I Became a Sub Heroine in a Cyberpunk Game

“……Ugh. Ptooey!!”

I spat out what felt like blood mixed in my mouth and massaged my tingling shoulders from the recoil.

Once I eliminated all the threats that came right in front of me, the messy shop and my nearly comparable state of disarray caught my eye. It wasn’t even a physical attack that allowed this, yet my lower abdomen oddly burned from being rubbed. My upper body complained of fatigue despite the almost minimized gun recoil. Damp bloodstains.

“I’ll show you… really…!!”

There’s no way the transplant could fail due to suitability or side effect issues. Once I have some extra credits, I decided I would invest generously in modifications and upgrades as I straightened my disheveled clothes.

Now all that was left… were two corpses.

Even though I felt it while scraping up scattered guns from the lab, there was no function that showed my inventory like in a game or allowed me to smoothly retrieve loot, making it a chore to collect spoils. It’s possible that the bullets lodged in might have demolished useful items too.

Screeeech…!!

With my poor strength, it was tough to flip the bodies or strip off their clothes, so I pulled out the steak knife embedded in the giant’s neck and cut open their pockets and coat.

…If that’s the extent of a meal tool’s cutting power, how dangerous are the weapons used by close-range build characters like samurais or juggernauts…?

I hope… I won’t have to experience such things physically.

Clink….

“What the hell…?!”

While sorting through junk based on the analysis of my cyberware, something that looked ready to explode rolled out from a pocket I had ripped open.

[M85 Frag Grenade. Black Dragon Corp.]

Even in this future world more than two hundred years later, the green fragmentation grenade still looked terrifying.

For someone holding something that looked like a modified construction tool, I couldn’t understand why they had genuine explosives from the Black Dragon Corp. If I had fired wrongly, we would all have crossed into the afterlife together…!

For now, considering the stamina and durability of this body… frankly speaking, my arm would tire before the ammo I possessed ran out, so I carefully stashed the grenade just in case.

To avoid making the bodies of the two dead visible, I securely closed the shop door and slipped outside.

I’d never wandered around looking for a settlement since starting the job at the shop to avoid drawing unnecessary attention, but I at least knew the location of the restaurant the mechanic grandpa used to frequent.

Swish… swish….

I cautiously advanced while keeping an eye on my surroundings.

From a distance, gunfire echoed continuously, but the street was devoid of even an ant, reflecting the chaotic situation of the settlement. If there were any, they would literally be bug-like creatures adapted to this wasteland…

“Damn… so heavy… huh?”

Thud—!!

“…Looks like you’re in big trouble.”

…A lowlife even less dignified than a bug.

I shot the black figure, who was groaning while hauling away all of someone else’s belongings like some dark Santa Claus. Just as the thought of how I could end a life with such simple finger movements crossed my mind, they made it easy for me by being clearly identifiable.

I approached the figure that had fallen backward and gave their head a light nudge with my foot.

I confirmed that the sticky life fluid was seeping into the sand before hastening my steps again.

If this kind of situation keeps repeating, even a child who knows only how to aim a gun and pull the trigger could defeat enemies.

However… it seemed I wasn’t far from the store I intended to reach.

Clatter!! Rattle—!!

Bang! Bang bang…!!

As I drew closer, a tense air filled with the smell of battle made me break into a cold sweat.

Am I afraid of death? To an extent, yes. Yet on the other hand… having spent countless days and nights in this world, I found myself hoping that after each night passed and I woke up in the morning, I would see the familiar ceiling of my room again.

Wasn’t it said that one loses the memory of being human when dreaming the dream of a butterfly?

If so… what is it that I truly fear?

That I act impulsively or, conversely, fail to act, causing everything to go wrong.

The signals from parallel worlds I briefly sensed in the operating room of the lab had not easily returned.

Ultimately, all I could do was hope that my current actions led to a slightly more positive outcome— a happy ending.

“Shit…!! Got you…!!”

“%^&^&…!!”

“!?”

The harsh voice that mixed with the gunfire made me quickly seek shelter against the wall.

On the opposite side of the battlefield… no, it was one of the houses I had just passed. My back could have been in danger.

