App herunterladen
61.86% Interdimensional Scientist, Starting from Cyberpunk / Chapter 146: A car fit for a legend

Kapitel 146: A car fit for a legend

The jurisdiction of Night City extends not only to the urban area but also to the vast plains outside the city.

This area is so expansive that using satellites to locate and identify individuals on the plains is highly impractical. As a result, the company's control diminishes sharply in this region.

Nomads are the main inhabitants of the Badlands. They are much less reliant on cybernetic enhancements, and some are even naturally healthy, making it difficult for netrunners to gather much information in this area.

The Badlands consist of endless deserts, Joshua trees, low hills, dried-up oil fields, heaps of scrap, and isolated small towns. The asphalt roads are buried beneath sand and dust, showcasing the harsh landscape of the Badlands.

The area is so vast that the NCPD lacks the manpower to maintain a presence, so the security of the Badlands has been outsourced to Militech. However, Militech's forces mainly guard the highway exits and the border.

Four nomads-style vehicles sped across the desert. Seven young men from the Red Ocher tribe came to pick up Cedric, none of whom had significant combat experience except Navi.

V and Leo were sitting in a modified Qudra Type-66 car, while Jackie and Navi sat together. Jackie's bones hadn't fully healed, so he was in charge of command rather than fighting.

V wasn't fit for combat either, but the Yinglong submachine gun was already connected to the vehicle's weapon interface, allowing her to control it from inside using panoramic camera technology.

"We've switched roles—didn't expect this day to come," V said as she plugged in her personal link. "Seems to be running smoothly."

The panoramic camera technology is a feature for fully enclosed vehicles. The car they were driving had no windows, replaced entirely by bulletproof armor.

Sensors embedded in the armor collected visual information, providing a seamless external view.

"As long as it's working—Cedric's car will exit via Highway 3. Theoretically, Militech won't intercept them, but they might get tipped off since Cedric belongs to the Red Ocher tribe.

We can't let the companies trace this lead back to us. If anyone chases us, blow them up."

All the Red Ocher members who attended the event that night were dead, leaving behind very few traces. This was one reason why the Red Ocher tribe could still survive in the wastelands outside Night City.

Leo spoke as if destroying Militech vehicles was as trivial as smashing toy cars.

Meanwhile, the young men from the Red Ocher tribe were both excited and nervous on the communication channel.

V asked a question after hearing their chatter: "What if the vehicles chasing us are Behemoth armored cars or Basilisk tanks?"

Leo replied slowly, "Mexico sounds like a nice place. We'll head there if it comes to that."

However, based on the news, that scenario seemed unlikely.

Cedric sat in the car, staring blankly at the dust-filled Badlands.

He was in a Columbus cargo vehicle, marked with the "Respectful Logistics" insignia, even recognized by scanners as such.

Militech had set up a checkpoint ahead, signaling all vehicles to stop on sight.

Cars started to form a long queue.

The driver, seeing that Militech personnel had stopped his vehicle, shouted, "Damn it! When will this blockade end? Do you know how much every second of delay costs?"

Militech officers were used to these complaints. Repetitive work and trash talk had dulled the edge of their duties.

Fatigue from long shifts and double shifts made one officer wonder if he could still bleed anything but stimulants from his veins.

Agitated, the officer yelled back, "Yell at your mom! See over there—wanna line up there instead?"

The "there" he referred to was a special inspection lane for Mackinaw vehicles.

That area was bustling with half the Mackinaw trucks painted in red and black stripes, ridden by street thugs and gang members.

They sat stiffly, pretending to be model citizens—but their eyes gave them away. They were there to cause trouble.

They didn't have jobs, so they just lingered. After all, messing with corporate lackeys was one of the few entertainments they had.

Naturally, this annoyed the legitimate truckers, who were about to lose their tempers. "You're gonna dismantle my seat just because I'm driving a Mackinaw? What, did you get brain damage?"

One trucker yelled, and soon others followed suit.

Their blood pressure rose, and so did the Militech officers'.

But just as Militech didn't care about the truckers' blood pressure, the shouting somehow gave everyone a strange sense of courage.

"Your blood pressure's not our problem!"

Bang!

A driver, overcome with frustration, threw an empty bottle at one of the Militech enforcers. The burly soldier in camouflage silently walked over—

"Uh, I-I was just throwing trash."

Crack—Bang!

The Militech enforcer ripped the door off the ancient black Mackinaw, grabbed the driver's head, and slammed him into the ground!

Bang!

The driver lay on the ground, bleeding profusely, holding his head and whimpering.

This scene terrified the other drivers, who immediately fell silent.

But chaos erupted on the other side—

"Turn off your cyber-eyes. No recordings allowed here—"

"Stupid corpo dogs! First time I've heard of a checkpoint where they gouge out your eyes!"

