Gearbound: Cyberpunk 2077

Maine lay on the ground, glaring at Dorio, who was busy loading rounds into the cylinder of her large-caliber revolver.

"What are you doing?"

"Saving your life. No need to thank me."

Sasha's eyes glowed red.

An Animals member, with a neural interface at the back of his neck, suddenly crackled and sparked with electricity. He convulsed violently before collapsing. That was Sasha hacking the man's cyberware, causing an electromagnetic short.

The Animals member beside him immediately swung his gun toward Sasha.

"Hey, asshole!"

Rebecca, holding two Lexington kinetic pistols, leaned out from cover. A burst of continuous gunfire sent bullets whizzing in all directions.

Maine's team and the Animals kept up a furious exchange of fire. Although Maine's team was at a disadvantage in terms of raw firepower, they hadn't suffered a single casualty so far. By contrast, more than a dozen Animals had already been taken down.

Just then, something new happened.

Two vans sped in from an adjacent passage.

One of them, likely because the driver's skills were lacking or the speed too high, plowed into two Animals who failed to get out of the way in time. It screeched to a halt between the Animals and Maine's team, wheels askew. The other van pulled up a bit farther away.

With those vans serving as cover, the remaining Animals instantly felt the pressure lift. No longer pinned down by continuous suppressive fire, they could hunker behind the vehicles and take careful aim.

"Dammit, they're gonna escape… Shit! I knew we couldn't count on them!"

It wasn't so much that Maine mistrusted Leo and his companions; he just didn't trust anyone outside his own squad. He saw the Animals boss run to the other van, toss aside the corpse he'd been using as a shield, yank open the door, and jump into the passenger seat. Maine wanted to charge out to stop him, but Dorio pinned him firmly.

"Down, Maine! You got a death wish?"

Now that the Animals had the vans for cover, their return fire was hitting on a whole different level of precision. Maine gritted his teeth until blood oozed from between them. He glared at the boss, now climbing into the van, a storm of regret and frustration raging inside.

…

"Drive! Step on it! Get us out of here!"

The boss kept his eyes locked on the rearview mirror. He'd seen Maine's team try several times to interfere, each time cut off by his own men's suppressive fire. That eased his mind a bit, but he wouldn't truly relax until they were back on home turf.

The driver nodded and slammed the gas pedal. Suddenly, something warm splattered across his face. It felt damp, making him squint reflexively. Startled, he jammed on the brakes. Wiping furiously at his eyes, he finally managed to blink them open—

—and froze.

His hands were covered in blood.

Shocked, the driver turned to look at the boss in the passenger seat—whose head had, for lack of a better term, exploded. Bits of gore were splattered everywhere.

The driver gaped in horror, no longer remembering to wipe away the mess on his own face. Only then did a distant gunshot's boom reach his ears.

…

Leo pulled back the bolt.

A hot brass shell casing clinked onto the ground, wreathed in faint wisps of smoke. He fired again, taking out the driver who had tried to open the door and flee. The driver's body tumbled from the seat with a thud, motionless.

In a heartbeat, the fierce gunfight fell silent. Everyone stared at the boss's now-headless body. People gasped; with the leader dead, the remaining Animals lost any will to fight. The ones who had been going at it so fiercely moments before now scattered in panic and fleeing.

Leo wasn't about to waste this chance to pick them off. He calmly picked off the Animals running away, like ducks in a row, until they vanished from sight. After a quick glance at the new Potential Points he'd gained, he stowed his Ice Storm sniper rifle, called over V and Jackie, and moved to rendezvous with Maine's team.

Maine flushed red, feeling guilty. A moment ago, he was convinced Leo and the others had ditched them. In fact, they were the key that sealed the boss's fate. Without them, that Animals boss would have fled, and the mission would have failed.

"That's the Ice Storm? God, I heard that isn't a gun just anyone can handle…" Rebecca's gaze flicked between the rifle and Leo's arms. She tilted her head a bit, clearly unable to figure out how someone of his build could manage the rifle's massive recoil. It would be like trying to fire a helicopter-mounted GAU-19/B Gatling gun by hand.

Dorio's voice came from behind: "Fine. In case you haven't noticed, this place is covered with bodies. If we're gonna talk, let's do it somewhere else."

"She's right," Maine said, waving a hand. "Sasha, get the car."

Sasha nodded and sprinted off.

"Let's get out of here first. We'll celebrate at a bar in Santo Domingo. If that's cool, I'll send you the address."

"Sure."

When Leo's trio left, Maine stood over the Animals boss's corpse and snapped a few photos from various angles, sending them to Faraday.

"Maine, car's ready."

"Coming." Maine started to go, but something about the boss's clothes seemed off. The Animals usually flaunted their exaggerated muscles, so why had this boss wrapped himself in a coat that hid his massive physique? As though it were a waste not to show off.

He stuck his upper body into the van, pushing the corpse to expose one arm. Even by the Animal's standards, it was enormous, bulging like a small calf. Maine pulled out a small knife, poked it into the flesh. Not a drop of blood came out, and it felt all wrong. Frowning, Maine sliced open the skin—and his eyes went wide.