Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 321 The Raging Tide (Part 2)

"Damn it, the terrain ahead is flat, and the Arasaka Mobile Forces are about to surround us from both sides!"

"Lin Yue... Damn! What's your backup plan?! Can we just throw this guy with the tracking device off him?"

Even the most skilled driver cannot escape an encirclement. It is truly remarkable that he has managed to withstand the relentless pursuit of Arasaka for so long without giving the pursuers an opening.

But the current situation is not very good.

Not to mention that the car's windows were shattered by stray bullets and the aftershocks of the explosion, a fierce low-pressure storm was pouring in, filling everyone's mouths with sand and dust, and they kept their mouths tightly shut, unwilling to speak—

Rebecca was clearly not as composed as before.

The vehicle's violent swaying caused her and Qiwei, who were in the back seats, to slam against the interior structure several times. Not only were there swollen marks on their faces, but some stray bullets also hit their prosthetic bodies, grazing their skin.

Falco glanced at the billowing dust in the rearview mirror, which was just as intense as the dust in front, and his mind raced, trying to figure out how to take advantage of the flat terrain ahead...

The wanderers are the best at driving in storms, but not Falco.

Affluent lands cannot breed rough off-road drivers; that is an ironclad rule.

So Falco wasn't so reckless as to drive into a storm. Even if the vehicle chassis is heavy, if you drive recklessly in a storm without experience, the whole vehicle will be thrown up by the airflow, which would be a real dead end.

Four or five kilometers away, in the storm, a steel tower standing in the storm began to sway precariously. The newly repaired signal box on it was suddenly blown away by the wind, and the taut wires eventually could not bear the weight and began to break off neatly at the base...

At this moment, it would be extremely difficult for the team to receive a signal.

"Try to stall for time, and deal with this guy on flat terrain."

Rebecca, having fired the last bullet from her heavy machine gun, clearly hadn't expected that this tug-of-war would last so long thanks to Falco's skill...

Looking at the spent cartridge cases scattered around her feet and the messy chair, Qiwei, covered in sweat, stared intently at the computer screen in her hands…

Rebecca's temper flared instantly, and she abruptly pulled up the unconscious man.

"Damn bastard, get him now!"

Rebecca roared in a fit of rage.

However, if she had more bullets, Rebecca would rather hold the gun and fight back against those bastards.

"I suggest you save your energy."

Although Qiwei was talking, her hands didn't stop moving at all.

"Even if we throw that bastard's body out, Arasaka won't give up the chase. We can only pray that Lin Yue's plan works. Also, we can't contact Rin anymore. Judging by the speed of the storm, the signal tower is probably having some problems."

"But... it's not a big problem. Who says you can't make mistakes when handling a commission?"

Rebecca's face twitched, and the limp Joel in her hand slammed onto the chair...

"this…"

Qiwei's words truly extinguished everyone's confidence.

"beep!"

A stray bullet struck the car frame precisely, producing a long, lingering thud. The men instinctively ducked...

The phrase "when it rains, it pours" perfectly describes the current situation.

"I have used the network to expand the signal range as much as possible without considering identity protection. If Rin's follow-up move does not work or we make a mistake, there is nothing we can do."

Rebecca retorted, "Hey, don't say such discouraging things, old lady..."

Qiwei shook her head, tapped the last key a few times, and the entire program started running automatically.

Her pale yellow eyes gazed at the flat yet treacherous landscape ahead, amidst the storm, as she flipped open the notebook in her hand—

"It's already a great effort to get things this far, let's add a little more fuel to the fire."

"Keep going, Falco."

Falco glanced up at the rearview mirror in surprise. Qiwei had set up the entire car's infotainment system to serve as a signal spreader, and it was using Arasaka's protocol. This meant that if any of the pursuers behind them had Arasaka's hackers involved in the operation, then if the car broke down, they would be stuck there waiting to die.

Based on the expected and actual distance estimates, the current direction has indeed deviated. Considering that Rin may also be in a tough battle, Kiwi has no choice but to take a gamble.

Falco's face darkened, but his dirty face was incredibly serious.

"Then let's give it a try... and see if that company kid's calculations are really that precise!"

