Chapter 546 - 517: The Flying Nuclear-Powered Hamburger

[Terrorist Mobile Team Communication Channel]

[Terrorist Mobile Team Hacker #0099: Signal network restructured, Alpha point occupied, over]

[Terrorist Mobile Team Assault Trooper #0254: Bravo is tightening the encirclement, over]

[Terrorist Mobile Team Heavy Assault Trooper #0254: Charlie machine gun post set up, over.]

[Terrorist Mobile Team Sniper #0034: Clear line of sight, good shooting conditions, Delta completed.]

[Terrorist Mobile Team...]

[Encirclement complete, waiting for headquarters’ directions.]

Susan watched the Terrorist Mobile Team hovering in the sky and atop building rooftops—seven armored floating cars, 28 highly prostheticized "organized cyber-madmen" aiming their guns at that ruin—

These weren’t your average handheld weapons but rather machine guns that only heavy vehicles could support.

Night City hadn’t seen this level of city-wide alert in a long time, nor had the Terrorist Mobile Team ever before mobilized all personnel to surround a scene like this.

[Susan: This is the different sort of thug you were talking about, they’re not just thugs; they are just a bunch of barely noticeable madmen.]

The other end of the communication was the highest commander of the Terrorist Mobile Team, but he wasn’t currently in communication with Susan.

He was thinking about something else—right, these three people must be mad, but why?

Why do this?

Abducting a senator and mayoral candidate’s wife, attacking the mayor, attacking Ye Group...

Why? These three didn’t seem like the type of terrorists or cyber psychos.

Click...

The collapsed warehouse ruin collapsed once more, the Caster Kai Hovercar finally slid into the ruins, leaving just its rear end exposed.

[Susan: Ryan won’t survive, my recommendation is to strike now, I’ve received word that Jefferson Perares is also inside because the terrorists have kidnapped his wife.]

The communication channel remained unresponsive.

[Susan: Don’t wait any longer.]

The Terrorist Mobile Team still waited.

Even as the Ye Group was getting impatient, almost blowing up the Terrorist Mobile Team’s phones with calls.

[Ye Group Contact: Launch the attack now!]

[Ye Group Contact: They’ve kidnapped Mrs. Perares, Jefferson is in there too, rescue him, and Ryan!]

[Ye Group...]

"Scream to your mother." A middle-aged man with a beard smashed his company communicator. "Really think because you’re called Ye Group you’re invincible? They spoiled you."

But he knew, they couldn’t wait any longer.

No matter how much fog surrounded this terror operation, as the Terrorist Mobile Team, they had already been outside for five minutes, and those three had rushed in almost ten minutes ago.

Ten minutes of watching was already too long for the Terrorist Mobile Team.

[Max Hammerman: Echo, Foxtrot, Golf prepare for assault, Rory, you lead the team, try to minimize casualties, I mean those officials.]

[Rory: It’s difficult, if they’ve taken hostages...]

[Max Hammerman: The Terrorist Mobile Team doesn’t negotiate, and besides, the Terrorist Mobile Team can handle all situations. If you fail, I’ll have you sent to the Disciplinary Institute for an adjustment.]

[Rory: ...received, preparing for assault.]

Three Scorpion-tailed Lion Floating Cars began to move towards the smoke-belching factory, Rory, who had been waiting for this opportunity, grinned ferociously—

The first time she encountered these three guys, she was kicked into severe injuries by a Lizard Man; the second time, her floating car was blown up by an overpowered weapon.

This third time...

An armored vehicle buried under the ruins, three ammo-exhausted madmen still going crazy, what else?

It’s not like they could pull out a nuclear bomb like fifty years ago, could they? This place isn’t Company Square, right?

Boom—

Mackinaw’s exaggerated engine sound was unmistakably clear even from under the rubble. Rory, who was preparing to land, although internally disdainful, physically reacted immediately, instructing her subordinates—

[Rory: Stop landing, stay alert...]

Boom!

The rooftop Caster Kai Hovercar suddenly exploded violently!

The blaze of fire disrupted the cyber sensors, and in that less than 0.3 seconds of adjustment time, Mackinaw burst out of the building!

The already deformed walls due to the roof collapse were knocked open creating a massive gap, and the debris along with shattered concrete from the Caster Kai explosion sprinkled down like rain.

And that armored pickup truck that had turned Night City upside down was unreasonably fast!

When the vehicle burst out, everyone saw that under the shell of the armored truck, there seemed to be something... something like rocket engines!

Hammerman was stunned for a moment, but quickly he recognized what that thing was, and so did Susan—

It was the vector engine from her floating car!

This confusion slowed the Terrorist Mobile Team’s response for just under a second, but it was just less than a second— they didn’t need to think!

All guns fired!

The 20×102mm heavy machine guns fired without holding back, at a rate of 300 rounds/minute, in that one second, more than 30 heavy bullets rained down towards Mackinaw—

But the aiming data was based on Mackinaw as a ground vehicle.

Nobody could predict that right after bursting through the wall and appearing in view, it would speed up to over 100 yards!

Boom—

"Arrrghhhhhhh!!"

Inside the vehicle, the three men clutched the safety handles, their faces— their facial muscles completely out of control—

To ensure the breakthrough, Da Mai had run at full power from the start. The furious acceleration combined with the kinetic energy from the direct collision was enough to make anyone pass out on the spot!

In fact, Lille had already blacked out! Only Little Octopus wasn’t blacked out!

