The weather was perfect—clear skies and just the right temperature. When Roqi got out of bed, he was still clinging to the blanket, reluctant to let go.
On a day like this, the best thing to do would've been to stay in bed and enjoy the rare, beautiful sunshine.
The sky was a flawless blue—something you'd never see in Night City.
Up there, the sky was always smeared with weird-colored clouds. But at least today, you could still recognize it as blue.
Jackson Plains.
Near Kang Tao's solar power station and satellite energy transmitter, the cliffs were alive with people and vehicles. A bustling crowd.
Nomad mercs from the Aldecaldos had arrived under Panam's lead to officially meet with Rogue's crew.
Rogue had only sent one vehicle, led by that big guy who always guarded her door—the one everyone called "Pangolin."
Saul, the current leader of the Aldecaldos, didn't show up himself, but the turnout was solid.
According to Panam, all the best fighters from camp were here. Each one was intimately familiar with the terrain.
"Systems are set. We're ready to move."
T-Bug stepped out of a black cargo van.
Inside were two Aldecaldo gunners, three netrunners, and a full suite of portable intrusion servers.
This setup had been suggested by Rogue's people. Kang Tao was a smart tech company—better than Arasaka in some areas of electronic warfare. Their convoy's ICE and defensive systems were absolutely top-tier.
With no way to jack in physically, they needed raw processing power and coordinated attacks from multiple netrunners to break through.
The second vehicle was a heavily customized Aldecaldo pickup truck.
Armed with a 12.7mm dual-purpose heavy machine gun, it was usually their pride and joy—infamous for scaring the hell out of Raffen Shiv gangs. But today, it had finally been stripped of its killer hardware.
Zetatech might not be a top-tier corp, but its military-grade vehicles had always been industry benchmarks.
And the Explorer-class heavy armored AV they were up against was completely immune to such "toys"—thanks to advances in alloys and metallurgy. That was great for Kang Tao—not so much for the mercs trying to bring it down.
Rogue hadn't sent many people, but she didn't hold back on equipment: four portable MANPADs, and two full crates of missiles.
It was a fallback in case the hack failed. The upside? Brutal and effective. The downside? If Hellman's seatbelt wasn't tight enough, they'd be hauling back a corpse with a caved-in skull.
Given how close they were to Kang Tao property—and the bots and drones inside—Panam and V had already headed out ahead. Once the target appeared, they'd fry the power grid and turn those flying metal bugs into oversized sardine cans.
They were already outside Night City's limits. But even on this high cliff, they couldn't see the ocean—blocked by towering megastructures.
What they saw instead was all artificial: neon billboards stabbing the sky, even visible by day; AVs and drones crisscrossing the skyline.
Night City was a fortress, growing taller toward its core. And the higher up you were, the more you fancied yourself touching the heavens—controlling the world.
But here, it was oddly quiet.
No city roar, no people, no smells… nothing.
The wind howled, but the silence—it was something they hadn't felt in a long time.
"Target spotted! Tracking now!"
A voice cut in over comms—exactly the one everyone had been waiting for.
As the Kang Tao AV entered from the Pacifica side on its designated route, T-Bug and the two netrunners from Rogue's crew immediately confirmed the ID and designation.
The driver gunned the engine, speeding the van onto the cliffside highway in hot pursuit of the AV overhead.
The AV wasn't as fast as a fixed-wing aircraft—especially this heavily armored model. But the van wasn't a racecar either. With the pedal to the floor, it barely managed to keep up.
Inside, three skilled netrunners used the portable servers to hammer at the AV's ICE.
"We're out of time—they spotted us!"
One netrunner shouted.
"Force the breach! Keep pushing! Now!"
T-Bug's voice barked out.
The AV suddenly began evasive maneuvers—it had noticed the tailing van. Side turrets deployed, and with a screech, a missile launched straight toward the road.
BOOM!
From the cliffside, they watched the AV open fire. The van shook violently. Mitch shouted and floored his modified pickup, launching it from the base of the cliff.
In the truck bed, four Aldecaldo mercs hefted MANPADs. These guys weren't green—used to fighting in the Badlands. Even on rough terrain that would toss most around like rag dolls, they steadied themselves and locked onto the AV.
FWOOSH—
A missile shot skyward, swerved, stabilized, and curved beautifully toward the Explorer's tail.
BOOM!!
The AV swerved, and the missile hit its frontal armor—not a weak point.
The elongated craft wobbled, trying to regain altitude.
Second missile. Then a third.
They flew like grim reapers ringing a death knell, closing in fast on the sluggish AV.
"FFFFSSSSSSHHHH!"
The AV released a barrage of flares—filling the sky with glowing dots.
The missiles panicked—one veered off and exploded mid-air; another smacked into a roadside light pole. One even detonated right inside a flare cluster—harmless.
"T-Bug! Forget the engines! Kill the AA turrets first!"
Roqi shouted. He was standing atop the dam—his altitude giving him a clear view of the AV beneath him.
T-Bug didn't answer. She dropped her ICE attack and dove into the weapon systems instead.
