"Riding a... Manticore is Lucy!!!"
Just as they boarded the vehicle, a massive number of Night City residents spawned in; every street and alley was packed, a chaotic mix of roaring engines and human voices.
Maine had already gone into hiding with Rebecca and the others. As people relatively close to Lucy, they didn't dare step outside, fearing they'd be targeted again.
Fortunately, no one really paid them any mind; after all, with Lucy's location exposed, capturing her directly was definitely the priority.
The people at the very front saw the Manticore taking off and shouted loudly.
Consequently, everyone looked up to the sky as a black armored vehicle roared past.
"Fuck!" It was Militech's signature armored vehicle, a very 'common' sight in Night City, and they knew its defensive capabilities were astonishing.
A massive volume of munitions was unleashed upon the Manticore, yet it evaded most of them—being able to fly really was something else.
Bullets clanged against the armor, but that was all they did—make noise. These people didn't have any high-end gear; bringing down a Manticore wouldn't be easy.
David looked down at the crowd below; it was densely packed, like a zombie siege. The streets were lined with long queues, with all sorts of modified vehicles blocking the roads completely.
"What a terrifying scene. It's a good thing you hacked a Manticore, V."
David felt a wave of lingering fear. If he had actually tried to run while carrying Lucy on his back, 'one against a hundred' wouldn't even begin to describe it—'one against ten thousand' was more like it.
"Since when did the people of Night City have such strong drive? It's only been a few minutes, right?"
"Give me a hundred million and I'd have that kind of drive too."
V rolled her eyes. Did he really not take the bounty seriously? It wasn't just about the money; that was a directive from Saburo Arasaka!
A cursory glance revealed Maelstrom, Tyger Claws, Animals, Valentinos... gangs with names and those without, they were all here. There were even quite a few Corpos mixed in!
The longer this dragged on, the worse it would get. If it had become this bad in just a few minutes, he didn't dare imagine how many people would eventually show up.
It wasn't just gangs and civilians; the real corporate elites had arrived too. Their goal was to make contact with Saburo Arasaka—this was a corporate assignment as well, which was why they could skip work to join the hunt for Lucy.
And their participation meant that equipment mercenaries couldn't afford—or simply couldn't buy—was about to appear—
"Boom!"
"Fuck! Again?!"
The Manticore banked sharply in the high air. The violent maneuver sent David and Lucy tumbling together in the back seat, but they had no time to worry about any romantic tension.
"That sound... a Tech Sniper Rifle?" David recognized it immediately; Militech guys had used one on him not long ago.
Streaks of light trailing electric arcs shot out from all directions, occasionally accompanied by a few RPGs fired on the off chance of a hit—the handiwork of gang members.
"Whoa—"
V yanked the steering wheel, weaving through the rain of light streaming up from below as if she were playing a bullet hell game. Swaying violently from side to side, David finally understood the importance of seatbelts.
Activating the Sandevistan, he quickly pressed Lucy back into her seat and buckled her in.
"I can't handle this, we need to find a place to crash-land, David!"
In just a few dozen seconds, the Manticore's external armor was riddled with holes. Even with V dodging with all her might, it was no use—there were too many of them!
David could feel the dense clusters of threats from below. Tech Sniper Rifles—since when were they so widespread? No, the weapons weren't widespread; the mercs and gangers were still playing the lottery with RPGs.
It was the Corpos! Masses of guys in suits and leather shoes, wearing gear clearly beyond a mercenary's budget, clutching Tech Sniper Rifles that were either newly bought or company-issued.
"This is too exaggerated..." David finally understood what Saburo Arasaka represented in Night City—so many corporations skipping work to send employees to capture Lucy.
"Stop looking and sit tight, I'm going to crash it!" V pushed David's curious head back down.
The AV was a sitting duck now. If they didn't land, they were going to be landed. It was thanks to Militech's solid engineering that they had lasted this long.
As expected of the armored vehicle favored by the city government, its defensive performance was indeed excellent. Hopefully, it would continue to perform well in what came next...
They were still far from Arasaka Tower, but they would have to proceed on foot.
V subconsciously looked at two buildings not far away—the two behemoths known as the Twin Towers, situated exactly between them and Arasaka Tower.
Without hesitation, she slammed on the accelerator and charged towards them. Weren't these just high-quality speed bumps?
The Manticore advanced at full speed, crashing through the building's wall. The AV's metal hull scraped violently against the corridors, its speed dropping rapidly.
Various equipment and decorations in the corridor were completely wiped out, though there were no casualties among people.
"It's so quiet in the hallways. There's no one here."
"They probably transferred all the staff to hunt for Lucy."
David's mouth twitched at the thought of the terrifying numbers outside, but they had to face it. Moreover, they had to take the initiative.
Hiding was pointless. Their opponent was the entirety of Night City; they would be discovered no matter what.
They had only one choice: to head to Arasaka Tower voluntarily. The bounty stated that as long as Lucy was brought to Arasaka Tower, there were no requirements other than not killing her.
After Militech's 'greetings', David understood the power of the megacorps. It was a force they could not contend with, a fact that hadn't changed even after gaining the power of a ninja.
This was a simple, open scheme by Saburo Arasaka. A hundred million Eurodollars was nothing to him; using that pocket change to mobilize all of Night City was an absolute steal.
"Thanks for your hard work, V. Leave the rest to me."
David's eyes were firm. He would take Lucy to Arasaka Tower, complete the commission, and end this farce.
"But..." V wanted to say she could help too. Her Karate wasn't weak, and combined with her powerful neural reflexes and hacking abilities, there were few people in Night City who could take her in a one-on-one fight.
"I'll be fine on my own. Don't forget, you can't keep up with me."
A finishing blow. David was speaking the truth. Although V was powerful, he was not only a better fighter but also possessed superior mobility. The Sandevistan reacted intensely with his physiology, producing results far beyond the norm.
V then regretted not installing a Sandevistan; she was definitely going to get one next time. The Kerenzikov was still too weak. Feeling the inadequacy of her own strength, she was extremely annoyed.
A month ago, David was just a fledgling who had to rely on her for everything. How had she fallen to this state in the blink of an eye?
However, she then glanced at Lucy on David's back. Maybe she wasn't that weak after all? Her mood improved slightly.
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