Chapter 490 - 461: Arson!

Boom—Boom—Boom!

The roar of the engines seemed to be shattering Night City!

Some of these sounds were coming from cars on the streets, while others were simply advertisements.

No matter the source of the noise, it all boiled down to vibration, a composite that assaulted people’s eardrums!

"Night City, Night City! Welcome back! This is your Stanley, and now, are you ready to embrace the wildest, most thrilling, most brutal, most bloody... and yes, most fantastical race in history?"

With each emphasis, the variety of advertisements shifted accordingly.

It wasn’t that the whole city was syncing up with Stanley, but rather the advertisements during this time slot were simply too densely packed.

Gorilla arms smashing concrete to dust, a Bounce Number Two propulsion system deftly weaving through traffic, Mantis Blades tearing people into pieces—

The advertisements were diverse and carefully edited, but they all had one thing in common:

They were all recordings!

During the days leading up to Extreme Metal, in unnoticed corners, a proliferation of new Lone Wolves and gangs sprouted like mushrooms after rain, repeatedly striking factories, companies, gang strongholds, and production facilities...

Each person was proving they were the new elite—most suited to be fitted with these Prosthetics, to wield these weapons!

The best investment targets!

"I don’t know if you’re ready, but many people just can’t wait any longer!"

"Yesterday, I was about to go out for some food, and before I could leave, I saw a flaming van smash open a Military Technology warehouse across the street. A bunch of maniacs looted the place. Wonder which Warrior will whip out a complete ’Military Tech Char-Grill Suit’ during the race—"

"Of course, I’m not a hater of Military Technology, Arasaka was hit too! Thieves sneaked in so quietly, but chose to detonate a bomb just when they could have left without a noise; an arm landed on my window, thank goodness my insurance covers that."

"These Warriors, who will triumph, who will become the dark cloud over the city, prove your strength, by any means necessary, fight, Challenger—"

Phew—

The announcer took a sneaky bite of his burger.

"Look—look—look, Night City’s blood is boiling!"

"Listeners, if I were you, I’d find a safe corner now, turn up the radio to the max, switch on your TV, go to the forums you usually browse for adult entertainment, make sure your ears, your eyes, are locked onto every second of thrilling moments!"

"Tonight, the most—most most legendary meat grinder race—"

"Extreme—Metal!"

"This is your friend Stanley, join me, let’s kick off this bloody night!"

"Yii—ha!"

Boom!

An out-of-control Rocket hit a building by the roadside, and the explosion instantly shattered the camera set up there.

Before going offline, it captured a racing car hustling across the street, its passengers, looking like cyborg psychos, dancing atop it.

Monitor disconnected, screen lost.

A huge projection screen cast a symbol onto the canvas: a red circle with three solid red dots, simply linked by straight lines.

It looked like a three-petaled flower, or a synapse, or perhaps the end of an electrical circuit.

This was the emblem of Arasaka Group.

"I am very disappointed." Arasaka Saburo said to the person on the other end of the communication after watching, "My son is such a fool, so slow to grasp the situation.

Gangs strut about the streets, Night City has forgotten who truly rules this city."

Arasaka Saburo’s son, Arasaka Yorinobu, was the one on the other end of the communication.

"It’s precisely because of the disturbances from Military Technology that we..."

"Shut up." San Lang’s eyelids twitched slightly, his few words already picking up on the unusual thoughts in his son’s heart:

Too naive. He seemed to think this would divert his gaze from the current situation.

Clearly, his son still had gang mentality and someone had revived his hope. Lai Xuan was hoping to cover up for those people.

It seemed that the flame that ignites every fifty years hadn’t just set Night City ablaze, but it had also lit up his foolish son.

Lai Xuan was no match for his father. Even during a simple call, he was afraid, terrified—

Outside, he was a successful businessman, the heir to Arasaka Group, an aggressive vice president who acted rashly, seemingly eager for an all-out war with Military Technology.

But in just a video call, with just a couple of sentences, San Lang could unsettle him, expose the most impulsive and stupid side of him.

In the past, just those few words would make him uncontrollably angry and ready to confront his father, but now he suddenly controlled his emotions, refraining from shouting.

However, just as he was about to say something else, San Lang ended the communication.

