Riku dashed through the stairwell, confirming that Biotech's agents were indeed after them.
He noticed some tenants cracking their doors open, peeking out now that things had quieted down. Curiosity was getting the better of them.
At the stairwell's entrance, Riku picked up the optic he'd left behind. If he'd been any later, one of these tenants might've scavenged it like it was trash.
"Since I'm here, might as well grab the car, right?"
At the doorway, Riku eyed the Thorton Galena parked not far from the apartment building.
A few Biotech agents, looking thoroughly annoyed, were stationed around the car, seemingly unaware of any immediate threat.
The Galena hadn't been driven off yet. It could be a trap, sure, but there was another possibility: the agents were so confident they'd catch Riku and Sasha that they hadn't bothered with the car.
"This might be my only shot to drive it out," Riku decided quickly. If the agents couldn't find him and Sasha, they'd definitely turn their attention to the car.
He really wanted to take it. Not only was it shared with V and Jack, but it also had 15,000 eddies' worth of gear he'd just bought.
"Worth a try."
Riku made up his mind. He activated his Sandevistan and bolted toward the Galena parked by the roadside.
Another reason he decided to act? The guards around the car. If this was a trap, they wouldn't be standing there so blatantly—it'd be like waving a red flag at a tauren (bull). Plus, who in their right mind would circle back to steal a car in the middle of this chaos? Normal people would be long gone by now.
"Damn it! Why'd we get stuck with this job?!" one of the three agents leaning against the Galena grumbled, clearly fed up with guard duty.
"This guy's a tough one—a saibo seishinbyō (cyberpsycho). Staying back might be the smart move," another agent said, more optimistic. He'd seen the carnage in the apartment building—each body worse than the last. Avoiding the chase was probably a blessing.
If that cyberpsycho went berserk and took them out in a last-ditch attack, wouldn't that be a raw deal?
"Tough? Please! With how he's burning through that Sandevistan, he's probably collapsed somewhere by now. You think he's made of steel?" the third agent scoffed, boredom dripping from his voice. They were practically ready to pull up chairs and chill.
But when Riku burst out of the apartment building, the three agents froze, dumbfounded.
Shnk!
In a single clash, two agents' heads hit the ground, blood spraying everywhere.
Riku was starting to love the decapitation style. He hadn't met anyone yet who could reattach their head.
Sure, these weren't oni (demons), but stabbing the heart wasn't always fatal for folks loaded with cyberware. Some of these guys had backup hearts.
"Damn it! Cyberpsycho spotted! He's back for the—"
The last agent stumbled back in terror, firing his gun while trying to alert the others.
Shnk!
Before he could finish, the searing heat of Riku's thermal katana (netsu-ken) sliced through his neck, silencing him for good.
No hesitation. Riku dug out the optics, yanked the chips, set the bodies ablaze, and hopped into the Galena, starting the engine.
Brrrm!
The Galena's engine roared to life. It was a beast, though its heavy armor kept it from launching like a sports car.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets pinged off the Galena's armored body, deflected effortlessly. This car was built like a sensha (tank).
From the rearview mirror, Riku saw more Biotech agents shooting at him. Clearly, those three weren't the only ones guarding the area.
"Backup's pretty quick," Riku muttered, yanking the wheel for a drifting U-turn. He floored it, barreling toward the agents.
Brrrm!
The Galena's engine roared, struggling to pick up speed under its heavy armor. Once it got going, though, it could keep up with any sports car.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The agents fired wildly at the windshield, but the bullets bounced off, leaving only faint marks on the reinforced glass.
Wrapped head to toe in armor, the Galena could roll through a minefield unscathed. Its custom bulletproof windows could handle most gunfire.
Driving a Galena wasn't about caution. As the heaviest street-legal vehicle in Night City, it was responsible for a quarter of the city's pedestrian collisions. Of course, that had a lot to do with the corporate middle-managers who drove it—they didn't care about hitting someone.
Thud!
Two agents who couldn't dodge in time were sent flying. Another dove to the side, tossing a grenade as he went.
"Damn it!" Riku cursed, spotting the agent's move. He slammed the gas pedal.
Boom!
The grenade exploded, lifting the Galena's rear end. The car hadn't fully escaped the blast radius, a downside of its sluggish acceleration.
The Galena flipped forward in the air, landing hard on all four wheels. Riku kept his foot on the gas.
Brrrm!
The engine roared again, and the Galena, fresh off a front flip, didn't even pause before speeding off. Its armored chassis—even the tires—was built to handle the car's insane weight.
"Hell yeah, Chevy Thorton Galena's the way to go!" Riku hadn't expected the car to be this tough. No wonder corporate dogs loved driving these—it was basically a tank on the streets. If Gloria Martinez had driven one, she could've taken a full magazine to the windshield and walked away without a scratch.
Bang!
Just as Riku was praising the Galena's durability, the side window shattered, glass shards pelting him.
Bzzt!
He triggered his Sandevistan, ignoring the glass and narrowly dodging a bullet that screamed past him.
Bang!
The other side's window shattered too—the bullet had pierced straight through both sides of the car.
Riku's peripheral vision caught the bullet slamming into a nearby building, blasting a hole in the wall.
"Kyōfu no yōna chikara! (Terrifying power!)" Riku gasped, channeling a Demon Slayer elder's dramatic flair.
But the sniper who'd fired the shot was just as shocked. What kind of freak was driving this thing?! His hands were steady as steel—missing the shot was one thing, but the Galena didn't even swerve. Normal people would at least flinch after dodging a bullet!
The sniper lowered his rifle. The Galena took a sharp turn, vanishing from his sight.
He'd missed his rushed shot, and his position was now compromised. The target had reacted instantly.
"This arms race between armor and caliber is no joke," Riku muttered, brushing off the glass shards. Good thing he'd caught the agents off guard with his bold move, or getting the car out would've been a nightmare.
He could slip away easily on his own, but a car was a big target. If they couldn't catch him, they'd definitely go for the vehicle.
"Hope the gear's not busted," Riku said, starting to worry. The car and he were fine after that flip, but Pila's scavenged equipment might not be so lucky.
Sirens blared as NCPD patrol cars finally showed up. Riku perked up, listening, and quickly turned down a side street to avoid a head-on collision.
With all hell breaking loose, Night City's official forces had finally arrived—fashionably late, as usual.
But Riku wasn't counting on them for justice. Justice in Night City? That was whatever the corporations ordered.
A few Cortex Overlords rolled up to the apartment building, and the NCPD officers—looking more like corporate lapdogs than cops—got out for a perfunctory inspection.
They barely lingered before piling back into their cars, setting off to chase Riku's Galena across the city.
Biotech had reported a cyberpsycho slaughtering their employees, demanding NCPD's cooperation in the manhunt.
Of course, even though Biotech's goons had struck first, Riku was the one branded a criminal.
Look at the body count—how could he not be a criminal? If he wasn't, who was?
"Breaking news: Little Chinatown hit by a cyberpsycho attack. The suspect is currently fleeing in a Chevy Thorton Galena. If you have any information, please contact NCPD."
Riku, sitting in the car, heard the urgent broadcast on the radio. He figured Chevy owed him some ad revenue for this citywide spotlight.
But this so-called "citywide manhunt" felt more like a show. As Riku drove to the Northside Industrial District, he didn't see a single NCPD patrol car.
Made sense. The NCPD weren't idiots. One look at the carnage in that apartment building, and they knew this wasn't someone to mess with. For their measly pay and shoddy gear, why risk their lives? Putting on a show was enough. Actually finding the cyberpsycho? Good luck with that.
(End of Chapter)