A gang member stood up, yelling defiantly. After all, this was prime news material!

The Militech enforcer looked up and saw a sea of glowing blue eyes, recording his every move—

He realized he'd messed up—but he couldn't help it.

He only meant to teach the guy a lesson, but once he started, he couldn't stop.

Days of high-intensity shifts had filled his veins with adrenaline, and his mind was buzzing with aggression!

Looking at the terrified man crawling away, clutching his head, a dark thought crossed his mind:

Things went quiet after he struck that guy—what if he kept going?

He strode toward the gang member who was still mouthing off, pushed past his companions, and amidst their horrified gazes, grabbed the guy by the head—

The crunch of crushing skull echoed, and with a vicious yank—

Crack!

The gang member's neck was stretched grotesquely, his head slamming against the car door.

The other gang members, either shocked or furious, instinctively drew their guns—

And that's when things escalated!

Bang!

Gunfire erupted, the traffic instantly plunged into chaos, and the Mackinaw was quickly caught in the crossfire before exploding.

Cedric's car had been at the front of the line. Hearing the gunfire, the driver floored the gas pedal and sped away!

Explosions and gunfire erupted behind them, cars swerved wildly, and chaos ensued. This wasn't just a gunfight—someone had snapped, triggering a cyberpsychosis episode!

Cedric finally snapped out of his daze and turned to the driver, "What's going on?"

"How should I know? You hear gunfire, you floor it—no other reason needed! What the—are they still doing inspections? Are they insane?"

The driver glanced in the rearview mirror. A Ragnar armored car was bulldozing through the chaotic traffic, crashing into cars as it went, all while yelling:

"Stop for inspection!"

But who was listening?

No one noticed a Quadra Type-66 modified desert armored car charging up behind the traffic, roaring into the fray!

Bang!

The car rammed into the side of the Ragnar armored car.

The Quadra Type-66 was much lighter than the mighty Ragnar, but its sheer horsepower was overwhelming!

The Ragnar skidded, and a few other small cars bumped into it, causing a pileup and blocking the already congested traffic.

The driver of Cedric's car yelled, "This car is awesome! A legend's car!"

Just as he finished, he received a communication request.

[Incoming Call]

Ding-dong—

"Regina's crew? What's the situation at the checkpoint?"

"I don't know! All I know is someone started shooting, and now everyone's flooring it—tell me where to go. Militech's dogs are on their way."

"Follow me."

A slick-looking yet practical Quadra Type-66 modified car zoomed ahead, and the driver checked his rearview mirror—

Before he knew it, they were surrounded by four nomads cars.

Leo, sitting in one of the vehicles, used the driver as a bridge to connect with Regina via a call: "We've got the package."

On the other end, Regina's voice sounded odd: "Hmm, although I doubt it's related, there's a report of cyberpsychosis at the Highway 3 checkpoint."

"Not our problem," Leo said with sudden realization. "No wonder cars are going crazy out here—do you want me to catch the guy?"

"Preferably alive," Regina considered. "A Militech officer going cyberpsycho right now could help us pressure them to lift the blockade, but you've got to be quick—Militech reinforcements are on the way."

"Got it. Let's hope he's still alive." Leo turned to his crew. "Navi—turn around. There's a cyberpsycho at the checkpoint. Get Cedric out of the driver's seat and take him back."

"What about the driver?"

"He's got a new job."

(TN: Hay guys I'm back did you miss me )


Kapitel 147: A Stone Falling on the Lake

"Attention to all external NPCD personnel: a potential Cyberpsycho has been spotted at Highway 3 intersection."

In an instant, the machine gun turret turned the thugs in the car into Swiss cheese. The squad leader breathed a sigh of relief, ready to yell at the big guy, but then he saw him stride over to the machine gun turret and tear off the MK31 gun with one hand!

Bang, bang, bang, bang—

The heavy gunfire instantly took out the unprepared squad members. The squad leader quickly hid behind a concrete block, but the MK31 bullets were rapidly eating away at his cover.

Militech enforcers are specialized in enhanced physique and defense—essentially firepower specialists. Facing one, the squad leader was pinned down by the MK31's terrifying firepower.

He noticed not far away, a trembling security guard was picking up a rifle.

"#8959, fire now! Can't you see his back is turned?!"

Soldier #8959 shuddered, raised his Ajax rifle, and popped his head out from cover—bullets flew out in a frenzy. But the enforcer, being enhanced, had impressive subdermal armor. The bullets pierced his bulletproof vest but merely clinked off his armor beneath. The enforcer turned around and blew off his colleague's head!

The squad leader, sensing an opportunity, prepared for a sneak attack—but the enforcer reacted far faster than he expected. Overdosed on stimulants, his strength and speed were massively amplified! The squad leader lifted his head and saw that the enforcer had been firing the MK31 one-handed the entire time, while his other hand was already aiming a Crusher shotgun at him.

