How To Live as a Cyberpunk Solver

117. conditions

The first was a shrapnel, the second a shockwave.

The most visually intense fire was the third one, and it wasn’t very threatening.

Leonard evaded the iron ball from behind the pillar and shrank to withstand the impact. Sparks crawled to the walls and floor, but did not harm the bulletproof, water-repellent, fire-retardant coat and high-end implants. Even the little Max, who had slipped into it, was safe.

“Ugh… Ugh…”

Although the body was fine, the mind was not. Max struggled, losing his mind. It could have happened if suddenly exposed to grenades.

Leonard drew his revolver ‘Army’ and fired several rounds down the post. Even though the tactical drones were sturdy, they were not strong enough to deflect 45-caliber armor-piercing bullets made of tungsten. Kkong-kang-kang-! There was a sound, then it tilted sideways and crashed. However, the vacancy was immediately filled by new drones. It was a guy with a 10mm machine gun barrel.

To-dada-data-!

A lead ball flew in and stuck in the spot where the iron ball had swept away. Leonard hid behind the pillar again and murmured softly.

“Damn it…”

I don’t know how I knew this place, but I came prepared. There will be a corporate fixer on standby under the building as well. Under the circumstances, it was Adam Knox or David Kim.

– Get out of the top.

Noah Lucas sent a message to the brain chip. You can’t see it from Leonard’s position, but it was a pillar opposite.

-What about that drone?

-Tactical drones are better than fixers. Let’s meet at Doris’ Tavern on 23rd Street.

-You want to meet? I’m not going with you…

It seems not. Noah Lucas jumped out of the pillar and crossed his hands. A short-handled throwing knife cut through the rain of bullets like a comb.

I would like to say a word about how to catch a military drone with a knife, but I couldn’t do it because I was not in a hurry. So glad it was. It was not an ordinary knife, but a titanium knife thrown by a cyborg moving at near the speed of sound. The sharp blade pierced the metal armor and plunged deep into the electronics. The current that was supposed to go to the propeller flowed in the wrong place and sparks flew. Tadadak-! widely-!

Meanwhile, Noah Lucas, who had rolled twice on the floor, ran toward the doorway. The drone waiting outside the window reflexively followed. It was a good opportunity for Leonard and Max.

“Shoot!”

At Leonard’s instruction, Max pulled out his shotgun as if in a fit. In terms of marksmanship, he was now better than Leonard. I shot down two neatly, one at a time, and then pulled out a 9mm semi-automatic pistol and fired at the end.

Leonard emptied the chamber of his revolver, then grabbed Max and ran. Max said, ‘It’s not luggage!’ I wanted to shout, but I held back because I felt like I was going to bite my tongue. He ran through the broken window rather than through the door that Noah Lucas escaped through, so even if the opportunity presented itself, he had to say something else first.

“Mi, crazy…!”

Leonard received no complaints. He grabbed Max by the back and threw him upstairs. With the power of Leonard’s implant, the small and lightweight Max could fly about 2 meters.

Max screamed and clung to the roof railing. It wasn’t because he was agile like anyone else, but because he struggled to survive. Living humans without implants, in fact even with implants, could not survive falling from the height of the 5th floor unless they were cyborgs remodeled for this purpose.

“Really… isn’t that crazy? Trying to catch someone… Whoa! Save me!”

Tactical drones swarm around Max. I searched for a vital spot with the lens and aimed it with the barrel. Leonard did not let Miu or Gou, his only assistant, die in a violent death. Replaced the revolver with ‘Air Force’ and fired one after another.

Artificial intelligence does not have a survival instinct, but it has a code of conduct to deal with crisis situations. The full-body implant cyborg that shoots menacing armor-piercing bullets was the first target to be eliminated.

If the DM had direct control, he would have eliminated Max in seconds, but the childishly named corporate fixer was busy chasing Noah Lucas. I was lucky to be honest.

“Keep going!”

Leonard shot down two more tactical drones and went up to the roof by stepping on the outdoor unit and the pipe in turn.

Looking at it objectively, it couldn’t be faster than quick movements or bullets. He was hit several times by a leaden 10mm shower. If it wasn’t for the quality raincoat made of silicon carbide ceramic, it would have crashed due to malfunction.

“On the subject of AI…!”

Leonard’s eyes widened, digging deep into the tactical drone. Although it is a military equipment that is heavily stained by experts, its security could not be perfect as it transmits and receives radio waves in real time. With some effort, I was able to take control away for a moment.

The drone, which lost control to Leonard, changed its target and shot the aircraft next to it. I tried to shoot down as many as possible using this opportunity, but the AI’s response was faster than I thought. The hacked craft was immediately identified and intercepted. I worked hard to get one, but I lost it right away.

‘He’s a really picky guy.’

It was an opponent worthy of the name. Although the name is not the real DM.

Still, I bought time and increased my chances. Max struggled and climbed over the roof railing.

“Mister Leonard! You can’t die before you write your will!”

Without a moment to catch his breath, he changed the pistol’s magazine and fired the remaining tactical drone. Brave but not wise. The quick-reacting drone immediately counterattacked. Leonard jumped over the railing and ran.

“You go first!”

“No, you have to tell me where you are going!”

Leonard pulled his hood down deep and covered Max with his body. Bullets hit the back of the head and back. honestly it wasn’t good. Even though the dense molecular structure of silicon carbide blocks penetration, lead balls at 300m per second hit 7 to 8 times per second, and there was no damage. A warning of danger flashed madly in the corner of my vision.

