The dim neon lights of Moreau City flickered overhead, casting an eerie glow on the rain-slicked streets below. Ryan Ferris trudged down a secluded alley, his shoulders hunched against the chill wind that whipped through the concrete canyons.

His back screamed in agony with every step, a harsh reminder of the gruelling labour he endured at the construction site day after day. The cheap painkillers he'd scored were little more than sugar pills, barely taking the edge off.

Up ahead, a shadowy figure leaned against the alley wall. Ryan squinted, making out the shark-like features of the man known only as Baby Shark. The fin protruding on his head twitched as Ryan approached.

"You got the crypto?" Baby Shark rasped, flashing a mouthful of jagged teeth.

Ryan dug into his pocket and pulled out his digital card. "Just give me what I need to kill this back pain for good."

Baby Shark scanned the card and handed over a small vial filled with an iridescent blue liquid. "One dose of the good stuff. Bio-enhancer, straight from my underground lab."

Desperation overrode Ryan's better judgement as he uncapped the vial and downed the contents in one gulp. At first, nothing happened. Then the agony erupted, a searing fire that ripped through his body.

He crumpled to the filthy pavement, his limbs contorting and elongating in grotesque fashion. Thick, wiry hairs sprouted from his flesh as his face elongated into a rat-like snout. Within moments, the transformation was complete.

A bestial screech tore from Ryan's newly formed maw as his enhanced senses took in the world around him. The stench of the alley, the scurrying of vermin, the pounding of his prey's heartbeat – all of it assaulted him in overwhelming waves.

Baby Shark backed away, his gills flaring as he smiled a little. "Shit, you're one ugly freak."

With startling speed, Ryan pounced, his powerful hind legs propelling him through the air. Baby Shark turned and fled, his leathery coattails flapping behind him.

Ryan gave chase, scuttling up walls and leaping from dumpster to fire escape in a frenzy. His elongated tongue lashed out, just missing Baby Shark's heels as the dealer dove around a corner and out of sight.

A guttural roar echoed through the night as the spider rat monster that was once Ryan Ferris continued its rampage through the treacherous streets of Moreau City.

*****

The sizzle of grilled meat filled the air at Chunky Chicken, the flickering neon lights casting a warm glow over the Korean BBQ joint. Rei and Luna dug into their plates piled high with crispy fried chicken as Rally regaled them with his origin story.

"I grew up on the streets of Detroit with the Street Dogs gang," he said between bites, his dog ears twitching. "After my parents were murdered, they took me in, spliced our genes to make us stronger. They were my family."

Rally's gaze grew distant, haunted by memories of a harsh existence. "But then they went too far - blew up a children's hospital to take out a rival. I couldn't be part of that."

He met Rei and Luna's sympathetic looks with a rueful smile. "That's why I had to get out, come to Moreau and try to make things right as a bounty hunter."

Before Rei or Luna could share their own tales, a thunderous crash shattered the silence. An air car hurtled through the window in a shower of shattered glass and twisted metal. Chunky Chicken erupted into pandemonium as patrons screamed and scrambled for cover.

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Rei, Luna and Rally were already on their feet, weapons drawn. Outside on the rain-slicked streets, a monstrous creature straight out of a nightmare rampaged. Part spider, part rat, it skittered along walls and bounded from dumpster to fire escape with unnatural speed.

“What the hell is that thing?” Luna cried.

"Looks like we got ourselves a mutant to take down," Rally grinned, twirling his gun.

Rei and Luna exchanged a knowing glance as they checked their ammo in their guns. This was the kind of action they waited for.

"You kids ready for some fun?" Rally winked, then took the lead, vaulting through the shattered window.

Rei and Luna were right behind him, weapons raised as they fanned out onto the street.

*****

The streets of Moreau City were in utter pandemonium as the monstrous spider rat rampaged. Rei and Luna stood their ground, shooting their guns in a relentless barrage. But the searing bullets merely nicked the creature's armor-like carapace.

"Dammit, that hide's too thick!" Rally hollered over the deafening shrieks. He ducked behind an abandoned food truck as the spider rat swiped a massive foreleg, smashing through the vehicle's reinforced metal shell like tissue paper.

"You two keep that ugly bastard busy," he barked at the cat girl twins. "I'll rustle up something with a little more punch!"