Bang!

Half of a corpse fell to the ground.

The crazed enforcer scanned the surrounding carnage, his mind growing more confused. Wasn't he supposed to be on patrol? Not going on a killing spree. How would the company deal with this? The dreadful consequences were something he instinctively didn't want to face. His cybernetic body and brain entered a strange synchronization.

It's said that when people face something they don't want to confront, their brain triggers a defense mechanism.

In that instant, the enforcer's surroundings transformed in his mind into a war zone. His dead comrades were killed by enemies, and the burning civilian cars were armored vehicles!

He jerked back behind cover, nervously scanning his surroundings.

Then, a distant engine roar grew louder—a powerful and high-pitched sound. It wasn't just a car; it was a swift, agile combat vehicle! He lifted his head. An armored vehicle fully decked out in weapons was speeding toward him!

Bullets fired from its turret curved in mid-air, passing over cover and hitting his body. These bullets didn't cause pain, but it felt like they had eyes.

They instantly reminded him of KangTao's smart bullets. Those "enemies" were soon dressed in KangTao gear in his vision.

He lifted the MK31, ready to shoot, but his hydraulic joints, stimulant injectors, and cybernetic eyes all malfunctioned simultaneously, leaving him paralyzed!

Bang!

The speeding armored vehicle crashed through the wreckage, hitting him hard!

Amidst the debris, a bloodied man struggled to crawl out of his burning car, staring dumbfounded at the scene.

The Cyberpsycho was thrown into the air. Smart bullets triggered an electromagnetic pulse in mid-flight, causing his entire cybernetic body to emit sparks and black smoke. Yet despite this, the Cyberpsycho got up again, his joints twisted in unnatural ways.

Bang!

A massive bullet shattered one of his fragile joints.

From a distance, Navi, perched at a window, had just fired his first sniper shot with a Nekomata Sniper Rifle. The recoil shook his shoulder painfully.

Jackie patted his shoulder. "Nice shot, you hit the target."

Leo said over the comms to the driver, "Did you hear that? The target is neutralized. We're done here."

"Got it. You guys are quick; Militech's gonna lose it soon. That Cyberpsycho was taken care of in just a few minutes."

A Columbus freight truck arrived through the breach, and the driver swiftly loaded the barely-alive Cyberpsycho into the truck and drove off.

Leo wasted no time either, turning the vehicle to leave. But before departing, he scanned the area one more time and spotted a bystander secretly recording the scene from the shadows.

He hacked the bystander's cyber-eye, erased the footage, and then drove off toward the wasteland.

"That's it?" V, sitting in the passenger seat, disconnected from her personal link, looking unimpressed. "That was a Cyberpsycho?"

"What did you expect?"

V thought for a moment, then sat up and started counting on her fingers like listing collectibles:

"Think about it, the Cyberpsychos we've faced lately—like Nort, and that James Norris. Those guys were like monsters: fast, strong, and unstoppable. Especially back in Atlanta, if Nort hadn't suddenly gone berserk, none of this would've happened. But this Militech guy? What a pushover!"

Leo shrugged and listed off the cyberware that the Cyberpsycho had.

Military-grade stimulants, hydraulic exoskeleton, subdermal armor, tactical cyber-eyes, recoil dampening systems—his cyberware wasn't low-end, but mostly affordable and effective. The hydraulic system, for example, is cheap and offers significant strength to the user, but it replaces a lot of muscle and joints, making it prone to issues.

It's a typical feature of standard-issue equipment—cheap, effective.

In fact, Militech is known for this approach, which is why their employees are prone to becoming Cyberpsychos.

"That wasn't some low-end merc; Militech carefully designed that enforcer. You've been getting a bit cocky lately. Maybe check online to see how much that cyberware costs?"

"Tch, you could've just told me," V grumbled, rubbing her head, not wanting to do the math.

Leo glanced at V: "Uneducated."

"Militech's quoted price for one of these soldiers is between 40 to 90 thousand Eurodollars just for the equipment. Add in training costs, and it can go up to 180k. But that's probably inflated; otherwise, they couldn't justify raising contract prices.

"But even the toughest Cyber-enhanced soldier can't survive getting hit by a two-ton vehicle going 50 mph."

Not all Cyberpsychos are invincible killing machines. At least, not to Leo and his crew.

This Militech enforcer died quickly for many reasons. Cheap cyberware, vulnerability to hacking, the impact of the vehicle, and the hole his colleague shot in him earlier all contributed. That shot weakened his resistance to external electromagnetic pulses, allowing the EMP from the YingLong to heavily disrupt his internal systems.

High-value cyberware often uses micromotors instead of synthetic muscle fibers and devices, making it more susceptible to EMPs.

