

"What the hell is going on?"

The other gang leaders quickly came up with weapons raised, only to see that the hallway outside was empty—just shredded walls and floors. No blood. No bodies.

But the knock they heard earlier—what was that?

"Wait... could it be..." Suhanov instinctively looked up at the ceiling.

And then he saw it—a grenade, shaped differently from any standard fragmentation type, falling from above.

"Grenade! Get down!"

But instead of dropping to the floor, the grenade burst mid-air into a web of blinding lasers, slicing through human flesh without mercy.

Blood sprayed across the walls and floor, splattered everywhere.

It was a deep-cut anti-personnel grenade, strong enough to slice through steel with ease.

Everyone near the doorway was wiped out instantly.

As the grenade finished its cycle, a figure dropped from the ceiling.

It was Leo.

He landed in the corridor outside and rejoined the rest of the group.

"All clear," Leo nodded. "Evelyn's in here. Follow me."

He led them straight toward the last unexplored room.

The door opened, revealing a large space set up like a BD shoot for black-market XBDs. Surrounding it were various recording and sensory rigs.

In the center, a crude bed made of pallets and a thin mattress sat under moody colored lights.

A weak woman slumped against the edge.

Who else could it be but Evelyn?

"Evi!"

Judy, for once, kept her composure. She didn't run to Evelyn—instead, she headed straight for the nearby terminal.

"Don't touch her. If she's still recording, it could fry her neural link. I need to cut the connection first."

"V, Jackie, stand guard outside. Lucy, come with me."

Leo and Lucy entered the shoot area, approaching Evelyn.

The floor was littered with empty liquor bottles, magazines, cereal boxes, handcuffs, pill bottles, condoms—just a mess of trash.

As they circled to the back of the bed, they finally saw Evelyn clearly—what she had become.

The woman Leo had once seen in Lilith's House was gone.

Evelyn now looked like a broken toy—bloodied, bruised, wrists raw from cuffs. She wore only a thin top. No pants. No shoes.

"Pinche Dios Santo bendito..."

Jackie had held grudges against Evelyn—she gave them the job, and like Dexter, she vanished when things went south.

He had spent the whole search wondering what kind of attitude he should take when they finally found her.

But now—now he didn't need to decide.

Even Jackie couldn't bring himself to say anything.

Evelyn had abandoned them, sure.

But they were still alive.

And Evelyn—she was barely a person anymore.

After Konpeki Plaza, Jackie's mindset had shifted.

He still wanted to make a name for himself, but the dream of getting rich overnight? That was gone.

Why are there so many legends buried in the ground?

Because the sky doesn't drop miracles—only traps.

As long as you're alive, there's hope. A future. Possibility.

"See the wires hooked into her? Tell me when you're ready to pull. We have to disconnect simultaneously."

"Got it. On your count."

Leo knelt in front of Evelyn.

"Three, two, one—"

He yanked the wires out.

In doing so, he saw Evelyn's face more clearly.

It was soaked in blood.

Her eyes were empty—like a corpse.

Footsteps approached.

Judy rushed over, reaching to touch Evelyn—

But the moment she saw Evelyn up close, she flinched and pulled her hand back.

"Let's go. We'll get her out of here. The rest can wait."

...

Leo carried Evelyn, climbing out with the others, returning to the surface.

Judy led the way, jumping into the back of the truck.

Jackie pulled the door open, and V helped guard Evelyn's head.