Jake looked at the screen on his computer, his face full of confusion.
Shouldn’t David be in Watson Northside?
And what was up with all these 6th Street gangers around him?
He had just come back from the bank.
He had parked that motorcycle under the shed downstairs, and the duffel bag containing the Sandevistan and the box with the pistols were both properly hidden inside his wardrobe.
He had originally thought about hopping on the game to make a big buck.
Turns out the moment he logged in, he caught a beatdown in progress!
David’s health bar had dropped by quite a bit.
If he had come online a bit later, was 6th Street planning on deleting his save file too?
Outrageous!
Although he didn’t know what on earth had happened inside the game, now was not the time for questions.
Take care of 6th Street first and talk later!
…
Seeing David standing motionless, Sunglasses jerked his chin impatiently at the two guys beside him: “Go on, drag that lunatic down for me.”
Two 6th Street members walked forward with sneers, reaching out to grab David’s arms.
What they didn’t notice…
…was an extra trace of pity in David’s eyes.
The next second.
An Ajax assault rifle materialized out of thin air.
David raised the barrel, pulled the trigger, and the body of the gun blurred into afterimages.
This kind of high-speed shooting while moving could hardly hit any enemy, and Jake hadn’t even intended to aim in the first place.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
A barrage of gunshots exploded.
Bullets poured out in all directions as if they cost nothing.
This was pure hip-fire spraying, but the two 6th Street members closest to him were still struck accurately by a bullet each.
Their heads exploded directly.
Blood mist dispersed in the sunlight as their two bodies collapsed straight to the ground.
“Fuck!
He fired!”
“Find cover!
Quick, find cover!”
The remaining 6th Street members scattered like birds and beasts in an instant.
Some dove behind the SUVs, some rolled behind abandoned vending machines by the roadside, and some lay flat on the ground covering their heads—no one returned fire.
First, there were orders from above to take him alive.
Second, compared to shooting David dead, their own small lives were still worth more.
So facing David’s tempest-like spray, their immediate choice was to dodge the fire rather than attack.
As fire spat from the muzzle…
Pedestrians on the street froze for a second, then scattered and fled like a frightened swarm of rats.
“Fuck!
Gunfire!”
“Help!
Help!”
“Don’t kill me…
don’t kill me!”
The Rancho Coronado Loop fell into total chaos.
Several women holding shopping bags screamed as they threw themselves toward the street corner; a delivery guy flipped over along with his ride, scrambled up, and ran wildly.
Not far away.
A man in overalls turned deathly pale, trembling as he pulled out his phone and dialed NCPD.
In front of his computer screen.
Jake suddenly caught sight of a white star lighting up on the minimap in the top-right corner:
“Wanted status?”
Hearing the whisper of that voice in his mind, David’s heart sank to rock bottom.
NCPD!
The one thing Night City never lacked was police officers, but they never cared about the life or death of ordinary people—unless someone fired guns in the street, threatening order, or interfering with their business.
Now this guy was spraying gunfire in broad daylight.
He killed two 6th Street members, bullets flying everywhere, pedestrians scattering and fleeing.
It wouldn’t be long before police cruisers descended from the sky, and MaxTac might even be deployed.
Once NCPD arrived and formed a pincer movement with 6th Street…
He would undoubtedly die!
David’s breath hitched, his eyes gradually turning ruthless.
The only way out right now…
…was to kill every single 6th Street member in front of him before the police arrived!
He couldn’t achieve this himself, but that evil spirit could!
Come on!
Let’s slaughter them all!
“Damn, no way I’m fighting this!”
Jake’s gaze swept rapidly across the minimap in the top-right of his screen.
The nearest NCPD patrol car was less than two blocks away.
With his current gear…
…he wouldn’t even need MaxTac to step in—the police’s smart weapons and heavy armor would be enough to give him a brutal beating.
If he kept tangling with 6th Street, he’d really be totally screwed!
“Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, running away is the best!”
“Time to bounce, bro.
Time to bounce!”
David: “???”
Your humble servant was ready to fight to the death, why is Your Majesty surrendering first?!
At this moment, 6th Street still didn’t dare show their heads.
Without waiting for the Ajax magazine to empty, Jake had already locked his sights on a sedan nearby.
It was a beige Herrera two-door sports car.
The driver was a corpo-rat wearing a cheap suit, staring dumbfounded at the scene.
His car was parked right in the middle of the road, unable to move forward or back up.
This is the one!
Jake didn’t hesitate, controlling David as he dashed over.
“Hey!
What are you doing?!”
Before the corpo could finish his sentence, the car door was yanked open.
Jake dragged him out in one smooth motion, sat into the driver’s seat, shut the door, and stomped on the gas pedal—all seamless in one go.
Vroom—!
The engine emitted a furious roar as the vehicle shot out like an arrow off the string.
“Fuck!
He’s running!”
“Dumbasses!
Hunt him down!”
Only then did the 6th Street gang react, rushing out from behind cover one after another, jumping onto their SUVs, and giving chase straight ahead.
Jake stared at the screen, his fingers working non-stop on the keyboard.
The handling of this Herrera was even trashier than he had imagined—the tires felt like they were made of soap, drifting the second he hit the gas pedal.
A total piece of crap, far worse than the handling on the motorcycle.
The only advantage…
…was that it was bulletproof, preventing David from being shot dead by 6th Street.
In the rearview mirror.
Two SUVs had already closed in.
A window rolled down, and Sunglasses leaned half his body out again, holding a submachine gun in hand.
This time, he was still aiming for the tires.
Bang!
Another gunshot echoed behind them.
Jake felt the steering wheel shudder violently, the car body instantly losing balance.
The rear tire that was shot exploded, shreds of rubber flying everywhere as the wheel rim plowed a blinding trail of sparks across the asphalt road.
The Herrera’s speed noticeably slowed down.
Even though this shot was pretty good, the bald guy beside Sunglasses still raised his hand and slapped him across the head.
“Shoot the fucking tires for what?!
Shoot the guy!”
“Didn’t we need him alive?”
“Two brothers are dead!
Live capture my ass, kill him directly!
The chip can talk for itself anyway!”
“Oh.”
Sunglasses raised his gun with a slightly aggrieved expression and continued firing.
Not just him.
The 6th Street gang following behind seemed to have all received the order, raising their guns and firing frantically.
Dense bullets pelted the flimsy car frame like hail, shattered glass spraying into the air like glistening snowflakes.
The entire car was riddled and battered beyond recognition.
Even the rearview mirror David used for observation was blown apart by a shot.
The last thing he saw…
…were those two stars-and-stripes painted SUVs rapidly closing the distance.
Though the pursuers were still some distance away…
…Santo Domingo was 6th Street turf.
Every street and every intersection served as their eyes; they could be intercepted at any moment.
David’s heart sank to rock bottom.
Continuing like this was nothing more than a slow death…
Behind them.
The roar of the SUV engines grew closer and closer.
The nearest one was less than fifty meters away from him.
Through the window, Sunglasses leaned half his body out once more, the submachine gun in his hand pointed right in his direction.
“Kid!
You think you’re badass, huh?!
Dare to shoot at me?!”
“If I don’t kill you today, I’m your son!”
David didn’t turn back.
He just stared at the rapidly closing SUV in the rearview mirror, his heart cold as ice.
Thirty meters.
Twenty meters.
Ten meters.
At the critical juncture, Jake yanked the steering wheel hard.
The Herrera’s front end veered, smashing straight through the roadside guardrail, and the entire car flew right off the highway!
“!!!”
David’s pupils shrank abruptly.
Below is a residential district!
Is there even a road down there for you to drive on?!
Damned demon!!