The surveillance interference they had wasn't just for hiding their faces—it masked their entire bodies. From the perspective of the monitoring systems scanning them, all three of them appeared completely covered in a shimmering blur of pixelated mosaic. Under such circumstances, human-shape detection, AI recognition algorithms, behavioral analysis—all of it became useless.
Thus, they had managed to escape. As long as they kept a low profile for a while longer, and waited for the heat to die down, they should be safe. Of course, that was assuming Dexter and Evelyn's side didn't screw things up.
Among the three of them, the happiest was definitely Jackie. He held the steering wheel, humming a Mexican folk song, his body swaying along with the tune. Strictly speaking, this was dangerous driving—kids, don't try this at home. It was only thanks to the fact that cars in 2077 were mostly equipped with smart driving and intelligent assist systems that Leo wasn't too worried about Jackie's behavior.
Still, Leo could understand Jackie's mood. He didn't ruin it by lecturing him. Jackie was naturally overjoyed—not just because of the massive payday that would solve his worries about his house, car, and bank account, but more importantly, because now Dexter would surely think of them first when future big jobs came along.
Feeling more and more excited, Jackie couldn't help but glance at the cold storage box resting on the passenger seat. And that glance—revealed a big problem.
Only now did Jackie's peripheral vision catch it—the cold storage box containing the relic was riddled with several clear bullet holes.
The screech of brakes pierced the night.
In the back seat, Leo and V were thrown forward by inertia. Leo's first instinct was to activate his tactical visor, scanning the surroundings for threats. But strangely, he found nothing dangerous nearby.
"Jackie?"
"Shit! Shitshitshitshitshit!"
"Jackie?!"
Jackie hugged the cold storage box, nearly losing it. "The container's depressurized—the relic's data integrity—it's at 94%! And still dropping! ¡Carajo!"
Leo and V's expressions darkened immediately. Their eyes darted toward the cold storage box, seeing for themselves the steadily decreasing number on the screen.
Their mood plummeted like a roller coaster. Moments ago, they had been riding high; now, it felt like the floor had been ripped out from under them.
The relic itself wasn't particularly rare—the true value lay in the data stored inside. Even though this was their first real contact with a relic, it wasn't hard to guess that "integrity" meant the internal data's condition.
If it hit zero, it meant all the precious data inside would be lost. Everything they had fought and bled for—meaningless.
"What do we do, Leo?"
V and Jackie turned their eyes to him instinctively.
"Don't panic. Let me think."
If the data went to zero, then all their blood and sweat would have been for nothing.
"Leo, come on, think of something!" Jackie pleaded.
"Okay, I've got an idea."
In desperation, Leo thought of someone—Evelyn. This whole job had been her plan from the start. Of everyone, she was the only one who had gotten close to Yorinobu Arasaka—more than once. Maybe she knew something Leo didn't about the relic.
Without wasting time, Leo called Evelyn.
The line connected quickly.
Evelyn's face appeared, her expression tense. "Leo?! The news is blowing up about Konpeki Plaza! What the hell happened over there?!"
"That's not important right now. Focus. The container for the relic is damaged. The chip's integrity is—" Leo glanced at Jackie.
Jackie hurriedly checked the screen. "Eighty-six percent."
"Eighty-six! And dropping fast!"
Evelyn's face went pale. "Motherfucker! What did you idiots do?!"
Leo cursed back, "Fuck you! You think this was a fucking shopping trip?!"
Evelyn took a deep breath, trying to calm down.
"Okay, listen. We have one option left. One of you needs to slot the chip into your neural interface. Now."
Leo's eye twitched. "Do you even hear yourself right now?!"
Evelyn shot back, equally agitated. "The relic can't survive in open air—it has to be inside a stable, insulated environment!"
Hearing this triggered a memory for Leo—something from the brain dance data they'd seen. The relic biochip required a controlled temperature and neutral environment for transport and storage. Even brief exposure outside the recommended range could cause irreversible damage.
According to Arasaka's guidelines, the relic should be stored inside insulated containers certified by their labs, maintaining a temperature between 2 to 8 degrees Celsius...
Leo frowned. Neutral environment... 2 to 8 degrees Celsius...
Thinking logically, Evelyn's suggestion wasn't entirely crazy. The neural interface in a human body could serve as a temporary environment.
But the bigger issue—the relic didn't just contain data; it contained a soul. Slotting it into someone's neural port could have serious, unknown consequences.
Sensing the other's hesitation, Evelyn softened her tone. "Once you get back, we'll extract it immediately and run a full neural scan."
The call ended.
The three sat there in silence, staring at each other. The only sound was the rain tapping against the windshield.
The awkward silence was shattered by an angry blaring of a car horn from behind.
"Are you dumbasses gonna move or what?!"
The driver of the car behind them had gotten fed up. It was already a green light, but Leo's car hadn't moved an inch. The roads were practically empty this late at night. He could've just switched lanes—but he was having a bad night and needed to vent.
The furious driver slammed his horn again and again, before getting out of his car and stomping toward them, fists clenched, ready to pick a fight.
But the moment he reached the front of the coupe and opened his mouth to shout—he froze.
A tech revolver poked out of the window and pressed coldly against his chin.
"Is there a problem, sir?"
"No, no—no problem at all!"
"Then why are you still standing there?"
"No problem, sir. I, uh... just wanted to wish you all a good night!"
The driver stumbled backward, tripping over his own feet in his hurry to flee, practically crawling back to his car and speeding off like the devil was chasing him.
Leo spun the revolver in his hand and holstered it. Inside the car, the three exchanged another long, heavy stare.
Eventually, Jackie broke the silence.
"Forget it. Someone has to do it. I'll do it."
"No, wait, Jackie. There has to be another way."
"What way?! Even if we drive to Lizzie's Bar right now, we probably won't make it in time. And even if the integrity doesn't hit zero, who knows how much data we'll lose and how much the value will tank?!"
Leo thought hard—then suddenly reached out a hand. "Give me the relic."
Jackie hesitated. "Leo, what are you planning?"
"Evelyn said the relic can't be exposed to open air. But if a human neural port can stabilize it temporarily—why not a machine's?"
V and Jackie blinked, stunned.
Leo's logic made sense.
But...
Neither of them dared to gamble so easily.
What if something went wrong...?