Friday Night Firefight - A Cyberpunk 2077 Isekai

Friday Night Firefight - Chapter 63

I was never a big fan of the Herrera Outlaw. It looked like an oversized electric razor and drove just as clunky. There were two of them in the game: one you could buy, and the other El Capitan gifted to V if you helped him steal a bunch of cars in the Phantom Liberty DLC. So, when an Outlaw rolled up to The Pack's HQ, all done up in flashy gold and black, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the thing.

Before Angelica had even stepped out of the car, I knew it was her. Our scouts, a few of the homeless Mor had picked out and stationed around the city, kept a close eye on the downtown area. They fed intel back to HQ, giving us a heads-up whenever someone of interest – troublemakers, high rollers, or anyone trying to shake things up – was in the area. Angelica definitely fit the bill of person of interest.

It had been barely a day since I took out Sasquatch, and Night City hadn't let up on the Animals. Angelica's face showed it. As she stepped out of the Outlaw, she looked worn and haggard. The Animals were losing people, businesses, and respect left and right. They'd landed on everyone's shit list, and people were taking shots at them just for the fun of it.

I knew she was here to prove a point, or at least try. Her head was held high as she strolled toward the HQ, flanked by three Animal bodyguards. She wanted to show she still had power, that she wasn't afraid. But I knew better. The only reason Angelica was standing at our doorstep was because she had no other choice.

The irony was, The Pack wasn't even focused on the Animals anymore. Not really. Our sights were set on Albert, the man who'd started this whole shit show. Sandra was digging through the NET for any trace of him or his people, and Anna and Deng were running their crews through the streets, squeezing people for info. None of us had time to hunt down the Animals. Well, except for Deng. He was starting to worry me. He was supposed to be gathering intel on Albert, but his anger over Mor's death had taken control. Along with chasing leads, he was burning down Animal distribution centers, leveling pharmacies, and taking out groups of them in batches of threes and fours. He wanted them to pay for their botched hit on me that ended with Mor dead.

When Angelica and her bodyguards stepped into the HQ, they were greeted by an icy reception. Every Pack member in the place made it clear they weren't impressed by the Animals swagger or their muscles.

The bodyguards tried to act tough, throwing their weight around, hoping to intimidate people into stepping aside and letting Angelica march through like she still had power. But they had severely misjudged the room. No one here was in the mood to be pushed around, especially not by members of a gang that had tried to kill me. They might've thought brute force would win them a pass, but it only made The Pack close in tighter, the tension rising as more and more of my people began to surround them.

It didn't take long for Angelica's bodyguards to realize their usual intimidation tactics weren't going to fly here. Normally, when someone wasn't cowed by their muscles, they would have reverted to what they knew best: brute force. But something told me Angelica warned them against starting any shit here today. The Pack was gathering, slowly closing in like a bunch of wolves who scented blood. The Animals weren't used to being in a position where muscle alone didn't command respect, and now they were surrounded, unsure, and clearly out of their depth.

Diego stepped forward, putting himself directly in front of Angelica. "You can meet with him," he called out, signaling that she was permitted to approach me. Her lips curled into a smug smile, thinking she'd won something. Her bodyguards started to guide her forward, but Diego stretched out a hand, halting them. "Just Angelica," he said, leaving no room for argument.

For a second, it looked like Angelica and her men might protest, but Cyndi moved in, her eyes gleaming with a dangerous edge. "Or," she said with a slow, threatening smile, "you can leave and take your chances out in the rest of Night City."