Chapter 45: On the Move

Jackie summoned his Nazaré through his neural link and rode off immediately, saying he needed to find a place to get some real sleep.

The operation was scheduled for tonight, so everyone involved needed to save their strength.

Arthur, meanwhile, returned to Vik’s clinic, waiting quietly for the younger ones who would be joining them.

...

By afternoon, V awoke from her rest. Everything she had ordered was already in place.

Two massive trucks stood ready—Arasaka vehicles, painted completely black, with a white-lined rectangular pattern on their sides, resembling an envelope.

It was a classic corporate tactic: putting on another company’s skin to cause trouble while keeping their own reputation clean.

They had chosen Petrochem because of its long-running disputes with the CHOOH₂ Plant.

Petrochem often stirred up trouble there under the pretext of distribution rights, though they never actually gained anything from it.

V’s plan was to disguise the corporate cannon fodder as Petrochem operatives and send them through the main gate to draw attention.

Meanwhile, she and the mercenary squad would flank from the other side, hauling the electromagnetic bomb straight through the CHOOH₂ cultivation zone and detonating it at the right spot.

...

At Vik’s clinic, Arthur had dozed off again. When he woke, Rebecca was perched on one of the empty tables.

“Honestly, I almost wished you’d shut your mouth—like right now.
But then again, if you were quiet, I wouldn’t see you.”

Rebecca kicked her legs idly, glaring at him with wide eyes.

“You bastard, Arthur! When your legs break from lying around, I’ll shut your filthy mouth myself.
By the way, where’s your precious John? Haven’t seen him.”

Arthur stretched, his joints cracking, before replying.

“All I can say is, he went out with a bang.
What time is it?”

“Three in the afternoon. Now are you going to tell me? What’s this big secret you’ve been hiding?”

Rebecca leaned back, hands behind her head.

“Trouble with Biotechnica. Honestly, I don’t know the details.”

Jackie showed up as well, though these days he seemed to prefer staying upstairs. He’d improved a lot, often making Misty Olszewski laugh out loud.

Finally, David and Lucy arrived, and the group piled into a Delamain cab, heading off to rendezvous with V.

...

At the Arasaka Waterfront, they passed security using the card V had given them. Following her address, they quickly reached the site.

Led by Arthur and Jackie, the five soon spotted V.

She was still in yesterday’s outfit, but the exhaustion and messiness from the last mission were gone. She looked sharp, full of her usual energy.

When she saw them, V waved at a nearby truck, sending it off ahead.

“Alright, people—we need to move. That CHOOH₂ Farm isn’t close.”

Her tone was brisk and efficient. She gestured toward the truck, then to a car parked behind it.

“Now, let’s roll.”

...

The setting sun bled through the clouds, painting the Badlands sand in fiery colors.

Two massive trucks led the charge, the convoy thundering forward in a triangular formation, their dust trail glowing crimson in the fading light.

In the left truck, V gripped the massive wheel, her expression hidden behind oversized sunglasses.

“Looks like you’ve got a thing for driving these beasts.”

In the passenger seat, Arthur leaned lazily against the wide window, the rearview mirror swaying like a half-length portrait with every jolt.

Earlier, when choosing vehicles, V had gone straight for the truck without hesitation.

“Wide view, plenty of room, and it feels secure. What’s not to like?”

In the back, Rebecca lounged across the seat, her red eyes locked on the Badlands ahead. It seemed she had never left Night City in her life.

Jackie followed closely in a Badlands car, while Lucy and David sat behind him. Strands of Lucy’s hair brushed against her neck as she gazed out at the yellow sand, her voice cold.

“That woman… she’s Arasaka, isn’t she?”

Jackie smiled.

“Yeah. She’s a friend of mine. I even introduced her to you before.”

“So this gig of ours—it’s backed by Arasaka in the shadows?”

At the mention of the company’s name, Lucy’s expression flickered, but with her face to the window, no one noticed.

“You could say that. But it’s not like we’re helping the bad guys.
From what we know, Biotechnica’s been running secret human experiments at that facility.”

“Jackie… is there really a cure for my mom there?”

David’s voice trembled with urgency, his eyes fixed on Jackie.

“Stay positive, kid. We’re all rooting for you. The world’s never just good or just bad.”

...

By the time the last of the sunset faded and cold moonlight swept over the desert, the convoy reached its destination.

Beyond the yellow sands, a dark green line stretched across the horizon.

Biotechnica’s marketing had always promised a grand vision: restoring ecosystems devastated by war.

And the sight before them seemed to prove it true.

During the wars, Night City had been a prime target.

As one of North America’s most strategic ports—the gateway to the continent—everyone wanted a piece of it.

That privilege came with an equal share of war and conspiracy.

The endless Badlands surrounding Night City were its scar.

The soil should have been barren, yet here stretched lush fields of green wheat—Biotechnica’s miracle crop.

The CHOOH² wheat wasn’t ordinary. At four or five meters tall, it towered like dense groves of saplings.

It made Petrochem’s stunted varieties look pathetic by comparison.

“Biotechnica sure knows how to needle Petrochem. And yeah, it drives them mad.”

V’s tone carried a hint of amusement as she looked over the fields.

A broad asphalt road sliced straight through the wheat, leading toward the distant processing plant.

The fields covered thousands of acres, and the facility still lay far ahead.

“Vehicle A, continue along the road.”

The dozen or so operatives were Arasaka counterintelligence deadmen—raised from childhood to be nothing more than tools.

V gave the command, then promptly cut them from the comms and erased their traces.

She didn’t waste another thought on them.

Turning the wheel, V steered the truck ninety degrees, driving along the edge of the CHOOH² field.

The plan was to plow straight through. Even at four meters tall, under the truck’s wheels it was nothing but grass.

She pressed harder on the gas, and the bumper flattened the stalks ahead, carving a wide path.

Jackie followed close behind.

The wheat tips slapped against the windshield, spraying juice across it, which V cleared with a sweep of the giant wipers.

Jackie wasn’t so lucky—the stalks snapped back after the truck passed, hammering his undercarriage in a constant metallic rattle.

In the night, two points of light—one large, one small—cut a straight line through the field, leaving a trail behind them.

The reduced convoy drew closer to the CHOOH₂ processing plant.

From afar, Arthur spotted shadows lurking in the sky ahead.

His Kiroshi Optics whirred, focusing to reveal three compact drones, each with angled wings.

“V—look there.”

Arthur pointed toward the shapes.

“Militech Pterodrones. We’d better speed up.”