Gearbound: Cyberpunk 2077-Chapter 152

"So don't worry. She'll work with us. She might act tough, but deep down, she's more frantic than we are."

Jackie didn't follow the corporate angle, but he trusted Leo to plan things out logically. If he didn't get it, that was fine—he'd just do as Leo said.

Behind their coupe, a van was following at a distance. Several Scavs sat in the back, including the same guy who'd been smoking beside Jackie's car.

"Looks like they're heading for the Northside Industrial District."

"That's even better—NCPD won't bother patrolling out there. It'll be easier to waste 'em without getting slapped with a bounty."

"You sure we wanna pick a fight? Yesterday, they wiped out a whole room of our buddies."

"You scared? Anyone in this business risks their neck every day. You chickening out?"

"Nothing to be scared of—no matter how tough they are, in a moving car they're sitting ducks. Once we pull ahead, we'll give 'em a clip or two and finish 'em off behind the wheel."

...

As they entered the industrial zone, traffic thinned out. The road stretched empty except for their coupe and the van behind it.

"We're almost at the overpass," Jackie said. "We'll reach Meredith's spot in a few minutes. Got a plan for dealing with her or—"

He cut off abruptly. Leo hadn't answered. Concerned, Jackie glanced over and saw Leo pull out a flash grenade, yank the pin, and toss it casually out the window.

The Scavs in the van behind them were just about to pull ahead and open fire when they spotted something hurled from the coupe. It smashed through the windshield and dropped straight into their cabin.

Bang!—

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A piercing burst of white flooded their vision, leaving nothing but a glowing haze. Their ears rang loudly, drowning everything out.

The driver, to his credit, kept it together enough not to yank the wheel and crash immediately. He slammed on the brakes, but chaos broke out in the back. Swearing and panicked yelling filled the van.

The blinding glare lasted a few seconds before fading at last, leaving a dizzying afterimage. Their ears still buzzed. The driver wiped the tears streaming down his cheeks and looked ahead—only to realize the coupe they'd planned to ambush hadn't sped away. It was parked a short distance up the road.

A young man was climbing halfway out of the coupe's sunroof, hoisting something on his shoulder.

"Oh, shit—!"

The driver tried to bail, but it was far too late. The rocket streaked toward them, slamming into the van head-on. In a deafening explosion, the vehicle soared skyward.

...

A few minutes later, the coupe pulled up beneath the overpass at the appointed spot. The four of them got out. Looking down from the overpass, they indeed saw a handful of corporate types milling around in the drainage channel, next to an armored SUV.

"Composite plating? That's more like a tank than a car," Jackie said, itching with envy. "Imagine driving Misty around in that. She'd flip."

He was half-joking, but Leo's expression turned oddly thoughtful.

"Jackie, do you really like Militech's armored SUVs?"

"Of course. I've wanted one since I was a kid. Who wouldn't want such a badass ride? Fuel costs are secondary—every guy's dream, right?"

Leo nodded, a spark flickering in his eyes. Jackie didn't notice. He kept his focus on the drainage channel.

"Seems our Militech lady didn't come alone. She's got two bodyguards."

His gaze swept over the weapons strapped to the pair's belts.

"High-caliber kinetic pistols, reinforced implants, and they're even packing Sandevistans. These aren't normal bodyguards—hell, not even the mayor uses guards this good."

He turned to Leo, a bit concerned. "They don't look ready to chitchat. You sure about meeting them alone?"

Leo sounded confident. "Including the woman, they're only three. We've handled worse. Relax, Jackie—it'll be fine."

Jackie thought it over and conceded. "Alright, let's go."

"No. You three stay here."

"No way we're letting you walk into danger alone!"

"It's not really danger. It's just a show of good faith. We're not here to pick a fight; we're here to cut a deal."

Jackie paused, then calmed down. "Guess that makes sense."

V and Lucy didn't argue. Instead, they each readied sniper rifles—one an Overwatch, the other an Ashura smart rifle—and spoke in unison. "We've got your back."

"Right. If I signal, cover me. If I don't, hold your fire. Got it?"

After that reminder, Leo chose not to descend the overpass stairs, not wanting to reveal Jackie's position. He summoned Fenrir and took a detour, approaching the drainage channel from another direction.

...

Meredith Stout had been waiting a while. She was getting impatient. As a corporate exec, nobody except her higher-ups dared make her wait, especially not some random mercenary.

But she had no choice—she was at her limit.

Arms folded, she kept checking the time. She planned to give Leo another half hour. If he didn't show, then...

A motorcycle engine echoed through the tunnel leading to the channel, starting faint and growing louder. Meredith perked up.

"Be ready," she muttered to her two agents, who nodded in unison, gripping their kinetic pistols with safeties off. At a moment's notice, they could open fire.

Soon, Leo appeared from the tunnel on a bike unlike anything they'd seen around Night City. He parked Fenrir, dismounted, and headed straight for Meredith, who stood in front of her bodyguards.

He sized her up at the same time she looked him over. For a merc, he wasn't all that young—but typically, people his age were still wet behind the ears in this line of work. It took Meredith only an instant to form an opinion.

The scarred face of the corporate exec broke into a rare smile, and she extended her hand with an air of magnanimity.

"I'm Meredith Stout. You're the one who called, right?"

Leo nodded and started to reach for her hand when—

His eyes narrowed. He jerked back, narrowly dodging a rifle butt swinging in from the side.

"Huh?"

Meredith hadn't expected the little upstart trying to extort her to slip away from her operative's attack. Coincidence? No point hiding now; they'd already bared their fangs. She stepped backward and lit a cigarette with a carefree expression.

She had brought two operatives, each boasting several years of field experience and an almost impeccable record.

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