Chapter 99 – The Arsenal of Adam’s Hammer
Industrial Zone, North Watson District.
The scent of oil and scorched metal lingered in the air like an unwanted memory. The skies were murky, smog choking out the sun, and broken cranes loomed like skeletons over gutted warehouses.
Maine crouched behind a rusted-out trash bin, struggling to fit his massive frame into the narrow space without tipping it over. His skin-tight muscle shirt was soaked with sweat and regret.
"Dammit, Arthur... Next time I trust you, just put a collar on me and call me Fido."
Across from him, Arthur peeked out from behind another garbage can, his gaze fixed on a towering freighter docked in the distance. He looked absolutely delighted.
"Relax. Didn't I say it'd be easy? Like a mouse stealing cheese in the kitchen," Arthur grinned, squinting at the distant ship. "There's nothing but maintenance workers here. We sneak in, sneak out. No one gets shot."
Maine gave him a deadpan look, one twitch away from slapping him upside the head. "You mean to tell me," he growled, "that this whole op... is to loot Adam Smasher's personal gear?"
"That's exactly what I'm telling you."
They were at the forgotten edge of Night City's industrial heart—a port that once buzzed with economic power. But an old quake had fractured its foundations, and corporate investors never bothered to rebuild. The port, however, remained. Barely.
And that freighter?
It was Smasher's—a mobile arsenal the size of a stadium, carrying weapons, upgrades, and enough experimental chrome to turn an entire platoon into cyberdemons.