Chapter 2: Chapter 2
The three of them got in the car, and the doors closed with a thud.
For some reason, Luo Qi suddenly felt like they were setting off to fight monsters, and an adventure was about to begin.
The radio was praising military technology and, by the way, complimenting the drained employees on their remaining value.
It was so hypocritical that it was nauseating, but Luo Qi found it interesting and refreshing.
"Are the documents for passing the checkpoint all prepared?" V asked.
"Of course, they are! Didn't the middleman ever assign you any tasks?" Jack replied confidently.
"He did."
"Listen, friend, we're all professionals, right?"
Sitting in the back seat, Luo Qi found it funny watching Jack, the "smuggling rookie," trying to act like a seasoned veteran.
Oh no, he was one of them too.
Now, Luo Qi wasn't sitting behind a screen but in the back seat of this car.
This meant that if anything went wrong, he wouldn't be able to escape and wouldn't have a chance to try again.
The smile on the corner of his mouth suddenly disappeared.
"Um, ah, have you, run this kind of smuggling route before?" Jack hesitated.
"Why, are you nervous?" V asked calmly.
"Me? Ja, por favor (Ha, please)," Jack laughed, then admitted, "Alright, maybe a little."
Luo Qi covered his forehead, his heart pounding faster once again.
This was bad. With rookies crossing the border and military technology chasing them, things were about to get messy.
How could he have forgotten this?
Now, he didn't mind the cliché of a mandatory system for traversing. He just hoped that some "Wind Spirit Moon Shadow" or something else would be sent to him urgently to break the experience. No one dared to risk their life to verify if they could reload after dying.
Unfortunately, it seemed that God didn't have a VPN for cross-server chatting. Luo Qi didn't receive any response from his prayers, nor was there a "Newbie Gift Package" lying around waiting for him to open it, making him feel like a poor traveler.
As the city approached, more and more things began to appear along the roadside.
There were billboards marked "CHOOH2," burning tires, and even a few closed shops located in garbage dumps, serving unknown purposes.
The border of Night City was up ahead, and behind the concrete pillars, many people in military uniforms appeared.
"Who are all these people?" Luo Qi asked.
"Ha? Ha, you mean these?" Jack paused for a moment, then said sheepishly, "NCPD border guards."
NCPD, Night City Police Department, the world's least police-like police.
"Hey, we're about to cross the border, what do we do?" Jack asked nervously, gripping his thigh.
"Not much. They'll scan us and check our documents," V said helplessly. "I'll deal with them when the time comes."
The car slowly entered the border passage and approached a checkpoint called "Customs Declaration."
Luo Qi looked at the guards with rifles up ahead, swallowed, and stared intently at the cold metal - those were real weapons capable of killing, and this was his first time seeing them in person.
His heart raced uncontrollably. He found his muscles stiffening, his nerves frayed.
The car stopped at the checkpoint, and the dog head ornament above the steering wheel wobbled. The menacing-looking chibi dog now seemed cute compared to the guards outside.
"Please drive your vehicle to the inspection area."
A car in front drove away, the roadblock lowered, and the impatient voice from the broadcast came on.
"Please remain in your vehicle. The safety inspection will begin shortly."
Luo Qi slowly exhaled, and Jack and V exchanged glances. "Why do I feel like we're in for some trouble..."
"They'll be able to tell if you're nervous, you know," V advised. "Take a deep breath, relax, and give me the declaration form. They'll want to see it."
Jack took out a black, hard plastic sheet and handed it to V.
[L·O·A]
Luo Qi saw these big letters on the header.
Below was a smaller line of text.
Lost on arrival
"I see it says LOA, great..." V sighed.
"What does that mean?" Jack asked hastily.
"It means 'lost upon arrival,' as in, the goods will be 'lost' as soon as they cross the border," V explained.
"Ah, so they'll know we're smuggling," Jack's expression stiffened.
"They'll know soon enough," V, more experienced than Jack, seemed much more natural.
Just then, the announcement continued.
"Vehicle owners in the inspection area need to submit to further questioning."
"Ah... Chingada madre (What now?)..."
Jack nervously spoke in his native language.
"Don't worry, this is all routine, everything is going according to plan," V reassured the newcomer, feeling a little frustrated.
"Hey, it seems you're quite familiar with all this, huh?" Seeing V's calm demeanor, Jack grasped at the straw.
"To get the checkpoint to turn a blind eye to our suspicious documents, we need to offer some tribute," V said. "Where's the money chip?"
"Oh... right. Haha, I almost forgot." Jack hastily pulled out the chip from his pocket and handed it to V with an awkward smile.
"Yes, you did," V took the chip and waved it at Jack.
Then, he opened the door and got out of the car.
"Haha, ah, haha... Is your friend angry?" Jack laughed awkwardly, watching V enter the customs building, and then turned to the quiet Luo Qi in the back seat.
"Maybe, but now is not the time to worry about that, Jack," Luo Qi said with a wry smile.
"Thanks to you guys... you know, I'm still..."
"To be honest, it's my first time too, and I might be even more nervous than you right now," Luo Qi said, rubbing his face and taking deep breaths.
"?Dios mío! (Oh my God!)" Jack slapped himself in the face.
"I won't turn off the engine just in case we need to make a run for it," Jack said nervously.
"Just do it." V lowered his voice and hurried towards the building before attracting the guards' attention, glancing at Luo Qi in the back seat as he left.
...
After a while, V came out of the building.
Jack was already anxiously waiting in the driver's seat and quickly got into the car as soon as he saw V.
"What's the situation inside?"
Luo Qi saw V's face looking grim, "I'll tell you later, we need to get out of here fast."
His heart suddenly started pounding, as if he had hit his head against a wall.
"Shit, get ready to run, don't ask why," Luo Qi hurriedly urged Jack to drive. "Don't take the main road! Can we go somewhere else?"
"Don't scare me," Jack grimaced. "There are roadblocks on both sides, we can only go straight."
"Hey, what's the situation inside? Can you tell me?"
"I have a bad feeling," V looked pale, especially after hearing that Luo Qi had the same feeling.
Jack gripped the steering wheel, his tone becoming more and more uncertain, "Oh... do you often have these feelings?"
"Just drive, Jack, just drive," V comforted him, not knowing what else to say.
As they left the checkpoint, Jack quickly noticed movement on the dark road ahead.
"There are people coming this way, and I don't think they're friendly."
At that moment, something in Luo Qi's brain seemed to be triggered, "Quick! Turn, from the side..."
But it was too late.
"Stop your vehicle immediately!!!"
Two armored SUVs blocked the road in front of them.
V's pupils shrank instantly, and he shouted, "Quick! Retreat now!"
The company's pursuers were already on their tail even before they could reach the first turn to escape!
Jack quickly turned the steering wheel, and the car veered off the road and downhill to the left.
Ahead was a large area of white-lit greenhouses.
"The goods you are transporting are company property, and you are suspected of smuggling!" The voice of a woman through an electronic amplifier was distorted but colder, "I'll repeat - stop the vehicle immediately!"
"Damn!" As the pursuers closed in from behind, V pulled out his revolver, leaned out the window, and began shooting.
"Jack! Keep the car steady!" Luo Qi yelled.
"Watch out!"
Jack steered the car into the glowing pointed roof greenhouses, speeding through the narrow passages.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!!!"
Several stray bullets flew past the car from behind.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!"
Luo Qi, who had never seen a real gun, let alone this kind of firepower, shrank under the car seat.
It was the only thing he could think of doing under high pressure.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone