Convoy (5)

The wind clashed against the driving pit where Jin sat, no longer shielded by the roof.

Glancing down at the vehicle's interface, Jin saw that his current speed was around 450 km per hour, a velocity unimaginable for a vehicle of the carrier's size under normal circumstances. 

But this was a top-notch carrier, crafted by Zenith, a corporation renowned for its high-performance vehicles.

"Jin, the merc is already—" Silas's voice was abruptly cut off.

"Silas, what is it? Repeat what you just said!" Jin's heart pounded with fear as silence followed.

"The merc is using a jammer. Silas is right in front of you. At your current speed, you'll reach him in 1 minute and 20 seconds, but you can't stop," Thirteen instructed, his voice tense.

Jin sped through the Tenth District, some people looking at the carrier in terror and jealousy.

The team leaders had already left with the loot from the carrier Jin and Silas had secured, but their m couldn't retrieve the supplies from the first carrier.

Stomping even harder on the accelerator, Jin found the vehicle couldn't go any faster.

"God damn it!" he cursed, slamming his hand against the wall of the driver's pit in anger and frustration.

Glancing at the side mirror, his anger only worsened as he saw the five mercs closing in. All of them had similar armored vehicles to the ones before.

'Okay… come at me, you bastards. I'll send you all straight to hell.'

The five cars began to match his speed, slowly creeping up behind and beside him. Two flanked his left side, two on his right, and the last one attempted to overtake him from the front.

'Nice try, but you're not going to hook me that easily, even if you do, it's going to cost you'

With a sadistic smile, Jin spun the wheel to the right, his carrier slamming into the car that tried to get in front.

The weight of the giant carrier forced the smaller mercenary vehicle to swerve, nearly slamming into the wall. The merc barely managed to regain control and avoid being crushed.

The mercenary's car lost control, swerving left and right on the road before finally regaining a semblance of stability.

But the other four did not wait long. They quickly surrounded Jin's carrier.

Jin anticipated the hooks from the mercs, and as he thought, they were already flying in his direction.

Two hooks from both sides; the cars behind him held their fire.

The sound of the metal hooks slamming into Jin's carrier was drowned out by the roaring wind as they continued at terrifying speed.

With the hooks now embedded in his carrier, Jin's options were limited. He glanced at the interface, making sure everything was functioning.

Jin's mind raced, calculating his next move. 

'Please engine, don't explode on me.'

Activating the electric currents in his body once more, he felt the familiar surge of power as the energy coursed through his veins, sharpening his senses and strengthening his body.

With a burst of energy, Jin yanked the wheel to the right, the massive carrier swerving dangerously close to the cars flanking him. 

The sudden maneuver caused the hooks to strain and the cables to groan under the pressure. 

The mercs struggled to maintain their grip, but Jin wasn't done yet. 

redirecting the lightning coursing through his body into the carrier itself, trying to maintain the power of electricity, he fought to focus on the electricity itself.

One wrong move and the engine would have exploded on him.

The vehicle crackled with energy, sending electric shocks down the cables and into the mercs' cars. 

Sparks flew as the electricity surged through the cables, and Jin could see the mercs fighting to regain control of their vehicles. 

Some of the cables snapped under the strain, releasing their grip on the carrier. 

Jin seized the opportunity. With the remaining mercs still trying to stabilize their cars, he floored the accelerator, pushing the carrier to its limits. 

The engine roared in protest, but the vehicle surged forward, leaving the mercs behind, all of them except one.

As he sped ahead, Jin knew he couldn't let his guard down, even with four mercs losing him, one of them was still chasing right behind him.

Looking down at his shaking hand that grasped the wheel, he smiled grimly. 

'I'm getting tired from using it… but there is no pain yet.'

Jin continued to speed through the streets of the tenth district, the cold night wind cutting into him as the missing rooftop left him exposed.

'Maybe I should have ripped out a window or something,' he mused, his hands shaking nonstop.

Using his Cypher ability in this way exhausted him, a familiar consequence. Their abilities made Cyphers more than human, but their weaknesses made them less, and Jin's power pushed these extremes.

The one merc who wasn't electrified by Jin's ability was still on his tail but couldn't quite catch up. Jin didn't bother with him anymore.

Silas's communication was jammed, leaving Jin with a single goal: kill the numbered merc on their tail.

Numbered mercs, are among the most dangerous individuals in Dust City.

They could move freely across all of Dust City, provided they had enough money to buy access to every district. 

With that, they could take up bounties, similar to Jin but far more prestigious than a simple contractor's hub.

There were 50 numbered mercs in total. To become one, a person needed to kill an existing member after proving their worth. Only then could they join their ranks.

But at the moment, Jin couldn't care less about their prestige. He wanted to kill this merc for a very different reason.

"I'm going to rip out your spine, you fucker… just like how your precious Number One did to him!"

He gritted his teeth in anger as he continued to speed through the streets, his fury barely contained.

Finally, he saw them.

The numbered merc had already hooked onto Silas's carrier.

Continuing to speed forward, Jin stomped even harder on the accelerator to catch up to Silas and the numbered merc.

The small-time merc on his tail was ignored by Jin, but not forgotten.

Glancing at the merc in the rearview mirror, Jin slowly eased off the accelerator to slow down just a little bit.

'Get closer, just a bit closer, you bastard. Come, claim your bounty,' Jin thought wickedly, his calf muscles tensing as he readied himself to jump.

The blade he had previously stolen from the B-ranked, incomplete Cypher was now in Jin's grasp, ready to be drawn.

The merc's car drew closer, close enough for Jin.

"Perfect," he smirked, abruptly spinning the steering wheel toward the merc's vehicle.

The merc tried to swerve away as he saw the more than ten-ton vehicle coming straight at him, but it was too late.

Jin's aim wasn't to destroy the vehicle; it was to get even closer to it.

Leaping from the open roof, Jin enveloped himself in lightning to grant himself strength.

With a giant leap, thanks to the strengthening lightning, he soared through the air.

He landed on the merc's car with a resounding slam, the sound of metal meeting his body was drowned out by the roaring wind.

The merc swerved left and right, desperately trying to shake Jin off.

But it was too late. All too late.

Jin drew the blade and, with terrifying strength, stabbed through the window, shattering it and killing the merc instantly.

With a powerful smash of his hand, the window broke completely, and the car began to veer out of control.

But Jin managed to grab the steering wheel just before it smashed into the wall.

'Got you.'

With one powerful yank of his blade, he retrieved it from the merc, blood splattering everywhere inside the car.