022: Tit for Tat

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【Mission Objective Updated】
【Break Through the Encirclement (Incomplete)】
Thunder Miles surged against the current within the encirclement, as the Exile convoy was scattered by the sudden assault.
John gripped the steering wheel firmly.
Violent vibrations caused his arms to ache; the impact from plunging off the cliff was harsher than anticipated. Perhaps some bones were broken, but under the influence of the stimulants, it wasn't particularly noticeable.
Elona had a gash on her forehead as well.
She lay on her side in the back seat, bracing her feet against the door to maintain balance, with a precision rifle mounted on the window frame.
【Weapon: Suresh-Eye of Zeus HUK】
【Mod: Advanced Calibration, Fire Rate Optimization】
She pulled the trigger repeatedly during the brief gaps as vehicles crisscrossed, and electromagnetic rounds pierced through the smoke like lightning.
Enemies were constantly tumbling from their vehicles all around them.
John floored the accelerator, continuing to drive forward.
The enemy vehicles held a speed advantage, and a small portion turned to pursue them, but they were all picked off by Elona, leaving only corpses in their wake.
【Harass the Exiles and alleviate pressure on the camp. (Optional)】
The enemies were seething with hatred, yet they had no choice but to abandon the pursuit.
John saw this in his rearview mirror and suddenly drifted to change direction, circling the Exiles while keeping just at the edge of his firing range to harass them.
Elona switched back to her heavy sniper rifle, flipped open the roof hatch, and stood up.
Bang!
The distinct sound of a kinetic heavy weapon echoed across the wasteland.
Even from the driver's seat, John could feel a slight ringing in his ears caused by the vibration of the steel chassis.
He maintained his speed, trying to drive as smoothly as possible.
Elona’s shooting rhythm became even better; her firing frequency increased, and terrifying, large-caliber armor-piercing rounds tore through the air.
The coordination between the vehicle's speed and the sniping was superb.
The Exiles were being battered to the brink of madness.
Suddenly!
A long, strange sound resonated across the horizon, and the vehicle's system began to flash red lights, with the detection radar spiking into the danger zone...
"Get down!"
John roared, accelerating and swerving.
Elona in the back seat retreated into the vehicle just as an explosion occurred at close range; an anti-infantry incendiary shell landed right in front of them to the right.
John’s reaction was fast enough to avoid a direct hit.
He was somewhat stunned: "That’s four missiles already. Do the Exiles have this kind of fire support?"
"It’s Sarachi!"
"Who?"
"A traitor from the camp. We have bad blood. This ambush must be..."
Before Elona could finish her sentence, the armor on the back seat was torn open.
A massive alloy grappling hook shot into the flames, piercing through the entire vehicle from the rear diagonal. Fortunately, she was lying on her side; the sharp blade whistled right past her, destroying everything in the passenger seat.
The giant claw opened after punching through the body, gripping the hood and flipping the entire vehicle over, where it was held firm by the taut steel cable.
John tightened his arms, sustaining only grazes.

