"Could this just be a routine inspection gone wrong?"
Faced with Slidewire's accusation that they'd led the Hellhounds right to his doorstep, Lied's first instinct was to question whether the shootout might have started because Slidewire's men had refused to cooperate.
"No way. Don't count on an easy escape, super spy. Those mutts didn't hesitate—they opened fire the moment they showed up. It's like they knew exactly what was going on here."
Slidewire frowned, clearly thinking fast.
"I'm not exactly mobile. But given the situation, trying to stay put and transmit the data from this room... we don't have the time. We need to move."
The message was clear. Even if Slidewire was one of the top netrunners in Dogtown, cracking the encryption on the chip, extracting the data, and securely transmitting it to their contacts in Night City would still take time.
Time they didn't have with the Hellhounds closing in.
Breaking the chip's defenses while under direct assault from corporate soldiers was a recipe for failure. And without a successful transmission, everything would be wasted.
Lied nodded in agreement. As a deep-cover agent of the NUSA Intelligence Bureau, he was no stranger to the Hellhounds' combat prowess. He knew that Slidewire's crew wouldn't last long. If they got overrun mid-transfer, they'd risk everything: data corruption, chip destruction—mission failure.
And Slidewire, their only real shot at getting the data out of Dogtown, had to survive.
"Guess we're relocating, then," Karl chimed in from the side. He had no objections.
Sure, he could've said he'd hold off the Hellhounds himself and buy Slidewire the time he needed. That was an option. But doing so would blow his cover—badly.
Getting exposed wasn't the worst thing. KK doing a job wasn't shocking. But if he went full carnage mode and wiped out too many of Hansen's dogs, it'd make it really hard to sneak back into—or out of—Dogtown later.
Hansen was still the de facto king of Dogtown. There was no need to burn every bridge just yet. The mission wasn't in critical failure mode; it didn't justify a bloodbath. Better to lay low and let the "special agent" prove his worth.
Besides… Karl had another reason for not going full murder spree:
Time.
If he got involved, it'd take a while. Hellhounds weren't pushovers. The longer the hack took, the more troops and gear they'd deploy. And if they decided to drop heavy ordnance on the spa to flush them out, Karl might survive—but the blind netrunner wouldn't stand a chance.
Better to move from the start.
Also… Karl just didn't like watching people die.
Hellhounds were still leagues above Scavs. At least they were maintaining Dogtown's order, somewhat. No need to massacre them just because he could.
With Karl also nodding in agreement, the spa's three decision-makers were in sync. Time to execute the evac plan.
"Slidewire, knowing you, I'm guessing you've already set up a few backup routes. Which way are we heading?" Lied asked.
Slidewire was already moving, typing rapidly across his interface.
"I've gotta hijack the nearby cams first. Otherwise, I'm literally blind out there. You'll need to carry me—I've got no neural implants, and I don't juice like the Animals do. I don't run fast. You move, I guide."
He hesitated for a second.
"That said, my nearest safehouse just got set up. Not fully equipped yet. Nothing good enough to crack the chip. You got a better hideout?"
Lied frowned. He hadn't expected Slidewire's fallback base to be half-finished.
But if Slidewire didn't have the right gear, then…
"There's one option," Lied said. "It's a bit of a hike, though. Ever heard of the Luna Moth Bar? Got a route that heads in that direction?"
"Luna Moth Bar? Yeah, I've got it mapped," Slidewire confirmed. "We'll have to take the long way, though."
He paused, unplugged his remaining cables, and stood up from the netrunner chair.
"I'll lead."
Lied moved quickly, hoisting him onto his back.
Karl glanced toward the entrance. "What about your people? Just leaving them here?"
"I'm not like the Intelligence Bureau—or the Voodoo Boys," Slidewire replied. "I've already messaged them. Once we're out, they'll fall back through alternate routes."
He exhaled sharply.
"These Hellhounds are good. Took less than ten minutes to chew through nearly a quarter of my crew."
He pointed ahead.
"That way, Lied. Now! More of them are coming—reinforcements. My guys won't last much longer."
Karl looked around at the gear.
"What about all this tech? Hellhounds have decent netrunners too. They might trace us from what's left behind. Got any countermeasures?"
Slidewire smirked.
"I was a Voodoo Boy, remember? I didn't exactly agree with their ideology, but old habits die hard. We believed our sanctuaries were sacred—untouchable."
"So… no ICE? No digital defenses?"
Karl narrowed his eyes, then pulled out two grenades from his belt.
"Mind if I wipe the place clean?"
Slidewire could "see" the grenades through his internal camera feed. His expression twitched. He visibly winced.
But ultimately, he didn't stop Karl.
He knew what mattered more: the tech or their location. And he wasn't stupid.
"Plant them under the chair," he instructed. "I modified that rig heavily—probably some residual data left behind. Blow it and everything with it."
Cut clean. Burn the bridge behind you.
Karl liked Slidewire's decisiveness.
He followed the instructions and set the charges.
Moments later, the explosions roared through the building. Hellhounds breaching the spa entrance suddenly found the Voodoo Boys' defectors pulling back, scattering into retreat.
That instant collapse told the Hellhounds everything they needed to know.
"Reporting in—target may have already escaped. Requesting search and sweep of surrounding area."
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🔥🦾 CYBERPUNK: THE RELENTLESS 🦾🔥
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