Somewhere in the Arasaka vehicle behind them, the temporary commander, whose chin was partially visible below the military optical components, was coordinating with other units. Inside the Arasaka Tower, which was still under the command of the tower, they were unaware that a fierce melee was taking place inside.

"Coordinates confirmed, terrain prediction complete, estimated rendezvous in three minutes, speed up!"

His jawline beneath his skin contorted in a grotesque grimace as he roared, spittle flying everywhere.

"Stop that piece of trash inside!"

The target locked in the data frame by the telescope was embedded beneath the storm, and a sense of unease inexplicably began to spread in my heart—veterans seem to have an intuition that everything the other side was doing was very calm, as if they were trying to calculate something…

However, the information provided by the counterintelligence department remained unchanged.

The hacker on the internet noticed something unusual in the red data flowing through the prosthetic eye. The hacker in the vehicle ahead was continuously sending something out using Arasaka's data transmission method... just like the data points they were chasing, flickering on and off on the holographic map of Badlands.

"Team leader! The hacker ahead appears to be transmitting data!"

The hackers dared not delay.

The team leader's expression immediately froze upon hearing this news.

Before he could even come to his senses—

"The flanking force has arrived!"

The target ahead suddenly began to slow down...

The mobile force vehicles under Arasaka began to decelerate in unison. Due to the forward momentum, the commander, through the narrow windows of the armored car, caught a glimpse of the "target" they had been pursuing for so long, and the situation inside the target vehicle…

The girl with pigtails held a pink handgun, staring coldly at the car in front of her...

The gun was pointed at a face that he couldn't match at all with his target, Rin, because he had no idea that Joel was the so-called Lurker that Arasaka had mentioned. His unwilling gaze shifted to the car, where a bearded man who looked like a bartender in a classic jazz bar and a gaunt woman whose face was indistinct... That was it!
[Comparison failed//…]

The bright red text inside the prosthetic eye seemed to mock his foolish on-site command.

"Stop the fuck!"

Other team leaders were also shouting in the channel.

"Pong!"

With a slight touch of her lips, Rebecca's gun took the life of the traitor.

The value has been exhausted; this is repayment.

The squad watched as the fastest vehicle from Arasaka sped forward. At that moment, rows of armed vehicles with Arasaka's tree branch logo painted on their hoods emerged from the storm's yellow sand, and the entire mobile force completed its encirclement!
"Hopefully, prayers will work..."

"Rebecca said softly. Falco's fingers tapped lightly on the keyboard, surrounded by vehicles that were already closing in, their guns and cannons ready to fire."

"right!"

Qiwei screamed and leaned forward rapidly, even ignoring the blood-dripping corpse next to the back seat of the car…

"Hurry! It'll be too late if we don't leave now!"

Falco slammed on the gas, and just as the roaring vehicle was about to turn, it saw more targets appear behind the encircling Arasaka vehicles. The IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) data started frantically issuing warnings…

A strange blue light shone from the depths of the sandstorm, and all the vehicle radios suddenly emitted a sharp, crackling sound—

It's the armed forces of other companies!
As the air billowed with sand, vehicles bearing the letter "M" prominently displayed on their bodies roared up behind the Arasaka encirclement force. They were covered in black paint, and some of them were heavy artillery-type weapons.

Falco and everyone in the car stared in disbelief at the scene...

A storm-like upheaval has arrived!
……

The long-haired woman with one side of her face covered in metal, and the other side showing the hideous scars left after healing, her golden curly hair and military-tech suit gave the impression of a simple and efficient person at first glance.

"cold…"

The woman carried a strange weapon, a gun that looked more like a sample taken from a military museum. Its design concept was reminiscent of the weapons that military technology had supplied to the new United States with arms orders thirty or forty years ago—simple, rough, and its appearance exuded ruggedness and durability.

Its name was buried in the dust along with the moment the Xiaobeidou facility collapsed.

"Is Arasaka chasing after this person...? Perfect, I'll settle both old and new scores at once."

"Son of a bitch."

Seemingly having heard the woman's vicious curses, the unshaven man beside him stretched. "Merides, you sound angry? Hmm... You messed up several test subjects, and your face looks like it's thanks to that guy? But I seem to remember that it was another test subject who messed you up after going out of control."