“What kind of house has a double floor installed?! I almost left without seeing such a beauty…!!”

“Get your hands off my mom… you pig…!!”

“Mary…! Mom is okay… right? Just stay still, okay…?”

“Ugh….”

I could hear quite an infuriating conversation coming from within the cautiously approached house.

It was easy to judge the situation. It was just that the specific outline of the enemy still wasn’t visible.

The sound of fabric brushing against flesh, something dropping on the floor. And….

“Mom…! Mom!!”

Creak…!!

Thud…!

“Damn, what a distraction!”

“!! Don’t touch the kid…!!”

The sound of a small child running and getting hit and falling.

…That one’s crossing the line before they die soon?

Erasing all the assorted information marked on my retina, I cleared my vision as much as possible and peered into the house with the rifle’s muzzle raised.

The filthy butt of a bulky figure frantically pulling down their trousers was the first thing I saw. I locked eyes with a small girl, freckled and about to burst into tears.

To prevent the child from unwittingly drawing attention, I raised my index finger to my lips and gestured for silence while also blinking one eye.

“Wow….”

In an instant, the moisture in the child’s eyes disappeared, and her gaze sparkled. …She’s a kid with quite the mental fortitude, just as adorable as she looks.

More than that… if the enemy was just this foolish creature, I could’ve moved long ago. If I had, there would have been no reason for the kid to get hit, nor for the mother to have to feign coming out…

“!!”

“…?”

I locked eyes with a red-haired woman taking off her clothes over the shoulder of the bulky figure who bent down.

Rather than relief, a look of urgency was the first to catch my eye. Her head turned to the left, to my right. Before I could even understand that signal, a dark hand stretched out from the wall right next to the entrance, took hold of the rifle’s muzzle, and yanked it…

“Shit…!!”

There was really someone silently watching that display while another gang member was busy trying to breed?

Overwhelmed by the difference in strength, I helplessly had my rifle taken away. The outlaw, now in the dominant position, pointed a pistol at me.

“I knew there’d be some vigilante left…?”

…Thank goodness I made Anastasia slightly shorter. And it’s even more fortunate that I’m a Neo Haven junkie…!

Click!

The barrel aimed at me by the guy who expected to encounter a sturdy adult pointed at empty air. Meanwhile, having had my gun snatched away, I instinctively pulled out my sidearm, the Peacemaker pistol, just like any FPS gamer would. That small decision and time difference decided the outcome.

Bang!!

The fired bullet pierced through the chin and lodged itself in the ceiling. With a fatal wound so definite that there was no need for a controlled burst fire, the lifeless body crumbled.

“Ugh…?”

With a loud crash, the fallen comrade caused the bulky figure to finally turn around.

…I sincerely apologize for greatly affecting the emotional education of a growing child, but I need to finish this situation first…?

The trigger was pulled firmly.

The bullets from the fired pistol mercilessly lodged into the coarse upper body of the pig. There was no time to aim for the head. I had almost died five seconds ago from being caught off guard; I couldn’t let that happen again.

“Haah… Hah!”

I don’t even know when I had stopped, but I released the breath I had been holding.

“Thank you… thank you…!!”

“Sis!! Are you also like our dad, a ‘hawk hiding its claws’? Huh?!”

The mother lifted the fallen child and embraced them, bowing her head in gratitude repeatedly. But the way she still kept her guard up… reminded me that a mother is strong.

Moreover, this little lady… seems to have extraordinary mental strength. While being called ‘sister’ is a bit troubling, I can’t find a suitable alternative…

“…You’re quite the clever little lady. But at times like this, you should take care of your mother first…?”

“Ah?! Mom!! I’m sorry…!!”

With a wry smile, I gently patted the naive little girl on the back.

However… a hawk hiding its claws…?

That’s a phrase I’ve heard quite a lot lately. There aren’t many who use such archaic expressions in Neo Haven.

“….”

My wandering gaze found a family photo amidst the mess in the house.

A common picture of a young daughter with her parents, but… the father’s features looked too familiar.

With a scar crossing his face and a heavy impression. He had the build that would suit a tuxedo perfectly.

Why is Mr. Schneider, who should be running a bar in Emerald City, here…?

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