When the familiar sight came into view, the panic-stricken Maelstrom members lit up with expressions of utter relief.
"We made it! Fucking finally, we're saved!"
The voice was hoarse—probably from all the shouting earlier.
Relief quickly gave way to exhaustion. Their bodies slumped, muscles going limp and heavy.
"Open up! I know you're in there! If you don't open this fucking gate, I'm gonna die out here!"
They pounded furiously on the door. The makeshift gate was hammered together from scrap metal—barely more than a token barrier. In terms of defense, a minefield would've been more effective. But it worked well enough as a warning line.
Yet at this moment, that flimsy sheet of metal gave them a deep, indescribable sense of security.
"Haa… haa… F-finally… we're fucking back…!"
One Maelstrom leaned against the wall, panting like a bellows, about to pass out. His comrades stared at him, confused and worried.
"What the hell happened? You got spotted by corp forces?"
The ones who had stayed behind eyed the survivors with suspicion. After a quick headcount, one of them blurted, "Why are there so few of you!? Where's the rest!? What the fuck happened!?"
Shit. Don't tell me they got played.
That was everyone's first thought.
After all, they'd used the same tactic on the Aldecaldos before—setting up decoy cargo supposedly dropped from a corp convoy to lure them in.
Like the Badlands saying goes: the desert isn't full of opportunity—but it's packed with danger and traps.
Sunrise and sunset. People come, people go. The fighting never ends.
Outsiders only see its desolate beauty. Only those who live here know the hidden stories buried in its endless sandstorms.
"You're throwing all these questions at me—how the fuck am I supposed to answer!?"
Still catching his breath, one survivor snapped. "What goddamn convoy!? The place was already stripped clean when we got there! And before we could leave—fucking MaxTac showed up!!"
"MaxTac—!?"
That sent a jolt through the crowd. Their eyes went wide.
"What the fuck did you idiots do!? You brought MaxTac to our doorstep!?"
"How the hell should I know!?"
They'd been chased like dogs, lost brothers, almost died—and now they were getting grilled by people who didn't know the first thing about what happened. The guy's voice rose in frustration, eyes brimming with anger.
"Respect Logistics convoy. Those psycho Aldecaldos wiped out everyone. If we hadn't run like hell, we'd be next. Corp units are gonna be here any second now!"
His voice cracked, as if about to cry.
Of course, Maelstrom had never shown mercy during ambushes. Their bullets never had eyes, and their knives didn't know restraint.
Leave survivors? For what—testimony?
Unlike nomads, Maelstrom never left anyone alive.
They knew the risks. That's why they ran fast.
But today, someone beat them to the punch—and ran them straight into MaxTac.
Couldn't get any worse.
"MaxTac was fucking insane today—just two of them! On bikes! I don't even know how they got out here from the city so fast!"
The survivor was almost choking on his words now.
They might've suspected the Aldecaldo message was fake—but they never imagined those two MaxTac agents had set them up from the start.
Being hunted by MaxTac across the Badlands? That's a horror story no one wants—normal or not.
"You didn't bring them back here, did you!?"
That sent a ripple of panic through the group.
Some scrambled up to the lookout posts and scanned the horizon.
Nothing. Just desert.
"No, no, we lost 'em ages ago…" the guy waved a hand. "Their bikes are too damn heavy—useless off-road. We ditched 'em real easy."
Still, something felt off.
These MaxTac guys weren't normal.
Weird. Way too weird.
…
Roughly a kilometer away, on a small hill beside the Maelstrom hideout, Roqi lay flat on the ground, his six external optical eyes spinning nonstop.
MaxTac gear, normally sleek and terrifying, now looked like something out of a guerrilla movie.
He wrinkled his nose, mouth half-open, nodding as he observed enemy movements—like some low-budget revolutionary leader.
"Yō~shi, enemy careless, now they all die-die, yes yes."
He mimicked Takemura's sushi-shop accent, grinning with a cartoonish chuckle.
Smack!
Mower finally lost patience and smacked him on the ass.
"Alert—rear unit under attack! Apologies! I was wrong!"
Roqi barely finished his robot voice before spotting Mower's death glare.
Normally she smacked his face or his ribs—but he was in full body armor, so his ass was the only vulnerable part left.
Roqi's nonsense always lightened the tension, but Mower just couldn't help smacking him around.
"Alright. Showtime."
Roqi checked the system clock and radioed Dallas. "Where are you? What's the status on the corp units?"
"Got the Maelstrom coordinates. We're three klicks out. Corp forces are right behind us—what's the plan?"
Dallas's voice was calm as ever, even on the razor's edge. Roqi couldn't help but respect that.
"I'm sending new coordinates—there's a path next to the Maelstrom hideout. Cut through it and get on Route 24. From there, it's a straight shot to Rocky Ridge."
He tagged the route and sent it over.
The Maelstrom base used to be a hillside power station. Power lines got rerouted years ago, so it was abandoned.
The terrain was flat. Every road eventually led back to a main route.
Isolated, but not cut off. Plenty of space.
For cyber-nomads like Maelstrom, it was prime real estate.
With everything lined up, Roqi exchanged a glance with Mower.
