"You can even give orders to Rogue's people—just who the hell are you?"
"Just a mercenary, that's all. I just happen to have a long-standing relationship with Rogue, nothing more." Leo smiled. "Right, didn't you ask me yesterday why I helped Noah? Because when you help others, they tend to return the favor. That's it."
Leo said it casually, but Panam didn't believe it was that simple. She took a deep breath, her expression complicated, then followed Leo and the others into the AV.
…..............
....
.
Jackson Plains lay between Pacifica and Santo Domingo, bordered by Laguna Bend to the east and the Biotechnica Flats to the west. If one followed the highway south through Jackson Plains, they would eventually arrive at the North-South California Border Station.
Using the intel they'd gotten from Rogue, Leo and the team, with Panam onboard, flew in the AV over the expanse of Jackson Plains for half a day before finally identifying a good spot for an ambush.
Overhead was the blazing sun; under them, the rocky ground radiated scorching heat. Leo lay prone on the ground, resting on a thermal blanket with another one wrapped around him to avoid getting burned.
V was lying beside him, dressed like someone out of the Middle East, holding a pair of binoculars.
In front of them was the only road leading out of the city from the plains. Militech's transport convoy was composed entirely of ground vehicles—no AVs. If they wanted to leave the city, they had no choice but to take this road.
On the opposite side of the road were Emmerich, Crispin, and Panam, lying in wait.
Originally, Leo had only hired Panam as a guide, but after seeing Leo's lineup, she suddenly changed her mind and decided to stay.
She knew a big fight was coming, and this wasn't going to be just another run against a standard corporate transport convoy. The scale and intensity would far surpass that.
But Leo and the others didn't look like people out to throw their lives away—they looked prepared.
So Panam chose to stick around and watch.
More importantly, Leo looked like a guy with deep pockets… a generous backer. He had a good relationship with Rogue, too. That meant she might be able to land more gigs through him later on.
Panam hadn't forgotten her current situation—since leaving Aldecaldos, she was on her own. At times like this, knowing one more person meant one more opportunity.
"Attention, Militech convoy has departed from Rancho Coronado in Santo Domingo. Estimated contact in twenty minutes."
Lucy's calm voice rang in everyone's ears over the comms channel.
She was sitting inside a Trauma Team heavy armored AV—not flying, but grounded in a low depression in the terrain.
At the moment, Lucy was linked to a drone that had already activated its optical camo. Using high-altitude recon from the drone, she relayed the convoy's position to the group.
"Got it. Reconfirming comms. V?"
"Loud and clear."
"Emmerich?"
"All good on my end."
"Crispin?"
"Boss, I'm solid."
"Panam?"
"I hear you perfectly."
Each person gave a clear response through the channel, and Leo nodded with satisfaction.
"Good. Repeat once more: don't engage until I give the signal. Wait for my mark before opening fire."
Everyone responded in unison: "Copy / Understood!"
"Our objective is to wipe out the entire Militech convoy—leave no survivors. But make sure not to accidentally kill Hellman in the process."
Panam suddenly spoke up. "I have a question."
"Go ahead."
"Why the hell are you going after that idiot? What's he to you?"
"That's classified. I can't tell you for now. Just know that if you kill him by mistake, you don't get paid."
Yes, Panam had chosen to stay and help on her own. One more person meant one more gun, so Leo agreed to pay her accordingly.
Because Leo firmly believed that no matter how moving your speech was, nothing beat cold hard cash.
Everyone knows: earn 1,800 eddies, you smile all day; earn 8,800, you come home past midnight; earn 18,000, and you basically live at the office willingly.
You can't talk about ideals without paying first. Promises without money are just nonsense.
Panam was smart. When Leo threw down the words "classified business," she didn't press further.
Ten minutes later, V, holding the binoculars, suddenly said, "I see them."
At the far end of the road, a convoy appeared—just like the intel had said. Three trucks and two off-road vehicles, each bearing the Militech logo.
"Target is 500 meters from the ambush point. Emmerich, Crispin, Panam—get ready."
