An Arasaka security guard, gun in hand, blocked the path. He didn't notice the four people hiding in the shadows behind the supply crates.
Maine thought about sneaking up to snap his neck, but Lucy stopped him with a quick call. Killing or stunning them would alert Arasaka. It was best not to give them a chance to investigate.
The main objective this time was to download data. Copying data itself was difficult to detect, and as long as they left no traces of an attack, everyone could rest easy after a safe retreat. Otherwise, even if the operation succeeded, it would be a living nightmare if Arasaka tracked them down one day and came knocking on their door.
Lucy used her netrunner skills to make a spotlight near the security guard flicker, attracting his attention. The four people quickly and quietly slipped through. With three netrunners on their side, the infiltration was a sure thing.
All the cameras along the way were hacked, turning into their own eyes and in turn scouting the movements of the Arasaka security guards. This made Maine's heart itch. He knew that such an operation was the safest and most efficient, but his role was that of a tank, and he wasn't used to being so quiet.
Just as Maine was about to complain loudly over the comms, Dorio's voice cut him off. "Maine! Two Arasaka SUVs have arrived at the entrance, and eight Arasaka soldiers have gotten out. They're moving very fast. Have we been exposed?"
Maine was puzzled. "How is that possible? The security guards inside the facility are all slow and completely unaware."
Rebecca chimed in. "Otherwise, let's just start a fight right here at the entrance. Catch them by surprise."
"No!" Maine said firmly. "We haven't gotten the data yet!"
Kiwi's voice was urgent. "Maine, that's the server room ahead. It's the physical shell of a small part of Night City's local area network. Decide quickly!"
Sweat appeared on Maine's forehead; he was in a difficult position. "We can't come for nothing. Our team has always relied on our reputation. Let's go! Into the server room!"
Dog Brother's voice echoed in Heather's mind. "Damn it! I knew there would be trouble! If you ask me, when the Arasaka squad outside is halfway in, the strong woman and loli waiting outside should launch an attack to catch the enemy off guard on both fronts."
Heather remained silent. She was rather glad they hadn't acted alone. In this urgent moment, she miraculously felt a strange sense of security.
Maine, of course, couldn't hear Dog Brother's voice, but his thoughts were exactly the same, and he made the arrangements. After the four inside entered the server room, an explosion sounded outside. It indeed had the effect of splitting the eight reinforcement soldiers into two groups.
Just as they saw the target server, a long, red-glowing eyepiece worn by an Arasaka netrunner nearby began to flash. Everyone felt a bad premonition. Their limbs went numb, and their vision was distorted by irregular currents.
The three female netrunners—Heather, Lucy, and Kiwi—reacted quickly and engaged in a network confrontation. The three of them were individually skilled, and with a significant 3-on-1 advantage, the Arasaka netrunner who launched the network attack on them was suppressed within two seconds.
Only Kiwi noticed that the target server was smoking. She called a halt. "No! We can't take out the Arasaka netrunner. Look, the target server is already dead. He's the last one connected."
Maine's massive body surprisingly managed to flash over and prop up the unconscious Arasaka netrunner with one hand. "So you mean we have to abduct him, right?" Immediately, Maine handed the person over to Lucy and Kiwi. "I didn't want to escalate this, but since we're exposed, we can only fight! I wonder how Miss Heather's combat power is. Are you ready for a head-on confrontation?"
Dog Brother's voice echoed in Heather's mind again. "Heh heh, how's her combat power? Why don't we try it and find out?"
The side door of the server room had been violently kicked open, and shouts demanding their surrender echoed continuously. Heather seemed to have crashed, her shoulders hunched and her head bowed.
Maine appeared in the main corridor of the room, holding a gun in each hand. Two Rattlesnake rifles continuously spit fire and wildly shot at the incoming soldiers.
The Arasaka soldiers had never expected that their planned 'catching a turtle in a jar' would turn out like this; this 'turtle' was a bit too fierce. One soldier, before he could react, was already riddled with holes, his flesh splattering blood, and his cyberware sparking. Another soldier screamed repeatedly, jumping around as if his butt was on fire.
Indeed, Lucy had used Cyberware Overheat on him, and he was so hot he was losing his mind, so Maine's spray finished him off.
Heather, who had just raised her head, her pupils changed from red to blue. Now, her entire body, every nerve, was under Dog Brother's control. A sinister, evil smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, completely giving the impression of a long-imprisoned demon breaking free from its seal.
Dog Brother seemed to have marked everyone's exact locations beforehand, leaving room for a firing angle with every movement.
The first shot was a headshot. The brain-dead soldier's finger was still on the trigger, causing his submachine gun to fire wildly and aimlessly as he fell. This distracted his nearby teammates, and then Heather's body rolled out from behind the obstacle.
A few more rolls before she squatted up, another bullet fired, hitting the person opposite in the shoulder. Rolling indeed greatly affected his shooting accuracy.
Maine, seeing the enemy's attack momentum weaken, used his cybernetic leg to charge up a large jump, landing like a god descending from heaven, appearing in the center of the enemy formation. Both Dog Brother and Maine's movements were very bizarre.
Normally, no one would operate like this; it was the kind of reckless action where they put themselves right in front of the enemy's muzzle. This made the Arasaka new recruits unsure which one to focus on, resulting in indecision.
The one who had just been shot in the shoulder by Dog Brother had shoulder armor, so he was fine. But his real problem was Maine. Maine threw away his empty rifle, his cybernetic wrist flipped open, and a zero-range cannon blast blew off the opponent's head.
This gave Dog Brother a good window to shoot, so he fired two shots at walls in different directions. Both bullets ricocheted, greatly increasing the freedom of shooting, avoiding the enemy's helmet and hitting them in the neck. In just a few short seconds, the enemies in the warehouse were cleared out.
Maine flicked his cybernetic arm, his wrist reset, then he bent down and picked up two Shigure submachine guns from the ground, quite excited. "These corporate dogs are all pampered good-for-nothings.
How can they compare to mercenaries with rich combat experience like us? Miss Heather seems to be more than just a netrunner. With your skills, have you considered joining our team?"
Dog Brother didn't answer him on behalf of Heather. Instead, he pointed his SOR-22 kinetic precision rifle upwards, pressed it against the half-open iron door, and carefully observed the outside. "Outside are just ordinary security guards, even worse. Let's quickly eliminate them and retreat."
At the same time, Rebecca outside the facility's main gate was no different from a cyberpsycho, laughing and fighting, spewing obscenities, her mouth incredibly foul.
Such a small body, yet she was carrying a T3 heavy machine gun, which was a fixed, massive weapon. Her abnormally large hands looked extremely disproportional to her body, but it was precisely this disproportion that supported her continuous heavy firepower output.
The shooting showed no sign of stopping until the gun barrel got too hot, forcing her to let go. Immediately after, she grabbed a rocket launcher. Dorio, beside her, was already accustomed to Rebecca's style and remained unfazed.
She hid behind cover, and whenever there was a gap, she would stand up and fire two supplementary shots. Only Falco, in the driver's seat, would occasionally complain. It wasn't that he lacked strength, but someone always had to handle the aftermath, or rather, be prepared to seize the first opportunity to escape.