Junk Falling From the Sky

"Nomads! Damn it, are they really here to steal the scrap? Prepare for battle—"

Bang!

A single shot from the cat-eared sniper rifle blew the enemy sniper's head clean off!

Just as the netrunner on the vehicle was about to activate the signal array on the armored car to initiate hacking, his brain suddenly began to burn!

The modified Griffin drone, equipped with a signal transmitter, instantly interfaced with the enemy network and launched a cyberattack!

Fortunately, it was a wireless device. The

Netrunner immediately disconnected from the network and began vomiting in the car!

Nomads surrounded the convoy from all directions, encircling them tightly under Leo's unified command!

"You are attacking corporate property."

Before the announcement finished, Arasaka's people opened the bulletproof windows, ready to fire—

But how could their firepower match the dense onslaught of the nomads?!

As soon as the window was lowered slightly, bullets began clinking against the glass, forcing them to stop lowering it altogether.

The only way to fire was through the small crack in the window, almost entirely lacking any accuracy!

Clearly, they intended to lower just one side of the window and focus their fire on Leo's side—

But Leo wasn't about to let such a simple tactic prevent their numerical advantage from shining through!

On the other side, three heavily armored Colby Nomads roared onto the highway, bumping along at full speed! Then, they headed straight for the Ragnar armored car!

Bang!

Panam and Saul targeted the two armored cars guarding the rear, while Cassidy from the Aldecaldos aimed for the lead vehicle.

Panam gripped the steering wheel tightly—

Nomad vehicles rarely had power steering, for fear that the system would malfunction and lock the wheel during combat!

But this also came with a significant drawback—when the vehicle collided, the torque on the wheel would change drastically and quickly!

A single mistake could cause the vehicle to lose speed, and even a brief loss of control could make the steering wheel spin rapidly, potentially breaking an arm!

The daring nomad vehicles were equipped with signal devices. As the distance closed, the red light on the signal device began flashing rapidly—

"Jammer ready, hurry—damn it, get moving!"

The armored car pulled away slightly, then opened its doors and windows—

"Suppress them! Damn it—"

"Heard!"

In the passenger seat, Mitch had already linked up with the mounted machine gun, mowing down two corporate agents in a quick burst!

But the other cars didn't have mounted machine guns!

Saul, responsible for close combat, yanked the steering wheel hard, sending the vehicle crashing into the Ragnar armored car once again!

The violent impact made the steering wheel jerk with opposing force, but Saul's powerful arms didn't give an inch. He even found time to grab a grenade from the passenger seat, tossing it into the open armored car door—

Finally, Navi, at the front, clutched the steering wheel tightly—he knew he had to hold onto it, but he didn't know how to deal with the vehicle gradually exposing its shooting port!

"What do I do—what do I do—say something, you two!"

"Ram them!"

Jackie, in the passenger seat, shouted, and the whole car lurched forward, ramming again. Jackie leaned out the window, reaching over the door to land a fierce punch on the person in the back seat!

They say a punch requires the waist and hips to work in unison, channeling core strength through the legs to the fist—

But this time, it was the vehicle's strength flowing through the punch!

The big guy holding the machine gun had barely fired a few shots before adjusting his aim, almost ready to hit Jackie—but Jackie's sledgehammer-sized fist got there first!

Bang!

The guy's head snapped back like he'd been hit by a truck, his neck and head held together only by his tactical helmet, flopping like a basketball caught in a net!

In the passenger seat, Cedric pulled the pin on a grenade and hurled it inside!

The three cars ambushed the security convoy, catching them completely off guard. But Cassidy's car ran into trouble; after being strafed, it lost control, skidding to the side, hitting a dirt mound, flipping over completely!

Boom!

At the rear of the convoy, the grenade exploded, rocking the armored car and causing it to skid into an allied vehicle following closely behind!

The four armored cars tried to respond but soon realized their steering and engines were unresponsive!

Panam quickly arrived at the side of Bratsk—

"Hack complete, eliminate the Arasaka personnel."

On the comms, Saul yelled, "Cassidy's been hit!"

"I see—someone cover him, prepare for the next step."

Leo designated a rescue vehicle and directed the Ragnar armored car to leave the convoy.

