Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 703, Section 117: The Crash of Space-Time One

In Night City, no one dares to be certain whether they will still be alive tomorrow, or whether they will still be able to walk in this steel jungle where neon lights and shadows intertwine.

Similarly, no one dares to boast that they are knowledgeable and have seen all aspects of life. Even those self-proclaimed seasoned veterans would be speechless at the sight they witness.

"call out--"

A sharp whistling sound ripped through the silence of the sky. The residents of Night City, accustomed to ducking to avoid the blinding light of billboards, involuntarily looked up. The next second, their pupils contracted sharply—

A passenger plane in flight was hit by a sudden missile.

Blinding flames exploded on the wings, thick smoke coiled around the fuselage like a ferocious python, and amidst the agonizing wail of twisting metal, the wounded steel behemoth, trailing a burning tail, desperately swooped down toward the ground.

Air raid?

No, this should be called air defense. But why would a passenger plane fly over Night City? And why would it be hit by a missile that came from nowhere?
At this moment, not a single citizen of Night City could comprehend the absurd scene unfolding before them.

For people who are used to walking with their heads down and avoiding the glare of neon lights, airplanes—these giant steel birds that should be soaring above the clouds—are rare sights. Even when they are occasionally glimpsed, they are mostly cut into blurry silhouettes by the sharp angles of skyscrapers.

The sight of a passenger plane streaking across the sky in a blinding flash of light, only to be precisely targeted by a missile, is a spectacle they have never witnessed before.

Where is the air defense base in Night City? Where exactly was this missile launched from? Could it have been the Arasaka supercarrier docked in the harbor?
Well-informed and intelligent people have begun to inquire everywhere. They sense an impending storm and are eager to uncover the truth behind this bizarre attack.

Others, however, have replaced thinking with action.

"Holy crap! This is so exciting!"

On the streets of Dogtown, Oliver gripped Hera's steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

He stared intently at the distant 'Sky One', which had just released a decoy flare to evade the first wave of attacks but was precisely hit by the second missile. On the instrument panel, Johnny's communication signal suddenly turned into a glaring red disconnection warning.

"What's going on now, Johnny? Where's the Lark's signal?" Oliver's voice boomed in the enclosed carriage.

"Who knows! I yelled once and then the connection was lost." Johnny's gaze was fixed on the plane that was falling at a terrifying angle.

Despite having seen many things, witnessing firsthand the downing of a presidential plane by a missile still sent his adrenaline soaring.

"The missile was launched from Dogtown. That audacious Hansen really did make a move. Lark was right, this warlord is indeed colluding with those guys in Washington! Now we can confirm it, we've really taken on a presidential hot potato!"

In the co-pilot's seat, Jack clung tightly to Johnny. Through the windshield, he could clearly see the flames and thick smoke billowing from the tail of the plane.

"What do we do now? What happened to protecting the president during the forced landing? The target was hit by two missiles while still in mid-air! And the lark has lost contact too. Are we even going to do this job?!"

“Once you’ve accepted a job, there’s no reason to cancel it.” T-BUG’s voice came through the communication channel, accompanied by rapid tapping.

"Trying to reconnect. Damn it, the network is a mess, there's all sorts of random information going around, the whole city is in chaos, there's so much information on the office, I can't even search properly, it'll take me a while."
However, there's good news. Based on my analysis of the aircraft's materials, there's a 52.3% probability that the presidential plane will be able to initiate an emergency landing procedure. At least our esteemed President won't end up like a shot pigeon, crashing to the ground and turning into mincemeat.

“Your analogy needs a bit more poetry in it, this doesn’t sound like you at all, T-BUG. Aren’t you the best at all sorts of random poetry? Give me a line.” Oliver slammed on the gas pedal, and Hera’s engine roared like a trapped beast.

"People think I am the wisest, but I know myself that I know nothing." "Oh, I know that line, Aristotle, right?"

"You actually understand?"

"You only like a few philosophers, don't you?"

Even during the brief pause in T-BUG and Oliver's conversation, their actions never ceased.

The moment it was confirmed that the president might be alive and the mission had not failed, T-BUG's neural network had already completed complex calculations.

On the vehicle's holographic screen, a scarlet path flashed and extended, precisely marking the predicted fall trajectory of 'Sky-Space-1'.

"How much longer?" V stared intently out the rear window, where the burning point of light on the distant horizon was growing larger at a visible speed.

"Three minutes at most!" Oliver's knuckles gripped the steering wheel tightly, and Hera's engine roared under the strain.

"I've almost floored the gas pedal, though I haven't reached the limit yet, but there are living people everywhere on this street!"

The tires screeched as they turned the corner, the car body almost forming a 45-degree angle with the ground.

"Even if they're from Dogtown, they're still people. I can't just run them over, can I? If it weren't for my driving skills and S.A.R.'s acceleration and reaction time, I'd be dreaming if I weren't at this speed!"

V could feel himself being pressed hard against the seat as the speed increased.

Even under such a life-or-death race, the team maintained its basic ethics—they didn't engage in a death race in the civilian area just to save time.

With each dangerous lane change, Oliver made sure, within milliseconds of reaction time, that no innocent pedestrians would be harmed, speeding through the crowd amidst gasps and curses.

But as they moved forward, Jack in the passenger seat realized something was wrong:
"The streets are full of Ghost Hounds. I saw countless cars with Ghost Hound symbols and Ghost Hounds people rushing to that place. It seems we have the same goal."

"It was Hansen who made the move. They could naturally predict where the president would land, but I still have to say, Hansen is really bold."

T-BUG's voice rang out: "It seems we all underestimated Hansen. We originally thought Hansen was just someone who barely managed to survive by navigating the cracks between the company and the power structure, someone no one dared to mess with. Now we find that he's much bolder than we imagined. He really dares to take action against the president. I'm afraid he must have been offered a good price by the people in Washington. Isn't he afraid of being eliminated later?"

"If he were afraid, he wouldn't have betrayed New America in the first place. The king of Dogtown has never been a coward."

The sudden sound coming from the channel surprised and delighted the rest of the team.

"Karl, are you free now?"

"I guess so, but this sudden event has kept me quite busy."

Sitting in his chair, watching the emergency messages constantly popping up on the screen in front of him, Carl sighed.

"Looks like I'll have to work overtime."

(End of this chapter)