Gearbound: Cyberpunk 2077

New USA had attempted to seize the city and bring Night City back under its control.

It was Mayor Rhyne who had "led" the citizens in a courageous resistance, with the crucial assistance of an aircraft carrier borrowed from Arasaka (the true deciding factor). 

Only then did they manage to beat back the New USA forces and preserve Night City's independence. 

Because of that event, Rhyne had managed to pull off an eleventh-hour reversal in the last election—he regained a majority of support and secured another term. 

Now, in six months, Night City would hold another mayoral election. 

This time, the New USA army wouldn't be swooping in to "help" him. 

What was more, a rising political star named Jefferson Peralez had appeared. 

Either on TV talk shows like *Late Night Chat* or out in the streets, Peralez kept making headlines. 

Even the checkpoint chief had to admit that Peralez's oratory skills were remarkably persuasive and stirring. 

The chief's own family planned to vote for Peralez. 

Peralez's surge posed a serious threat, one that shook Rhyne's foundation. That explained why Mayor Rhyne insisted on destroying the All Foods factory. 

If he managed to wipe out a major drug operation—a big one—during his term, it would be a significant achievement. 

It could sway numerous votes. 

The checkpoint chief, not wanting to give up so easily, considered a new angle. He had some dirt on Rhyne—should he use it to threaten the mayor into changing his mind? 

Yet he quickly realized that if he pulled down someone else's pants, his own would get yanked off too. Besides, Rhyne would never tolerate someone sabotaging his reelection campaign. 

After weighing the pros and cons, the chief saw no better option and grudgingly let it go.

…

In the northern part of Watson, on the overpass overlooking the All Foods factory:

Leo and V sat inside the car, while Jackie leaned over the guardrail. 

After returning from Santo Domingo, the three had grabbed a bite at a roadside stall, then driven straight here. 

On the way, Leo had explained the plan to Jackie. 

In simple terms, they would deliberately set up the All Foods truck, luring the NCPD into coming down hard on the factory. 

Jackie had flatly refused to believe it. 

He had grown up in that dump and knew all too well how the NCPD operated. 

They usually just took such chances to extort and threaten Maelstrom at All Foods, forcing them to hand over a cut of their Glitter profits. 

Why on earth would they send an entire task force to attack? 

Had he ever seen a white-winged crow?

Jackie came over to the car window. 

"Hey, Leo, how much longer are we hanging around? They're not coming." 

"They will," Leo said. "Have a little patience, Jackie." 

Jackie exhaled, falling silent. Yet his restless bouncing leg and the look on his face betrayed his anxiety. 

Sensing it, Leo suddenly had an idea. "Wanna make a bet, Jackie?" 

"A bet on what?" he asked, interested. 

"If you win, I'll cover your booze for a month." 

"Leo, you worked hard for that cash…" 

"Doesn't matter—I can always earn more." 

"Well, in that case…hehe, Leo, you'll regret this." Jackie rubbed his hands, already picturing days filled with endless free alcohol. 

Leo could guess exactly what was running through Jackie's head, judging by his excited grin, but he let it be. 

"So if you lose," Leo continued, "then what?" 

"Lose? Impossible," Jackie scoffed. "Not happening." 

He felt supremely confident. Leo was a Nomad who had only just arrived in Night City. Did he really know more than a local like Jackie? Ridiculous. 

"Nobody knows the NCPD better than me," he declared. "If I lose, I'll eat that laptop of yours right here." 

The moment those words left his mouth, sirens began wailing below. 

Police cruisers roared in, heading straight for the All Foods factory. Dozens of them—maybe the entire local NCPD force. 

They split into two groups: one rushed the front entrance, the other moved around the back. 

Numerous cops with bulletproof vests and assault weapons piled out, using their cars as cover while surrounding the factory. 

Behind the police cars came several black vans. On arrival, nobody got out—rather, the sides of the vans unfolded like blooming flowers. 

Emerging from them were bipedal mechs, purchased at great cost from Militech—towering three to five meters tall, jet-black metal radiating cold menace. 

"Fire in the hole!" 

The mechs launched grenades, blasting open the All Foods gates. 

"Go, go, go!" 

In a tidal surge, officers poured inside, colliding with Maelstrom's defenders in a fierce firefight. Even from a distance, the roar of gunfire and the glare of muzzle flashes reached them loud and clear. 

But the NCPD had proper mechs, plus grenades and Gatling guns that never let up. Maelstrom's lack of heavy firepower proved fatal. Even with their drug-fueled recklessness, they took catastrophic losses. 

From the overpass, Jackie stared, dumbstruck. 

No way could he have imagined the NCPD morphing into this kind of brutal strike force. Had they taken the wrong pills? 

…

Meanwhile, Brick and a handful of lieutenants barely escaped via a hidden tunnel. 

Luckily for them, the tunnel exit led to a different street next to the All Foods factory—NCPD had the factory fully surrounded, but not this spot. 

They scrambled into an escape car, speeding toward Maelstrom's other stronghold, The Totentanz. 

Inside, Brick pounded his fist against the window, furious. 

He paid the NCPD a fortune every month. So why the hell were they trashing his operation? 

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Finally, he called one of his contacts in the NCPD. 

That was how he learned that it started when the driver delivering All Foods products got busted at the border checkpoint, and everything spiraled from there. 

Apparently, the NCPD's chief had planned to approach Brick more diplomatically, but the mayor's orders had left him no choice. 

The NCPD chief wasn't like the checkpoint supervisor, who reported to Militech and might humor the mayor only out of courtesy. If push came to shove, that supervisor would take the corp's side over City Hall's. 

But the NCPD chief belonged directly to the municipal government and wouldn't dare ignore Mayor Rhyne's demands—especially not now, when the mayor was in the spotlight. 

Finished with the call, Brick growled, "Who hired that driver again?" 

A henchman beside him replied, "Kirk, that worthless fixer from Heywood." 

"Figures! I knew that bastard was trouble. Kirk, huh? He's a dead man!" 

His spider-like cyberoptic eyes glowed menacing red. 

…

"All right, show's over," Leo said as the gunfire from All Foods gradually died down. "Let's head back and tell Pepe the good news. He won't need to worry about Kirk anymore." 

Leo figured the fight inside was more or less done. The NCPD had come in force with mechs, surprising everyone. All Foods was a place for processing food and Glitter, not a fortress. They never stood a chance. 

From Jackie, Leo had learned the broad strokes of Night City's gang territories. He knew All Foods fell under Brick. In other words, Brick was Kirk's employer. 

Leo wasn't too concerned about whether Brick died in the raid. Even if Brick was killed, someone else would take over. 

In any case, Kirk had let down not only Brick but the entire Maelstrom crew. This wasn't the kind of grudge that disappeared just because a new leader stepped in.