A quiet morning in the Martinez household.
As a family with a tight budget, they drove the most common car in Santo Domingo—the Galena G240—a vehicle with terrible performance.
It would rattle every three seconds on the overpass, and it had no interior to speak of. Its only advantage was that it was cheap.
In Night City, not having a car was not an option. Without a car, you couldn't get to work, couldn't take your kid to daycare, and you couldn't escape when gangs clashed.
David, sitting in the passenger seat, shook his leg nervously. "Mom, do we have enough money to upgrade to a legit system? How about we just use the bootleg software the doctor gave us?"
"No!"
His mother, Gloria, rejected the idea firmly.
As someone working in the gray area, she knew all too well what came with those bootleg programs—
Offering you software that works just like the real deal at a low price? Do you think those hackers are running a charity? Of course not. You could get targeted at any time.
"But... aren't we out of money?" David stared out the window in boredom, his mind still replaying the thrilling braindance he watched last night.
"That's because I haven't been paid yet! Of course, we don't have a pile of cash lying around—now stop shaking your leg!"
David stopped shaking his leg and sighed deeply.
Young in age, but with a tone like an old man—anyone would think he was fifty, struggling with a mortgage and unemployment.
"Actually... I've been thinking. Maybe I should drop out of school and find a job or something."
"What are you talking about!?"
"Mom, you know we can barely afford to upgrade the system, and I really don't fit in at school. You know that, don't you?
If you're poor, you'll never be noticed, no matter how hard you study. I'll never be like them, and I don't want to be like them."
As he spoke, David's mind was filled with the image of those three people he had seen that day—
The street chase, the hail of bullets—if he could experience it firsthand, it would be way more thrilling than any braindance he'd watched.
Speeding freely through the streets seemed more fitting for someone like him, someone poor.
The car fell silent for a few seconds.
"...So, what have I been working so hard for?"
Gloria's voice quivered slightly, and David glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
"I've been working myself to the bone, just so you... you think I've been wasting my time?"
"...Mom?"
David saw tears welling up in his mother's eyes.
"You're so smart and talented, that's why I've been working so hard to support you.
If you don't want to study, what should I do?"
Gloria tried to suppress her emotions, but tears still rolled down her cheeks.
David wasn't an idiot. He didn't know exactly what his mom did, but he could hear the frustration in her voice.
Not just frustration, but also hope—a hope so heavy it suffocated him.
Even though he didn't know what his mom was hoping for, he wanted to respond to that hope.
"I shouldn't have said that." David looked ahead, at the unremarkable cars like theirs, merging into traffic.
He just didn't know how to respond to that hope—study?
Maybe his mom was just dreaming.
"I'm sorry, please don't cry."
"I know how they treat you." Gloria wiped her tears. "Because I've been through the same thing, that's why we have to prove them wrong! I want you to become elite, to climb to the top of Arasaka Tower! I know you have that talent, and you can do it!"
Talking about her son, there seemed to be a light in Gloria's eyes.
But that light made David feel a bit ashamed.
"Easier said than done..."
David was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly noticed a car—no, a convoy driving against traffic ahead!
A shirtless man stood on top of a car like he was surveying the battlefield—
Then he raised his left hand, which had transformed into a cannon—
Boom! A massive explosion flipped the car in front of Gloria's, sending it spinning like a top, crashing into several other vehicles! One of the cars was even lifted by the explosion, flipping entirely, hurtling towards them!
"Mom! Turn, quick, turn—Mom!"
The next second, a heavy machine gun's bullets cut their car in half, and one of the wrecked pieces slammed into the Martinez family's vehicle.
Everything spun wildly out of control!
———-
In a car, Leo was monitoring the traffic network data while connecting to the disposable ICE terminal provided by Kang Tao.
This thing looked like a black box, just the right size to hold in his arms—but it would be useless soon, and Leo wasn't about to cling to it.
His neural link connected directly to the ICE interface. Leo was about to bridge the invasion—his first attempt at cracking military-grade ICE, and he was doing it head-on.
"I'm starting to invade his system. I'm sending you the enemy's feed."
The traffic network had long ago picked up on James's path; the guy wasn't even trying to hide.
Now, the chest that had been blasted apart earlier had been repaired, seemingly with even tougher skin armor.
He looked like he wasn't surrounded by a convoy of broken-down 6th Street cars but by military-tech tanks.
V spat. "Damn, does that idiot think he's untouchable? Does he underestimate us?"
Leo shouted, "Jackie, get ready for interception!"
At this moment, V and Jackie were in the truck's bed, with Jackie holding the Defender machine gun, carefully aiming ahead, waiting for the target to enter the kill zone!
Boom! But what greeted them was a car that had been completely flipped—a whole car lifted into the air, crashing towards them! "Open fire! Damn it!"
Jackie roared as he pulled the trigger!
"Aaaaaaahhhhh!"
The massive recoil of the MK31 hit Jackie like a sledgehammer with each shot!
The MK31 wasn't meant to be handheld—military-tech designed this machine gun to be mounted on armored vehicles and turrets—but some cybered-up bruisers could make it work!
Like Jackie!
The bullets were only slightly smaller than cannon rounds, effortlessly slicing the flipped car in half, sending the pieces crashing down on either side!
The Mackinaw surged forward, speeding past the disoriented G240 ahead—
"Prepare for close combat!"
The two convoys clashed head-on, but the 6th Street gangsters already lost their nerve—
They were only there to guide James, not expecting such a fierce response from the other side!
The Valentinos' cars, undeterred by the chaos, used their modified bumpers as rams, not just blocking the 6th Street cars but chasing them down!
