Chapter 298 - 277: The Real Deal

"LOA... this looks like someone trying to screw us over, stay sharp, we might get ambushed."

Military Technology convoy.

The convoy consisted of Emperor Ragna and two Bimong Armored Vehicles.

In addition to two Little Flat Heads, the vehicle included some military gear and high-tech transmitter devices.

Mostly, these were for the upcoming mayoral election preparation, like giving the Six Street Gang two full crates of firearms to help promote the company’s endorsed candidate.

Or placing the transmitter near the opponent’s campaign TV, so their broadcast is just a mosaic.

Of course, there were also some... samples.

Military Technology personnel went through the checkpoint quickly, without anyone demanding a pass-through fee. The drivers and guards didn’t even get out of the vehicles; the roadblock lifted swiftly, and the path ahead was clear.

The vehicle passed the checkpoint. The driver of the Bimong Armored Vehicle turned his head northward. His Prosthetic Eye zoomed in, revealing the scene kilometers away:

There lay the company’s latest mess: a breach in the border wall.

The driver commented, "Damn, that’s impressive, see it? I heard the Lizard Men and Night Wandering Ghosts did it, now the US-Mexico border is packed with people."

The soldier in the passenger seat, clutching his gun, spat, "Who the hell knows what’s really going on, Lizard Men... if there are real Lizard Men, I’ll eat this vehicle."

"Oh, you got such a big appetite? It’s all over Night City!"

"And Night City also says Johnny Silverhand and Cleo had something going on!"

"No way, the rockstar? That sounds quite believable..."

"Only an idiot believes everything!"

A sudden angry shout burst through the communication channel: "Stop the damn chatter and focus on your job!!!"

Whoosh—

In nearly an instant, the lead Emperor Ragna was hit by something!

Light travels faster than sound. As the anomaly struck, every high-ranking soldier’s Si Anweisitan activated!

They saw it—it was some kind of projectile!

Boom!

It wasn’t just one projectile, but the rest were imprecise and exploded far from the convoy!

Smoke and dust rose—

"Ambush! Deploy drones!"

But their communication signals were severely disrupted—several projectiles exploded mid-air were EMPs!

...

Not far, in the Evil Land.

On the ground was something that looked like a mortar, but this DIY mortar had the distinct style of the Vortex Gang.

After completing this round of bombardment, the barrel was practically destroyed.

The gunner used his Prosthetic Eye to observe, sensors in his body measured wind speed, and finally calculated roughly with a processor—

A tech-savvy gunner.

Brick looked satisfiedly at the rising black smoke.

They usually messed with cyber components and high-tech, and this mortar was just a recent interest.

A really great piece, they’d definitely carry a few for future heists.

Of course, as a new gadget, its precision was horrible, out of ten shots, only one was effective.

But it worked well with EMPs—disabling the convoy’s communications before they could react.

The only downside... it wore out the barrels quickly.

A Vortex Gang member stretched his neck, his Prosthetic Eye zooming in and out. As a mechanical combat eye, it even elongated quite a bit, looking like a telescope.

"Hit!"

In his eye, the lead Emperor Ragna stopped, emitting black smoke, which excited the member.

The Military Technology vehicle suddenly accelerated, long barrels extending from the windows!

Bam!

Blood suddenly erupted from the gang member perched on the rock, parts of his prosthetic scattered everywhere!

A raccoon dog sniper rifle!

Brick pulled out an inhaler from his pocket and took a deep, satisfying drag...

"Ah!! Fuck them!!"

The vehicles roared to life. The Vortex Gang convoy emerged from all directions, almost encircling the Military Technology convoy!

Military Technology had raccoon dog, a superweapon, but they also had some lethal gear from the company!

Rockets, sniper rifles, various firearms poked out of windows. The guarding Military Technology soldiers instantly felt the battlefield tension...

That was the unique flavor of Night City—a free city teeming with military-grade weapons!

Boom!

Rockets chased after the Military Technology vehicles. Besides the sounds of explosions and bullets hitting the armor, the soldiers heard nothing!

One Emperor Ragna staggered from a rocket hit, its speed faltering, letting a van catch up. Vortex Gang members inside grinned cruelly, loading their rocket launcher, but in the next second, the cargo compartment swung open!

