Kapitel 167: Fangs and Claws

Ori's investigation into Pangolin doesn't turn up much. The guy was too careful and secretive to reveal his information to just anyone. He'd tracked down another squad that apparently worked under him, but even after a thorough 'interrogation', they knew even less than 'Great Ape'.

He'd asked Rogue about it but even she lacked knowledge on it, stating she'd look into it and to get his Eddies ready if she actually found anything, which he expected given everything...

He'd also taken a closer look at the Animal gang, but they were too splintered and unorganized to easily find anything. The only thing that kept them from being separate gangs was their insistence on using the same name, along with their adherence to SOME of the gang's tenets.

Even Maelstrom was more organised, and given most of them were Cyberpsychos or close to it, that's definitely saying something.

"Alright, that's enough..." he mutters, feeling his mind settle down and the rush of clarity suddenly cease, leaving him with a dull throb that quickly clears up. He didn't like to use it often due to the potential risk of addiction, but the nanites had figured out how to simulate and stimulate parts of the brain, mimicking the effects of some drugs.

Of course, the strain and damage they do in the process is quickly healed, but that didn't remove the mental aspects of it... Even now, after heavily restricting it, he yearned to feel that buzz again.

He essentially had a button in his head that let him get doped up whenever he wanted without the physical side effects. Just imagine what'd happen if some junky could do that? He'd seen enough of it back in Casinha, so he was being very careful...

*Beep!*

[Need help ASAP! Tygers attacking Lizzie's!!] - Judy

Ori shoots up from where he's sitting and grabs his shit, throwing his jacket on and slinging Bore over his shoulder as he texts his crew. What a time for them to have 'free time'... Rebecca was at her workshop she'd built inside a storage lot, and Sasha was supposedly at home working on her 'mix tape'.

Shaking his head, he grabs Rebecca things and shoves them in the backseat of his truck before driving off, quickly grabbing the pale chibi from her current project as he reaches her workshop.

"I never thought they'd actually attack!" Rebecca exclaims, surprised at the turn of events. "'Specially with how last time went for them!"

"I doubt there's gonna be another martyr for the city to get behind this time." Ori mutters as they speed down the road, he could already hear gunshots in the distance.

"Susie won't let this go..." Rebecca mutters, knowing this was the start of a full-on gang war. No holds barred, unlike the last few years.

"At least we won't need to look around for jobs..." Ori adds.

------------------------

They finally make it to the street and immediately they're greeted by the corpses of Mox, Tyger Claw, and civilians alike. Some are mangled by explosions or being run over, and most are covered in bullet wounds and or cuts from blades.

Tyger Claw Motorbikes revved their engines as they drove past in large groups, unleashing volleys of gunfire and manically swinging their katanas at everyone within reach. The Mox was situated atop Lizzie's Bar and the makeshift cover that'd been erected in front of it, not to mention the surrounding buildings.

Despite the Mox's better positioning however, the Tygers were too numerous to easily win the fight, resulting in huge losses on either side, and that's not even mentioning the civilian casualties.

"Those fucks! Come on Ori, we'll make 'em regret stepping outta their kennels!" Rebecca growls while gripping Guts.

He nods, stepping on the accelerator and launching the truck towards some Tyger Claws who was racing down the road towards them, all cackling like juiced-up hyenas. Unfortunately for them, they'd been too preoccupied with the Mox to notice the heavily armoured truck headed right for them.

"NANTEKOTTA!!!??" the lead Tyger shouts and tries to swerve out of the way, but gets caught regardless, his lower body crushed under the truck's wheels. Ori quickly turns the wheel to catch the others who attempted to evade him, splattering two skulls on his fortified window while another get's clipped by the back, sending him tumbling into a nearby wall.

"YOU'RE ALL FUCKED NOW!" Rebecca roars as she opens the window and leans out, blowing the head off of one of the downed Tygers that'd somehow survived the impact.

Even more Tygers come down the road, one snatching a fleeing woman and throwing her over his shoulder. One Mox manages to shoot out his back tire, sending him and the woman rolling along the asphalt.

Before the guy can even raise his head however, the other Mox opens fire, obliterating him and his hostage in a blaze of gunfire.

Ori grimaces as a katana scratches a long line into the metal of his truck, the oscillating blade somehow cutting into the armour. He spins the truck around in response and chases the cackling Tyger, firing his revolver at him from the window.

The guy must've had some sort of predictive systems as he continually leaned to the side to avoid the attacks, so Ori just focussed on his bike instead. Three shots go out, one hitting the gearbox and forcing the guy to abandon his bike. He jumps off and unleashes his Mantis Blades, stabbing them into the ground to slow himself as he prepares to launch himself at the truck.

"This guy's crazy!" Ori exclaims, if that guy thought he could get through the window without turning into red mist he was clearly off his rocker.

"He's also DEAD" Rebecca retorts, firing two shots which knock the guy over, allowing the truck to crush him, grinding his body up into blood and metal scrap.