Chapter 105: Chapter 80: Hunt_3
Below lay the complex of buildings.
A hooded member of the Black Gold Gang was cutting through the alley, constantly overturning debris to block the way, until a police officer appeared at the iron gate, prompting him to slip into a neighboring alley.
John fled for his life.
He ran aimlessly.
There were vehicles in the underground parking, but he didn’t dare use them because Internet Surveillance would definitely track him down using the transport.
[Contact - Tinfoil [Unread Message]]
Tinfoil sent a mobile coordinate.
John crossed two streets, bypassing the surveillance cameras glowing red on the road and patrol drones.
More and more police cars appeared.
[Scan detected, communication signal request/confirmation.]
[Tinfoil: John, it’s me, what’s going on?]
"I don’t fucking know!"
[Sigh, I’ve just been trying to find a loophole in the Internet Surveillance, but these guys are always online, more relentless than the company dogs, I can’t help you like before.]
"What should I do?"
John’s eyes burned with anger. "They’re hell-bent on killing now, I don’t even have a chance to explain."
[Eden says come to the company, I’ll hack a car for you.]
The call was temporarily disconnected.
John crouched at the alley entrance, and a few minutes later, a newly painted red and yellow coupé pulled up beside him and honked twice.
He got into the driver’s seat and floored the gas pedal.
Patrolling officers immediately noticed him; when the radio blockade failed, they began to pursue and intercept.
A few breaths later, a hovercar bearing the Internet Surveillance logo appeared behind him.
John couldn’t afford to be low-profile.
The hackers would quickly pinpoint his location; driving leisurely would only get him picked off by snipers.
He had to speed up.
Only reaching the Harbor meant safety...at least a meager promise could be obtained.
John had little acquaintance with Eden.
Would he turn against Internet Surveillance for him?
Not likely.
But it was the only path for now, hoping to catch a breath and gain more freedom and intel.
The entire West District descended into chaos due to the chase:
Traffic lights flickered like dance floor bulbs, more than a dozen accidents happened within ten minutes, drivers brawled at intersections, smoke billowed from bollards at street checkpoints, and metal pillars rose halfway and stopped.
Horns blared.
Electromagnetic noise blasted through the streets.
John drove through the chaos, feeling a constant urge of apocalyptic absurdity and madness.
A corner of the city was in turmoil.
Addicts and thugs began to loot amid the chaos.
The Eden City Police Station dispatch center started broadcasting.
John held the steering wheel tightly.
His gaze remained forward, the bloodstain by his cheek already dried.
Various anomalies unfolded around him as the radius, definitely a tug-of-war between Tinfoil and Internet Surveillance.
One side was the Harbor Company’s super hacker.
The other was the city’s Internet Surveillance Organization Office.
The reason for their even match was—Internet Surveillance had fully withdrawn from the cyberspace, their power restricted, resisting with only the simplest technical means.
Yet Tinfoil was lying deep in the darknet, wreaking havoc.
[Eden City - Harbor Company]
A fully armed squad stood at the crossroads waiting, even setting up cones against armored vehicles.
Autoturrets were unveiled.
John smoothly passed the blockade, driving the car into the crevice of the company’s walls to reduce exposure.
Internet Surveillance’s hovercar hovered behind.
They projected a rectangular area on the ground, marked with scrolling "Danger Keep Away" in red borders.
John drew a knife and stabbed the safety airbag.
He didn’t rashly leave the car door until two shield-wielding soldiers approached.
John was escorted toward the lobby.
Internet Surveillance and the Eden City Police Station had surrounded the place.
He saw Tinfoil and Eden walk out with serious expressions, not having the chance to utter the first word.
Bam!
A loud gunshot echoed through the street.
The tactical shield was pierced.
John instinctively clutched his stomach, but he saw a line of blood spreading on the ground in front of him.
His fingers seeped with crimson.