A heavy machine gun aimed right at them!

Bam bam bam bam bam bam—

Flames spewed!

The bullets hit the van, creating exaggerated sparks. The Vortex Gang’s hastily welded armored plates soon fell off, tangling in the vehicle’s wheels—

But in such a short time, the MK31’s bullets riddled the van with holes, and the driver and passengers were shredded!

The tires ran over the armored plate, with no driver control, the steering wheel spun wildly, out of control!

Boom!

The van exploded, red flames obscuring the machine gunner’s vision, stopping his shooting.

"One target down, report vehicle damage..."

Whoosh!

Before the words were finished, another Columbus Freight broke through the black smoke. In the front seat, a burly guy held a heavy machine gun with one hand, half his body out the window, laughing wildly as he squeezed the trigger!

Like a hunter spotting prey!

The Vortex Gang’s boss, Brick!

Bullets instantly filled the Emperor Ragna’s cargo compartment, turning the machine gunner into a sieve!

Two rockets soared over Brick’s head, aimed at the armored vehicle ahead!

Boom!

The second Columbus Freight overtook Brick’s vehicle, the shooter was his right-hand man, Royce. This hulking man held a rocket launcher in each hand, completely leaning out the window as if he’d fall any second!

"Awesome, brother!" Brick laughed while spraying bullets, keeping the Military Technology soldiers’ heads down!

Royce smiled cruelly, "Brick, this job ain’t bad, let’s see the loot in those vehicles!"

A van completely engulfed in black smoke, the driver floored the gas pedal, recklessly crashing into Military Technology, jumping out just before the impact—

Boom!

Car bomb!

Military Technology was entirely disoriented. The last Emperor Ragna locked its armor, driving with its head down—

Whether Bimong Armored Vehicles or Emperor Ragna, the cargos were fully enclosed, making the field engineers inside feel like their hearts would leap out!

But they wouldn’t!

Because of their Prosthetics, their training, their brains were made to either snap or stay calm under extreme pressure!

The EMP had damaged the regular lines of vehicles and equipment, but in 2076, all military hardware had backup lines for dealing with EMPs!

He must restore power, restart the system!

The driver screamed, just to drown out the sound of bullets and explosions!

"Damn it, are the cables restored!?"

"Almost... they are!"

"Shit! Hold tight!!!"

Boom!

A rocket hit the last Emperor Ragna, flipping the speeding vehicle over.

The remaining Columbus Freight vehicles sped up to the ongoing Bimong Armored Vehicles—

The final step, hacking into these two big military-grade ICEs, as usual.

The battle lasted a total of forty-two minutes, from the first shell to the last Emperor Ragna being overturned. The convoy traveled nearly four kilometers.

The line extended long, but not so long compared to the vast Evil Land.

Brick threw the smoking MK31 into the backseat. A gang member in the back immediately handed him a new machine gun.

"Started hacking yet?"

At the end of the convoy, Vortex Gang hackers were eager.

"Almost, boss..."

Over-excitement made his fingers tremble, he quickly immersed his consciousness into the vehicle’s hacking equipment—

Thanks to the Military Technology insiders, they knew how to bypass these Military Technology ICEs.

However, as he connected to the network—

[You... are just a bunch of trash, utterly disappointing.]

Blood-red text appeared on the hackers’ interface, and their processors overheated!

Bam!

Their nerves were fried!

The driver in the same vehicle witnessed this and jumped in fright: "Holy crap! Boss! Boss! Our guys..."

Brick and Royce didn’t say a word.

Because they saw the cargo compartment of a Bimong Armored Vehicle slowly opening.

This way of opening was familiar to them.

This meant the Bimong was transporting troops, not supplies.

As for the Military Technology soldiers...

The last time they showcased their prowess was called the "Metal War."

Their main soldiers were always automated machines.

Bimong Armored Vehicles carried Centaur Mecha—and they were manned.

Inside, a soldier raised an Ion Cannon, its red barrel making even daredevils like Brick and Royce turn pale—

"Holy shit, Centaur Mecha!"

Brick’s desperate scream, because the barrel was targeting his vehicle!

Boom!