Cyberpunk Edgerunner: CyberReaper

The rain continued to pour as I moved through the alleyways, the faint hum of the AI chip in my hand keeping me company. Every streetlight felt like a spotlight,

Diablo's POV

The AI chip pulsed faintly, its synthesized voice breaking the silence.

AI Chip: "Query: What now?"

Diablo: "We wait."

AI Chip: "Clarification required. For what?"

I stopped beneath a crumbling overpass, leaning against the cold concrete. My grip on the chip tightened.

Diablo: "For the next move."

I slid the chip into my Nano suit's interface, its data integrating with my systems. A map of Night City projected in my vision, highlighting Arasaka's main tech hubs. The convoy was only the beginning. If the AI inside the prototype tech reached their core servers, it wouldn't just be the Edgerunners or me in danger—*the entire city would burn.*

Lucy's POV

We regrouped at one of Maine's safehouses, an abandoned nightclub deep in Watson. The atmosphere was tense, the smell of sweat and adrenaline lingering in the air.

Rebecca paced the room, muttering curses under her breath.

Rebecca: "Who the hell does he think he is, lecturing me?!"

Maine sat in silence, his massive hands steepled in thought. Kiwi tapped away at her holo-pad, her face unreadable.

Lucy: "He's not like anyone we've faced before."

Rebecca: "Yeah, no shit! But that doesn't mean he gets to mess with us like that!"

Lucy ignored her, her thoughts drifting back to the way Diablo moved—the precision, the restraint.

Lucy: "He's not trying to stop us. He's trying to protect us."

Maine's deep voice cut through the room.

Maine: "Protect us? By cutting down a convoy and giving us riddles? We need more than that, Lucy."

Lucy: "He's right about the tech. If it's AI-based, Arasaka will do whatever it takes to get it back. We need to find out what they're hiding."

Kiwi looked up from her pad.

Kiwi: "That's easier said than done. Arasaka's already hunting us. And now MaxTac's got their eyes on that guy."

Lucy: "We don't need to fight him. We need to figure out why he's really here."

Maine: "If he gets in our way again, Lucy, we take him down. Got it?"

Lucy hesitated, then nodded.

Lucy: "Got it."

But deep down, she wasn't so sure.

---

I climbed to the top of an abandoned skyscraper, the wind whipping against my Nano suit as I gazed out over the sprawling city. From this height, Night City looked almost peaceful—an illusion of order in a sea of chaos.

The AI chip's voice interrupted my thoughts.

AI Chip: "Alert: Incoming transmission."

I frowned, activating the interface. A distorted image appeared—a masked figure, their voice scrambled to avoid detection.

Unknown Caller: "You've stirred the hornet's nest, Diablo."

Diablo: "Who's asking?"

Unknown Caller: "Someone who knows what's at stake. That AI tech you destroyed? It's only a fragment of something much bigger. Arasaka's Project Eden."

The name sent a chill through me.

Diablo: "Project Eden? What is it?"

Unknown Caller: "A neural network that links directly to the human mind. Control one person, you control them all. Arasaka's been testing it for years, and now they're close to perfecting it."

I clenched my fists.

Diablo: "And the AI in the convoy?"

Unknown Caller: "The missing piece. If they recover it, no one in this city—or the world—will be free."

The call cut out before I could ask more.

AI Chip: "Recommendation: Prioritize elimination of Arasaka tech hubs."

Diablo: "No. First, we find the source of that call."

---

Back at the safehouse, Lucy sat alone in the corner, her holo-pad glowing faintly as she sifted through encrypted Arasaka files. Diablo's warning replayed in her mind.

There are worse fates than destruction.

Kiwi's voice broke her concentration.

Kiwi: "You're wasting your time."

Lucy: "Maybe. But if he's right—"

Kiwi: "If he's right, we're already screwed. The only way out of this is to finish the job and get paid."

Lucy didn't respond, her fingers flying over the interface. A single file caught her attention—something buried deep in Arasaka's archives.

File Name: Project Eden.

Status: Classified.

Lucy's heart raced as she opened the file, only to be met with a firewall so advanced it nearly fried her system.

Lucy: "Diablo… what are you trying to stop?"

---

Hours later, I tracked the signal to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Santo Domingo. The air was thick with tension as I stepped inside, my katana drawn and ready.

Diablo: "You've got my attention. Now talk."

The masked figure stepped out of the shadows, their posture calm but guarded.

Unknown Caller: "You've been fighting this war alone for too long, Diablo. It's time you had an ally."

Diablo: "I don't trust allies. They die too easily."

The figure chuckled.

Unknown Caller: "Not this one."

Before I could respond, the sound of approaching vehicles filled the air. I turned, my grip tightening on my blade as Arasaka's forces surrounded the warehouse.

Unknown Caller: "Looks like we're out of time."

Diablo: "Stay out of my way."

I perform Sun Breathing, Fifth Form: Setting Sun Transformation,

my blade igniting in a crimson blaze as I charged into the fray.

---

To Be Continued...

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This chapter sets up more about Project Eden, Diablo's lone-wolf approach, Lucy's growing curiosity, and the stakes rising with Arasaka's relentless pursuit.