Rei and Luna didn't need to be told twice. Rally vanished into the chaos, leaving them alone to face the abomination. As one, they broke off in opposite directions, darting through the labyrinth of deserted market stalls and overturned ground cars.

The spider rat swivelled its grotesque head, weighing its options with unsettling intelligence flickering in those beady black eyes. A forked tongue flicked out, tasting their scent on the rain-soaked air.

With a deafening skree, it gave chase after Luna first. She raced through the maze of debris, heart thundering in her ears. Behind her, the monster barrelled through obstacles with reckless abandon, its whip-like legs smashing through steel and ferrocrete like wet tissue.

Luna rounded a corner, sprinting flat-out down the street. At the last second, she banked hard and leapt a towering pile of rubble from a collapsed tenement. She hit the ground rolling, coming up with her rifle raised and sizzling bolts clawing at the spider rat as it tried to wheel around and follow.

Across the street, Rei darted from shadow to shadow, drawing its murderous attention to buy her sister some space. Sleek and agile, she moved like liquid shadow, her lithe body twisting through spaces too tight for the spider rat's bulk to follow.

Snarling in frustration, it reared up on its back legs, armoured head swivelling in search of a target to vent its fury on. Its malevolent hunger focused in on Rei, and it launched itself in a bounding, skittering charge.

Rei stood her ground, blasting relentlessly as the abomination bore down on her. Just as those snapping jaws closed in, ready to seize her in their crushing embrace, she sprang into the air.

The spider rat blew past underneath like a derailed freight train, careening through a storefront in an explosion of shattered transparent steel. Rei twisted in mid-air, raining fire down on its scrambling bulk while preparing for the next clash in this deadly urban hunt.

After she landed on her feet, she sprinted down the street with her sister. They needed to find a better place for a better advantage against the creature until Rally comes back.

*****

Rei and Luna wove a deadly dance through Moreau City's neon-drenched streets, the massive spider rat snapping at their heels. They veered onto an abandoned construction site, darting between the frozen girders and metal skeletons of unfinished structures.

Ducking into the shadowy, yawning maw of an open excavation pit, the twins went to ground. Chests heaving, they waited with bated breath for any sign of the abomination.

"Where is Rally?" Luna hissed, swivelling her rifle toward every imagined sound. "He’s taking too long..."

Rei's feline ears twitched, picking up the telltale skittering long before the spider rat lurched into view at the pit's edge. Without needing prompting, they split, Luna racing left while Rei sprinted right.

The bestial thing hesitated for just a heartbeat before fixing its murderous hunger on Luna. She sprinted full-tilt into the pit's depths, her boots kicking up clouds of concrete dust.

Rei spied a towering construction forklift nearby. One sleek leap carried her through the shattered cab window. Her deft fingers danced over the controls and the massive machine rumbled to life.

Down in the pit's shadowy reaches, Luna hit a dead end - a sheer wall at her back, the spider rat barrelling down on her with alarming speed. She opened fire, searing bullets chewing at its armoured bulk to little effect.

Just as those gnashing jaws closed in, a new sound cut through the night - the bellowing roar of the forklift's turbines spooling up. The towering machine pivoted, its massive forks sweeping in a wide arc.

"Hey, ugly!" Rei's voice rang out over the engine's whine. "Over here!"

The spider rat twisted, only to take the full brunt of the forklift's charge. It bowled the monster off its spindly legs, carrying it across the pit until its writhing bulk crunched against the far wall.

Pinned like a foul insect, it thrashed and bubbled, thick ropes of corrosive green ichor splattering across the forklift's armoured hull. Rei worked the controls in a frenzy, stabbing forward with the tower of forks again and again until the once-indomitable creature hung limp and shredded.

At last, she sprang clear of the cab just before the first waves of acidic blood ate through the metal. Rei landed in a crouch beside Luna, the two sisters reloading and sweeping their weapons toward any further threats.

That's when the thunder of heavy thruster engines split the night. Rally dropped in, a cutting-edge rocket launcher braced on his shoulder. He pulled up short, jaw dropping at the sight of the mangled, dissolving remains.

"What the...you two did this?" He let out a low whistle of admiration. "Gotta say, you kitty cats know how to show a guy a hell of a first date!"

Luna flashed him a sidelong smirk while Rei coolly blew a wisp of smoke from her gun.

Just another night's work in the bounty game.