V stared at Yogan, stunned by the sobs in his voice.
"What do you mean, Arasaka...?"
A chill sank into V's chest as her mind flashed back to that mission from a few days ago.
Vina suddenly tapped V's shoulder and said urgently, "V, something's off. That little delivery truck behind us has been tailing us for at least two or three blocks. And every few streets, new cars join in and follow."
V checked the rearview mirror. Vina was right. That small delivery truck had indeed been behind them for quite a while. On top of that, a few of the cars cruising alongside them looked awfully familiar. Though those cars would sometimes turn off and take different roads, they'd somehow end up near them again.
"Shit!" V cursed and slammed the gas pedal. The car lurched forward, swerving across two lanes and diving into a side street, leaving behind a chorus of angry drivers honking and shouting.
The delivery truck that had been trailing them realized it had been spotted and floored the gas as well. It smashed a sedan that was blocking its way and barreled after them.
Those other "familiar" cars also surged forward, guns out the windows. Chaos erupted at the intersection as civilian drivers swerved wildly to avoid the sudden pursuit, colliding with barriers and each other.
Coming up on their current road, a box truck suddenly appeared, speeding toward them from the opposite direction. Spotting V's car, it veered sharply, trying to block their path.
"Don't worry about the glass—just shoot!" V barked at Vina, who was already rolling the window down.
Vina didn't hesitate. She drew her Prelude pistol, aimed at the swerving box truck, and fired. The bullet zipped through the windshield, striking the front tire mid-turn and sending the truck careening.
The sudden "assistance" from Vina sent the box truck spinning out of control. It crashed onto the sidewalk, scattering terrified pedestrians.
In the pursuing delivery truck, the Arasaka commander leading the capture operation barked orders into a comms system.
"Where the hell is the intercept team?! What are they doing?!"
"They failed, sir."
"Baka! Calculate their position!"
"They're heading toward Santo Domingo!"
"Then block them off ahead! Move!"
"Yes, sir!"
More vehicles joined the chase. The Arasaka agents in those cars stopped caring about subtlety, leaning out and opening fire at V's vehicle, trying to force them to stop.
The bullets weren't entirely ineffective. V's rear windshield and trunk were riddled with holes.
Some of the chasing cars managed to close in. But they didn't last long—Vina's deadly precision picked off their tires one by one. The cars either crashed into nearby buildings or slowed down dramatically.
Vina reloaded her empty weapon quickly and settled back in.
"V, can you make this thing go any faster?"
"I'm already pushing it. Too many damn cars on the road—and this piece of junk can only do so much."
"This won't work. There's more and more of them piling up."
"You got a better idea?"
"I do."
V gave her a nod. Vina grabbed the steering wheel and slid over into V's lap, taking over the driving.
The car immediately responded with sharper turns and smoother weaving. Under her control, it darted through traffic like a fish through water. Vehicles she slipped past became new obstacles for their pursuers, slowing them down further.
The Arasaka fleet didn't bother weaving anymore. Desperate not to lose their targets, they began ramming civilian vehicles out of the way.
Several armored Regalia Emperors took point, plowing through traffic with their massive steel bodies, smashing everything in their path.
The price of this recklessness was high. Civilians were caught in the chaos, injured or worse as their cars were tossed aside like toys.
Watching the destruction in the rearview mirror, Vina's brow furrowed in frustration.
Then—slam!—a sharp drift. Their car flipped around, now driving in reverse, facing the oncoming Arasaka convoy head-on.
"Wait, Vina, you—"
Bang!
Two gunshots rang out.
The two leading Regalia Emperors suddenly swerved violently, slamming into each other. The chaos rippled backward—cars behind them crashed as they failed to dodge the wreck.
A pileup ensued. One crash after another as Arasaka vehicles slammed into the mangled wreckage ahead.
But not all gave up. A few cars still maneuvered through the chaos, determined not to let their prey escape.
Bang!
Two more chasing vehicles collided after Vina's next shots.
Bang!
Another pair of Emperors smashed into each other, causing more carnage. The front line of the Arasaka convoy was now a twisted mass of steel and glass, blocking the path for the rest.
With the chase temporarily stalled, Vina spun the car back around with another expert drift.
"V?" she asked.
"I'm here."
"You know any side routes around here? That stunt just bought us a little time, but not much."
As they rounded a corner, V pointed to a narrow alley. "There. We can hide out there for now."
Vina pulled a flawless drift again, sliding the car into the shadows of the alley without a scratch. The two of them jumped out, weapons drawn, ready for a fight.
But they both knew—this trick wouldn't hold off a megacorp like Arasaka for long.
Sure enough, the convoy soon caught up. V and Vina prepared for a shootout.
But... the Arasaka vehicles didn't stop.
They sped past the alley without even slowing down.
"…?" V blinked. There was no way a simple hiding trick fooled them. Not Arasaka.
Suddenly, her phone rang.
Before she could even reach for it, the call picked up on its own.
A cold, familiar female voice spoke through the speaker. "Go to this address. I've disabled the surveillance cameras. Move fast."
"Wait, you—"
The call cut off.
Just the long "beep" of a terminated line remained.
"Damn it, not this again," V muttered, clearly agitated.
Vina looked over and asked, "Who was that?"
"Someone... troublesome. And someone who solves trouble. Remember that mess on Crescent Street I told you about? She's the one who pulled me and Yogan out of there. But she works for Arasaka. And the people chasing us now? They're Arasaka too. I think we're about to get caught up in something seriously messed up again."
"What do we do? Do we follow her instructions?"
V opened the car door. "What choice do we have? As things stand, we're probably already flagged on Arasaka's citywide wanted list. Let's check it out—maybe there's still a way out of this mess."