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He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and dived to the side; the recoiling metal hook pierced the driver's seat, nearly taking his head off.
John rolled out of the car, clutching his gun.
His vision swirled as the world turned upside down. It seemed a vehicle had stopped, and an Exile emerged from the billowing smoke.
【Name: Sarachi】
【Faction: Exiles】
【Scan: Heavy subcutaneous armor, electromagnetic antibodies, pain editor】
【Bounty: Kidnapping, assaulting an officer, organ trafficking...】
The guy wore a greased-back green hairstyle, a thick beard, and was shirtless, outfitted with numerous cybernetic implants.
He cursed as he walked toward John, raising a grenade launcher to fire.
Bang, bang, bang!
Elona had escaped the vehicle at some point and was firing at him frantically.
Sarachi’s body jerked, his mouth spewing vicious curses.
The grenade launcher shot wide, blowing out a fresh crater and instantly filling the surroundings with rolling heat waves.
Knowing the reputation of the camp’s War Mother, he ignored John and focused his main attacks on Elona.
A barrage of heavy grenades followed.
Elona hid behind cover, waiting for an opportunity to shoot.
But Sarachi was thick-skinned and truly difficult to kill, and all the weapons in his hands used high-intensity ammunition—a single graze could cause injury. Relying on his high tolerance for error, he traded blows with Elona.
【Defeat Sarachi. (Incomplete)】
【Hack the vehicle’s War Spear system. (Optional)】
John regained his composure.
His attention was drawn to Sarachi’s vehicle, and he crouched low, circling around to pass through the engagement zone.
The heavy armored vehicle had been modified, with a massive mechanical structure in the back connected to the electronic anchor on the roof.
There was one left!
John felt fortunate that his gamble had paid off.
He immediately raised his gun to kill the patrolling Exile nearby, tore open the cockpit, and plugged the data cable into the vehicle's system.
【Bowhead Electronic War Spear System (Hacked)】
The black-light intrusion was rapid; various messages were transmitted back, and the targeting system for the electromagnetic weapons began linking to his retina.
The scenery in front of John flickered twice as he connected to the cameras. Having never handled such a thing before, he had to explore slowly, unable to understand the data turbulence and parameter indicators on the side.
The camera refocused, pulling back to the distant battlefield.
Taking advantage of Elona’s reload, Sarachi jumped up, his modified legs moving with astonishing speed.
He fired several shots, emptying his magazine.
Sarachi swung his arm, deploying a crackling, electrified ion blade, and charged into her face amidst the flames.
The exchange of gunfire turned into a melee brawl.
Elona also had a melee mod installed.
She raised her heavy sniper rifle to block the slash, kicked out to create some space, and then dismantled the weapon attachment with one hand. Hot pressure-relief valves sprayed white mist, and the entire barrel was ripped off to be used as a club.
"Elona, I’ve got a big one! You two need to separate!"
John shouted over the team channel.
Sarachi was clearly enraged; the injectors on his arms activated, and his chest began to turn a glowing red.

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Even Elona’s electromagnetic pistol shots felt like nothing more than a tickle.
Seeing the opponent lunging at her, she swung the club with all her might, bending the entire alloy barrel, but it only made him tilt his head slightly.
Sarachi turned toward her with a hideous expression...
But the space in front of him was empty.
A directional grenade beeped, ending its countdown; the shockwave and flames blasted him away.
The industrial skin on Sarachi’s chest was torn, and his flesh and modified subcutaneous armor were seared to a crisp, peeling away in strips.
Whoosh—
A sound of something tearing through the air came from the distance.
A giant metal war spear pinned him into the wreckage of a car, and his disrupted mechanical parts emitted brief, explosive sparks.
Several electric arcs flickered within the rolling smoke.
【Hold out until reinforcements arrive. (Incomplete)】
"Let you taste it too, you bastard..."
John pulled out the data cable and crawled out, gun in hand.
Elona was in bad shape, too; the directional grenade had caused internal injuries, and a streak of crimson blood was flowing from her right ear.
The two of them began to hold their ground, using the vehicle as a fortress.
Sporadic Exiles attempted to attack them but gave up after failing to break through, especially once news of Sarachi’s death spread...
Nando led his men to break out of the encirclement.
The enemy began to retreat.
The effects of the combat stimulants were nearing their end.
John was certain he had a broken rib; the intense pain and dizziness crawled up like maggots, and he could only lean against the cover, waiting for support.
He tremblingly reached for a cigarette but couldn't find his lighter.
Elona braced herself to grab a piece of burning wreckage, brought it to his face to light it, and then threw it away.
Phew~
Nando arrived quickly.
Cleaning up the battlefield took a lot of time.
John received treatment from the camp doctor and stationed himself in the valley for a day and a night.
It wasn't until the heavy truck was repaired that they formed a convoy to return to Eden City.
Elona’s scan results were not optimistic; a concussion was considered a minor injury—her subcutaneous armor needed complete repair, a chip was damaged, and her primary sniper rifle was a total loss.
The people from the Damascus camp visited John often.
Nando was even more attentive, serving him good food and drink, and when they returned to Eden City, another group came to "spectate."
"So you're the one who jumped off the cliff?"
"Even though you're not from the camp, you’ve achieved something: surviving in Elona’s passenger seat."
"You’ve got damn good luck."
...
John smiled and said nothing, just waiting for Nando to settle the payment.