‘Because of the weight, I couldn’t have loaded many bullets. If you hold out a little longer, you will have a chance to counterattack…’

Before that, it seemed like a few bones would break. Max turned white and looked up at Leonard. If I had known this was going to happen, I would have had the implant done earlier.

bang-! Bang bang-!

Then, unexpected reinforcements appeared. The appearance itself was not unexpected, but it was a reinforcement that was not expected due to deep suspicion. Max called out his name.

“Mr. Bennington!”

Wasteland bandit hunter Bennington Holly pans out an old-fashioned revolver. Leonard also had different marksmanship skills and skills. Unlike Leonard, who shoots wildly at the level of ‘hit the unlucky guy’, each shot was accurate. It was a skill reminiscent of the legendary 19th-century gunslinger, Vermont Holly.

‘Aren’t they the same last name?’

You can slowly check your family lineage. Bennington Holly emptied the breech and sipped the brim of his cowboy hat with the smoking muzzle.

“It’s a bit late, but please understand. There is a saying that the main character usually shows up late.”

“You’re not the main character…”

Leonard collapsed after revealing the best secret of the 21st century Third Continent. Max hurriedly helped him up, but his metal body made it difficult to get him up.

“Where is Noah Lucas?”

Bennington Holly opened the loading gate of the revolver and took out the 44 caliber cartridges one by one. It was a very old-fashioned design even in the world of revolvers that are treated as old-fashioned. You should have recognized it when you wore your cowboy hat and spurred leather boots.

“He’s downstairs.”

“Did you abandon your comrades and run away?”

“It’s more like what the other side abandoned. You don’t have to worry about Noah Lucas.”

Leonard briefly checked the implant’s function and got up on his feet. The shock was great, but it was enough to move slowly.

“The other hacker must have noticed. Let’s hurry and get out.”

“Where?”

“You don’t even know what to say.”

Thank you for saving me, but I haven’t completely abandoned my doubts. In fact, Bennington Holly, who did not know the geography of A-044 City, was not angry.

“Then go ahead. You can listen to the details as you go.”

@

Leonard, Max, and Bennington Holly went over the roof of the building and hid in a suitable alley.

A DM with hacking skills used a street camera to track him, but Leonard was one step ahead under equal conditions. Random playback of past videos created confusion. The risk of getting caught would have been higher if I had sent a drone that I controlled myself, but I was glad I was complacent. Leonard and Max may have run out of available drones as they smashed everything they could.

Anyway, Leonard and his gang got out of 29th Street safely. It’s not safe to say that it’s a downtown area, but the farther the distance, the wider the scope to search, so I was able to catch my breath for a while. After checking the chamber of his revolver ‘Air Force’, Leonard aimed it at Bennington Holley’s back of the head.

“…What are you doing?”

I didn’t notice it, but I noticed it well. Max also loaded his shotgun and took a step back. Bennington glanced sideways at the fixer duo and raised his hand politely. Leonard wasn’t easy, and Max wasn’t light either.

“Where have you been?”

“Is it because you’re late? Contrary to what it looks like…”

“Respond knowing that you are fortunate that there is only one bullet.”

If I had two feet, I would have had a hole somewhere in exchange for nonsense. Bennington Holly thought, ‘If only I had one shot…’, then just built it in my head. The opponent was an implant hacker. Aiming a gun was just a ceremony to create an atmosphere, and the actual threat must have been planted in his head.

“I went to the twins you told me about. To get Logan Mays cured. Check it out if you don’t believe it.”

I’m still calling the twins, but I didn’t answer. The circumstances were very suspicious.

“I wonder how they figured out the base camp.”

“Ha… are you serious? Are you saying I’m a traitor?”

“I know Noah Lucas and Logan Mays, but I’ve only seen them once before. But Logan Mace, who moved with you, was injured.”

“You were unlucky.”

“Is it just unlucky that the enemy came before you?”

“If I betrayed you, why did I save you from the rooftop?”

“Because I missed Noah Lucas. You must have needed information to catch her.”

Even if it wasn’t for Bennington, most of the tactical drones were shot down and even the bullets were showing the bottom. It may have been broken in a few places by the bullet rain, but it would have come out safely in the end. If you’re going to miss it anyway, it’s beneficial to build trust and get additional information by being condescending. Bennington conceded after pondering Leonard’s reasoning.

“I am suspicious after hearing it.”

“It’s about that. Don’t talk like others.”

Bennington turned away, ignoring the muzzle. Max pulled one ball and closed it, but didn’t dodge it.

“What is more difficult than revealing guilt is to be recognized as innocent. What could be more difficult than proving something that does not exist?”

“What if you still ask for it?”

“I have no choice but to do it. Even if it is unpleasant and unreasonable, there is no other way.”

Bennington transmitted the data via BrainChip communications. I read it out of curiosity, even though I suspected it might be an operation to induce a gap. The video of the company’s fixer being killed, the twins entrusting Logan Mace, and the video of getting lost in the back alleys of the downtown area played quickly. The largest part was the scene where the scavenger and the scavenger go to the wrong place. Leonard suddenly felt pathetic.

“…was it a direction value?”

“Call it Gilchi. Because I tend to take directions well.”

It seemed that I had to think a little bit about what difference it made.