Chapter 290

2-in-1 chapter

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"Jackie, you're coming in with me. Lucy, you stay in the car with V. Follow my instructions to disable the exterior surveillance cameras and the rooftop turrets. V, we're counting on you to cover our backs."

Both Jackie and Lucy nodded seriously.

V patted her chest, "Leave it to me."

Just as Jackie was about to grab a heavy machine gun, Leo reached out to stop him. Jackie gave him a puzzled look, and Leo shook his head.

"Indoor combat isn't suitable for long guns. Use handguns, shotguns, or submachine guns instead."

After explaining to Jackie, he turned to Lucy in the backseat. "Lucy, get Jackie a Satara and a Unity."

The Satara was a tech double-barrel shotgun, great for wall penetration. The Unity was a smart pistol with auto-aim capability.

With these two, they had all they needed for close-quarters combat.

Lucy handed Jackie the Satara and Unity as requested. Then she asked Leo, "What about you?"

"Give me a Shingen and two Kenshin."

The Shingen was a smart SMG, and the Kenshin was a tech pistol both made by Arasaka.

This loadout also balanced wall-penetration and smart targeting.

Lucy handed Leo the weapons. He took the two Kenshins first and holstered them, then held the Shingen in his hand.

On the other side, Jackie holstered the Unity and picked up the Satara.

He didn't get out of the car right away, instead looking to Leo for instructions.

Even though he was now Padre's successor and commanded dozens of men, he hadn't forgotten who was in charge right now.

"Lucy, shut down the cameras and auto-turrets."

"Give me two seconds."

Two seconds later, the monitor on the wall and three others on the house walls went dark, their red lights disappearing.

Even the hidden turrets on the rooftop had been cut off by Lucy.

"Jackie, let's go."

With those words, Leo opened the door and raised the Shingen, aiming at a guard by the gate several dozen meters away, and fired.

He didn't check the result—just turned the barrel to another target and pulled the trigger again.

The Salamanca Cartel guards, stationed outside the wall, had grown cautious the moment they saw the SUV stop. Their eyes remained fixed on the vehicle.

Then they saw the door open and a gun barrel peek out.

T-t-t—

Three smart bullets traced an arc in the air and pierced the head of the guard on the left side of the gate.

The guard on the right panicked, trying to return fire, but before he could aim, the second round hit him. A bullet drilled through his forehead, splattering blood across the wall.

"Jackie, move."

With the two guards down, Leo waved, and the two charged toward the target building.

The rear SUV door opened. V stepped out and mounted her power sniper rifle on the hood, ready to provide cover.

The distance was short—just a few dozen meters—and they reached the gate in seconds.

Leo and Jackie pressed against the wall.

Leo spoke through the comms, "Lucy, open the gate."

"On it."

Beep—

The gate was hacked and swung open inward.

Just as Jackie was about to charge in, Leo suddenly yanked him back behind cover, sensing something.

A hulking brute, similar in size to one of Dexter's personal bodyguard, appeared at the doorway.

He wore full heavy ballistic armor—helmet, chest, abdomen, thighs, arms, and legs fully covered.

In his hands was a laser rotary cannon. The muzzle didn't glow blue, but pulsed with red beams.

TATATATATA—

The laser blasts struck the wall where Leo and Jackie hid, sending chunks of brick flying and smoke billowing.

Bang!

A bullet struck the brute's helmet, sparking on impact. The dent it left was deep, but he didn't fall—only staggered a step back.

"I get it now… the Salamanca Cartel must really hate Dante González if they're sending in monsters like this."

V racked the bolt. A golden shell flew out.

Before it hit the ground, she fired again.

She targeted the same spot on the brute's head—if one shot couldn't pierce, repeated strikes might.

But to her surprise, the brute tilted his head and lowered it just in time. Her second round scraped across the side of his helmet in a spray of sparks.

He raised the laser rotary gun and aimed it straight at V.

Just before he could fire, a figure appeared in front of him.

The brute's left leg suddenly lost strength. As he fell sideways, Leo stepped on his chest and, with a swift motion, decapitated him.

The severed head—still inside its heavy helmet—rolled away, leaving a bloody trail.

With the brute down, Jackie rushed forward with the Satara, crossing the courtyard to the side of the house.

Leo scanned the interior again to pinpoint enemy and hostage locations, then synced the image with Jackie.

In the living room behind the door, three enemies were using furniture for cover, aiming their guns toward the entrance.

Jackie smiled after receiving the intel. Instead of charging, he stepped back and hip-fired the charged Satara.

The tech shotgun's coils lit up with faint sparks as it reached full charge.

Boom— The wall was effortlessly penetrated, and one ambusher was shredded on the other side.

Leo moved to the doorway, switched from the Shingen to his dual Kenshins, and as the remaining enemies flinched at their comrade's death, he leaned out and fired.

Six rounds from the twin Kenshins burst into the room, splattering brain and blood across the walls like a gruesome mural.

With the living room clear, Leo retrieved the Shingen and slung it over his back.

The remaining nine enemies were scattered across four interior rooms. Now it was time for the wall-piercing Kenshins to go to work.

Holding both pistols, Leo said over comms, "Jackie, cover my back."

Then he charged in first.

Someone must've heard his footsteps. A hand appeared from one of the bedroom doors, firing at him.

Leo rolled and dove behind a sofa as bullets tore into the furniture.

Jackie returned fire with a charged blast from the Satara, sending the ambusher flying.

Leo stood and fired through the wall, his blue-flame bullets dropping two more enemies.

Then he heard someone curse. A fragmentation grenade flew from another bedroom.

Without hesitation, Leo kicked it back.

There was panic and shouting, then a deafening blast, followed by chunks of flesh raining down inside.

