Gearbound: Cyberpunk 2077
Chapter 243

"Enough already," Kuroda Kazuma said with undisguised irritation. "Didn't you say you knew something? Spit it out—don't string people along."

Ugaki Gorō replied casually, "Just a guess."

"What?!" Kuroda shouted so loudly it turned heads.

"Hey, you two dating or something? Keep it down!" someone snapped nearby.

"Sorry, sorry," Kuroda bowed and apologized repeatedly.

After finally calming down the irritated senior members, he turned back—only to see Ugaki grinning like an idiot, which made him want to beat him half to death. But Kuroda held back, afraid to stir up more trouble and risk further angering the seniors. If that happened, life in the Kiryu-gumi would be hell for him.

Kuroda's face darkened. Just seeing Ugaki annoyed him now, so he turned away.

From behind, Ugaki called out to him.

"Hey."

Kuroda ignored him.

Ugaki called again.

Still no response.

"Really mad? Come on, I was just joking."

"You enjoyed watching me get chewed out, didn't you?"

"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry, sumimasen, hontoni sumimasen… I was wrong. I sincerely apologize. Can you forgive me now?" Ugaki put his hands together in mock prayer like he was begging a deity.

Kuroda didn't budge.

So Ugaki played his trump card: "Aren't you curious why I said the daytime incident was just a misunderstanding?"

Kuroda itched to know but quickly deflated as he remembered Ugaki's earlier words. "Didn't you just say you guessed?"

"That was me teasing you," Ugaki replied with a grin.

Being treated like a child irritated Kuroda further. "You're full of shit. Can't be bothered playing word games with you."

Just as Kuroda decided to ignore Ugaki completely, a sudden burst of gunfire erupted from inside the Imperial Hotel.

He and Ugaki exchanged a sharp glance.

"Was that gunfire?"

They weren't the only ones to react—others grew tense as well. The crowd stirred.

"What's going on?"

"Is this the Clemente family's doing?"

"Shit! Lord Zanma might be in danger!"

Right then, a voice came through the comm channel—it was the wakagashira. ( Note: In the yakuza hierarchy, the wakagashira is the underboss.)

"I'm calling names now. Those I name will follow me in. The rest of you stay here and be alert—watch for the Clemente family's men!"

The wakagashira was the official heir of the group. If the boss died or retired, the wakagashira would take over. Below him was the wakagashira fukusuke—an assistant who would succeed if the wakagashira were out of commission.

The wakagashira started calling names. Both Kuroda and Ugaki were on the list.

Roughly half the force was called to enter the Imperial Hotel with him.

Of course, the other half wasn't left standing around—he ordered them to make contact with Tiger Claw operatives nearby. After all, this was Japantown—Tiger Claw territory.

As the wakagashira led his men toward the hotel entrance, the Clemente family stepped in to block the way. They had also heard the gunfire and feared for their own elder's safety. And seeing the Kiryu-gumi trying to push into the hotel only fueled their suspicions.

Both sides began arguing. The Kiryu-gumi's wakagashira and the Clemente family's lead representative exchanged accusations, neither willing to back down. Voices rose.

No one saw who threw the first punch—but once it landed, the rest followed fast.

This wasn't a corporation—it was a gang. When words failed, fists did the talking.

A chaotic brawl erupted instantly.

With only half their numbers present, the Kiryu-gumi were at a disadvantage. The Clemente family had brought their full crew.

But the other half of the Kiryu-gumi quickly rushed in for backup, evening the playing field.

Even so, despite the brutality of the melee, no one dared pull a gun. The situation inside was still unclear. Neither side wanted to bear responsibility if things escalated further.

The wakagashira feared being held accountable by Kiryu Zanma later.

The Clemente lead didn't want to be blamed for starting a war. Both sides strictly prohibited firearms.

The staff on the first floor of the hotel panicked, fleeing upstairs in fear as the gangsters fought it out in the lobby. In the chaos, the wakagashira spotted a narrow opening and led a few brothers to tear through the Clemente blockade—but instead of charging into the hotel himself, he sent Kuroda and Ugaki inside to find the boss.

He and the others stayed behind, guarding the entrance with their lives to keep the Clemente family from pushing in.

Inside the hotel, Kuroda and Ugaki found the lobby deserted—everyone had fled.

"Wait—there's someone," Ugaki said, sharp-eyed as ever.

He spotted a pair of shoes sticking out behind the counter—clearly the hotel manager hiding.

"You! Get out here! I can see your goddamn shoes, stop hiding!" Ugaki yelled.

He reached over and yanked the terrified manager out.

"Please don't kill me! I have a wife and kid!"

"Who the hell's gonna kill you? Just talk! Where's Lord Zanma and the Clemente men?!"

After a tense round of questioning, Ugaki forced the manager to reveal the location of the luxury suite.

They rushed there and flung open the door—

And were met by a hail of gunfire.

Ugaki, in front, was riddled with bullets on the spot.

Kuroda was luckier—he had been behind Ugaki, preparing to follow him in. At the sound of gunfire, he instinctively dove to the floor, curling into a tight ball and covering his head with both hands.

When the gunfire finally stopped and he dared to lift his head, he saw Ugaki lying in a pool of blood, lifeless, eyes wide open.

Inside the room, Kiryu Zanma and his three bodyguards were clearly already long dead. Standing over them were three of the Clemente family's men, smoke still rising from their gun barrels.

Kuroda's pupils shrank in terror.

Without thinking, he scrambled to his feet and ran back the way he came, ignoring the Clemente men shouting behind him.

"Wait! This is a misunderstanding! "

"Stop!"

"Don't run!"

Kuroda didn't care. He ran faster than he ever had in his life. It had taken minutes to reach the room, but he made it back to the entrance in half that time.

Face twisted with panic, he shouted to the wakagashira.

"They're dead! Everyone's dead! Ugaki's dead! Lord Zanma too—it was the Clemente bastards! They killed him!"

The wakagashira felt like a bolt of lightning struck his skull. Without hesitation, he drew his smart pistol and dropped several Clemente men on the spot.

"Brothers! Grab your iron! Kill these bastards!"

The Kiryu-gumi had been holding back, seething for a chance to strike. Now, with orders from above, they didn't hesitate.

They drew weapons and began to open fire!

The Clemente men, not knowing exactly what had happened, could only react instinctively. They weren't saints—they weren't going to take a beating without responding. So they fought back.

The bloodshed escalated rapidly.

A full-blown gang war exploded in the middle of Japantown.

Gunfire and explosions roared through the night sky.

But this was Tiger Claw territory—and Kiryu-gumi reinforcements arrived quickly.

The Clemente family, far from Santo Domingo, was cut off. Even if the other Six Street crews wanted to help, they wouldn't make it in time.

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