The vehicle cruised through the streets, surrounded by the bustling brilliance of Night City.
Psychedelic neon signs, towering majestic buildings, and filth and grime lurking in the corners.
"You can't afford to sit idle in Night City," Jackie remarked with emotion.
"What's the difference? It's just bigger," V muttered in disdain.
To him, everything they'd done in the past six months felt the same as what they used to do out in the Badlands. Only the place and style had changed—it was still all about fighting and killing, survival of the fittest.
"No, mano. It's different here." Jackie's tone turned mysterious. "Morgan Blackhand, Andrew Weyland, Adam Smasher—they all became legends here."
With the radio blasting hip-hop beats, the scenery flying past the window, and Jackie's tales of legends, the whole ride started feeling like a gritty action flick.
"Adam Smasher... sounds like a meathead," Roqi laughed. "I heard he's so chromed up his own mom wouldn't recognize him. The gear we've got wouldn't even tickle that guy."
"Dude's with Arasaka—only someone with a death wish would mess with him," Jackie said. "Shit, I'm starving. Let's grab some real food."
"Jackie—they're locking down Watson. Remember?" V reminded him.
"Ah, fuck, you're right." Jackie frowned, then paused. "Uh... am I being paranoid?"
He glanced in the rearview mirror—and his face froze.
"We're being followed…" Roqi turned in the backseat, chambered a round into his Nokota Copperhead.
"I knew it! That van behind us—it's tailing us!" Jackie cursed.
His blood pressure spiked again. If he didn't have to keep both hands on the wheel to avoid getting them all killed, he'd have whipped out his gun and lit them up already.
"Trauma Team was on the scene earlier. Those guys wouldn't dare pull anything. But now that we're alone, they're back for revenge," Roqi said. "Scared of strength? Then let's show them we're not pushovers!"
"Chingado! Lucky! Watch it!"
"No shit—they're right on our ass!" Roqi yelled as the car rocked.
"They're Scavs! Hijos de puta!" Jackie jerked the wheel, dodging the gunfire.
"Drive faster, Jackie!"
V leaned out the window and unleashed a spray from his SMG at the van.
Roqi popped out from the other side. "You bastards! I didn't have a gun when we fought Arasaka, but now—let's see how you like lead!"
He squeezed the trigger, and the rifle erupted in a burst of muzzle flashes.
The two gunmen in the van were immediately shredded in the crossfire between Roqi and V.
"Keep going! Don't let up!" Jackie weaved around stray bullets.
"With you swerving like this, how the hell am I supposed to aim?!" V shouted back.
"Forget the car—just shoot the driver!" Roqi barked, gritting his teeth and controlling the recoil.
Who knew if they hit, but the van barreled through a turn, losing control as Jackie floored it around a corner.
"Hang on! V! Lucky!" Jackie barely avoided mowing down pedestrians.
"Shit! Sorry!"
The real horror came when they glanced back—the van had somehow looped around a flowerbed and was charging them again, side door open with another shooter inside.
"Screw him! Aim for the driver!" Jackie yelled.
But before he could finish the sentence, the van suddenly screeched off the road.
Roqi had turned the driver's side into Swiss cheese.
They weren't catching up now—unless that guy's skull was made of titanium.
"That's what I'm talking about, punks!" Jackie howled, wishing he'd been the one shooting.
The car slid back onto the main road as if none of it had happened.
Seeing no more tail, V and Roqi finally slumped back into their seats.
"Damn... scratched up your baby, sorry V," Jackie sighed.
"It's fine—we'll talk about it later. Let's just get home." V waved it off.
The three of them panted in the car, but they no longer had the same adrenaline-fueled panic as when they first arrived in Night City.
After enough firefights, you start getting used to it.
As for street shootouts...
Even if the NCPD was corrupt as hell, Roqi still hesitated. But when it came to Scavs—the scum who harvested organs—he never held back.
Once things settled, the cityscape regained its color, and the music pulsed through the radio once more.
It was a strange sensation.
As they neared the bridge between Westbrook's Japantown and Watson's Kabuki district, they saw the NCPD had already set up a checkpoint.
Roqi suddenly felt the same nervousness as when they crossed the border six months ago.
He figured V probably felt it too—just didn't show it on his face.
"Shit, they've got full roadblocks," Jackie said, slowing the car.
Of the three, Jackie was definitely the most nervous.
A bipedal combat mech stood nearby, over three meters tall, its arms armed with cannons and machine guns. It looked like a fully armed, walking crab.
But Roqi knew—that Militech-made toy was basically a mobile tank. It could tear through their car like paper.
"Watson District is under lockdown. Please await further instruction. This is a necessary security measure." An NCPD officer in shades approached and leaned down to speak.
"Officer, ma'am! What a stroke of luck to meet you!" Jackie launched into his signature overly polite tone.
"Oh really...? And what's so special about me?" she smirked.
Jackie didn't hesitate: "A heart of gold! Only someone like you could understand how badly I need to get back to my girl."
"Your... daughter?" she asked.
"Of course!" Jackie lied without missing a beat. "If I don't get home, she'll worry herself sick."
Damn—straight out of a Braindance drama.
Roqi stifled a laugh, giving Jackie a silent thumbs-up from under the seat.
But Jackie wasn't done—his mouth had no brakes: "Look at me. I'm trying to be a better man. She gave me a chance, and she's waiting."
"So touching~" the officer replied sarcastically.
"You see, he's no saint, but he's a good kid," V added, playing along.
