As soon as he activated his Sandevistan, Oliver was the first to jump out of the car. Watching the aftermath of the explosion roll toward the Herrera, he knew he couldn't let the recently modified ride get damaged—that car was too precious.
The other three followed imdiately, each with their own enhancents and tactics ready.
With ti slowed down by their systems, they exchanged a single look—no words needed.
Jack, with his berserker system fully engaged, rushed to the front of the vehicle. Facing away from the explosion's heat, he tightened every muscle and lifted the car's nose with both arms. Karl moved to the back and lifted the rear.
With V and Oliver helping from the sides, the four of them physically moved the entire vehicle, carrying it into a narrow side alley.
Anyone watching would've thought they were carrying a throne instead of a luxury car—but even as the Herrera was repositioned safely, no one noticed. All eyes were still on the explosion and the roaring fire it left behind.
BOOM!
The truck packed with bodies blew apart violently. With ethanol-II fuel spilling everywhere, the ground was instantly engulfed in a raging inferno.
Even for Night City residents used to gunfire, an explosion still ant "run". After all, fifty years ago, this part of Heywood had been leveled in a nuclear blast. Those who didn't run fast enough didn't make it.
"What the hell is even happening anymore?"
Jack, now out of the danger zone, let go of the car and scratched his curled hair.
"Can people in this city not pull off a simple hijacking without turning it into a dumpster fire?"
"Probably not their fault," Karl replied, watching the fire from the back seat. "I saw it happen—the guy in the suit had a bomb hidden under his clothes. He triggered it deliberately when they dragged him off the car. Played along until it was too late."
"Great. Now the road's blocked."
Oliver sighed. "I'll have to reverse the Herrera out of here. Streets in this area suck. Back at the city center, the sidewalks are wide enough to just cruise on over."
"We're pretty close to the center already," Jack muttered.
As the others exchanged comnts, V stepped toward the flas, eyes scanning the wreckage.
Karl noticed.
"What is it, V? See sothing?"
"There might be so intact weapons in there. Could salvage and refurbish them."
V had seen his share of vehicle explosions in the Badlands. With a single glance, he could tell what had been destroyed and what hadn't.
"You sure it's worth the risk? That fire's still going strong."
"I'll be fine. The Sandevistan just made feel… faster."
"Faster?"
Before Karl could even ask, V's silhouette blurred—and he was gone, sprinting straight into the inferno.
Holy shit, he's fast.
Even with Karl's enhanced perception, V moved too quickly to track.
That's the Apogee Model, huh? A next-gen prototype from Militech, not even deployed internally yet. Of course it's absurdly powerful.
Karl watched as the flas warped around V's form—and before they could collapse behind him, V burst back through, arms loaded with scorched but salvageable guns.
He stopped in front of Karl. No panting. No sweating. Not even a quickened breath.
Activating that Sandevistan twice in a row… and nothing.
Not even Jas Norris could manage that when they first tested it.
Karl raised an eyebrow.
"Now I really understand what Vic ant about compatibility."
V blinked, confused by the comnt, but Karl was already turning away.
Most ex-military couldn't activate that prototype more than four tis in a day—hell, sotis even twice was dangerous. But V? He looked like he hadn't even broken a sweat.
"Oh, right—I found sothing else too," V said, placing the salvaged weapons in the car's trunk.
He dug into his pocket and pulled out a distorted tal object, palm-sized, and handed it to Karl.
"It was glowing inside the wreck. Thought it might be worth grabbing."
"So, seven guns and a bonus trinket? You're a goddamn monster, V."
Oliver closed the trunk and leaned over.
"What is it, anyway?"
"Let check."
Karl took the still-warm item and inspected it. Within seconds, his internal database pinged a match.
[Storage Case]: Compact container made from patented reinforced alloy, resistant to fire, water, and explosions. Design registered by KENDACHI.
KENDACHI, huh?
Karl recalled the na. A Japanese corporation dating back to feudal tis, now famous for crafting high-end lee weapons and encrypted data chips.
So this box is one of theirs. No wonder it survived.
Sitting back in the car, Karl explained what he knew to the others, then applied pressure to the casing. Already bent by the blast, the lock gave way.
Inside sat a single, pristine data shard—completely untouched by the fire.
.
.
.
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