"Mitsuhide, I think I need to say thank you."
Panam, successful in her revenge, felt completely relaxed, almost immediately wanting to lean back in the car for a while. She looked at Mitsuhide, who was complaining and wiping bloodstains from his blade, with a complex expression.
Although the man in front of her was a Monstrous Figure...
He was truly formidable.
Panam knew her limits; without Mitsuhide, she would never have been able to complete her revenge.
The final outcome would likely have been what she least wanted to imagine: slinking away from Night City, bowing to Saul, and returning to the tribe.
That would have been a huge loss of face for her.
"It's nothing, it's just a transaction. You help me, I help you. Isn't that how the world works?"
Mitsuhide wiped the last remaining bloodstains from his greaves, finally standing up as if having completed a great task, hands on his hips, and exhaling.
"Yosh, your revenge is complete. It's time to talk about my business, how about it?"
Hmm, what a low-EQ answer.
Panam felt this guy had no sense of romance at all.
Being straightforward wasn't like this; shouldn't they at least have a few beers before talking about work?
"Ah, yes, I remember. You want me to help you catch someone, right?"
"Yes, Anders Hellman, a smart ass whose knowledge in his head is worth three Militech special teams—of course, I'm referring to the forces sent to capture him."
"In short, this guy is currently very well protected by Kang Tao and will soon be packed and sent out of Night City. We must stop him before all of this happens. That son of a bitch isn't getting away."
"Phew, he must owe you money, right?"
Seeing Mitsuhide's furious expression when he spoke of Anders, Panam raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Never mind, I don't care about that. Get in the car; we'll talk in the car."
Panam looked around, confirmed that everyone on the ground was dead, and then prepared to leave with relief.
"Wait a moment, a call."
Mitsuhide was about to open the car door, but he frowned, looking at the avatar in the pop-up video call window with confusion.
It was Rogue. Why was she calling him?
"Hello, Rogue, this is Honnō-ji. What do you need me for?"
"This is no time for jokes, Mitsuhide!"
Mitsuhide, who had intended to start the conversation casually, was met with Rogue's serious face and immediately felt a jolt.
This was especially true when he heard Rogue's next words.
"The deal went wrong. Anders Hellman, the one you're looking for, is out of control."
"What happened? Explain slowly!"
Hearing such explosive news from Rogue on the other end of the phone, Berry, who was behind the scenes, instantly felt her hair stand on end.
Now all answers pointed to Anders.
She was the last person who wanted to hear this news.
But unfortunately, objective reality does not bend to human will; even if she didn't want it, the unexpected had already happened.
"Someone preemptively hijacked Anders Hellman from a secret Kang Tao base. Damn, I don't know the specifics."
"Anyway, some guy hijacked him, and a whole bunch of Kang Tao armored vehicles are chasing him, along the downtown roads, almost all the way out of the city."
"Damn, how do you know it was Anders Hellman who was hijacked and not someone else?"
"During the tense situation, we took advantage of the chaos to eavesdrop on Kang Tao's pursuit team's communications. If Kang Tao doesn't have a second Anders Hellman, then it's him."
"We'll send you the real-time coordinates now. If you're going to do something, hurry up. The people who hijacked Anders are almost in the Badlands; it'll be too late then."
"Damn!"
Hanging up the phone, Mitsuhide cursed angrily.
Damn it, another special situation.
He didn't even know how many times this had happened.
"Stop talking, get in the car!"
Seeing Mitsuhide's grim expression and knowing something might have gone wrong, Panam didn't say much. She immediately opened the car door and got into the driver's seat.
"Chase this target! Don't let them get to the Badlands!"
"Roger!"
As soon as Mitsuhide got in the car, Panam floored the accelerator. The wheels roared in the mud, mud splattered, and the vehicle shot out.
"The target is rapidly leaving Night City via the East Main Road in the city. We must intercept them on the main road in the Badlands outside the city. If they escape into the Badlands, it will be too late!"
The Badlands outside Night City were a true lawless zone. If the person who hijacked Anders disappeared into the vast Badlands, it would be difficult to find them again.
Damn it, who the hell was it that was also after Anders?
This variable didn't appear in the game.
Mitsuhide's heart was anxious.
He and Panam were closest to the target. Any other pursuit would be too late. If their attempt failed, then it truly would be over.
"Don't be nervous, we can make it!"
Rolling yellow sand obscured the rapidly passing scenery outside the window. Bursting out of the tunnel, the off-road vehicle sped across the sandy ground like dough being slapped on an iron plate, weaving through clumps of bushes and cacti.
Under Panam's expert driving, the vehicle moved at an extreme speed.
"Don't forget what I do! The Badlands are Nomad territory!"
Shouting this over the roar of the engine, Panam floored the accelerator, and the speed immediately increased to another level.
It was less like driving and more like flying low to the ground.
Time passed in a tense atmosphere. Mitsuhide gripped the grab handle on the roof, his armor and body constantly slamming against the seat, but his heart still yearned for more speed.
Whatever it took, just don't let Anders get away!
Finally... with Panam's superb driving skills, the vehicle was approaching the main road. The coordinates on the navigation system were getting closer and closer; Mitsuhide could even see the target.
"Look, over there!"
The main road appeared in the Badlands, the only major route out of Night City, and now, on this asphalt road, an exciting car chase was unfolding.
Far in the lead was a pitch-black bulletproof sedan. From its scraped, patchy exterior, looking like peeling paint, it was clear it had taken a good number of bullets.
But even so, this guy was still ahead of the pursuing convoy, desperately trying to escape.
Behind it were more than a dozen white and yellow painted armored vehicles.
The armored convoy sped along the asphalt road in the midday heat, these silent steel behemoths firmly clinging to the tail of the escaping vehicle.
However, this chase, originally a two-sided affair, now had a new variable.
Panam's "thunderclap" off-road vehicle, kicking up rolling yellow sand, burst from a side road onto the main highway, charging straight into the advancing armored convoy.
"Damn it, it's Kang Tao's armored vehicles! Drive faster, Panam, or we'll be wrecked!"
Mitsuhide gripped the grab handle tightly, looking at the uniform line of armored vehicles ahead.
They had just driven straight into the enemy's den.
How could their small car take on these armored vehicles that could withstand heavy machine guns?
If the two collided, the outcome would be similar to a kiddie ride hitting a semi-truck.
"I'm trying! You shut the hell up!"
Mitsuhide wasn't the only one anxious; Panam, seeing herself charge into the armored convoy, was also frantic.
She desperately wrestled the steering wheel, trying to overtake the armored convoy in front of her.
But the situation didn't seem good.
Because these armored vehicles, emblazoned with Kang Tao's logo, had clearly discovered the uninvited guest that had intruded among them.
The armored convoy's automatic turrets all turned, aiming at the "thunderclap" off-road vehicle, which was covered in dust, in the middle.
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