Cyberpunk: I'm Not a Scavenger - Chapter 49: Ambush (Patreon)

Pantheon had no intention of letting Saisel keep talking. He seized the Wraith by the neck with one hand and lifted him into the air.

Saisel thrashed wildly, his metal hands clawing at Pantheon's grip.

Come on, buddy. You can fight me all you like, but at least let me breathe!

When Saisel's tongue was hanging out and his eyes were about to roll back, Pantheon finally released him. He hit the ground and gulped down air between involuntary spasms.

He'd barely recovered his senses when Pantheon hoisted him up again. The suffocating terror of approaching death shattered what little resistance he had left. He wet himself on the spot.

“I'll talk! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!”

Pantheon dropped him with a disgusted look, feeling as though even his hands had been contaminated.

“I ask, you answer. If I hear one thing I don't like, I'll make you lick up every last bit of that filth you just left on the ground!”

“Now, where's your camp?”

“A-at an abandoned gas station near the junction of Highways I-7 and I-6.”

“How many of you?”

“A dozen or so.”

“Liar.”

Pantheon drew his gun and pointed it straight at Saisel's crotch.

“I'll give you one more chance to think about your answer.”

“The boss made us split up! I don't know where the others went!”

Saisel rattled off the words as fast as he could, terrified that a moment's hesitation would cost him his precious little brother.

“What about the cargo you stole?”

“I don't know that either! The boss made every group take a separate cargo truck! I don't even know if ours has what you're looking for!”

Pantheon frowned and glanced at Panam. Only after she nodded did he finally leave Saisel alone. The Wraith opened his mouth to say something else, then passed out.

“You know where that gas station is?”

“Sure. It's not exactly hard to find.”

Panam pulled a coil of rope from the vehicle, tied Saisel up, and stuffed him into the trunk.

“Think he was lying?” Pantheon asked, rubbing his chin.

Panam gave him a baffled look, as though she couldn't believe he'd asked.

“Fuck, have you been watching too many stupid braindances? You seriously think Wraiths have any loyalty? That they wouldn't sell out their own people?”

“Wraiths are scum. They're the worst outcasts from every clan, all gathered in one place.”

Pantheon's mouth twitched. He wasn't worried about loyalty. He was wondering whether the Wraiths' boss had set a trap for them.

Forget it. There was no point explaining.

He shook his head and got back into the truck. The two vehicles set off toward the location Saisel had given them, their tires throwing gravel into the air and leaving long trails of dust behind.

...

The wheels rolled over a dry riverbed, kicking up clouds of yellow sand. Panam turned the wheel and parked behind an enormous weathered boulder.

“The abandoned gas station he mentioned is just up ahead.”

She cut the engine and pulled a fearsome-looking sniper rifle from the back seat.

“Those bastards are hiding in there. Want to sneak up on them, or should we wait for your backup?”

“What's the rush? I'll scout the place first.”

Pantheon opened the door, letting the hot, dusty Badlands wind rush into the cabin. He couldn't help taking another look at the massive rifle in Panam's hands. What man could resist a weapon like that?

“The Wraiths managed to hijack a corporate shipment. They can't all be complete idiots. If we charge straight in, we might end up walking into a minefield.”

Panam pursed her lips but didn't argue.

“Wait here. I'll be back soon.”

Pantheon headed toward an abandoned high-voltage transmission tower nearby. The old structure stood dozens of meters tall, its steel frame speckled with rust but still sturdy enough to climb. Thick power cables hung from the top, their black insulation split open where thieves had stripped out every bit of valuable metal.

He climbed the maintenance ladder hand over hand, reaching the platform near the top in no time. From there, the view stretched all the way to the vast cybernetic metropolis on the horizon.

Pantheon shifted his attention to the gas station. With his cybernetic eye's tenfold optical zoom, the entire compound looked close enough to touch.

The place was badly run down. Half the roof had collapsed, strange graffiti covered several fuel pumps, and the convenience store's broken windows littered the ground with glass. Figures were moving inside.

Behind the building stood three heavily modified Mizutani Shion "Coyote" cars, surrounding an enormous high-acceleration freight truck.

Pantheon raised an eyebrow and kept scanning. Switching his cybernetic eye to thermal imaging revealed how the Wraiths had prepared their defenses.

The road leading in was riddled with potholes. He couldn't tell whether they'd formed naturally or been dug on purpose. Some were empty, while others concealed landmines. It was hard to distinguish one from the other.

There were twelve Wraiths in total. Two kept watch on the roof, another crouched in the grass outside, and the rest had gathered inside the station, apparently grilling meat.

“Can you take out the heavy machine gun on the second floor?”

Pantheon shared his marked map with Panam over their comms.

“Shit, these Wraiths are loaded! Three Mizutani Shions! Where the hell did they get those?”

Panam sounded furious. Evidently, her attention had settled on something quite different from his.

“So what if I can? You're not planning to rush in there alone, are you?”

“Why not?”

For a moment, Panam didn't know what to say.

“What the hell are you thinking? Are you crazy? Get back here!”

Her voice shot up an octave.

“It's just a few scumbags. I don't need anyone else.”

The comms fell silent for several seconds. Then Panam erupted.

“Fuck! You stupid city boy! If you've got a death wish, don't drag me into it!”

She kept cursing, but her hands were already moving. She kicked open the door, grabbed her rifle, scrambled onto higher ground, and settled into a firing position.

“If you die, don't expect me to collect your body!”

“Relax. I'm pretty strong.”

Pantheon reassured her, climbed down the tower, and began making his way toward the station along the winding riverbed.

The afternoon sun was pleasantly warm, enough to make a man drowsy. Two Wraith underlings wandered around on the roof, looking more like they were out for a stroll than standing guard.

“Fuck, I want some barbecue too! Why'd I get stuck up here on watch?”

“Quit whining. Save your breath. If Frankie hears you, he'll stick you in the grass to stare at cockroaches.”

“Who's going to show up in a shithole like this any...”

Before the man could finish, his head exploded. His companion stared in stunned disbelief.

“Whoa. Nice shot.”

Pantheon set down the corpse he'd been carrying and offered the compliment.

His powerful legs drove him forward. More than ten meters vanished in the blink of an eye as he charged toward the gas station.

“Hahaha! Surprise, motherfuckers!”

Two fragmentation grenades flew from his hands into the panicking crowd.

BOOM!

The blast instantly cleared a wide area.