Beep beep beep beep—

The car honked its horn as it flashed past the street corner, the speed unimaginable, the road behind crumbling under the barrage of the machine guns, yet the shells couldn’t catch up!

Mackinaw instantly dashed between the city skyscrapers, while the Scorpion-tailed Lion on standby outside immediately started up, but while this behemoth isn’t slow at its top speed, its acceleration was indeed sluggish.

As an armored hovercar, the Scorpion-tailed Lion was anything but nimble!

A storm of artillery shells chased after the unbelievably fast vehicle, blasting the streets and the buildings’ facades on either side into rubble!

But it was always just a bit short! Even though the debris from the bullets caught up to the vehicle, the bullets themselves did not!

Rory, who was at a low altitude, felt it profoundly; that thing shot out like a giant rat!

Rory felt the hot air and exhaust hitting her face, turning her cheeks red—

She couldn’t be seeing things wrong, that vehicle seemed, it seemed to have flown out!

"Hey! We’re over here!"

Three Scorpion-tailed Lions, already on the outskirts, instantly started up in pursuit; just as Rory was about to follow, Ryan’s voice came from the ground—

From their view of the warehouse’s ruins, they saw the mayor, Ryan, waving up to the sky, shoulder to shoulder with his rival Perares, incessantly calling for help...

What?

Everyone was stunned; Ryan was still alive? And still in the ruins?

Ryan yelled, "Quick, catch them! Damn it! Catch them!!!"

[Max Hammerman: Leave one squad behind, everyone else, move out!]

After shouting this, the Terrorist Mobile Team all started working together, leaving only one squad behind to ensure the safety of the two men.

The Scorpion-tailed Lion landed next to Ryan while Susan stood on a nearby street, watching the two politicians supporting each other as they emerged from the warehouse...

It felt like a dream.

Ryan wasn’t dead, Perares was there too, and... and they were shoulder to shoulder?

Where was Mrs. Perares?

Just as she thought this, the Terrorist Mobile Team carried Mrs. Perares out of the warehouse.

Everyone alive?

What had happened?

The Company set a trap to kill Ryan, yet the Ye Group exploded, Watson District went dark, Ryan and Perares walked out shoulder to shoulder, and from the ruins burst a...

A supercar loaded with radiation?!

The scanner’s alarm went off; radiation levels exceeded the limit!

Susan was jolted from her thoughts...

[Susan: There might be nuclear weapons on the vehicle!]

The Terrorist Mobile Team had also noticed the issue—

There might be nuclear weapons on the vehicle!

...

Ryan, surviving the disaster, looked at the Terrorist Mobile Team, at this group of medal-wearing madmen, and felt profoundly reassured.

If it had been the NCPD, he might have been wary of a cop being turned and unexpectedly shooting him.

But the Terrorist Mobile Team was different; they might be mad, but they surely weren’t corrupt.

However... why did his prosthetics keep displaying an alarm for excessive nuclear radiation?

He figured it was probably a malfunction in the prosthetic.

Perares, watching his wife being carried away by the Terrorist Mobile Team and with a head full of information, wasn’t sure what to say at the moment.

To live with the truth, he now had to follow Ryan.

No matter how shattering the blow to his worldview, he now had a real target—the escaping criminal.

It’s ironic; he used to look down on criminals, but now he realized... how significant this criminal was in his life, both in the past and now...

Strange, why would he think of the past?

Perares, with a headache, leaned against the rubble and kneeled down, saying to Ryan, "They saved us, but have to run around crazily because of it.

The Company altered my memory, arranged your assassination, yet could still influence the next election, this city will never know why they are being chased and wanted.

The Company’s lies will portray them as vicious criminals, but he could have been... could have been... a decent being."

Ryan also sat down heavily on a large rock, waiting for the medics to arrive, pulling out a half-smoked cigar from his pocket.

It wasn’t just Perares who found it strange, he did too.

However, he understood, he fully understood what Lille was trying to do.

"...He is the hero Night City needs, but not the one this city needs right now, he is..."

An armored vehicle quickly arrived at the scene, but it wasn’t medical staff that came—it was an old timer—

the Commander-in-Chief of the Terrorist Mobile Team, Max Hammerman, who had been active since 2000 and was the founder of the modern Terrorist Mobile Team.

In terms of age, the only people older than this guy were ancient artifacts like Arasaka Saburo.

His presence made it too safe.

Let it be known, he was truly impartial, whether it was corporations or gangs, if they went too far and severely threatened the order of Night City, he would authorize the Terrorist Mobile Team to take action.

Ryan stopped mumbling to himself and spoke to Hammerman, "My scanner keeps showing excessive radiation, seems like there’s still some virus not cleaned out, could you check it for me?"

Hammerman looked puzzled, "Yes, that’s right, little Ryan, the car that just rushed out might be loaded with a dirty bomb, want to share what this is all about?"

Whack.

The cigar from Ryan’s mouth hit the ground, his face turning visibly red—

Now he understood why Burger King wasn’t afraid of being pursued.

It turns out the guy had a nuclear burger in his car!

Ryan jumped up, "They’re madmen, the most insane terrorists, the most twisted crime syndicate! We can’t let a nuclear bomb explode in Night City again!!!!"

Hammerman looked meaningfully at Ryan, "You’re right, we can handle the nuclear threat in the car first, and as for how they got here... that can be discussed later."

[Max Hammerman: Terrorist Mobile Team, lift all weapons restrictions, eliminate the nuclear threat with full force.]