"Shut up, Morgan."

The man shrugged noncommittally. "Whatever. I don't think I have to have this name."

Military technology is clearly very advanced; they soon spotted the unprepared vehicles on the sandy slopes ahead in the hazy, yellow sand.

"Fire! Do it according to plan. The other teams find the prototype."

The moment the command was given, the cannons of the vehicles in front opened fire!
A blinding white light flashed, and the ground beneath the Arasaka convoy, which hadn't had time to disperse, seemed to freeze for a few milliseconds. Then—the moment the tungsten steel bullet core pierced the armor of the left-side vehicle No. 05, a scorching blast of air overturned the two-ton vehicle!

Amidst the shrill sound of metal disintegrating, the soldiers inside the burning and vaporizing vehicle clutched their silver pendants tightly, and the entire Arasaka voice channel descended into chaos!
How could it be a military unit using military technology?!

Taking the initiative is often the key to victory...

Taking full advantage of their terrain, the military-technical mobile force that surged out from behind Arasaka opened fire with overwhelming force, and soon sparks flew as they exploded within the dense enemy convoy!
The burning parts plummeted from the sky, billowing thick black smoke, and truckloads of Arasaka soldiers died without a trace of pain...

After quickly analyzing the battlefield situation, military technology intelligence experts immediately reported to Meredes that no suspected prosthetic prototypes had been found.

This means that the signals being sent continuously and the intelligence extracted from Night City are most likely bait.

Meredes glanced at the thing and sneered.

Being used as a pawn is not a pleasant experience.

So I've stumbled into a cat-and-mouse game? And what am I then?
Is it a vicious wolf that eats cats?

The prototype is Meredith's biggest concern, and she doesn't want to miss this opportunity. Of course, those who deceived her will also pay the price.

"We've received news from Arasaka: three routes. How do we choose which one to use?"

Upon hearing the intelligence officer's words, the vehicle next to Meredith was detonated by Arasaka's counterattack. The soldier in the front passenger seat instinctively raised his hand to block it, but Meredith didn't even blink after a flash of sparks on the metal of his side.

"Then let's find them one by one, and make sure the real-life counterpart doesn't fall into the hands of that bastard kid who wants to make a fortune off a crappy company's territory."

Meredes seemed to remember something.

"Find those guys that Arasaka chased."

"Also, burn that smug hacker to the ground! Let her try to act more sophisticated next time."

The vehicle then came to an abrupt stop, and Meredith kicked open the car door, raised the strange gun in his hand, and used the car door as cover to engage in firefight with Arasaka's hastily assembled troops.

The man in the same car also pulled out the weapon from under his black trench coat.

He smacked his lips, wondering which number he was that had served military technology.
Who knows?

He simply raised his gun, fired, and followed orders.

correct.

This gun doesn't seem to be from this world; it's a submachine gun with a very high rate of fire, and the Big Dipper logo is engraved in what appears to be the muzzle area.

The strange gun fired.

The moment the Arasaka soldier, who hadn't timed his fire properly, exposed himself, he was struck by a bullet. Strangely, as the soldier lying on the ground tried to get up, looking at the blood gushing from his chest, a rapid stream of red data shot down from the virtual vision of his prosthetic eye!

The horrific screams seemed to make the guy sink rapidly into a flickering black and red QR code image...

The gun was still spitting flames.

It's like a weapon with a 100% probability of success, destined to make them witness the appearance of the netherworld in their last moments before death.

When reloading, the black dot in the red circle on the back of the gun stares straight at the user, like the pupil of a demon.

It... is talking.

"The data downlink chain has been established, the digital evidence migration is complete, and the low-level code has been successfully eliminated."

"New" Morgan glanced at the unsettling weapon.

"【Erebus】—Please try not to speak."

The strange voice from the "program" inside the gun continued.

"Look at the pointless, repetitive killings—simple, boring, a waste of life, insignificant in the face of the data deluge."

The gun seems to be cursed.

"Morgan!"

"Go find those people; we can't leave empty-handed."

Meredes' roar still echoed in my ears.

……

……

　【Erebus】: A kinetic submachine gun derived from AI extracted by the military technology Beidou, whose bullets contain energy from the other side of the black wall.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)