There were 56 armed vehicles, 12 of them Nomad cars.
They had never planned to run the entire course, or even make it to the next section. So when the sandstorm came, their instincts, honed in the Badlands, had already caught the scent of danger.
Haboob was a terrifying storm. Even though they knew the Badlands well, Haboob rarely moved deep into Night City, and they weren't crazy enough to risk their lives on a restricted road in the middle of a storm like this.
So when the storm came, they left the track early. Drawing on their excellent experience, they followed the edge of the storm at even greater speed, reaching their designated position in time to lure away Militech's forces as planned.
Some might ask: was this really necessary?
Of course it was. You had to leave yourself some room to maneuver. That was also why big corporations liked hiring Lier.
The reality was a little hard for the Aldecaldos to believe:
Taking the longer route had increased the distance, but somehow they'd gone faster.
And they didn't even have to fight. Their starting position was already very close to the front, yet they had nearly failed to reach the point where they needed to lure Militech away-
Lier and the others were just too fast.
If they hadn't made it in time, Lier might have ended up fighting Militech's forces.
"Damn shame." Panam sat in the car, watching Militech's armored vehicles behind them with regret.
She wanted to race, too. She wanted to make it to the finish.
But the Aldecaldos weren't Night City locals, driven mad by the place, and they weren't too attached to winning or losing.
"Focus. It may be a performance, but that's still Militech," Thor's voice came over the radio.
"Ha, now