At the same time, but the crazy

Chapter 489 Trap
The next day, at night
The colorful neon signs tried in vain to tear through the darkness, leaving only distorted light and shadow on the cold building surface.

David stood in the shadows at the entrance of the "Afterlife" bar, looking around.

Every word of the conversation he "heard" last night is etched into his mind.

Edgewalker.

Big job.

Handling special items.

His mother... was willing to step into that quagmire where life was almost impossible, all for him.

No!

Absolutely not!

He must stop her!

But when he actually stood there, looking at the heavy, metallic door and the bodyguard standing in the doorway who was even more muscular than a refrigerated container, he was at a loss.

"Next Life" Bar, a legendary place in Night City, a temple for mercenaries.

This place doesn't welcome immature brats like him...

He has the ability to rush in, but that would cause trouble.

He can't cause trouble here; that would only make things worse.

So he can only stand at the door and wait, just like he is now.

……

Meanwhile, inside the "Next Life" bar.

Deafening music and boisterous voices mingled together, and the air was thick with the mixed smells of alcohol, tobacco, and sweat.

Gloria sat awkwardly in a corner booth, her fingers unconsciously stirring the almost untouched glass of wine in front of her.

Mann was sitting opposite her.

The tall, muscular man wore his usual rugged smile.

Several men and women sat around him, each with a different expression, but all exuding a fierce aura that kept strangers at bay.

They are Mann's team.

"Do you understand now, Gloria?"
The target is a prototype for military technology, and experiments are currently being conducted in bad soil.

That thing was equipped with the latest military-grade cybernetic implant, a berserk V-shaped implant.

By implanting nanomachines into the body, it can gain extremely powerful skill enhancements.

Mann leaned forward, lowering his voice to drown out the surrounding noise.
He paused, then pointed to a woman with a mohawk and thick arms standing next to him, “Dorio can drive, Pila is in charge of fire support, Qiwei is our cyber operative, and Lucy…”

He looked at the girl sitting on the far side, who remained silent and was just fiddling with her hair.

"Lucy is in charge of handling the surveillance and electronic defense along the route."

Mann's gaze finally returned to Gloria, carrying an undeniable pressure.

What we need to do is find that test subject and 'dispose of' him.

Then it's up to you, Gloria.

Peel that thing off him completely. Remember, completely.

The client emphasized this point, which is why I contacted you.

Gloria's heart skipped a beat.

"Get rid of it"... These three words are spoken lightly, but they mean a human life.

Furthermore, removing implants from a living (or recently deceased) person...

This was far darker and bloodier than her previous clandestine scavenging of parts from corpses.

She looked at Mann, opened her mouth as if to ask something, but found her throat tighten.

"Compensation: 200,000 euros."

Payment will be made immediately upon completion of the task.

Mann seemed to see through her hesitation and threw out a weighty number.

Two hundred thousand...

The number struck Gloria like an electric current.

That's enough to cover the repair costs.

There will still be plenty left, enough for David's tuition and living expenses for a long time.

She no longer has to live in constant fear, no longer has to risk her life for a few measly euros...

As long as... as long as we pull off this job...

Gloria closed her eyes tightly for a moment, and when she opened them again, her eyes held only a numb resolve.

"I see."

she whispered.

"Very good, it's almost time, let's go."

Mann nodded in satisfaction and stood up.

The group stood up, walked through the noisy crowd, and headed towards the back door of the bar.

Gloria followed at the back, her steps unsteady.

……

outside the bar.

The ear-piercing roar of engines grew louder as it approached.

A heavily modified, powerful-looking black SUV was parked near the back door of "Afterlife".

The car door opened, and Mann and the others filed out and quickly boarded the car.

Gloria was the last to come out. She hesitated for a moment, glanced back at the flashing "Afterlife" sign, gritted her teeth, and got into the car.

not good!

Startled, David turned sharply toward the door when he sensed the electromagnetic signal from his mother's personal terminal reappear.

A black SUV sped past the entrance...

He dashed across the street like a madman, ignoring the blaring horns and the cars that nearly hit him.

But it was too late.

The engine roared, the tires rubbed against the ground, and the SUV accelerated like a steel beast, merging into the traffic of Night City and quickly disappearing around the street corner.

All that remained was the smell of car exhaust and a blurry afterimage of taillights.

"Depend on!"

