At the North Watson blockade, the NCPD had, as usual, received orders to establish a periter. Heavy armored vehicles and police drones were already in place.
But they hadn't been given clearance to go in.
As expected, the Counterterrorism Unit would intervene first. Once they took down the biggest threats, the NCPD would move in to clean up.
River stood in front of the vehicle, his uniform now adorned with an extra stripe—promoted from detective to sergeant.
The journey had been complicated, but overall, River's pursuit of the Tyger Claws cri syndicate had led to the capture of a high-ranking boss, Jotaro Shobo, and exposed widespread corruption within the departnt.
If he had played his cards right, he could have leveraged this for an even bigger promotion. A few months' salary, a loan, and a visit to the commissioner, and he could've rocketed up to inspector.
Because of this, his old partner, Han, was currently sulking inside the car.
A minor rank increase, with almost no change in his position.
"Sigh, all because soone's too thickheaded. The best opportunity just slipped by!"
"And now, here we are, stuck watching the Maelstrom gang's shootout—no, wait, it's a full-blown artillery battle now. Poor old , I just hope I don't get taken out by stray bullets!"
River crossed his arms and sighed. "Can you be serious for once? You've been going on about this forever."
"And why shouldn't I? A chance like this won't co again anyti soon. Maybe if we catch a lizard man or sothing, you'll get another shot! But knowing you, even if we did, you'd probably just get a half-rank increase!"
River glanced at Han, then took a few steps forward, putting more distance between them.
Seeing this, Han raised his voice and kept grumbling.
"So people just never care about promotions..."
River approached a young officer on duty. While his position hadn't changed, his new rank ant he had a few subordinates now.
Rookies.
This one was particularly young, fresh out of the academy. His bulletproof vest, Tsunami Arms rifle, and police cap were all in perfect order—just like their owner.
Seeing River approach, the rookie imdiately moved his rifle to his side and saluted.
"At ease. No need for that out here."
"Understood, sir!"
The rookie held his rifle across his chest again. River looked at him, wanting to say sothing but hesitating—especially when he noticed Han watching him with amusent.
He had been just like this once.
And yeah, it did look kinda dumb in hindsight.
"Smoke?" River pulled out a pack of cigarettes, but the rookie shook his head. "Good. Elmar, right? Kind of a tricky na."
"Used to be an investigator, huh? Requested a transfer? What, didn't like it over there?"
A shadow crossed Elmar's otherwise bright expression. He nodded. "Wasn't allowed to investigate anything. Figured I'd be better off patrolling the streets."
River saw even more of himself in the kid.
Not that it would make a difference.
They weren't allowed to do anything as investigators, and as beat cops, they'd mostly just be cleaning up after the real action.
He patted Elmar on the shoulder. "Well… don't expect much different here. Just be prepared."
"At least we get bonuses more easily, right? If soone commits a cri, we just shoot them—no one's gonna call us and tell us not to fire, right?"
River forced a smile. "Yeah… not so sure about that."
Elmar didn't notice River's hesitation and continued excitedly. "And maybe I'll get to see the legendary Mackinaws in action! Sir, everyone at the precinct says you know those rcs personally. What are they really like? What actually happened that night?"
"If you ask , a huge accomplishnt like that—" Han shouted from the car, "—if only there were lizard n involved! Then maybe, just maybe, you'd have gotten another promotion, River!"
"But nope! Dream on, pal! We're outta luck!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of engines cut through the silence.
At the far end of the empty street, a Mackinaw pickup truck appeared.
Mackinaw was just a standard Thorton truck model, nothing special.
But not anymore.
Especially not here, in the most volatile, high-stakes zone in Night City.
The officers at the blockade, still waiting for orders, imdiately tensed. Smiles vanished. Backs straightened.
The Mackinaw had never clashed with the NCPD directly, but just seeing one was enough to make them nervous.
And then…
It wasn't just one.
More headlights flickered into view, drowning out the streetlights. Slowly, steadily, an entire convoy approached the blockade.
It wasn't just ten or so Mackinaws.
It was a fleet.
Headlights overpowered the streetlamps, and as the trucks passed through the light, their mounted heavy machine guns beca visible—barrels, bodies, ammunition belts.
Then ca the distinctive graffiti along the truck bodies. Different, unique, yet unified by a single common mark:
"Aldecaldo."
And, of course, the now-infamous "Burger King" symbol—currently trending across Night City.
[NCPD Dispatcher: All units, be advised—suspicious activity detected. Witnesses report a convoy of heavily ard vehicles moving through the area.]
[NCPD Dispatcher: Vehicle type identified as Thorton Mackinaw "Larrimore"—illegally modified.]
[Officer: Target status updated to 10-23. Repeat, target is on-site. 10-20.]
The radio went silent.
"Gulp."
A nearby officer swallowed hard, suddenly unsure what to do.
They exchanged glances, reading the sa emotions in each other's eyes—shock, confusion, and unease.
The very air felt heavy.
The lead armored Mackinaw rolled to a stop at the blockade. River patted the now-stiff Elmar on the shoulder.
"Yeah… that's about what it looks like."
Then, he put on his cap and walked toward the truck.
[Ding-dong—]
[Caller: Burger King]
[Burger King: "Sergeant River, it's been a few days, and you've already gotten a promotion?"]
[River: "You're not here just to show off your convoy, are you? Where's your permit?"]
[Burger King: "Should be coming through any second now."]
[NCPD Police Channel Communication]
[NCPD Operator: "Attention all officers in the area, further action orders have been received."]
NCPD Operator: "Please allow passage for the following NCPD external contractor vehicles: License numbers NC-1102, NC-1277."]
River quickly received the clearance notice, and the officers behind him visibly relaxed, their postures loosening.
He took a few steps back as the NCPD armored vehicles and chs moved aside at his signal.
But then…
River suddenly noticed two battered Columbus cargo vans at the tail end of the convoy—their bumpers were even crooked.
[River: "Why are there two beat-up vans following you? Are they yours?"]
[Burger King: "Yeah, the cars are a little run-down, but the people inside are solid."]
As the vans slowly passed by River, he got a clear look inside through the windows.
Inside, David and Maine were grinning at him—innocent, carefree smiles.
Sothing clicked in River's mind.
Wait… He had seen this kid before.
Last ti, during the lockdown in the Badlands!
As the van rolled past the barricade, River silently committed David and the others' faces to mory.
Marked: Burger King's underlings.
With the Makigai convoy passing through, the suffocating tension in the air finally started to ease.
River turned back just in ti to see the NCPD watching the convoy disappear into the chaos.
The whole scene felt absurd.
He was the cop here, yet they were relying on outside contractors to handle things?
What exactly was the NCPD protecting in this city?
As the blockade was re-established, River decided he didn't want to dwell on the question any longer.
He climbed into his car, plopped into the seat, and smirked at Han.
River: "I counted. Fourteen Makigais."
Han struggled to find words before finally blurting out, "Damn impressive!"
But they both knew—this whole situation had nothing to do with them.
Han sighed. "Well, I guess that's that. No need for the Anti-Terror Unit after all—"
BOOM!
Before he could finish his sentence, the fourth massive mushroom cloud of the night erupted, lighting up all of North Watson!
NCPD Operator: "Threat level in the area continues to escalate. The Anti-Terror Unit has been deployed!"
River's head snapped up just in ti to see five Scorpiotail AVs cutting through the sky!
[TN: Is this a Basilisk?]
The Anti-Terror Unit was finally making its move!
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