"Mmm~" V made an intriguing sound.
"I made plans with Misty, but... I can't take the subway! It would be too embarrassing!" Jackie said with an awkward smile.
"I gotta save my buddy's face, Jackie, but just this once," V agreed.
That's what was said, indeed.
However, Luo Qi was sure that even if Jackie asked to borrow the car next time, V would still hand over the keys.
Jackie took a deep breath, having just finished a job and now heading to a date, one kind of pressure turned into another.
"Ah... Thanks, V, my lifesaver. How about I drop you two off at home first, huh?"
Luo Qi and V's apartments were rented close by, both on the same floor. Though the environment wasn't great, it was affordable and they could look out for each other.
"Then you drive, I don't have the energy right now." V confirmed with a glance at Luo Qi and nodded.
"Oh, almost forgot. I need to call Wakako—let her know the job is done." Jackie pressed the elevator button.
"I'll do it." V made a call, and within a few seconds, it was connected.
Wakako Okada's half-dead, affected voice came through.
"Cough cough! V? How did it go? Is the client still alive?"
"Of course, didn't you say you wanted her alive before? Huh?" V replied casually.
"Great, your money is here with me—you can come and get it anytime, even now. But I guess... right now, you just want to go home and rest, huh?"
"The NCPD has surrounded Watson district, and it's under lockdown. If you don't want to be stopped by the police cordon, you'd better hurry."
"Thanks for the heads-up, I'll come by later." V hung up the phone.
It wasn't exactly distaste, but they certainly didn't like talking to the somewhat neurotic, yet cunning old woman any more than they had to.
"What are they trying to block?" Luo Qi asked curiously.
He hadn't played far enough to know what was going on behind such a grand display.
It wasn't until Jackie's in-game character met his end that the Watson district was unblocked.
Maybe he hadn't paid attention at the time, but it seemed to be more than just a police officer's death.
Such an event might attract more police or even SWAT, but it wouldn't warrant a lockdown.
"I don't know." V shook his head.
"Maybe some big shot is catching a cheater?" Jackie joked.
It could be a possibility. Although the reason might be absurd, for a big shot, it might involve many unspeakable secrets.
The car drove along the streets, surrounded by the bustling Night City.
The psychedelic neon signs, magnificent buildings of all kinds, and the filth lurking in every corner.
"In Night City, you can't afford to be idle," Jackie remarked.
"What's the difference? It's just bigger," V complained.
He felt that the things they had been doing for the past six months were no different from what they did in the wasteland. They just changed locations and forms, but the essence was still fighting and killing, survival of the fittest.
"No, mano (brother). This place is different," Jackie said in a mysterious tone, "Morgan Blackhand, Andrew Weyland, Adam Smasher—they are all legends from here."
The rap music on the radio, the view outside the car window, and the fanciful stories of Night City legends suddenly took on a strong cinematic feel.
"Adam Smasher... sounds very meaty," Luo Qi laughed, "I heard he's a cyborg so heavily modified even his own mother wouldn't recognize him. The guy we got probably isn't even good enough to give him a massage."
"That's an Arasaka guy. Who wants to live long enough to mess with him?" Jackie said, "Damn, I'm starving. Let's go eat something decent."
"Jackie—they're going to blockade Watson district, remember?" V reminded him helplessly.
"Ah, fuck, you're right." Jackie's expression turned gloomy, "Uhm, am I paranoid?"
He glanced at the rearview mirror and then his eyes froze.
"There's someone tailing us..." Luo Qi knelt on the back seat, loading his Copperhead assault rifle.
"I knew it! That truck behind us is tailing us!" Jackie exclaimed.
The pressure that had just subsided rose again. If he didn't have to grip the steering wheel to keep all three of them from meeting the king of hell, Jackie would have drawn his weapon and fired at them immediately.
"They didn't dare do anything with the Trauma Team around. They knew they couldn't hurt them even if they killed all their men. Now that we're alone, they're planning to retaliate," Luo Qi said, "Soft on the inside, tough on the outside? Let's show them we're no pushovers!"
"Chingado (damn), Lucky! Be careful!"
"Like I need you to tell me, they're all..." Luo Qi was jolted, "all fucking closing in!"