David stopped and stood in the middle of the road, staring blankly in the direction the cars had disappeared.

He wanted to chase after it, but how could two legs possibly catch up with a car?
He must do something!
But what can he do?
He didn't even know where they went!

It's not time to give up yet...

David took a deep breath and then started texting his mother.

Then, using electromagnetic induction, we begin to track this signal.

……

at the same time
Gloria fell silent upon seeing the message David sent her, then immediately blocked it. Hesitation is the worst thing you can do when carrying out this kind of mission.

Now that she had decided to do this, she naturally had to give it her all.

And so, about half an hour later

In the desolate wilderness, far from the hustle and bustle of the city, next to an abandoned cluster of buildings
Mann's SUV was parked some distance away with its lights off.

"Qiwei, scan her."

Mann gave the order to Qiwei, who was dressed in red, beside him.

"Received. There is a heat source signal ahead, but not many."

But there's heavy firepower... Damn, it's an automated turret with military technology!

Qi Wei's voice carried a hint of solemnity.

"It seems the middleman's information was correct."

"Prepare for battle! Dorio, find an opening to break in! Pira, cover me! Lucy, take care of those tin cans!"

Mann licked his lips, his eyes turning fierce.

"understand!"

The intense gunfire instantly shattered the silence of the badlands.

Bullets whistled and explosions roared.

……

Meanwhile, on the streets of Night City.

David also headed toward the bad land.

at this time.

buzzing...

It was an unfamiliar number that called.

Who would contact him at this time?

David hesitated for a moment, but still chose to answer the call.

"Hey?"

"David Martinez?"

A calm man's voice came from the other end of the phone.

It even carried a subtle...playfulness?
The voice sounded unfamiliar...

"who are you?"

David asked warily.

“It doesn’t matter who I am.

The important thing is, I know you really want to know where your mother is right now, don't you?

The man chuckled softly.

"Who are you?! What do you want?!"

Upon hearing this, David's pupils contracted sharply!
He almost yelled.

"Don't be nervous, kid."

I just wanted to show you something.

The man's voice remained steady.

The next second, a live video stream came into David's view.

The footage was shaky and filled with gunfire and explosions.

He saw it!

Mann's black SUV was being suppressed by several automatic turrets and firing points, and sparks were flying from the vehicle.
"..."

David remained silent, and the situation in the video appeared precarious.

Mann and his team were surrounded, and their car could be destroyed and they could die at any moment!

However, the specific details are still unclear...

"How was it? Was it exciting?"
Your mother, and her 'companions,' don't look like they can hold on much longer.

The man on the other end of the phone spoke with a morbid excitement.

"What do you want?!"

David took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

The man opposite him was clearly after him...

“I don’t want anything. I’m just… very interested in you, David Martinez.”

"I want to see that power with my own eyes."

"That kind of... power that can destroy a Kui Arm 400 with bare hands."

"If you don't hurry, your 'great' mother might die there because of you."

Upon hearing this, Ken Tanaka laughed on the other end of the phone.

Tell me the location!

David suppressed his anger and instantly realized that it was all a trap set by the other party.

From the very beginning, the other party was after him, or rather, the power he had awakened.

He only revealed his power on two occasions, and because the Cleaner was a clandestine organization, there were no cameras inside.

The only possibility is Katsuo Tanaka's records, and the most likely person with the authority to access this data is the other party's father, who is a high-ranking executive in Arasaka.

But that's not the most important thing right now; we need to find out what's going on with his mother.

Tanaka Ken chuckled and gave the coordinates of a location on the edge of the Badlands.

“I’m watching you, David. Let me see…”

beep.

David hung up the phone immediately, his face ashen.

Anger, fear, anxiety... all sorts of emotions clashed wildly in his heart.

It was because of his mistake that his mother was put in danger.

He suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot and red.

My gaze swept across the area and finally settled on a red Kusanagi Blade CT-3X motorcycle parked on the side of the street.

Although he felt bad for the car owner, he couldn't care less about that now!

A resolute glint flashed in David's eyes.

Approaching, straddling the motorcycle, the electric current activated, directly hacking into the motorcycle's electronic system.

The engine roared, and electricity seeped from both wheels.

Without the slightest hesitation, David twisted the accelerator!
The Kusanagi blade shot out like an arrow, its target naturally being the Badlands...

(End of this chapter)