"Whoo! I didn't think this job would be so easy — we didn't even have to fire a single shot!" Driving the modified Hera across the Badlands,
"Whoo! I didn't think this job would be so easy — we didn't even have to fire a single shot!"
Driving the modified Hera across the Badlands, Oliver was practically glowing with excitement. "I really thought it'd be like one of those spy braindances — full of danger, unexpected twists, crazy close calls... but this? This feels unreal!"
"Thinking it'd be that dramatic was unrealistic," Karl said flatly.
"In fact, the simplest spy op I remember is when the Soviets gifted the U.S. a wooden Great Seal. It only had six embedded listening devices, yet it spied on the U.S. Embassy for seven straight years. Now that was real-world crazy."
"That actually happened?" Jack asked, amazed. "Karl, you know so much."
"Yeah," Karl nodded. "The wild part? If American agents hadn't picked up their own voices on a Soviet transmission, they might've never discovered it. Compared to that seven-year operation, sneaking a file out of a hotel room without firing a shot is nothing."
Nothing to brag about. They'd gotten lucky — slipping into the room of a barely-augmented presidential candidate, grabbing the intel, and slipping out clean.
Karl knew not every job would go this smooth. Outside Night City, they lost their home advantage — and they had no backup. They were basically flying blind.
Without T-Bug setting up their IDs, pulling the building schematics, and confirming the target, they never could've pulled it off within three days. They were still way too reliant on T-Bug's remote support.
Nothing wrong with leaning on a partner — but sometimes, partners couldn't be there. The rest of the crew needed to have backup plans too.
Karl made a mental note: he needed to seriously study hacking under T-Bug.
"Where are we now?" V asked.
"Almost across the Southern Cal border," Jack said, glancing at the trip monitor.
Hearing that, V visibly relaxed. "No way anyone's catching us now, right?"
"WEEEOOOO—"
Almost the second V said that, a piercing siren cut through the air, getting closer fast.
"V, you got a real talent for jinxing shit," Karl muttered.
"Jinx? What do you mean?"
Karl, sitting in the backseat, peered into the rearview mirror. "We've got a hovercraft on our tail."
"So it's not over yet," Oliver growled, slamming the accelerator. "But hey, we're not in L.A. anymore. Out here in the Badlands? They wanna chase us, let 'em try!"
"It's a Militech Scorpiontail," Jack said, squinting. "Looks familiar. The cyberpsycho suppression units in Night City use the same model."
"Yeah," Karl confirmed. "Same model, different paint job. And they're gaining on us."
Even with Oliver flooring it, the hovercrafts kept closing in.
"Get ready to fight," Oliver warned. "I'm driving. You guys take care of them."
"How the hell are they tracking us? Satellites?" V grunted, pulling something from under the seat and starting to assemble it.
"No need for satellites," Karl said. "Just check who checked out early and follow the cyberoptic trail. Basic tracking."
He watched in the mirror. "Two Scorpiontails incoming. Watch it."
Each Scorpiontail packed twin heavy cannons — more than enough to tear their Hera apart. They couldn't outrun them, couldn't tank the damage either. They needed a plan.
Militech couldn't concentrate all their forces on one vehicle — meaning these two were just scouts. If they took them out before they radioed in, they had a real shot at escaping.
"WEEEOOOO—BEEP BEEP!"
The sirens grew deafening.
"This is the Federal Security Bureau! Vehicle ahead, pull over immediately! You are suspected of espionage! Pull over or we will open fire!"
"Pull over, my ass!"
Jack cursed. "V!"
"I'm ready!"
At that moment, Oliver stomped on a hidden pedal.
With a violent hiss, the Hera's roof blasted off — flying into the air and exposing the entire cabin to the raging wind and sand.
"Shit! How much did you mod this thing?!" Karl coughed, choking on sand.
Meanwhile, Jack and V, who hadn't buckled up for this exact reason, stood up fast.
Braced together, they aimed a makeshift launcher — V steadying the back, Jack handling the front.
The Militech pursuers blinked in confusion as the Hera's roof popped off — and then froze when they saw what Jack and V were aiming.
"Shit — MANPADS!"
BOOM!
A flash of fire lit up the sky as one of the Scorpiontails exploded.
"One down!" Jack yelled.
They'd made a trip to Dogtown — and picked up some serious firepower.
-
-
-
🔥 Cyberpunk: The Relentless
📢 Chooms, Listen Up! 📢
You can now jack in and get 100 chapters ahead on Patreon for Cyberpunk: The Relentless! 💾🔥
Stay synced with the chrome, the carnage, and the chaos—early access is stacked and ready. 🧠💀
🔗 Join here: www.patreon.com/c/MrMagnus
👤 Patreon name: SrMagnus🐦 Follow on Twitter: https://x.com/SrMagnusBook
⚠️ Remember, I'll always post more chapters of the novel that gets the most Power Stones!