Seconds later, through binoculars, Roqi watched the active turret suddenly retract—completely shut down.
But the AV had already deployed its drones.
They emerged from the sides, glowing white, buzzing like oversized flies.
BOOM!!
One drone collided with a missile—exploding it in mid-air.
"Shit!!"
Mitch cursed, slamming the wheel, scanning desperately for drivable ground amid rocks and craters.
One wrong bump could be fatal.
Another missile missed. Tension spiked.
Then—
"WHIRRRRRRR!"
A droning noise from above—like an old-school propeller.
Suddenly, a blue fixed-wing prop plane appeared above the AV—just a hundred meters high. Its triple rotors blurred into a single spinning disc.
A propeller plane?! In 2077?! It looked like a relic from a hundred years ago.
It was small—only about two or three meters across—bloated, with gear strapped haphazardly all over.
FWOOSH!!
Red and yellow flames burst out the rear—it surged forward with rocket propulsion.
In seconds, it closed in on the AV's rear.
BOOM!!
A missile struck again, this time hitting the AV's nose. The machine swerved violently and lost speed.
The little plane, now a kamikaze EMP bomb, shot forward like a falling star and slammed right into the AV's exposed underbelly.
CRACK—ZAP—ZZZZTTT!!
No flames. No smoke. Just pure, crackling blue electricity arcing across the hull.
It was like dropping a dumpling into a fryer—pure electric mayhem engulfed the AV.
"Hell yeah!!"
Roqi shouted, pumping his left fist while holding up his PDA.
The screen read: TARGET HIT.
Missiles couldn't hover, and flares messed with guidance. That's why Roqi had Rogue build a custom EMP drone—wait for a weak spot, then send it in with one shot and a guided rocket thrust.
"Direct hit! Bring it down!"
Mitch yelled.
Two more missiles launched.
Straight toward the crippled AV, its four vector thrusters now flickering weakly.
BOOM!!
BOOM!!
The AV staggered like it was drunk—jerking, lurching, failing to stabilize. Altitude dropping.
"We're in! Engines shut down!"
T-Bug shouted, slapping the terminal.
The AV suddenly blacked out, tilted hard, and dropped.
CRASHHHH!!!
The sound of the impact came a second later. A massive object slamming into the ground.
Kang Tao's bird was down.
The Aldecaldo trucks roared to life, racing down the road like warriors charging into battle.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
Explosions followed.
The towering satellite energy station was blinking out like a dying Christmas tree—power grids collapsing along the lines.
Even the main tower gave a final CRACK—then silence.
V's side was lit up in gunfire.
These Kang Tao facilities were the biggest threat around.
V, Panam, and Rogue's crew detonated pre-planted bombs the moment the alarm sounded. Turrets, cameras, electric fences, AA systems—all disabled. Only the drones remained.
They hadn't blown the central system—that would trigger a massive EMP that would fry their gear and implants. Only those up on the cliff would be safe.
"Move out!"
Roqi jumped on his bike, Mower hugging him from behind.
Scorpion, clutching his beloved SPT32 Grad, followed immediately.
They raced along the winding mountain road atop the dam, closing in on the crash site.
But that wasn't the real goal.
Their job was to cover the Aldecaldos' assault.
T-Bug and the netrunners had crippled Kang Tao's defenses.
Especially after the EMP—every bot had shut down, now nothing but scrap.
The AV lay nose-first in the dirt at a 30-degree angle. Kang Tao's surviving guards were crawling out the hatch, coughing and dazed.
Black smoke rose into the sky. The wreckage sparked and fizzled under the backdrop of Night City—like a scene from a dystopian movie.
The nomadic Aldecaldos faced off against Kang Tao's sleek corporate guards—two worlds colliding.
But now, it was clear who had the upper hand.
With superior numbers, superior firepower, and barrels aimed steady, they forced the guards out of their high-tech flying coffin.
"Looks like we didn't even need the sniper cover,"
Roqi said, sitting beside Mower, patting her waist.
"Better that way. Easy job means no casualties."
Scorpion grumbled, getting up and spitting out a random weed he'd been chewing on.
The wind howled on the high cliff.
Roqi smiled, looking at the crash site nearly a kilometer away.
At this distance, people looked like dots.
It was 2077. Civilian tech hadn't progressed much, but war tech? Off the charts. Just look at sniper ranges.
"..."
Mower finally pulled away from the scope and glanced at Roqi.
He awkwardly retracted his wandering hand... then, after a moment's thought, casually returned it to her waist and resumed stroking.
He looked out at the scene.
"Ah… this is nice…"
Unclear whether he meant the scenery—or something else entirely.
.
.
.
🤖 My Girlfriend's a Cyberpsycho—Who Knew?
📢 Cyberpunk Alert! 📢
Loving My Girlfriend's a Cyberpsycho—Who Knew? 💘🤖You can read more chapters in advance exclusively on Patreon! 💥🧠
Join the ride through Night City and stay ahead with early access! 🌆🔫
🔗 Join here: www.patreon.com/c/MrMagnus👤 Patreon name: SrMagnus
Thank you for your support, chooms! 🙌