Jackie swung his gun around, blasting the car out from under James!
Boom!
As expected, James instantly vanished from the car roof, then reappeared, moving like a phantom, stepping on the tops of cars in the chaotic traffic!
A few unlucky souls were crushed into pulp by the collapsing roofs under James's weight! Jackie's deadly firepower pinned James down, forcing him to constantly change direction! V locked onto the rapidly moving target, muttering to herself— "Jump—you like to jump?"
The Kerenzikov could only activate when danger was near, but the QianT Sandevistan was already online.
Even though the QianT Sandevistan wasn't nearly as effective as the one James was using, this time, the reaction distance V had was much greater than before!
As the distance closed, maybe it was the connection between Kerenzikov and the QianT Sandevistan, but time started to slow from 20% and continued to climb—
V began to clearly see the guy, pulling the trigger.
Electromagnetic energy started to charge.
She could see his path clearly now, then his movements—
Bang!
The bullet fired, creating a visible micro sonic boom in front of V!
"Hit—damn it, not dead center!"
The Nekomata's bullet was incredibly fast—Sandevistan could speed someone up, fast enough to create the illusion of slowed time.
But that didn't mean the human body could break the sound barrier!
The Nekomata's muzzle velocity exceeded 1500m/s!
Bang—
V's foot took a step back, stomping heavily on the car.
James was hit in mid-air, the bullet grazing his left chest, leaving a massive dent.
But unfortunately, it wasn't a direct hit—just a graze. The bullet shattered the chest armor; a direct hit would've ended the fight.
James fell to the ground but didn't stay down long—he was already too close to the trio's car!
James accelerated, diving into the chaotic traffic.
The convoy plowed through the wreckage, crashing through it, giving James even more cover!
The Nekomata's bullets pierced through car after car like a hot knife through butter, disturbing James's movements!
"Damn it—he's coming, Jackie!"
V barely finished her sentence before James sprang from the traffic, Mantis Blades gleaming in the sun!
But this time, V was far more composed in her response!
Clang—
Four Mantis Blades clashed in the air as V locked down James's blades once again! James didn't think much of it—V had done this before, and although V had an extra Mantis Blade now, he still had three.
But this time, Jackie wasn't just the Jackie who only had a small pistol!
Bang!
Jackie's left hand clamped down on James's knee, the Mantis Blade there being forcibly held in place, unable to deploy!
The immense force made the iron knee squeal and almost begin to deform—
And Jackie still had one hand free, holding the Satara!
"Last time, I didn't serve you the full course—try this!"
Boom!
Jackie only then realized how good it was to have a tech expert on the team.
The recoil from the modified Satara almost numbed his arm, nearly causing him to lose his grip.
If he had still been using flesh and bone arms—holding onto the weapon would've been a good habit, but the reward would likely have been broken bones.
The double-barreled, modified Satara fired both barrels simultaneously, blasting James's left side, exposing the sinister cyberware within.
But the armor on this guy was insanely tough, not completely breached.
With that shot, V and Jackie couldn't hold James down any longer—
James, as if unbothered, pressed down on the car's hood, using the force to leap away—but his speed had clearly slowed.
And the way he chose to respond was the easiest to predict—he was only under the influence of gravity while in the air.
A burst of bullets suddenly sprayed from the car, precisely targeting James's trajectory mid-air, every shot on point.
Finally, as he landed, the barrage triggered a small EMP explosion—
James froze, and the Mackinaw suddenly leaped!
Bang!
Archie shouted as he twisted the steering wheel: "Damn it, we blew a tire!"
The blown tire sent the Mackinaw drifting across the road, stopping right in front of James.
Leo clung tightly to the grab handle, nearly being thrown out.
Then, the ICE server beside Leo exploded—overloaded in the fight.
And at the same time, James's spinal cyberware malfunctioned.
With his spine offline, James's once upright figure finally slumped, unable to support his weight any longer.
He stood there, dazed.
[First successful breach of military-grade ICE, +500 Tech Points]
[Acquired practical knowledge: Advanced Hacking Techniques (Proficient)]
[You now possess the ability to breach military-grade ICE and develop more lethal quick-crack daemons]
[+500 Tech Points]
[Current Tech Points: 1800]
Leo exhaled deeply. "ICE breached. I disabled his spinal cyberware.
Finish him—be careful, he can still move, just not as quickly."
Bang.
Jackie and V jumped out of the truck, shaking their weapons as they approached James.
V asked, "It's over—want to do the honors, or should I?"
Jackie loaded another round into the Satara. "I'll do it. He owes me an arm."
James suddenly moved, pulling out the Arasaka rifle from his back and opening fire—
Too bad V couldn't be hit, and Jackie couldn't be pierced.
That's the awkwardness of a standard rifle—enough to make any ordinary person back off, but nothing to this level of cyberwared-up individual.
The Satara began to charge up again as they closed in—
Bang! The Satara's thunderous roar echoed across the highway, the round piercing through James's body, leaving a deep, blackened burn mark on the ground.
The Valentinos, 6th Street gang, and even the commuters caught in the crash stared in shock—but their feelings were vastly different.
The fight might've only lasted a few minutes, but in those few minutes, the road was littered with bullet holes, dead bodies, burning cars, and debris.
Was the fight over?
"Damn, we need a new car." Leo got out of the vehicle.
"Archie, get this beast's body back to base."
"Got it, boss. What about you guys?"
Leo pointed to Jackie in the middle of the battlefield—
He was holding the Satara in one hand, the MK31 in the other:
"Start the car, floor it, and keep up, boys—Valentino, carga!"