This was a lifeless desert.
The most dangerous presence here was human: the Raffen Shiv.
The Raffen Shiv was composed of bandits, criminals, and exiles. They were cast out by other nomad tribes and formed a dangerous gang that prowled highways and city outskirts, always searching for prey.
Even the name "Raffen Shiv" combined multiple derogatory terms.
In the nomad tribes, an elder would formally declare someone Raffen Shiv during a ceremony, banishing the guilty party forever.
Despite their numbers, the Raffen Shiv didn't function like a unified family or tribe.
They fought as separate units, little more than a roving mob. Every member was generally ruthless, destructive, and aggressive.
To most Night City residents, who seldom encountered actual nomads, the Raffen Shiv was indistinguishable from any other nomad tribe.
Victims often reported Raffen Shiv robberies, ambushes, and raids on towns and city outskirts as "nomad attacks."
As a result, people tended to lump legitimate nomads together with these outcasts, dragging their reputation through the mud.
Suddenly, Leo noticed the silhouette of a vehicle appear in the distance.
He paused, then leapt to his feet.
A nomad on watch spotted it too and called out a warning.
"We've got a car coming in!"
Everyone around the bonfire grabbed their guns and headed to the edge of camp.
"It's one of ours."
"Why is there only one?"
The windshield had been splashed with paint, so nobody could see who was inside—how many people, whether they were hurt. It was impossible to tell.
The sentry signaled frantically, but whoever was driving seemed blind to it. The returning vehicle showed no sign of slowing down.
"Damn, he's not slowing!"
"Get out of the way! It's coming right at us!"
With a massive crash, the off-road vehicle slammed into the barricade and finally stopped.
"Hell!"
"Two of you, go check it out."
Two nomads, guns at the ready, crept closer.
Leo felt a sudden sense of foreboding. He ran toward his tent.
The nomads approaching the car leaned in for a look. That was when they finally saw what lay inside:
The driver had been tightly bound to the seat. Where his neck should have been, there was nothing. His head was cradled in his own lap.
"What the hell is—"
He never finished the sentence. Before either of them could react, a wall of fire blasted toward them.
Boom!
The vehicle exploded in an instant, engulfing the two in flames.
Almost at the same time, hundreds of meters away, the faint flash of a muzzle spark flickered.
The sentry on the high ground toppled backward. His head was twisted at an unnatural angle, and a sniper round had punched a gaping hole in his chest. Blood poured out in a gruesome rush.
Only then did the crack of the sniper rifle reach the camp.
It was like a signal. Gunshots exploded from every direction.
Amid the rising chaos, Leo sprinted back to his tent. He dragged a trunk out from under his cot, flung it open, and grabbed the bastard sword. He shoved the grenades into a backpack he had prepared beforehand.
After that, he held back, pressing himself against the flap of his tent to peer outside.
The camp, once peaceful, had descended into utter pandemonium. Gunfire roared, bullets tore through the air, and screams and shouts echoed everywhere. Nobody knew exactly how many attackers were laying siege to the camp.
Leo didn't hesitate any longer. He lowered his body and dashed toward the center of camp—specifically, the leader's lodge, where McCoy had said a tunnel led outside. The attackers wouldn't know about the tunnel, so escaping through it would be safer.
Rat-tat-tat—
A burst of gunfire rang out from his flank. Instinct kicked in; Leo threw himself forward, tumbling into a roll behind a HESCO barrier. Bullets nipped at the air behind him.
The bullets struck the barrier with dull thuds, throwing up little clouds of dust. Leaning out, Leo spotted two enemies advancing on his position, firing as they moved. The dense bullet storm forced him back behind cover.
Leo rummaged in his backpack, yanked the pin from a fragmentation grenade, and lobbed it toward the attackers.
"Grenade!"
"Get down!"
Boom!
The staccato burst of gunfire ceased.
Leo vaulted over the cover and charged in. Before they could rise, he thrust the bastard sword at one sprawled enemy. The blade pierced the back of his skull, burst out through the face, and lodged into the ground.
The other foe tried to aim a rifle, but Leo's foot lashed out and knocked the gun aside. In one smooth motion, Leo drew the blade free and finished off the second man.
You killed two enemies, gaining 0.2 Potential Points.
Leo's heart jumped. It confirmed what he had suspected: he could only earn Potential Points by killing.
But 0.1 per enemy was disappointingly low.
Despite that, he wasted no time. Knowing there was at least one sniper out there, he immediately sprinted onward, making use of any nearby cover to stay out of the sniper's line of sight.
He was nearly at Charey's lodge—just around the corner—when another enemy came into view.
Hearing Leo's footsteps, the foe whipped around and opened fire without bothering to see who was there. Gouts of lead poured from the muzzle.
Leo dove into a roll behind cover, narrowly avoiding the bullets that trailed him. He waited until the man paused to reload before charging out.
The enemy dropped his rifle in favor of a handgun, but before he could aim, his world spun and his knee exploded in pain.
Sliding in low, Leo had sliced through the man's leg with the bastard sword.
The man collapsed, howling in agony.
Leo shoved a fragmentation grenade into his trousers, then kicked him down a flight of stairs.
Boom!
One more explosion echoed. Leo glanced back—utter carnage.
Right at that moment, Leo froze. He dove behind a nearby barrier. Gunfire ripped into the cover, shattering a battered radio resting on top.
The sniper had found him.
Leo steadied himself, forcing the panic down. He pulled a smoke grenade from his pack, popped the pin, and hurled it. Then came a second one, and a third.
Thick clouds of smoke billowed out, covering the area.
Using this concealment, Leo burst from cover and sprinted for the leader's lodge, now just a short dash away. If he could reach that building…
Bang!
He heard the sniper's shot almost at the same instant he hurled himself forward. The bullet tore a path just above his hairline, smashing into a wall decoration and blasting it apart.