"Copy!" x3
Leo placed his finger on the tactical monocle and activated scan mode.
A wave of red light spread outward from him in every direction.
Once the convoy reached 200 meters, they entered his scan range.
The personnel composition was immediately clear.
Ten Militech security soldiers were spread across the two off-road vehicles, all in full gear with heavy body armor. None were using Sandevistan, but they were equipped with Kerenzikov to boost neural response, along with other body mods for enhanced combat capability.
Following the two off-roaders were three heavy trucks. Aside from the drivers, the cargo compartments were packed with drones and security bots—already activated.
The moment the compartments opened, they could enter combat.
The target they were after—Hellman, Arasaka's project head—was on the middle truck. He wasn't in the cabin but inside the cargo hold, along with the bots.
"Lucy! Target the last truck!"
Inside the AV, Lucy tapped rapidly on a virtual keyboard.
The Trauma Team heavy AV, which Rogue had acquired and modified heavily, had been fitted with a dual-mounted 180mm kinetic impact cannon on its roof.
As soon as Leo gave the order, Lucy opened the roof panel, exposing the massive twin-barrel cannon inside.
The cannon swiveled, aiming toward the incoming convoy.
With feed from the drone cloaked above the convoy, the targeting system quickly locked on.
"Fire!"
Boom!
A deafening roar echoed.
Even inside the AV, Lucy felt a violent shake.
The recoil was so strong that it left no doubt as to the weapon's destructive power.
Not just Lucy—Leo and the others on the opposite side of the road also felt the tremor in the ground.
Even the moving Militech convoy noticed.
"What was that sound?"
The last heavy truck in the convoy exploded in a flash.
Flames and smoke mushroomed outward.
Every drone and bot inside was obliterated in an instant.
A cloud shaped like a rising mushroom floated into the sky.
The red glow from the blast lit up Panam's face, revealing her shocked expression.
Back when they fought the Raffen Shiv in the Rocky Ridge raid, they used an EMP.
So Panam had assumed that's what they would use here, too.
She hadn't expected this.
Her life with the Aldecaldos had never been easy out here.
The land was barren, jobs were scarce, and they were in constant conflict with the Raffen Shiv.
The Raffen outnumbered and outgunned them.
Every skirmish in the open left the Aldecaldos at a disadvantage.
Fortunately, the Raffen hadn't yet discovered their camp's location. If they had, they'd have been forced to relocate.
Some might ask, isn't the Aldecaldos a massive nomad clan with tens of thousands of members? Why would they be suppressed by a gang like the Raffen Shiv?
Yes, the Aldecaldos were large—but Panam's family was just one small branch. Counting women and children, they barely numbered in the hundreds.
But if they had this kind of firepower…
Panam's eyes sparkled.
Next time they met the Raffen Shiv, they wouldn't be at such a disadvantage.
But all she could do was dream.
An AV like that, equipped with such weapons, probably cost tens of millions of eurodollars.
Where would they even get that kind of money?
Meanwhile, after taking out one truck and all its drones and bots in a single hit, Leo remained composed and gave the next order.
"Next target: the front truck. Fire!"
…
The Militech convoy continued down the highway—but chaos had already broken out.
"Shit! We're under attack!"
"Call for HQ backup, now!"
"Drones! Deploy the drones!"
The two remaining heavy trucks opened their side panels, revealing rows of tightly packed drones and bots.
Counting the destroyed unit from the earlier strike, this was still the firepower of a small army.
But before they could react, a second shell slammed into the lead truck.
It was vaporized on impact.
The drones and bots inside never even made it out.
Flaming debris exploded outward like shrapnel.
Smoke and fire towered several dozen meters into the air.
The fireball spread like a raging inferno.
On the middle truck, the driver spun the wheel at the last second, avoiding a crash.
Once he regained control, he quickly deployed all the drones and bots.
The bots landed and fanned out in a protective arc around the convoy.
The drones launched into the sky, scanning the terrain rapidly.
"They've got drones up!"
Panam's heart skipped.
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