Loosening

The burning Manticore crashed behind them, and both V and Jackie stared, mouths agape—

Now, they were both reclining in chairs, enjoying the same treatment Leo had experienced before.

"Damn!"

The two exchanged a glance, and then V burst into laughter, flipping the middle finger at Corporate Plaza: "We're outta here!"

But just as they spoke, they saw NCPD vehicles appear ahead!

"Leo! Cops ahead!"

"We've got backup too—"

Leo had now taken position where Jackie and V had been fighting—on the Mackinaw's cargo bed.

With that, Leo leaped powerfully, vanishing between the buildings!

The NCPD officers saw a Mackinaw speeding from the direction of City Hall and felt something was off. But before the veteran officers could even think about reversing, a convoy of Nomads suddenly roared up from the other side!

The Nomads, who just moments ago were seemingly unarmed, now grabbed guns and hurled Molotov cocktails!

Caught in the middle, the cops panicked—

Where the hell had they hidden the guns?!

Bang! A Columbus transport truck burst through the barricade, skidding to a stop beside Leo and the others.

Jackie looked over at the driver and froze—it was Navi, the young man from Red Ocher!

"You did it! You really did it! That was insane!"

Navi's eyes were bloodshot as he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Red Ocher—our heroes are out! Floor the gas, let Night City eat our dust!"

The Nomads at the Heywood-City Hall line suddenly erupted into action!

Their heavily modified vehicles accelerated in a suicide charge, smashing through the barricades, throwing firebombs, shooting wildly, and racing toward the outskirts of the city!

"Cops ahead—"

The Nomads shouted over their radios, but Navi only had one thing to say—

"Floor it, pedal to the metal!!!"

Bang! No one knew why the Nomads' battered vehicles were so fierce.

But tonight, NCPD cruisers, worth several times their price, couldn't stop them!

"River! Prepare to fire!!"

At the Heywood-City Hall barricade, the Nomads suddenly picked up speed, firing indiscriminately!

The scene turned chaotic in an instant, with dozens of vehicles going berserk, hurling Molotovs and attacking the streets!

"Down with corporate tyranny! Night City belongs to the people!"

Molotovs crashed into Detective River's car, bullets shattered neon signs along the street, sparks flying everywhere!

NCPD officers, still recovering from the shock of the chaos at Corporate Plaza, were now jolted into action—

The situation had escalated!

A wave of confusion spread, and though the shock was still visible on the faces of the gang members, they knew an opportunity had arrived—

A full-scale riot was brewing!

Corporate Plaza wasn't just conspicuous because of the skyscrapers—it was also home to massive holographic billboards.

These billboards could project strip-like advertisements thousands of meters into the sky, visible even from the Badlands!

The blackout at Corporate Plaza had turned into a spectacular sight, even visible from the Badlands!

All of Night City's eyes were on Corporate Plaza—and those who were closer saw it clearly.

It was like watching a meteor fall!

The Manticores held a special meaning in Night City—they were the signature airborne armored personnel carriers of MaxTac.

But now, they had crashed!

This wasn't just a physical comet crashing into the earth; it was symbolic—

In this gleaming, glamorous city, those pushed into the shadows by corporate power were starting to stir!

No matter how they survived—through robbery, smuggling, murder, or theft—now was the perfect time for it!

River raised his gun, and a vehicle immediately rammed into him!

Bang! 

The speeding car slammed into the NCPD cruiser, and River was nearly thrown from his seat!

Fortunately, the grizzled Officer Han yanked him back by the waist!

"Damn it, they've all gone insane!"

River, still shaken, was pulled back into his seat, watching as car after car roared down the street!

Corporate power and the NCPD had spent years building control over the city, enforcing their rule through repeated massacres—

But the bloody reality had only made the people of Night City retreat temporarily. Now, they had found their courage again!

River snapped back to reality and quickly adjusted his radio.

NCPD Emergency Channel: "All NCPD personnel and contractors, Night City has entered a Level 1 alert, Corporate Plaza under attack, pursuing… striped Mackinaw."

"Repeat… pursuing red and black… striped Mackinaw!"

River was stunned.

The image sent from headquarters wasn't very clear—and a Mackinaw wasn't exactly a rare car model!

Maybe it was uncommon in the city center, but across Night City, the standard issue Thorton Mackinaw was a bestseller!

Tonight alone, River had seen at least ten Mackinaws!

And two of them matched the color description!

"…Additional note: target vehicle has extensive bullet holes."

That was the note, though it didn't add much.

All the Nomads' Mackinaws were riddled with bullet holes—they didn't even bother patching them up.

And come to think of it, it seemed like the Nomads had been deliberately driving Mackinaws tonight.

Beep—beep—

The heavy sound of horns and engines blended together as River stared blankly down the street—

A Mackinaw—red and black stripes—covered in bullet holes!

