Chapter 97: City Center's Rocket

"Fuck you!" V was tearing through the wide streets of the city center in the black Mackinaw. Unfortunately, while the Mackinaw was durable, it was far too slow. To keep pace with that bastard, V had to weave through traffic, resulting in several new scratches and dents on the car. Only because she had Sandevistan could she drive like this; an ordinary person would have crashed into everything by now. At this moment, she started to miss the times in Santo Domingo when Leo had her back. Back then, they could just floor it, knowing no car would block their way. Bang! Another sports car was sent flying as V gripped the steering wheel tightly, but she could only watch as the target got further away! Roar— Just then, a loud engine noise came from behind, sounding like an entire convoy! V glanced back and saw those green-and-purple motorcycles. Her heart sank—Tyger Claws? "V, it's me!" Jackie's voice echoed in V's head, and she brightened up. "You guys got bikes? But Leo said not to touch those things." "The bikes had detonators, but Leo dismantled them all—clear the cars in front! I need a ramp!" "Got it!" V grinned wickedly, yanking the steering wheel and flooring the gas pedal, crashing into an expensive stretch limo! Amid the owner's anguished screams, the car spun out of control, presenting its low front end toward Jackie— It was a perfect natural ramp! Jackie expertly guided his bike up the car's hood, hitting the horn button as he did. The CHOOH2 synthetic fuel in the tank gushed out wildly— The bike surged forward! It was like a rocket taking off! Flames spewed from the motorcycle's exhaust as it soared through the air, flying over the chaotic traffic, and landing squarely on top of another car! The two motorcycles behind Jackie replicated his move exactly, following closely! Though they wobbled slightly upon landing, they remained steady enough. The cars on the street were terrified by Jackie's rocket jump, crashing into each other and getting stuck in place. The sensation of flying fired up Jackie's nerves. He roared wildly as he zoomed across the tops of cars, instantly closing the gap! Jackie's cyber eye locked onto the agent ahead, activating the software Leo had uploaded! The two motorcycles behind Jackie truly became rockets, the CHOOH2 in their tanks spraying out like crazy. The terrifying power nearly burst the fuel tanks! Boom! The two motorcycles, like rockets, shot off the tops of the cars, hurtling directly toward the agent's bike! The agent had seen a lot, but he had never seen rockets being fired at him! Boom! The heat released by the CHOOH2 synthetic fuel finally exceeded the tanks' limits, exploding above and behind the agent! Shrapnel and burning CHOOH2 fuel burst out, turning the street as bright as day! Even though the agent had Kerenzikov installed and tried his best to dodge, a large piece of shrapnel still lodged into his back. In pain, his bike swerved, and the shockwave's force caused it to flip over instantly! Boom! The agent's motorcycle couldn't handle the pressure, and its fuel tank ruptured, flames engulfing it and triggering another explosion. People nearby screamed and ran— For the wealthy, Night City wasn't usually that terrifying. Shootouts and murders were things they mostly saw in braindance. But this time was different. Death was closing in, with flames, debris, and explosions all around. Screech— Jackie's motorcycle skidded, leaving a long black tire mark on the ground. Looking around, the agent had disappeared again. But the blood on the ground couldn't be hidden. His injuries, the flickering flames, and the lights made his optical camouflage less effective, and the shrapnel wound made it even harder to maintain. Jackie spotted a distorted shadow limping toward an alley. Jackie followed him into the alley— Bang! Just around the corner, Jackie was shot! But unfortunately for the shooter, it was only a handgun—Jackie blocked the bullet with his arm and didn't even flinch. He charged forward like a bull, the gunfire continuing but failing to stop his advance! The agent gritted his teeth and swung the gun's butt at Jackie's head, but Jackie's charge was a feint. He ducked low and threw an uppercut! Boom! With a dull thud, the agent was sent flying by Jackie's punch, crashing into a nearby trash bin. The uppercut had given him a concussion. His nerves, blood vessels, and brain cells were damaged by the high-speed impact, with error messages popping up in his cyberware. His limbs went limp, and his vision darkened— Instinctively, the agent looked toward the brightest place in his field of vision—he could just make out the company plaza's gleaming corporate towers. So close... just a little more, and he could have made it back to report in. Then, he would have regained his status as a corporate employee, and all the things he had done would be erased under the corporation's legal immunity. He could have escaped the hopeless life of a low-level gang member—and maybe, one day, he could stand at the top of the corporate food chain. "Damn it... I was so close..." His voice emerged from his cybernetic throat, the injury making the electronic tone more apparent, sounding like the whimper of someone on their deathbed. The optical camouflage fully faded, and Jackie finally saw a seemingly ordinary member of the Tyger Claws. If not for his ruthlessness and meticulous actions, no one would have connected him to being a corporate operative. The agent shakily raised his gun, but Jackie shot it out of his hand with a single shot from his Golden Nue. Jackie walked up and found the blood-stained chip on the guy, then pointed his gun at his head. But before Jackie could even start threatening him, the agent's life ended—like he had taken his own life. Looking at the guy who had caused them so much trouble, Jackie sighed. "Next time, don't be a corporate dog." After finishing, Jackie heard the distant wail of NCPD sirens— The real trouble was coming. "Illegal activity detected in City Center. Suspect vehicle is a black Mackinaw pickup." "All NCPD contractors be advised, illegal activity detected in City Center. Any contractor who apprehends or neutralizes the suspects will be rewarded." "Damn it." V also heard the NCPD alert—don't forget, they were also NCPD contractors. From the distance, she could hear the low wail of NCPD sirens approaching, and she started to panic, "Jackie? Did you get it done?" Even as she spoke, V continued clearing a path, the black Mackinaw bulldozing through abandoned cars like a beast. "Done—though the guy offed himself. Let's split up." Jackie hefted the agent's body, jogged to his bike, and gave V a thumbs-up before taking off. V contacted Leo through the comms, "Jackie got it, but the guy's dead. Damn it. The NCPD is on our tail!" "Run first. If they get too close, use the Nekomata to warn them off." "Warn them off? You've got a nerve. Let's hope it doesn't bring down the MaxTac." Though V said that, she immediately grabbed the Nekomata from the backseat, leaned out the window, and fired at the police car. The bullet left a faint blue trail in the air—a path of ionized air. An NCPD armored car lost a tire on the spot—the kind of blowout that broke the axle along with the tire. The car spun wildly, blocking the pursuing police cars as V floored it and sped away. Meanwhile, Leo had reached a traffic node in the city center—as he expected, the trouble Jackie and V had stirred up was massive. But while one side was causing a mess, the other side's pressure would lessen; this was both a crisis and an opportunity: The police meant to guard the municipal node server had been at least halved to pursue the two of them. But there were still six left—two cars' worth. If he could hack the traffic node and use these cops as a springboard to breach the police dispatch network, he could create an opportunity for escape. But how would he go about it? Pulling out Yinglong and killing everyone was one option—except that would probably bring MaxTac in no time. Time was of the essence, but Leo forced himself to stay calm, observing the surroundings with his cybernetic eye. If he could divert their attention, he could slip to the server unnoticed and maybe even find these six officers in the municipal network. Using the cops as a springboard to hack deeper into the NCPD network was the only solution. Suddenly, he noticed a police car transporting two familiar faces— David and Lucy?