Several Ragnar armored cars suddenly became docile, autonomously breaking away from the convoy, driving at a steady pace before their doors swung wide open.

Inside the vehicles, the surviving Arasaka agents and drivers felt a chill—

Outside, they saw only the pitch-black barrels of guns and the grim smiles of nomads.

This was a moving coffin.

Gunfire continued as the four armored cars were captured. The timing was perfect, and the convoy was heading toward the dam—

"Help, help! MoorE Technology's scrap transport convoy is being hijacked by nomads!"

"Szz—signal interruption—szz—rescue—szz—en route."

The signal inside the vehicle was intermittent, and the scrap truck driver was terrified.

All they wanted now was to reach the narrow passage on top of the dam.

They didn't believe their pursuers would follow them there—but even if they did, they thought Bratsk's massive frame would push those small cars right off the road.

Passing over the dam would buy enough time for Militech to arrive from nearby.

But—

The nomad convoy quickly adjusted, moving to the left of the scrap trucks, including the four captured Ragnar armored cars.

What were they planning?

Panam, riding solo, raced ahead of the convoy, reaching the front truck—

And then the truck drivers witnessed a crazy sight:

The woman in the passenger seat opened the door—

And leaped onto the lead truck, clinging to the door!

How in the world did she stick her palm to the door like that?

The driver was frozen, and before he could pull out his pistol, V pulled out a pneumatic window breaker—

Crack!

The window shattered, but the driver never had a chance to shoot—

Because Leo had already fired, the bullet passing through the window almost at the exact moment it shattered.

Milliseconds of perfect coordination.

Leo's last few bullets fired in a straight line from the Yinglong rifle, piercing through the driver's skull like needles—

"The big truck's gonna flip—everyone, be careful!"

V shot a web line, stuck it to the steering wheel, and leaped back, landing gracefully on Panam's vehicle as the truck swerved sharply.

The web pulled the steering wheel hard, causing the truck to skid dangerously as it neared the dam's passageway, veering violently!

The truck oversteered, tipping over and sliding towards the edge of the road!

The trucks behind couldn't avoid it, crashing into the front truck's cargo bed!

Three vehicles smashed together, skidding a short distance before coming to a halt on the dam's passageway.

The nomads quickly regrouped, revving their engines to give the three totaled trucks a final push.

The two remaining drivers were utterly terrified, throwing open their doors and running, shouting, "Spare us! We didn't see anything!"

But after a few steps, they tripped, falling flat, as a spark flashed from the ports on the back of their necks, causing them to twitch on the ground.

Leo didn't finish them off, but whether the corporation would spare them was another question.

The three scrap trucks were slowly pushed towards the edge—

Then one by one, they slid off the dam—

Bang—Bang—BOOM!!

The sound was deafening.

In the comms, Mitch regretfully remarked, "Bratsk was a good truck. Shame."

Leo replied, "Let's go. Militech's almost here—there'll be better ones later."

"I'm holding you to that—we all heard that, right?"

"Stop screwing around, let's move—quickly. This took longer than expected, we don't want Militech catching up."

"We've still got a Maelstrom base to smash today. Stay sharp!"

With the three trucks tumbling down the dam, the nomads got back in their vehicles—including the four captured Ragnar armored cars.

They couldn't take the big one, but these four smaller ones were a nice haul.

Arasaka's special supply? Once refitted, they'd be nomad treasures.

Santo Domingo, Lamar Armory.

"You're serious? You rented tools from me, but now you're just sitting here? You must be out of your minds."

Roshan stared in confusion at the group—David, Lucy, Pilar, and Rebecca, the four-person trash-collecting team.

Rebecca shot back, "Old lady, we're paying you, so why do you keep asking questions?"

"Little body, big attitude. A hundred eddies per hour, don't forget. You've got money to burn, huh—

What, do you think valuable junk will fall from the sky?"

Bang!

Roshan froze for a moment, and so did the four-person team.

It sounded like something had crashed near the dam behind the building.

Roshan's face went pale, and she tried to rationalize it:

"Must be construction on the dam."

Boom!

A massive sound came from the dam's breach behind the building!

David and the others grabbed their tools and rushed outside—

Roshan, still in shock, turned on her heels, unsure whether to chase them or continue sitting.

Junk really had fallen from the sky!