Dog Brother's maneuver was disgusting, a move taught in specialized Arasaka military courses on how to shoot through walls. Most Arasaka instructors scoffed at the technique due to its high difficulty.
The legendary Morgan Blackhand had mastered it to an extreme degree, but he had vanished back in 2023 when a nuclear bomb hit Arasaka Tower. That day, Adam Smasher defeated Johnny Silverhand and then dueled Morgan Blackhand one-on-one.
Smasher never said anything about the outcome. Given his personality, if he had won, he would have shouted it from the rooftops. Since he didn't, the result of the century-long duel was clear.
Now, Morgan Blackhand's vanished technique reappeared, throwing the Arasaka soldiers into disarray. The heavily armored troops, used to crushing their opponents head-on with heavy weapons, had lost their confidence.
They, too, chose to hide behind vehicles and dirt mounds. Maine regrouped the team into a new formation, and the battle completely shifted in their favor. Jackie and David fought with increasing ferocity. They took almost all the kills from behind, with Rebecca and Dorio providing the final, decisive shots.
Rebecca complained, "You two were nowhere to be seen when the big battle was going down, but when it was time to grab kills, you were right there, weren't you? The MVPs of the whole match, huh?"
David grinned, but Jackie just shrugged. "Choosing the right moment is a skill, too, Amigo," he said shamelessly.
"Who cares," Maine said, cutting them off. "Kiwi, can you open that big car? Let's see what we're supposed to steal this time. It's so damn mysterious; they didn't even tell us."
The moment of relief lasted less than a minute. A dark mass approached from a distance. Heather looked through her binoculars.
"Holy crap! What is this? The scale is too huge…" she exclaimed.
"We're dead! It's Militech! Why are there so many of them?" Jackie yelled.
David almost embedded the binoculars into his face. This was a convoy, more than ten times larger than Arasaka's had been. And this time, it wasn't just armored vehicles. There were large combat vehicles with high-caliber main cannons—a full-on war setup.
"There are Basilisk tanks!" David shouted. "And rocket launchers!"
At the same time, Faraday, the one who gave them the mission, was in a high-rise building. He looked at a tablet in his hand and cackled triumphantly.
The screen showed the battlefield where Heather and her team were. The footage was livestreamed from drones. His three bionic eyes on one side opened and closed as he talked on the phone with two high-level Arasaka Netrunners.
"Relax, Arasaka leaders," he said. "The plan is going smoothly. How's the combat power of the team I sent over? Isn't it something to see?"
The two Arasaka Netrunners, communicating from Arasaka Tower, wore long, glowing red glasses that hid their eyes, but the cruel curve of their lips showed their sense of superiority in manipulating others.
"Faraday," one of them said. "How can you be so sure these mercenaries will install the Cyberpunk to help us finish the test?"
Faraday looked at Lucy, who had fainted nearby. The Arasaka Netrunners could see her on their screen as well. "They'll definitely install the Cyberpunk," he replied. "Because their cherished family member is in my hands. I'll use her phone to contact them with her voice. They'll do whatever I say."
The high-level Arasaka Netrunner scanned Lucy's image. His tone was skeptical. "Is this child one of the people who mined the Old Net?"
"Oh?" Faraday asked. "Is this woman useful to you?"
"Yes," the Netrunner said simply.
"Then it'll cost more," Faraday grinned.
The high-level Arasaka Netrunner frowned with a look of disdain. "Heh, understood. Send her over by AV after it's done."
Faraday became even more smug. "Alright, once she completes her mission, I'll 'express deliver' her."
He grabbed a cable and plugged it into the back of the unconscious Lucy's neck. As a result, Maine received a call from Lucy. The voice Maine heard in his mind was Lucy's, but the person speaking was actually Faraday. He was a good actor. To Maine, both the tone and the words sounded exactly like Lucy, without any hint of suspicion.
"Maine!" the voice said. "I've been captured by Arasaka. I know all about the situation. Militech is also looking for this Cyberpunk. Your only way to survive is to install the Cyberpunk and fight while you retreat!"
Even though Maine didn't doubt Lucy's authenticity, the conversation made him feel uneasy.
"What's wrong, Maine?" Dog Brother asked. "Why are you on the phone? The situation's critical! Militech's cannons are aimed at us. Heather, hack him. We'll listen in, too."
Heather, who was next to Maine, asked, "What's wrong? Who's calling?" When Maine didn't respond, she hacked into the line, and the voice became clear to everyone.
The fake Lucy continued to explain that she was only temporarily contacting them using technology. The mission Faraday gave was to seize the Cyberpunk.
She explained that the Cyberpunk was a weapon secretly developed in an Arasaka facility in another city, and it was being delivered to Arasaka Tower in Night City.
Somehow, Militech found out, so they wanted to seize it, too. At this point, Maine, Dog Brother, and Heather still weren't suspicious. But then the fake Lucy added one more, unnecessary sentence.
"Last night," she said, "I found a Netrunner had infiltrated our subnet. It was very likely Militech."
Dog Brother was startled. "That's not right. Last night, Lucy was completely blackout drunk. That's why David had a chance to sleep with her.
How could a Lucy that drunk wake up in the middle of the night to check the subnet? Who the hell works when they're super drunk? This Lucy is a fake!"
Heather directly interrupted the call. "Lucy," she said. "Do you remember who said they wanted to be friends with you last night?"
Maine was surprised. "Heather, how did you get into my private channel? Oh… you hacked it…"
The fake Lucy on the other end said, "What? Why are you asking me such a silly question now?"
"If you can't answer, we'll cut the call and block you right now!" Heather warned.
A few seconds passed in silence. Then, the fake Lucy's voice was replaced by Faraday's own. He wasn't flustered at all.
"Miss Heather, haha, your vigilance is truly strong. Do you believe I'll report you to Arasaka right now?"
Heather found it amusing. "Report me? You didn't give us the info needed for this op, did you? You want to play a self-destruct game with me? Go ahead."
Faraday laughed loudly. "Hahahahahahaha! Very clever. But even if you expose me, what then? Let me tell you, I was the one who leaked the Cyberpunk transport info to Militech.
This so-called mission is for one of you cyber-freaks to install the Cyberpunk and fight Militech's forces so that Arasaka can collect combat data. Heh heh heh, honestly, you are truly talented.
Arasaka Corporation rarely has freaks like you with such extensive cybernetic modifications. Rich in combat experience and on the verge of cyberpsychosis. Perfect subjects for testing."
"So," Heather said. "All villains are the same kind of stupid. They just have to explain everything so clearly."
"Go on," Faraday said, his voice hard. "Install the Cyberpunk. This desert is so vast; there's nowhere to hide. If you want to live, be our guinea pigs. The Cyberpunk is a powerful weapon under development and testing. It's your only hope for survival."