River gritted his teeth: "Screw it, if I can chase one, I'll chase this one. #0123, target vehicle identified, surrounded by three Nomad vehicles.

Pursuing, requesting backup!"

"Are you crazy?!"

Officer Han in the passenger seat turned pale—chasing it for real?

Do you really think this cruiser is as sturdy as a Manticore?!

"#0123, pursuing, requesting backup."

"#0099, pursuing, requesting backup."

"#0045, pursuing, requesting backup."

"#00133, pursuing."

"Requesting backup."

NCPD HQ was having a headache—

Which one should they chase?

To be honest, who even knew if these reports matched the actual description?

In a situation like this, anyone brave enough to keep chasing cars was already a hero—who could blame them for asking for HQ's help out of fear?

The police chief wiped his face and told his subordinate: "Put these messages on the general channel, let whoever wants to chase, chase."

A painful decision.

What's a painful decision? It's a moment like this—

The Mackinaw had first escaped an NCPD pursuit, then returned to take out a squad of Militech soldiers.

Then it fled again—Colonel Hardy's last decision had been to split the force and pursue the Mackinaw, resulting in another dead Militech officer.

And now? If Militech had another chance, they'd probably pursue the Mackinaw during a subway clash without hesitation.

But now? They were wondering if there was any other choice.

After all, those thieves had probably already completed their objective—let someone else deal with it.

Damn Biotechnica—how could this whole thing have blown up so much!!

But now, they were also curious why the soldiers had reported seeing a Lizardman—

The plastic alliances were breaking down.

The big five corporations, each with their own agenda, were placing their bets—on which Mackinaw to chase.

While chasing the Mackinaw, they also had to keep an eye on the city's increasingly unruly scum, knowing this might be a one-time bet.

In the chaotic Night City, Nomads raced through the streets, while outlaws scrambled to rob their targets.

Several armed floating vehicles and armored personnel carriers raced from different parts of the city, shadowy agents moving into action.

They all had different missions, but only one ultimate goal—

Suppression.

Boom!

On the winding streets of Heywood, the Nomads showcased the driving skills that kept them alive, weaving through the roads at breakneck speeds!

River clung desperately to the back of the Mackinaw—

Bullets peppered the NCPD car like rain, but he had eyes only for that Mackinaw!

Boom! Another Nomad vehicle roared out from a street corner, slamming into him!

But would such a collision be enough to cripple an NCPD cruiser?

River gripped the wheel with one hand and raised his gun—

And then he saw something horrifying:

The Nomad in the driver's seat, his skin was charred red, peeling away to reveal raw flesh and bone.

River had seen people burn to death before—he knew the unimaginable pain it caused.

And now the Nomad in front of him seemed to be burning from some invisible flame, slowly disintegrating.

River locked eyes with the Nomad, filled with hatred and loathing—the same look River gave himself every morning when he heard the news and looked in the mirror.

The Nomad's vehicle, after several collisions, lost control and slammed into a building. River watched the Nomad vanish into the flames, his face emotionless—

No, the Nomad's hatred far surpassed his own.

Bang!

Suddenly, the car dropped sharply, sparks flying from the undercarriage—

River barely had time to react when the bulletproof glass shattered!

Those claws smashed through the window, ripping off the steering wheel, and then vanished!

The car lost control, crashing into a wall and coming to a complete halt!

Officer Han sat trembling in the passenger seat, and River was equally shaken—

He was now certain: this was definitely the target!

Whoosh—

A Manticore roared by, and River's confidence surged once more—

But then he saw a shadow leaping between the buildings, swinging through the air, rapidly approaching the Manticore!

The Manticore didn't even notice that thing!

River watched the shadow draw closer, his heart pounding in his throat—

Then, as if using Sandevistan, the shadow disappeared, only to reappear atop the Manticore's engine in the next instant!

River's cybernetic combat eye zoomed in—he saw a figure, its entire body covered in green scales, with a long tail. It was the Lizardman!

The Lizardman clung to the engine and, with sheer strength, tore the engine from the vehicle's body!

Bang!

The engine spewed black smoke as it crashed to the side, and the shadow disappeared once again, bouncing between the high-rises, vanishing into the streets of Heywood.

River crawled out from the wrecked car and collapsed onto the ground, unable to stand.

He didn't even report back to headquarters; he just sat there, watching the scene unfold.

His mind raced, replaying everything that had happened that day.

The Nomads hadn't lied—something terrifying had happened to them.

Their skin was charred, their eyes bloodshot, as if just a sliver of light was enough to make them melt.

But they didn't back down—they endured the pain and humiliation, stepping into the spotlight, risking their lives to break into this dazzling city, only to leave under the moonlight, howling in triumph.

But their appearance—didn't look like ordinary victors. They seemed like victors who had gone mad, winning, but at the cost of their sanity.

A thought suddenly struck River—a rumor, a dark urban legend: The Nomads transform into werewolves at night, howling at the moon—

But who had turned them into this? And what was that thing?