The officer straightened up. Roqi thought she was about to lose it, but instead, she waved them through: "Let them pass. This is the last one."
"Alright, you can go."
"Have a nice night, officer, ma'am," Jackie beamed, hitting the gas.
"She kinda liked you," V teased.
"Had to. I spoke straight from the heart," Jackie grinned.
"Sure~" Roqi and V replied in unison.
But Jackie was still riding the high of his performance: "I'm loyal... and sincere."
"Mhm~" Roqi and V agreed mockingly.
"And not a showoff, you know~" Jackie raised an eyebrow smugly.
"Ugh, okay okay, that's enough!" they laughed.
The car crossed the bridge, entering the streets of Watson District.
The radio played a pumping pop beat, giving the night a special vibe.
As they rounded a corner, Roqi saw several people running down the street ahead.
"Get out of the car, now!"
Before they could figure out what was going on, Jackie stopped at a red light, scanning the surroundings.
"Joder... look over there," he pointed toward the intersection.
A few gang members were yanking a driver out of a vehicle at gunpoint.
Blatant daylight hijacking.
That's how desperate they must be.
And just as Roqi was about to comment, a deafening roar passed overhead.
Flashing blue thrusters lit up the night—a floating armored AV steadied itself in midair under gang fire.
"They're here! Open fire!"
The driver rolled and scrambled away amidst the chaos.
Boom! Boom!
Two figures leapt straight down from the aircraft, landing with unnerving stability.
Bullets bounced off them like they were made of rubber.
"Doesn't look like a regular police bust…" V muttered.
"Those guys are dead," Roqi shook his head.
And sure enough, the gangsters were tossed around like paper dummies after just a few shots.
God knows how much kinetic power those weapons packed.
Each bullet flipped a full-grown adult over like a ragdoll. The blinding muzzle flashes lit up the night.
"They're not regular cops. That's MaxTac," Jackie explained. "NCPD's elite strike unit."
"If a case goes sideways enough, they show up. Those dumbasses over there didn't even make it to appetizer status."
As Jackie spoke, the MaxTac officers casually walked over and gave each body a final shot—loud and messy. Blood splattered everywhere, like little red fountains with every round.
Maybe this was what they meant by "fighting terror with greater terror."
When the enemy is a terrorist, you've got to be more violent, more terrifying than they are.
Freaking brutal.
Roqi realized he might've misjudged those thugs earlier.
They were panicking for a reason—and it was a damn good one.
"Welp, that was quite a show. Sucks to be them, though," Jackie said coolly—so long as the trouble wasn't on their side.
One of the MaxTac troopers noticed the traffic jam and waved them on. Jackie hit the gas and peeled away.
As they passed the officer, Roqi couldn't take his eyes off the weapons they were holding.
Purple glow, surging energy—military-grade tech-charged rifles that cost more than a penthouse in Corpo Plaza.
Drool-worthy.
"Those are top-shelf guns, man. Crazy expensive, though—you'd have to sell me to afford one," Jackie laughed, noticing Roqi's stare.
"I'm just looking," Roqi chuckled. "Maybe someday when we're rich."
They drove through the neon-lit streets, the city alive beneath the night sky.
"We're here. Your place is just up ahead," Jackie said, pulling into the parking garage.
"What about you? You can't get back to Heywood right now…" V asked.
Jackie usually lived in his childhood home in Heywood.
"No worries. They'll let me through," Jackie said, confident in his acting chops.
"You sure?" Roqi raised an eyebrow.
"Of course. I can play 'Friendly Jackie' one more time."
They rode the elevator up several levels before parking.
"Then sleep tight, boys." Jackie bid his two brothers goodnight.
"Say hi to Misty for us," V bumped fists with him. Jackie reached back and bumped fists with Roqi too.
"Same here," Roqi replied—his trademark line, which Jackie knew well by now.
"I will. Ahí luego," Jackie said with a grin before driving off.
V and Roqi entered the elevator and pressed the button for the 8th floor.
Just like "Room 1237 on the 15th floor," this was actually the third floor above ground, but the building labeled it as "B3."
Roqi saw V's eyes flash blue—someone was calling him.
"What's up?" Roqi asked.
"T-Bug says she's got a new netrunner plugin for me."
"Oh, nice," Roqi nodded. He had no use for it, but for V, it could be a game-changer.
The elevator walls played ads on all sides—just like the ones on the Arasaka crate when they first met Jackie. Some high-energy snack, like a cyberpunk Snickers.
When they stepped out, a few bored tenants were hanging out with beer bottles, shooting the breeze.
Vending machines glowed brightly all around, flashing with vibrant colors.
Garbage and stains littered the corners—no one had bothered to clean up. Someone in the hall was loudly complaining that the entry door was broken again.
High-tech slum—that was Roqi's gut impression of this place.
"See you around, Lucky. Sleep well," V said, waving from his door.
"Come on, don't make it sound like we're parting for years—we're just a few doors apart." Roqi grinned as he watched V go in. "You need anything, I'm right here."
"You too," V replied, closing the door behind him.
Familiar apartment.
Sleek futuristic layout, a holographic TV, touch-controlled vending unit, relatively clean floor, and a large, comfy bed. It was quiet and empty, but as the saying goes—"If you've got true friends in this world, even distant places feel close."
As long as V and Jackie were okay, even a little place like this felt like home.
A shower. A soft bed. Silence.
Not bad after a night of flying bullets.
Whatever shit tomorrow brings…
He'd deal with it when tomorrow came.
.
.
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📢 Cyberpunk Alert! 📢
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