The Phantom Thief and The Chase (Part Three)

The power grid has become normal.

Arriving at a spiraled parking garage, L.L. decided to swap the motorcycle for a regular civilian car, one that had been discreetly modified for bullet and impact resistance.

Though not as extreme as his previous vehicle, this car blended seamlessly with its normal exterior.

As if an everyday civilian, L.L. leisurely maneuvered the car out of the parking structure, driving casually through the city's labyrinthine streets.

At a traffic light intersection, while waiting for the light to turn green, a black unmarked police car of a different model stopped beside him, its light bar flashing.

The peculiar thing was that this unmarked police car wasn't actively participating in the chase despite its lights being on.

As the traffic light shifted to green, L.L. intentionally delayed his response slightly to prevent blowing his cover.

The police car in question proceeded forward, driving normally through the intersection.

Unexpectedly, from the left, another police car of the same model and color as before rammed into L.L.'s car, deploying the airbags upon impact.

The initial police car braked abruptly and reversed at high speed, smashing into L.L.'s car's front.

Meanwhile, a third car approached from the rear and right, creating a pincer block. L.L.'s car was trapped, with no way to escape.

On the holographic screen above the dashboard, Lucy reported, "Fracture detected," displaying an x-ray scan of L.L.'s body highlighting the fracture point.

Lucy, his AI assistant, added, "Recommend anesthetic injection." L.L., recovering from the impact, quickly rummaged through the dashboard compartment for the specified item.

Lucy also warned, "Metro Police dispatch shows no units in this area."

If they weren't police, then who were they, Logan wondered.

A heavily armored anti-riot vehicle belonging to The Maxim arrived, accompanied by several Maxim robot soldiers a.k.a Aegis Automaton armed with assault rifles and an automatic battering ram designed to breach car doors.

Monitoring the intersection through hacked CCTV feeds, Lyla observed L.L.'s situation from her computer.

"Propulsion system offline," Lucy informed Logan, showing an animated diagnostic of the car's damage.

Logan responded, "Then reboot damn it,".

Under a hail of bullets, Lucy simultaneously displayed an animation indicating the declining armor integrity of the left door.

Once the barrage ceased, the Maxim Automaton reloaded their rifles.

"Warning. Window integrity compromised," Lucy alerted.

"You think?" Logan retorted, shifting his seat to the right.

Then the battering ram was mounted on the left door by the Automaton, while an anchor rooted the device to the ground for stability.

"How long to propulsion?" Logan inquired while changing his seat.

"Calculating..." Lucy replied.

The battering ram slammed against the window, prompting Lucy to update, "Window integrity 32%. Deploying countermeasures."

"Hold that order!" Logan commanded.

The second impact hit. Lucy's update came again, "Window integrity 17%. Offensive measures advised."

"Wait!" Logan exclaimed.

The third hit came. Lucy's update displayed, "Window integrity 1%."

Quickly, Logan commanded, "Now!"

A minigun emerged from the gear stick compartment.

Logan grabbed it, firing at the window where Maxim android were stationed.

He then shot a grenade launcher toward the Maxim's vehicle.

"Propulsion system now online," Lucy announced.

"Full acceleration! Now!" Logan relinquished control to Lucy as he pushed the car to its limits, emitting smoke from the rear wheels as he maneuvered.

Logan rammed his car into the back of the Maxim's vehicle, creating space for maneuvering.

Simultaneously, Logan unleashed a barrage of bullets at the pursuing Aegis Automaton.

"Initiate vertical takeoff," Logan instructed after creating some distance.

"Flight systems damaged," Lucy replied.

"Then activate guidance cameras!" Logan demanded.

"Give me the wheel," Logan said to Lucy, taking control again, and driving based on the AI's guidance.

Logan navigated following Lucy's projected directions.

"Activate stealth system," Logan ordered.

"Stealth array damaged," Lucy responded.

"What's not damaged then?" Logan asked.

"Air conditioning is fully operational," Lucy replied.

The Maxim patrol car continued chasing from behind.

"Traffic ahead," Lucy alerted.

"Give me an alternate route," Logan directed.

"Traffic alert on Armstrong Bridge. All vehicles stopped. 23rd Avenue clear in three blocks, directly ahead."

Due to the heavy traffic, Logan was forced to navigate through cars, occasionally ramming and squeezing through to block Maxim's advance.

The Aegis Automaton decided to pursue on foot as L.L.'s car was still navigating the congestion.

They didn't even hesitate to shoot from atop civilian vehicles.

Seeing an automaton shooting from behind, L.L. reversed, smashing the soldier against another car.

After Logan broke free from the congestion, he accelerated further, still followed by the same Maxim vehicle.

Bullets whizzed from left and right.

With the left window shattered, L.L. had to dodge the bullets as he continued forward.

He decided to ram the Maxim vehicle, grabbing the soldier's assault rifle and firing back until it ran out of ammo.

Another Maxim vehicle comes and squeezes his car at both sides.

Lucy then warned, "Warning. Approaching intersection." Logan slammed the brakes just as two Maxim vehicles were rammed by a side-approaching container truck.

"Get me off the grid!" Logan ordered.

"Calculating route to secure location," Lucy replied.

After realizing that there was no longer anyone pursuing him, Logan felt a momentary wave of relief wash over him.

However, his respite was short-lived.

Unbeknownst to him, at the next intersection, a masked figure stood defiantly in the middle of the road, brandishing a weapon resembling a grenade launcher.

But it wasn't grenades that the figure fired; instead, it was a peculiar disc-shaped device that plummeted onto the road.

Logan, unable to swerve in time, helplessly continued driving.

To his astonishment, the device possessed magnetic properties, causing it to attach itself to the underside of his car.

In less than a second, the device detonated, sending the car into a violent flip.

Amidst the pandemonium that followed, the sinister figure remained composed, moving gracefully through the chaos while a billowing cloud of black smoke marked his passage.

“I know what it’s like to lose. To feel so desperately that you’re better… yet to fail, nonetheless,” the figure declared with unwavering determination.

He approached Logan's overturned car deliberately, and with force, extracted him from the wreckage before taking him into custody.

His body was clad in a suit of formidable body armor, emblazoned with the emblem of the Scales of Injustice.

The symbol resembled an unbalanced scale, with a skull in place of the central pivot point.

"This is what people call 'recklessness'. Letting your passions run wild and barking won't get you far at all," the figure remarked in a chilling tone.

As Logan's blurred vision gradually sharpened, the shocking truth dawned on him.

The menacing orchestrator of this harrowing encounter, the one who had turned his world upside down, was none other than The Boogeyman.

"Hello... It's nice to meet you, Phantom Thief L.L., or should I say... Logan Larson," The Boogeyman spoke, his voice laced with an unsettling blend of familiarity and menace.