After reading Leo's breakdown, V remarked:

"So we basically rammed him to death."

"Just think of it that way. And yeah, this car's not bad—El Captain wasn't exaggerating."

"Definitely," V agreed, admiring the luxurious interior of the vehicle. "By the way, stop calling it 'this car.' It has a name!"

"What name?"

"Western Boar—I'd only ever seen this model on TV, but sitting in it feels like—like a dream come true!"

V cheered like a little girl, then immediately recoiled in pain, clutching her nerves and gasping.

"Yeah, yeah, dream come true."

Leo chuckled, hit the gas, and disappeared into the wasteland.

Twenty minutes later, Militech forces arrived at the scene. Surveying the carnage, the soldiers exchanged uneasy glances.

The squad leader submitted a report to his superiors with a blank expression—there was no Cyberpsycho left, just heaps of bodies.

Militech Communications Channel

Contact: Militech Captain #5620

Militech Sergeant #7877: "Sir, eight soldiers at checkpoint three are dead, and Enforcer #8030 is missing."

Militech Sergeant #7877: "Tactical footage from Squad Leader #7890 shows #8030 may have gone Cyberpsycho, catching them off guard."

Militech Captain #5620: "...Missing? It's been 20 minutes since we got the abnormal report, and you're telling me the Cyberpsycho vanished? You've gotta be kidding me!"

Militech Sergeant #7877: "Sir, I misspoke."

The captain relaxed slightly. Dead would be fine. But before he could fully exhale—

Militech Sergeant #7877: "...His signal's been blocked. He was probably taken. There are traces of advanced tech weapons at the scene. The caliber is larger than the squad leader's sidearm, indicating others were involved."

Militech Captain #5620: "He was in Cyberpsychosis for just 20 minutes, and someone took him? Are you sure he wasn't ambushed, maybe hacked into going psycho?"

Militech Sergeant #7877: "So far... there's no evidence of hacking before he went berserk."

Militech Captain #5620: "...Understood. Secure the area, and make sure no one leaks this.

Militech Sergeant #7877: "Understood."

The captain had a bad feeling—there weren't many groups in Night City capable of acting this swiftly. This was a Cyberpsycho who had wiped out eight Militech soldiers. Converting to Night City's measurement system, that's like 16 NCPD officers.

This wasn't just a mindless killing spree.

It was all done with purpose.

How long has it even been?

He immediately decided to mark the report as urgent and notify higher-ups, while also contacting the Director of Government Relations at Militech.

Contact: Militech Director #0034

Militech Captain #5620: "A soldier stationed at the checkpoint on Highway 3 went Cyberpsycho and was taken by unknown individuals."

Militech Director #0034: "Incompetent. The NCPD is already preparing a press release."

Militech Director #0034: "Keep a close eye on your badlands. It might be those people again."

Militech Captain #5620: "Understood."

Those people?

The captain was starting to lose his grip—he was the field commander, and if his subordinates had to work overtime, so did he.

There had already been plenty of small conflicts in recent days, but now the big one had arrived: his subordinate had gone Cyberpsycho.

But the mention of those people made him sick to his stomach—a deep physiological reaction: stress, heightened focus, his brain racing.

He couldn't help it. Every officer who had dealt with them had suffered losses. Now it was his turn.

How could he guarantee he wouldn't be the next one to fail?

But soon, he received new information, and his nerves relaxed, almost causing him to faint.

[Militech Dispatch Order]

[Highway Checkpoint Shift Change]

It was clear that this news hit him like a stone dropping into a lake.

And that stone stirred up waves upon waves.


Load failed, please RETRY

Wöchentlicher Energiestatus

Stapelfreischaltung von Kapiteln

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Anzeigeoptionen

Hintergrund

Schriftart

Größe

Kapitel-Kommentare

Schreiben Sie eine Rezension Lese-Status: C146
Fehler beim Posten. Bitte versuchen Sie es erneut
  • Qualität des Schreibens
  • Veröffentlichungsstabilität
  • Geschichtenentwicklung
  • Charakter-Design
  • Welthintergrund

Die Gesamtpunktzahl 0.0

Rezension erfolgreich gepostet! Lesen Sie mehr Rezensionen
Stimmen Sie mit Powerstein ab
Rank 200+ Macht-Rangliste
Stone 15 Power-Stein
Unangemessene Inhalte melden
error Tipp

Missbrauch melden

Kommentare zu Absätzen

Einloggen

tip Kommentar absatzweise anzeigen

Die Absatzkommentarfunktion ist jetzt im Web! Bewegen Sie den Mauszeiger über einen beliebigen Absatz und klicken Sie auf das Symbol, um Ihren Kommentar hinzuzufügen.

Außerdem können Sie es jederzeit in den Einstellungen aus- und einschalten.

ICH HAB ES