As Arthur explained, Jackie grabbed a water bottle and gulped it down.
“Finally getting out of this damn place...”
he muttered, then dumped the rest of the water over his head.
“Ha... ha...
I thought you liked it here. A few more days and you’d be running the place.”
The Animals were brutal, but if they took a liking to you, those hulks could be surprisingly easygoing.
A few idle mbers helped lift the heavy black box into the truck. Jackie dusted off his hands and slamd the tailgate of the old pickup shut.
Even the truck itself was a gift from the Animals.
“Jackie... if you ever get the itch again, co find us.
The brothers will miss your fists.”
One of the brutes laughed as he said goodbye, but Jackie showed no sentint. He floored the gas pedal and sped away.
“They seed pretty warm toward you. Strange—you’re not the type to turn down a favor.”
Arthur asked curiously as the scenery rushed by on both sides.
“Heywood and Pacifica... folks from those places never got along too well.
You know, when I was running with the Valentinos as a kid, I dealt with plenty of these guys.
When it cos to killing... hmph... they should be called the Beast Gang.”
“Well... not exactly a na change. Sa aning, though.”
Arthur slumped into the passenger seat, nodding halfheartedly without pressing further.
Truth was, those hulks weren’t saints. The way they slaughtered those defenseless engineers proved it well enough.
Heading east brought them straight to Santo Domingo. The two places were close, and soon they neared the rendezvous point.
“Maybe we should give Daino a heads-up. After all, this is his job.”
Jackie said casually. Arthur thought it over—it made sense—and dialed him up.
“No problem... ha ha.
A very capable corpo dog... Huh? Isn’t that what you call them? As far as I know, that’s the term.
She’s got the Militech Operations Departnt wrapped around her finger.
You’re sharp young n—you’ll get along fine.”
With Daino’s confirmation, Arthur hung up. They were nearly there.
The spot was an abandoned construction site. Driving down a slope coated in black sludge, they rolled into a half-filled foundation pit.
Yellow mud and scattered debris littered the place, with a few lonely concrete pillars jutting up. Beside the site lay the rendezvous point.
A collapsed section of the canal’s concrete wall—likely from the construction—allowed their vehicle to roll directly inside.
Not far from the breach, they saw it:
A massive, pitch-black vehicle.
Square, angular, with a towering fra. nacing air intakes jutted from the front.
Several windows were covered in iron sh—outdated anti-explosive grilles, but still practical.
A tall woman leaned against the vehicle’s door, her eyes instantly locking onto Arthur and Jackie.
Arthur parked nearby and stepped cautiously out. The woman’s voice rang out, clear and firm.
“Arthur Morgan?”
She strode toward them without pause, hand lifting slightly.
“That’s .”
Arthur narrowed his eyes, nodding. The voice and tone matched—confident, commanding.
Her figure was striking—easily over five foot seven without heels.
She wore corporate attire: blazer on top, a fitted skirt below. Her long legs gave her a striking, elegant presence.
Arthur extended his hand.
“Your na?”
“redith... Stout...
Cut the crap. Where’s the package?”
Their hands brushed briefly before Arthur turned to the pickup’s bed, where the massive black crate sat.
The crate was so high you couldn’t even reach the lid from the ground.
Arthur grabbed the edge and vaulted up.
He turned, offered his hand, and pulled redith aboard.
Her high heels clacked against the tal floor as she unfastened the latches and threw the lid open.
“The package is intact... which makes this even stranger...”
Muttering, she pulled the data cable from her wrist and plugged it into a port at the base of the cone.
“Let’s see what kind of filth they’re hiding in here.”
As data stread across her eyes, Arthur shrugged and sat on the truck bed, unsure how long it would take.
“Now this is interesting.”
He glanced at Jackie, who had just joined him, and waved his wrist with a smirk.
“You can plug it in anywhere... sa way you can piss anywhere.”
“Hahaha... can’t say I agree with that last part.”
Jackie laughed, shaking his head as his eyes scanned the surroundings.
“I wasn’t talking about Night City.”
The thought flickered briefly through Arthur’s mind.
Five minutes later, redith finished, grim-faced as she retracted the cable.
She quietly searched the crate’s lining, and from the gap between the foam and casing, she drew out a chip—just smaller than her palm. A credchip.
“That father and son... look like Biotechnica spies.”
The device had also contained so command intel. No explicit nas, but at least that disgusting sissy couldn’t wriggle free.
As for proof against the old man... laughable. The company didn’t care.
She glanced at the rcenaries chatting idly nearby, then jumped down from the truck.
“Do a favor? Help load the crate into my vehicle. And if you can escort part of the way, even better.”
Though impatience burned inside her, she kept her voice calm, stripped of arrogance.
As a seasoned operations lead, she knew better than to show weakness.
To avoid leaks, she had co alone—without even trusted allies. These two rcs were her only support.
“What, you think soone might ambush you on the road?”
Arthur asked, puzzled. If she knew the risks, why hadn’t she brought backup?
“When I scanned that component, certain programs triggered automatically.
There could be a beacon transmitting our location. I can’t say for sure if it’s safe now.”
Arthur clapped his hands, then hopped down from the truck.
“...O...K...”
He nodded.
A hundred thousand for this run—no need to ask for more. Truck drivers don’t get paid like that.
Turning sideways, Arthur gestured for redith to follow.
“...Let’s get moving. If there’s trouble, we’d better not waste ti.”
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