23 Raid

Chapter 45 23. Ambush

"Where are we now?"

After leaving the Arasaka Waterfront District, Jack was prepared for a possible attack at any moment. While waiting, the uncertainty of what lay ahead was the hardest thing to bear.

"We've entered the Watson North Industrial Park. We should be in the old abandoned apartment complex area. The car's a bit slow. The lead car sent a message saying there's a bunch of debris blocking the road for some reason, and they're sending people to clear it."

Oliver, sitting in the driver's seat, gripped the steering wheel, trying to ease his anxiety. "Do you think we'll get attacked here?"

"Don't know, but I know this isn't just a coincidence. Get ready. Maine, open your door a bit. We're moving so slow, we're like targets on wheels. If things get dicey, we jump."

"KK, are you saying we're going to have trouble just after leaving the Waterfront District?"

Maine's face, hidden behind sunglasses, cracked a stiff smile. "Damn, that was fast."

"Actually, not necessarily. I'm just saying, it'd be too quick to attack right after leaving..."

As Karl spoke, he noticed a flash of red flame from the apartment building beside them.

His reaction time, faster than most, allowed him to turn his eyes and see what was flying towards them from the fifth floor of the apartment building.

It was something so familiar that even Karl, who had arrived before 2075, recognized it instantly.

"RPG!"

RPG: Rocket-Propelled Grenade, a portable anti-tank weapon that fires rockets.

Shit, we really are running into trouble right away.

Who ambushes people right at the door? What do you think you are, the final boss in a game afraid of the hero?

Karl determined that the rocket would land ten meters in front of their vehicle. He acted quickly, opening his door as he shouted "RPG!" to warn his companions. He then rolled away from the blast zone, taking cover behind the vehicle, performing the explosion evasion maneuvers he had learned in Braindance.

He lay prone with his back to the explosion, crossed his arms, placed his palms down on his chest, tucked his face between his arms, closed his eyes and mouth, tightened his stomach, straightened his legs, pointed his toes, and held his breath.

In 2075, most RPGs had a kill radius of fifteen meters. The center of the explosion was ten meters from Karl's vehicle. The Alvarado, a luxury car, focused too much on opulence and not enough on blast protection. Hiding inside would be certain death.

Rather than face the full impact in the Alvarado, it was better to distance himself from the blast zone as much as possible before the explosion, then hide behind the vehicle, using it as a shield.

"Boom!"

The deafening explosion erupted behind him the instant after Karl completed his maneuvers. Karl clearly heard the screech of twisting metal amidst the cacophony that nearly deafened him.

The Alvarado, with its massive body and heavy weight, shielded Karl from the blast, preventing it from being overturned by the rocket. However, the front seats and the front of the car were twisted and deformed into a bizarre fusion of steel. If Karl could see it head-on, he wouldn't hesitate to call it "popcorn."

"Ptooey, Hijo de puta! (Son of a bitch!) We really did get ambushed right away."

Jack, having been warned by Karl, reacted somewhat, though not with such textbook precision. Thanks to his Subdermal Armor and naturally sturdy build, he was uninjured, merely a bit dusty as he raised his head from beside Karl.

"Be careful, we need to find cover."

Maine was in a similar situation to Jack. Having already opened his door slightly due to Karl's warning, he was the first to escape. He had already regained his footing, gripping his weapon and crouching, constantly scanning the surroundings with his cybernetic eyes behind his sunglasses, trying to locate potential attackers.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit."

Oliver was less fortunate than Jack and Maine. He was in the driver's seat, further forward, and lacked Karl's reaction time and Jack and Maine's Subdermal Armor. In the emergency, he was the only one injured.

A piece of shrapnel lodged itself in his right arm, causing it to bleed profusely.

Cursing, Oliver contracted his right arm, pressing it tightly against his side, then pulled out a medical gauze from his person, using the index finger and thumb of his left hand to pull out the still-warm shrapnel, before pressing the gauze directly onto the bleeding wound, using pressure to stop the bleeding as an emergency measure.

Oliver was furious. The injury was minor, just a scratch. With some emergency treatment and a Re-Con injector, he'd be fine. What angered him was something else.

[Re-Con]: Medical Injector.

"I'm gonna fucking kill the bastard who fired that rocket!"

Oliver yelled, "That was my new gun! I spent a fortune modifying it, practically all my money! I'm gonna kill him!!!"

Oliver barely managed to escape, so he couldn't grab his new gun. His SOR-22, after only being used for target practice, had been honorably discharged before firing a single shot in a real mission. How could he not be angry?

"It's okay, I'll kill them for you."

Karl stood up. The RPG attack they had just suffered was not an isolated incident. In the continuous explosions, nearly a quarter of the mercenaries didn't even have a chance to escape, dying in the rocket barrage. The Arasaka security personnel, on the other hand, were unharmed. They were in the back, while the mercenaries' convoy in front took the brunt of the attack.

In the firelight of the explosions, Karl had already located the apartment from which the rocket had been fired.

Even though we weren't your primary target, and we were lucky enough to dodge it, you still deserve to die.

"Jack, Maine, take Oliver and find some safe cover to engage the enemy with the other mercenaries. I'll take care of the guys upstairs."

With those words, Karl charged towards the first floor of the apartment building. Watching his back, Maine understood why Karl had given the answer "you'll know when the fighting starts" when asked about his role in the team.

So this guy was a lone wolf.

The kind who commands while fighting solo.