"Fuck you!"
V was tearing through the wide streets of downtown in a black Mackinaw Pika. Unfortunately, while the Mackinaw Pika was durable, it was way too slow.
She had to swerve through the traffic to keep up with her target, adding several scratches and dents to the car in the process.
Only thanks to her skill with the Si Anweisitan could she drive like this; an ordinary person would have crashed a long time ago.
She started to miss the days when Lille had her back in Saint Domingo. Back then, they could just step on the gas without worrying about any vehicles blocking their path.
Crash!
Another sports car was sent flying. V gripped the steering wheel tightly, but could only watch as her target got farther away!
Vroomââ
Just then, a roaring engine noise came from behind, sounding like an entire convoy!
V spotted the green and purple motorcycles and realized it was the Tiger Claw Gang.
"V, itâs me!"
Jackâs voice sounded in Vâs head. Vâs face lit up: "Did you guys get the bikes? But Lille said not to mess with those things."
"The bikes had detonators; Lille already disarmed them. Ram the car in front! I need a ramp!"
"Copy that!"
V smirked, twisted the steering wheel, and floored the gas pedal, smashing into an expensive-looking stretch limo!
Amid the ownerâs anguished screams, the car spun wildly, its low front hood facing Jackâs directionâ
A perfect natural ramp!
Jack steered his motorcycle onto the carâs hood, pressed the horn button, and the Synth2 fuel in the tank gushed out furiouslyâ
The bike surged!
Like a rocket launch!
Flames burst from the exhaust pipe, the bike soared through the air, clearing the chaotic traffic, and landing on top of another car!
Two more motorcycles behind him executed the same maneuver, closely following!
Though they wobbled when they landed, looking unstable.
Cars on the street were frightened by Jackâs rocket leap, crashing into each other and getting stuck in place.
The sensation of flying thrilled Jack, making him roar in excitement as he skimmed over the car rooftops, closing the distance almost instantly!
Jackâs Prosthetic Eye locked onto the agent ahead, activating the software Lille had uploaded for him!
The two bikes behind him truly turned into rockets, impelled by synthesizing fury that pushed the fuel tanks to their limits!
Bang!
The two motorcycles launched off the car roofs like rockets, aimed directly at the agentâs bike!
The agent had seen many thingsâbut two rockets coming at him was not one of them!
Boom!
The Synth2 fuelâs thermal energy finally exceeded the tankâs limits, exploding above and behind the agent!
Shrapnel and burning fuel illuminated the street like daylight!
Despite his prosthetics from Krensky and his evasive maneuvers, a sizable piece of metal lodged into the agentâs back.
The pain destabilized him, and combined with the shockwave, his bike toppled instantly!
Boom!
The fuel tank of the corporate agentâs bike couldnât bear the impact and ruptured, flames engulfing it, triggering another explosion.
People around screamed and ranâ
For the wealthy, Night City wasnât all that terrifying; firefights and murders were mostly confined to Super Dream sequences.
But this time was different.
Death was close, with flames, wreckage, and explosions all around.
Skreeâ
Jackâs bike skidded to a halt, leaving long, black tire marks on the ground.
Looking around, the agent had disappeared.
But the blood on the ground was undeniable.
The injuries, flames, and lights made optical camouflage not so flawless, the wounds from the shrapnel rendering it even less effective.
Jack spotted a twisted shadow limping toward an alley.
Jack followed him into the narrow passageâ
Bang!
Just past the corner, Jack was hit by a bullet!
Unfortunately for the shooter, it was only a handgunâJack blocked the bullet with his arm without even flinching.
He charged like a bull, the gunfire unable to halt his advance!
The agent gritted his teeth and swung at Jackâs head with his gunstock, but it was just a feint; Jack ducked and landed an uppercut!
Thud!
With a dull sound, the agent was sent flying by Jackâs punch, landing next to a trash bin.
The punch gave him a concussion, damaging his nerves, blood vessels, and brain cells, his prosthetics flashing error messages all over.
He had no strength left in his limbs, and his vision was swimmingâ
His instinct was to look at the brightest spot in his sightâthe glittering company building in Company Square.
Just a little more... just a little more and he wouldâve made it back to the company for debriefing.
That wouldâve restored his corporate status, erasing all his past actions under corporate immunity.
He would finally escape this dead-end gang lifeâand maybe someday, reach the top of the corporate ladder.
"Damn... so close..."
His voice emerged from his cybernetic throat, the injuries turning his voice into a distorted, dying whimper.
The optical camouflage fully faded, revealing a seemingly ordinary member of the Tiger Claw Gang.
If not for his ruthless and meticulous actions, no one would have linked him to a corporate agent.
The agent shakily raised his pistol, only for Jack to shoot it out of his hand with his golden revolver.
Jack stepped forward, searched the agentâs body, and found a blood-stained chip, then pointed his gun at the agentâs head:
But before Jack could even utter a threat, the agent diedâseemed to have ended his own life.
Looking at the guy who had caused them so much trouble, Jack sighed and stood up.
"Donât be a corporate dog in your next life."
With that, Jack also heard the distant wail of NCPD sirensâ
More trouble was coming.
...
"Criminal activity detected in the downtown area, suspectâs vehicle is a black Mackinaw Pika."
"Attention all NCPD contractors, criminal activity detected at City Hall, any apprehension or neutralization of the suspects will be rewarded."
"Damn."
V also heard the NCPD announcementâthey were also NCPD contractors, after all.
The faint wail of NCPD sirens was already audible, making V anxious: "Jack? Are you finished?"
Even while communicating, V didnât forget to clear a path, her black Mackinaw Pika bulldozing cars out of the way like a beast.
"Doneâjust that he killed himself. Letâs split up."
Jack, carrying the agentâs body, jogged to his motorcycle, gave V a thumbs-up, and they sped off separately.
V contacted Lille through the comms: "Jack got it, but the guy killed himself, damn... The NCPD is on us!"
"Just run. If theyâre close, use the raccoon dog to fire a warning shot."
"A warning shot? Thatâs boldâhope it doesnât attract the Terrorist Mobile Team."
Despite her words, V immediately pulled out the raccoon dog from the backseat, leaned out the window, and fired at the police car.
The bullet left a faint blue trail in the airâthat was actually ionized air.
An NCPD armored vehicleâs tire explodedâalong with the axle it was attached to.
The vehicle spun wildly, blocking the approaching police cars, allowing V to speed away.
Meanwhile, Lille reached a traffic node at City Hallâjust as he thought, Jack and Vâs commotion had escalated.
But while this was troublesome, it also provided an opportunity:
The police force assigned to guard the City Hall server had been halved to chase them.
However, half still remainedâsix officers, two cars.
Hacking the traffic node and using those officers as stepping stones to hack into the police communication channels was the only way to create an escape opportunity.
But... how to get the job done?
Pulling out Yinglong and killing everyone was an optionâbut then the Terrorist Mobile Team would surely be on their way.
The situation was urgent, but Lille tried to stay calm, using his Prosthetic Eye to scan the surroundings.
If he could divert their attention, he could slip to the server unnoticed, maybe find those six cops on the network.
Using the police as a bridge, he could hack deeper into the NCPD network, solving the problem.
Suddenly, he saw a police car transporting two familiar facesâ
David and Lucy?