45: Chapter 45 We're safe, for now.

Lin Yi drove the golden "galena," the roar of the engine echoing within the enclosed cabin, vibrating against one's heart until it felt numb.

The neon lights of Night City stretched into blurred bands of light as they sped backward on either side of his vision, like melted crayons.

With Bai Ze's assistance, he arrived at the crash site of the AV before Arasaka's search team.

The wreckage of the AV was still burning, billowing thick smoke.

V and Jackie had clearly experienced an unpleasant emergency landing, but fortunately, their mobility was unimpaired.

With a precise fishtail, Lin Yi drifted the car sideways, stopping exactly beside the two of them.

"Get in!"

Without any wasted words, V pulled open the door and slid into the passenger seat, her movements as sharp as ever, save for a scrape on her forehead.

Jackie, clutching that all-important metal case, squeezed into the back seat with a slight clumsiness after the adrenaline of the crash.

"Maldita sea, I almost turned into a roasted chicken..." Jackie spat, carefully placing the case beside him before lying on his side, using his body to shield it behind the rear of the car. "This is safer. This glass won't hold up against heavy fire, and I can keep an eye on what's behind us."

No sooner had he finished speaking, and before Lin Yi could reply, the vehicle's radar interface, connected to [Insight], flashed a bright warning.

In the distance behind them, several light points were closing in at high speed.

It was an Arasaka convoy, and not just one.

Like sharks that had caught the scent of blood, the cold Arasaka livery on their vehicles reflected a chilling luster under the neon lights.

"Arasaka hyenas, they got here fast!" Jackie gritted his teeth, poking half his head out of the back window.

"Hold on." Lin Yi's voice dropped, all distractions pushed from his mind.

He slammed the accelerator to the floor, and the "galena," like an enraged beast, unleashed even more power, darting into the endless stream of traffic.

The desperate chase had officially begun.

At this moment, Lin Yi had transformed into Night City's version of a getaway driver.

His hands moved rapidly across the steering wheel, every action precise and decisive.

[Insight] was running at full capacity, and in his vision, the entire road had become a three-dimensional track model.

The movement trajectories of the vehicles ahead, the gaps between lane changes, and even the minute changes in tire friction against the ground were all calculated and converted into optimal driving paths.

He drove the "galena" in a frenzy, weaving through the gaps in traffic, using inertia drifts and side drifts to hug the shadows of heavy trucks to avoid detection, while simultaneously using the buses running parallel to them as temporary cover.

With a sharp turn, he surged onto the intricate overpass, attempting to use the multi-layered structure of the interchange to shake off the pursuit.

He even intentionally pulled close to several vehicles of the same model with similar paint and livery, causing temporary confusion for the Arasaka convoy on both radar and visual identification.

However, the Arasaka pursuers were still like maggots on the bone, relying on their overwhelming numbers and backend traffic dispatch to eventually flank them after a few feints, gradually forming a pincer movement.

A ramp exit ahead was blocked by two Arasaka vehicles parked side-by-side, and in the rearview mirror, three more cars were locked onto them, their roof-mounted weapon platforms unfolding.

They were trapped!

"Damn it! They're trying to box us in!" roared Jackie, already raising the Copperhead he had grabbed from the trunk before getting in.

They couldn't force their way through, but if they got bogged down, more reinforcements would arrive within minutes.

A flash of determination crossed Lin Yi's eyes.

"Jackie, keep your head down! Don't give the enemy a chance, protect yourself!"

He shouted sternly while simultaneously sinking his consciousness into the neural interface.

Underneath his casing, the "red core" instantly shifted from a standby glimmer of starlight into a rushing river of molten gold! A massive load, far exceeding any previous computation, slammed into his nervous system like a high-voltage current.

"Activate [Lockdown]! Target: All pursuit vehicle drivers!"

Hum—

An invisible, terrifying wave targeting specific neural signals swept out from Lin Yi, rolling toward the Arasaka convoy ahead and behind.

There was no sound, no flash of light.

But the effect was immediate.

Those dozen or so Thrax vehicles that were biting down on their flanks suddenly seemed to collectively lose their souls while driving at high speed.

Steering wheels spun out of control, accelerators were released.

The leading car slammed into the right guardrail, the massive inertia causing it to flip and fly into the air, smashing violently into the second car!

Boom! Boom—!

A chain reaction erupted instantly!

The third car couldn't dodge in time and plowed head-on into the rolling wreckage ahead; the fourth, the fifth... in a high-speed pursuit, even the slightest mistake was fatal, let alone the collective, instantaneous paralysis of the drivers.

Violent collision sounds echoed one after another; metal twisted, glass shattered, and fireballs from exploding fuel tanks rose into the air!

In just a few seconds, the several pursuit convoys that had been so murderous just moments ago turned into piles of burning scrap metal, completely blocking the entire ramp exit. Following vehicles braked in panic, and a cacophony of blaring horns and crashes filled the air, traffic paralyzing instantly.

A path to survival had been forcibly opened by this terrifying and efficient strike.

But Lin Yi had also paid the price.

"Ugh..."

He groaned, feeling as if his brain had been thrown into a meat grinder.

This was likely the side effect of overloading [Lockdown], compounded by the cumulative fatigue from maintaining defenses and hacking the AV earlier, rushing back at him like a tsunami.

Intense pain, dizziness, and nausea surged over him like a mountain collapsing, the edges of his vision began to blacken, his hands gripping the steering wheel trembled uncontrollably, and the vehicle began to snake along the road.

"Lin Yi! What's wrong with you? Don't scare me!" V noticed his abnormality immediately.

"I... I can't..." Lin Yi's voice was incredibly weak, cold sweat instantly soaking his back. "V... you drive... I'll give directions..."

Without a moment's hesitation, V quickly unbuckled her seatbelt, and the moment Lin Yi managed to steady the car, the two completed a thrilling switch within the speeding cabin.

V gripped the steering wheel, her eyes instantly sharpening as she stabilized the vehicle once more.

Lin Yi slumped in the passenger seat, gasping for air, feeling the taste of rust with every breath.

He forced himself to concentrate his remaining mental energy, narrowing the scope of [Insight] to only path planning and obstacle warnings.

"Ahead... turn left... enter the underpass..." He closed his eyes, pointing forward, his voice intermittent. "Avoid... the main roads..."

V understood immediately, driving the "galena" like a slippery eel as it dove into the dimly lit underground parking lot.

Relying on her excellent driving skills, she navigated quickly through the complex parking structure, shaking off any potential pursuit.

In a remote corner on the lowest level of the parking lot, Lin Yi managed to point to an inconspicuous old sports coupe in Night City—a [mizutani shion]. "Switch... to this one..."

The three of them quickly transferred vehicles and the all-important Relic case.

With V driving this "new car," they slowly drove out of the parking lot, merging into the never-ending traffic of Night City. Maintaining a normal speed, they took a few large detours before finally heading toward Watson, to Misty's Esoterica.

The battered golden "galena" was temporarily abandoned in the dark parking lot, like a discarded, ornate shell, marking the temporary end of a thrilling escape, but a deeper crisis had already arrived.

Inside the other vehicle, there was silence, save for the steady hum of the engine.

Jackie carefully checked the Relic case, V focused on driving, while Lin Yi leaned back against the seat, his face pale as if he had just endured a soul-level torture.

We are safe, for now.