Yorinobu, far away in Night City, had just barely managed to keep his emotions in check, but the moment his father cut the communication, he lost it, grabbing a cup from his side and smashing it to the ground!

Nameless rage broke through his psychological defenses: even he didn’t know why he had reacted that way.

The expensive liquor, ornaments, and luxury everyday items lay in fragments across the room’s floor, and Yorinobu only just recovered from the breakdown.

He lifted his head, and on the TV screen, another group of crazies was charging towards the corporate warehouse, their vehicles emblazoned with Iron Hoop Burgers. At this sight, he suddenly burst into laughter.

It was as if he was reminded of something heartwarming, something blood-stirring.

"...The old coot must be plotting something else..."

Arasaka Saburo was always aware of the situation in Night City. Given his attention to and dissatisfaction with the matter, it was impossible for him to let things continue to unfold unchecked.

He surely had something else he could do as a mole within the Arasaka Group.

Usually, after a bout of feeling defenseless, he would seek out a sex doll for some action, but today he suddenly felt motivated.

He had to figure it out with all his might.

To deal with San Lang, relying on network surveillance was the only option.

...

The sun gradually sank, the clouds thickened, and the wind, carrying dust, varied in intensity as it pelted down on the vehicles.

Evil Land was vast, and this speed race didn’t even have a real starting line—

It was so free-form from the beginning that everyone could find a rock pile they deemed safe to hide behind and wait for the start.

Military Technology’s drones scanned each vehicle, giving those brave enough to stand at the starting line a conspicuous spotlight:

The race was so free you could even enter midway; the "competition" was for your very life.

There would only be one set of winners—either give up midway or die.

Some people hid in ambush along the route, but there were Warriors who chose to stand at the starting line, and they received quite a spotlight for their bravery.

It was foreseeable that many would forfeit this part of the journey—after all, if you accidentally flew off the highway, the chances of embarrassment were too high, and the roads of Evil Land were treacherous.

One couldn’t possibly expect to enter the city at a snail’s pace, right?

"News Channel 54 here, reporting that Evil Land has gathered a significant number of illegally modified armed vehicles. It is clear that the recently rumored ’Extreme Metal’ illegal speed race is not unfounded.

Due to the current situation, Military Technology may commence warning shots..."

Online forums were in an uproar, analyzing the people and vehicles appearing on the screen.

It could even be said that if they survived, they would certainly make a name for themselves.

Of course, those who started from the beginning were at the greatest disadvantage.

[Stott: There are quite a few cars... a total of 56 armed vehicles, with Adkaduo accounting for 12. Some of them are completely wrecked, likely to fall apart if they crash. Truly fearless.]

[Stott: You’ve certainly been given a lot of face.]

[Lille: Haven’t I treated you well too?]

News Channel 54 had more than just this one serious broadcast; there were many other programs.

With the surge in viewership, the radio station could launch a show, utilizing this opportunity to promote their products, just like the "Guns and Horses" show did.

Starting right now—from the heavy machine guns on these vehicles, armored plates, drones, vehicle chassis frames... and so on.

Ziiing—

Bang bang.

V slapped the car, tossing out the spray paint can: "Done!"

A giant iron burger was spray-painted onto the vehicle, its metal teeth viciously chewing, bursting out with red plasma.

"Who would have thought such a silly name would actually make us famous..." Lille said with a laugh.

"It’s fate." Jack stood in the back of the truck, a heavy machine gun cradled in his arms, chuckling.

V swung in through the window: "Drive!"

Roar—

The engine roared, electricity surged from the solid-state battery embedded in the vehicle’s frame, covering the entire car and chassis. A total of 144 Chroni Titanium Armor Plates were locked in place by electromagnetic devices to form an impenetrable yet incredibly agile shell.

Jack sat in the back of the truck, controlling the heavy machine gun below the armor.

In front of the vehicle, Military Technology’s border checkpoint gates fully opened, lighting up green:

[Checkpoint clearance granted.]

[Welcome to Night City.]

Boom!

The sound was like thunder; drones, which had already locked onto the racers, aimed their guns towards the rear of the vehicles and opened fire in unison—

This was the signal for the race to begin!

The Legend burst through the checkpoint gates, bullets and rockets blooming behind them, chasing them towards the city!

"It’s time to set this city ablaze!"