Chapter 508 - 479 Midnight Death

[Electromagnetic Locking System Damaged: 9.61%]

[Minor Electromagnetic Suspension Fault: Front Suspension Electromagnetic Coil Fluctuations Are Significant, Resistance Increased, Coil Melting Possible]

[Main Motor Temperature Elevated, Current Temperature: 144°C]

[Assembly Electric Control Platform Block C-06-2 Slow Response, Increased CAN Bus Error Rate]

[Warning Code: ECS-003, Electromagnetic Suspension Adjustment Precision Decreased]

[Warning Code: ECS-004, Suspension Abnormal Vibration, Possible Mechanical Damage or Sensor Error]

[Warning Code...]

The hundred kilometers of Evil Land and Santo Domingo didn’t cause as much damage as that hit from the overpass just now.

Three Octopus Arms immediately installed the special soft flaw detectors and repair arms, inserting them into the prepared "repair channels," which were only finger-width and covered the entire electric control platform.

But frankly speaking, for such a big vehicle, even if it was designed for performance and interference resistance, there were still many areas where repairs couldn’t be conducted while driving.

"That hammer is so powerful?"

"Incredibly powerful." Lille sincerely praised, "Anyone hit by it is going down."

Using such a super close-quarters combat weapon with prosthetics has a significant limitation:

Your bones are mechanical, muscles are synthetic, nerves are electrified, skin is bulletproof, but your brain must basically remain original.

Soft brain tissue has little resistance to powerful shockwaves and the intense acceleration from high-speed movement.

Polyurethane foam, non-Newtonian fluid, nano-material energy-absorbing devices... all these efforts are just trying their best, brain damage in high-intensity combat is almost inevitable.

As for things like "hi-hammer," due to its strong hardness, often what gets hit serves as an energy-absorbing buffer, so the recoil isn’t too strong.

But a head-on collision for the user is akin to a suicidal attack.

In this aspect, Lizard Fury Components, although not as fast as Si Anweisitan, could directly enhance brain cell strength—

Jack changed his body posture to the extreme, as it was an unplanned move, in a certain sense even more dangerous than the hammer guy’s action.

But now he just patted his head: he surely had a mild brain hemorrhage, but such damage would regenerate under the subtle influence of the Lizard Serum.

"He was a tough guy," Jack said, still pondering, "if he had been more awake, the outcome might be different."

"The outcome is our gear is better."

"I have a question." V raised her hand, revealing the Mantis Blade in her forearm, "What if..."

"The pure tungsten hammer is stronger in overall data, and most importantly, don’t use a blade against a hammer," Lille looked up while repairing the car, saying oddly, "Do you even need to ask?"

V knew this, of course, so she rolled her eyes: "You... hmm? What’s that in the sky..."

Da Mai’s frenzied voice rang out: "Bombing!"

....

Haywood, a chaotic mix of clouds and dragons.

The northern part was filled with towering buildings and parks, the west with bustling commercial streets and logistics channels, but the south was a vicious slum.

To many Night City office workers, there were no "pitiful," "poor" people in the slum, only "vicious," "violent" ones.

But that was only referring to the Valentino Gang, a bunch of huddled-together Mexicans; some pitiable poor people weren’t Mexican—

To survive, they would also undergo baptism, believe in the Father, and hope to find someone to huddle with, but reality was harsh.

The Valentino Gang was a gang with a heavy ethnic mindset, and outsiders found it hard to get in.

"This is fucking awesome!"

In a cramped rental apartment, the room reeked of alcohol; a man on the sofa loudly exclaimed, raising a mug of cloudy beer, while a woman slept soundly on the bed.

This apartment only had one room, with two beds embedded in the wall, like cabins in a spaceship.

It was obvious this was a family; a young man stood by the window, looking as if he was excitedly waiting for his idol.

But if you looked closely, his expression was completely blank, repeatedly wandering between the prosperous world and the dark, filthy streets.

His old father chugged his beer, seeing his son standing by the window, and had a vision: once upon a time, he too had stood by the window, back when he watched a Martial Arts Band.

For a moment, he hallucinated that the gigantic Mackinaw truck was the vehicle used by the Martial Arts Band during their tour.

He felt a surge of emotion:

Years gone by, the car his hero used drove down the street, 41-year-old him watching his 16-year-old son stand there, seeing the shadow of his dead 50-year-old father.

They were witnesses, creators, and struggling survivors in Night City, their dreams now so blurred they were almost unrecognizable, until a new wave of Night City legends rolled over and helped clear the dust off their dreams.

Suddenly, the old father burst into tears. He came to his son’s side, remembering the events that once happened in Night City.

His father had gone to the last concert of the Martial Arts Band, held in front of Arasaka Tower, and then Arasaka Tower was nuked.

He once felt lucky that his father had stopped him from going, so he wasn’t blown to pieces, but now he suddenly wished he had gone too.

He held his son: "...I wish I had gone too."

His son turned his head, his calm expression startling him:

His son’s entire face was constructed from cybernetic parts, one hand, and one leg were prosthetics, not for work, but because he was born deformed.

Then his son said something that made his mind go blank: "Why did you bring me into this world? To see all this?"

His son pointed at the two starkly different worlds; the roaring engine of Mackinaw couldn’t possibly clear up this man’s thoughts.

What did that mean?

His son’s prosthetic suddenly pressed against the glass, and he realized his son had a device on his hand he had never seen before!

Crack!

The tempered glass shattered instantly; the father jumped back a step in fright, but his son took a step forward!

In terror, he reached out to grab his son, but couldn’t hold onto this child who was bent on jumping—

Then he seemed to see his son smiling at him, his mouth silently opening and closing.

His eyes scanned his son from head to toe, this suddenly unfamiliar child, and he suddenly realized his son spent more time at school than at home.

Then he saw a strange device on the child’s chest, marked with a scrawled word:

"Midnight Death."

...

Suddenly, someone jumped out of the buildings on either side of the street, some just jumping out, others naked, holding a screaming person, and some even rolling down in wheelchairs...

Each had ultra-high energy reactions captured by scanners, but this sudden and bizarre explosion meant no time to prepare—

BOOM!

A fireball exploded on top of Mackinaw, sending massive shockwaves through the street—

Unavoidable super bombing!

"Human bombs!"

The bombing cast shadows across the complex buildings, and more people joined the fight!