"It's the scavengers! Hijos de puta (sons of bitches)!" Jackie suddenly swerved the car to avoid gunfire.
"Drive faster, Jackie!"
V leaned out the window, pulled out a submachine gun, and sprayed the van in front of them.
Luo Qi also leaned out from the other side of the back seat: "Damn it! I didn't have a gun when I fought Arasaka, now you all can taste my bullets!"
He pulled the trigger, and the muzzle of the rifle began to spit out flames continuously.
The rapid-fire sounds merged into a continuous stream.
The two gunmen in the car were instantly killed by Luo Qi and V's crossfire.
"Hurry up! Keep shooting!" Jackie dodged the chaotic bullets.
"How can I shoot with you swerving like this?" V shouted at Jackie.
I don't know if it hit or not, but the van sped straight through the corner, leaving Jack behind with a big turn.
"Hold on! V! Lucky!" Jack narrowly avoided the pedestrians on the sidewalk.
"Damn! Sorry!"
The most terrifying thing was that as soon as he turned his head, he saw the van that had passed through the flower bed circling back. The door opened, and there was another gunman.
"Don't worry about him! Shoot the driver!" Jack shouted.
But before he could finish, the van screeched and rushed off the road.
At such a close distance, Lucky had riddled the driver's seat with bullets.
Want to catch up?
Unless the driver's head was made of titanium alloy.
"No more games! Bastard!" Jack howled, wishing he had been the one to shoot earlier.
The car quickly returned to the right path, as if everything left behind was just an illusion.
Seeing no other pursuers, V and Lucky finally relaxed and retracted their bodies.
"Ah, I scratched your baby, sorry, V." Jack sighed.
"It's okay - we'll talk about it later. Let's get home now." V waved his hand, telling him not to worry.
The three of them gasped for breath in the car, but the feeling of escaping death when they first came to Night City was gone.
Having been in and out of gunfire for so long, they had become accustomed to it.
As for gunfights on the streets...
Even if the NCPD was corrupt, Lucky still felt a bit uncomfortable when shooting.
But for gang members, especially the Cleaners who cut kidneys, he never hesitated to use his gun.
As everything quieted down, the surrounding scenery seemed to regain its color, and the music on the radio continued to stir.
It was a strange experience.
The bridge between Westbrook's Japantown and Watson's Kabuki district was now manned and blocked by NCPD personnel and vehicles. For some reason, Lucky suddenly felt the tension of crossing a border checkpoint half a year ago.
He guessed V felt the same way, but it didn't show on his face.
"Damn, they've brought out the roadblocks." Jack slowed the car down.
If anyone was the most panicked among them, it had to be Jack.
A bipedal combat exoskeleton stood nearby, three meters tall with arms that were both machine guns and cannons. It looked like a legged, all-metal crab.
But Lucky knew that this military technology toy was nothing more than a small tank capable of running. Tearing their little car to shreds would be child's play.
"Watson's area is under lockdown, awaiting further notice. This is a necessary security measure," a female NCPD officer, wearing sunglasses, walked over and bent down to speak.
"Officer, ma'am! We're so damn lucky to have met you!" Jack began his special "Jack-style polite greeting."
"Oh really...? What's so different about me?" The policewoman raised her lips and asked.
Without hesitation, Jack complimented, "A heart of gold. Because only someone like you can understand how much I need to get back to my girl."
"Your... daughter?" The policewoman asked.
"Exactly," Jack lied without missing a beat. "My daughter would be worried sick if I don't come back."
Damn, such a convincing performance.
Lucky covered his smile and silently gave Jack a thumbs-up from under the seat.
However, Jack's performance continued, like a car that couldn't stop: "You see, I want to try hard to be a decent person. She gave me a chance, and she's waiting for me."
"Mm~ So touching~" The policewoman said sarcastically.
"You see, he may not be a model citizen, but he's a good kid from a good family." V chimed in to help.
The policewoman slowly stood up, and just as Lucky thought she was going to get angry, she waved her hand instead: "Let them pass, but this is the last car."
"Alright, you can go."
"Have a pleasant evening, officer, ma'am." Jack's eyebrows lifted in delight as he stepped on the gas and sped up.
"She seems to like you quite a bit," V teased.
"Of course, I touched her heart with my sincerity," Jack bragged.