Leo scanned again, a red glow spreading out from him, revealing the entire layout.

Four enemies remained. One was holding a hostage in the bathroom. The others were holed up in two bedrooms.

"Leo, cover me. I'll punch through the walls and finish the rest," Jackie said over comms.

He began charging up again.

But Leo raised a hand to stop him. "No need. I've got this."

He pulled a frag grenade from his tactical pouch, pulled the pin, held it for two seconds, then tossed it into one of the rooms.

Boom!

A body slammed against a bed.

The other room's door burst open and two enemies charged out—Jackie gunned them down instantly.

With fresh mags loaded, they headed for the bathroom.

A barefoot woman lay on the ground. A young man, vaguely resembling Dante, was being used as a human shield by the last enemy.

"Don't move! Back off or I'll—"

Before he could finish, Leo shot him in the forehead. Blood sprayed across José's face, who instinctively shut his eyes.

He heard a thud behind him. Turning around, he saw the man who threatened him lying dead, eyes wide open, blood pouring from his forehead.

José's legs gave out. The floor was slick with blood.

He stared at Leo and Jackie in fear. "Who are you? Please don't hurt me. My dad's a basketball star—he's rich! He'll pay you, anything you want!"

No one answered.

Jackie scanned him with his Kiroshi optics, then turned to Leo and nodded. "Confirmed. This is José González, son of Dante González."

Though José wasn't particularly brave, he was quick-witted.

Hearing Jackie's words, unlike movie hostages who need time to process things, José caught on quickly.

"You… wait… did my dad hire you to rescue me?"

Leo nodded.

"That's right. You're safe now. Come with us—we're leaving immediately. In one hour, we'll be on a flight back to Night City."

José stood frozen, as if he hadn't fully processed the words.

After a few seconds, he suddenly broke down, crying uncontrollably.

In truth, Leo could understand him.

Just imagine—one moment you're eating hotpot and singing, the next you're kidnapped by… well, by Salamanca Cartel thugs.

And then they go and chop off two of your fingers—who could handle that?

But even if Leo could understand him, this wasn't a place to linger.

The Salamanca Cartel could show up at any time, and Leo wasn't about to let a long night invite more nightmares.

He patted José's shoulder.

"Alright, alright, man, stop crying. When we're back in Night City, you can cry all you want, but not now. We're not out of danger yet."

"We need to get out of here. The Salamanca Cartel could be on their way—do you understand?"

The young man sniffled and choked back tears. "I… I understand. S-sorry…"

"No need to apologize. Wipe your face and get moving. My crew's waiting outside—we're leaving right now. Grab the girl."

That last part was directed at Jackie.

Jackie gave a nod, untied María's hands and feet, then hoisted her over his shoulder like a sack of rice.

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When Leo emerged from the building with José, and Jackie carrying María, they found V and Lucy still holding their positions, carefully watching the surroundings and guarding their retreat.

"What's the situation?"

V responded, "No sign of enemies for now."

She glanced at José and María, but said nothing, quickly shifting her gaze away.

"Good. Let's move."

Leo opened the SUV's door and urged everyone to get in.

Though it was technically a five-seater, Lucy, and María were petite—María being a Eurasian mix with a more Asian frame than Western—so they managed to squeeze six people in.

Jackie sat in the front passenger seat, still holding his weapon—just in case.

"Everyone's in." Leo was the last to board. He shut the door with a slam and started the engine, speeding off in the direction of the airport.

Jackie in the front, and V and Lucy in the back, all kept their weapons ready, eyes on the windows.

As the safehouse grew distant and the airport drew closer, no suspicious activity occurred—no trailing cars, no sudden attacks.

Gradually, the tension in the vehicle began to ease.

Jackie couldn't help but speak over the comms. "Eight million. Can't believe it went this smoothly."

Eight million split four ways—two million each. Sweet.

Just half a year ago, none of them would've imagined earning two million apiece from a single job.

It felt like a dream.

"Jackie, don't jinx it! We're still in Tijuana."

V had been reading some novels lately. In every story, whenever someone said something like that, something would inevitably go wrong.

Leo ignored their banter, keeping his focus on the road while asking a question.

"Lucy, how's our client holding up?"

Lucy, seated in the back, plugged a data cable into José's neural link, ran a check, she then did the same for María. After completing both scans, she shook her head and replied through the comms.

"They're okay. Aside from José missing two fingers, he's surprisingly unharmed. María's just shaken—doesn't look like the Salamanca Cartel touched her."

"That's good."

Missing fingers weren't a big deal.

In 2077, even someone like Edward Elric—missing an arm and a leg—could live like anyone else, maybe even better. It wouldn't affect quality of life at all.

Hell, there were even folks who, not because they practiced some twisted martial art, but just for preference, had replaced their privates with heavy-caliber prosthetics.

Two fingers? Just swap in some chrome.

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At the same time, in a villa on the outskirts of Tijuana—

Crash!

A heavy crash echoed through the office as a vase shattered on the floor.

Startled, several men rushed inside.

They found Hector Salamanca, eyes bloodshot, looking like a furious lion.

"Call the airport. Shut it down. I want that runway closed now! Not a single plane leaves."

Everyone looked at each other, stunned, unsure what had set the boss off again.

The Salamanca Cartel was the undisputed ruler of Tijuana. Every business in the city paid tribute—kicking back a share of profits to the cartel.

That was a major income stream.

Even someone who'd never studied business could understand how bad shutting down the airport would be for the local economy.

"Boss, are you—"

"Idiots! Morons! Worthless trash! Don't you get it? The hostages have escaped!"

The realization finally dawned on them, and they scrambled out of the room.

Hector was left alone, his face dark with rage.

"Trying to run? You think you can escape me, that you can escape Salamanca's WRATH!?"

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