"Calling HQ. Unit MT-R11M 'Lucky.' Maelstrom hideout located. Requesting air support. Over."
The smart system auto-packaged the coordinates, visuals, and enemy strength into a report and sent it to base.
Maximum resource efficiency.
"Copy. Target assessment complete. Two Medusas en route. Good luck to the enemy. Out."
The officer on the line sounded strict—but Roqi caught the smug glee in his voice.
That "watch the bastards get lit up" glee.
But Roqi didn't care.
MaxTac was full of lunatics anyway.
Like Alex Murphy—the guy with the polished black helmet. Always grinning like a maniac.
That creepy smile was scarier than silence.
Anyway…
"Damn… two Medusas? They trying to flatten the whole place?"
Roqi clicked his tongue.
[Militech Medusa – Heavy Combat Drone]
Militech's Medusa was a top-tier war drone. A Zeta Octant on steroids. The so-called "Zeta Sextant" was just a poor man's rival.
But "rival" was wishful thinking. Medusas cost twice as much—and hit twice as hard.
MaxTac might've been short on gunships, but they never ran out of drones.
If money fixes it, it ain't a real problem.
Why's Pacifica been quiet all these years? If the new punks knew how MaxTac mopped the floor back in the day, they'd stay the hell down.
As for Maelstrom? Just noisy roaches. Deploying a Medusa in the city for them? Would make the mayor have a stroke.
MaxTac didn't answer to NCPD—but even they threw the city council a bone now and then.
Two Medusas, though?
Maelstrom was fucked.
Then a dust cloud rose from the hillside—Dallas's convoy, spray-painted chaos and mismatched styles. Classic Maelstrom camouflage.
"They're here!"
"I see you—head to the coordinates. See that red metal pole? Drive that way!"
Roqi spoke into the mic, excitement in his voice.
"Got it!"
Dallas's convoy shifted formation—from scattered to two tight lines, front to back.
Even the Maelstroms in the base were too stunned to react.
"Drop!"
On Dallas's command, the two lines looped around either side of the power station—throwing out bags from their windows as they passed.
Before the Maelstrom could figure out what was happening, the convoy was gone—disappearing into the desert.
They were stunned.
At first, they thought it was MaxTac. Then they thought it was corp forces. Then—maybe—other Maelstrom crews.
Whoever they were, they'd dropped a bunch of weird shit around the base—then vanished.
Only the dust and a mess of tire tracks remained.
And then—
Another convoy appeared.
Armored vehicles. Combat drones. Respect Logistics logos.
Corp reinforcements.
Even from a kilometer away, Roqi saw the Maelstrom hideout explode into chaos.
And that wasn't all.
"Detonate, Dallas."
Roqi snapped his fingers into the comms.
As the corp vehicles approached the hideout—boom.
Chain detonations erupted.
Those bags? Pre-set plastique charges.
The blasts tore up Maelstrom's outer defenses—and lit fires under the corp convoy.
This was gasoline on a wildfire.
Corp troops had followed the tire tracks, maybe suspecting something—but once those bombs went off?
They had no choice. The fight was on.
Each side thought the other had attacked first.
Now they couldn't stop—even if they wanted to.
And Dallas?
Already gone.
"Yeah, that's it! Hit 'em again!"
"What the fuck's that cannon for!? Blow their damn gate down!"
"Drone strike—lay down fire! You got white phosphorus? Napalm? Dump it all!"
Roqi's face lit up like a kid at a fireworks show. He looked like he was watching a bloodsport finals match. All he needed was beer, peanuts, and popcorn.
He grinned like Commander Li—wide and shameless.
If you want to see chaos, you root for both sides to burn.
That's Roqi for you.
"..."
Mower was speechless. But the absurd brawl unfolding below…
Even she couldn't help laughing.
Then she glanced at Roqi's smug profile—and burst out laughing too.
They didn't look like masterminds basking in victory.
They looked like two idiots who just pulled off a prank.
In Night City, true joy is rare.
But watching scumbags eat each other alive—while sitting beside someone you trust?
It felt fucking amazing.
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🤖💘 MY GIRLFRIEND'S A CYBERPSYCHO—WHO KNEW? 💘🤖
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📢 LOVE MEETS CYBERPSYCHOSIS! 📢
My Girlfriend's a Cyberpsycho—Who Knew? has 100+ chapters ahead available on Patreon! 💘💥
Romance is already complicated.
Now add:
🌃 Night City
🦾 Cyberware
🔫 Gunfights
💀 Cyberpsychosis
💥 Property damage
❤️ And a girlfriend who might snap at any moment
Love hurts.
In this case, it might also come with bullets, broken walls, and emergency trauma care.
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🛑 ALSO AVAILABLE ON PATREON:
🌃 Cyberpunk: Dogtown Legend
🔥 Cyberpunk: The Relentless
👩👦 Cyberpunk: Lucy Adopted Me and I Got a System
🧠 My Cyberpunk 2077 Simulator
🛡️ Star Wars: The Rise of Mandalore
🌌 Star Wars: Relics of the Past
🏰 Game of Thrones: Secrets Beneath the Dreadfort
⚡ The Rebirth of Harry Potter
🌹 R18: Reincarnated in Her World
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