Truth be told, rcer’s first instinct was to let her fight first, to gauge V’s current combat capabilities.
But when he activated his cybereye to scan V, he suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
First, there was a pair of off-brand cybereyes, well, to be precise, they were Militech’s decade-old models, though God knows where she dug them up.
Next was the Pain Editor, basically standard gear for most rcs to reduce pain during combat and maintain fighting efficiency.
But after a quick scan, rcer could tell this was also Biotechnica’s outdated tech from six or seven years ago.
Other than that...
She only had a handgun.
How to put it? It had a certain retro charm, back in the early 21st century, around the ti Johnny Silverhand was still playing guitar for his band, there was a legendary rc nad Morgan Blackhand.
Morgan Blackhand was a staunch advocate of pure physical combat, believing that well-honed muscles, a sharp mind, and a reliable weapon were all he needed to face any enemy.
And judging by his track record, Morgan Blackhand indeed lived up to that belief. Not only did he make a na for himself in the early 21st century, becoming Militech’s top rc for a ti; he was also the lifelong rival of Adam Smasher, that staunch believer in chanical supremacy.
As for V...
Well, if only she were that badass right now.
rcer watched as V and those rcs argued, on the verge of taking it outside the bar for a showdown. He sighed and stepped forward.
"V, my ti is precious."
Hearing rcer, V turned to glance at him, then looked back at the group of rcs. She pointed at the biggest one, still putting on a tough act:
"Big guy, I’ll co find you after I’m done here. Then you’ll see what this sister’s made of!"
The hulking rc sneered, "Don’t worry, I’ll tear you down to your spine, then put you back together just to dump you in the trash."
V drew a finger across her throat at the big rc, then turned around with swagger, sizing up rcer.
"So you’re the client, A?" she said. rcer simply nodded and turned toward the bar.
V curled her lip, but the thought of her bank account made her trail after him obediently. As they reached the bar, she heard a woman’s scornful laugh.
"rcer, is this dumbass who you hired? Impressive, takes her three minutes to pick a fight inside... You’re not actually thinking of giving her work, are you?"
Panam thought rcer had really misjudged things this ti. With the foolishness this woman had shown just walking in, what could she possibly accomplish?
V shot a cold glare at Panam. "This woman one of yours?"
"Panam," rcer said, giving her a look. Panam shrugged and sipped her beer, falling silent.
rcer turned back to V, gave her another once-over, and said in a flat tone, "V, mind telling why you started trouble the mont you walked in? If you really wanted to find , a call would’ve sufficed. You seem like you were looking for a fight on purpose."
V’s eyes darted away. "No reason, just wanted to feel out the situation with you first." After she finished speaking, she noticed rcer staring motionlessly at her. In those azure cybereyes she had never seen before, speckles of blue light flickered like fireflies dancing in his pupils.
rcer remained silent, just watching her.
V shifted uncomfortably and averted her gaze before muttering softly, "Alright, fine. I was just a bit excited. So many legends here, all big nas I’ve heard about in the underworld. Couldn’t help wanting to chat a little."
rcer stared at her wordlessly. "Did it ever occur to you what you’d do if you stirred up trouble?"
V just grinned dismissively.
"Scared of what? Worst case, I’ll just bolt. While you were gone, I scoped the place out, there’s a back exit I can slip through. Even if I can’t win a fight, I won’t back down with my words. On the streets, if soone talks shit, you can’t just take it. The mont you show weakness, nobody’ll ever respect you again. And that dumbass actually called ’little girl’ and asked to have a drink with him? Honestly, I’m not scared. So what if he’s big and loaded with mods? Don’t let that hulk intimidate you. Sure, he’s got heavy Subdermal Armor, Gorilla Arms, and all that. But just from the way he moved, I could tell, he can’t fight for shit. He probably wobbles when he walks! If it ca to guns, I could put three holes in his head in one second. Even hand to hand, thirty seconds, tops, I’d have that big guy flat on the ground, unable to move."
After finishing, V looked at rcer with full confidence. "Seriously, just wait till I deal with him and co back. I’ll take down him and all his lackeys together before returning!"
She really loves to boast. rcer sowhat understood how Rogue must have felt dealing with him.
"Those weren’t Gorilla Arms," rcer cut in flatly, unable to listen any longer. "That was a Projectile Launch System disguised as Gorilla Arms."
V’s eyes widened slightly, her mouth agape. Her bragging words died in her throat.
"Couldn’t tell? Good, you weren’t supposed to."
rcer sighed and tapped the table. "Also, that big guy isn’t the leader. At best, he’s the second-in-command. See that skinny guy? The quiet one standing near him? He’s the actual leader of their squad. Sandevistan, Muscle Enhancent, and a Smart Submachine Gun tucked in the small of his back. He only showed part of his cyberware info on purpose, the rest, your cybereye couldn’t scan. But I could see it: Mantis Blades, a Second Heart, and his Frontal Cortex is probably fitted with a Militech ICE. Hmm... two more implants, one on his back and one on his thigh. I’d need to study them to know exactly what they are. The net signal shape is unusual, probably custom mods from a small shop or so expert tinkerer. Don’t let his ’normal’ look fool you. He’s the most heavily modified of the bunch. I’d bet his internal systems are overhauled too."
rcer’s words left V increasingly silent. She clenched her fists, lowered her head, and said nothing.
But rcer wasn’t done. "What you learned on the streets, bringing that attitude here is just asking for death, V. This isn’t your usual dive bar; it’s the Afterlife. Weren’t you pretty excited when you first heard the na? How co you’ve forgotten now? Nobody who cos here is exactly harmless.
See that four-eyed idiot over there? The one showing off with two extra eyes on his face? That’s a netrunner.
Bet you anything he’s already locked onto your signal. The mont you try to leave, he’ll be ready to hack you.
He hasn’t made a move yet because he sees .
Oh, this bastard’s clever... he’s masking his network signal fluctuations within the Afterlife’s server signals using a cloaking program.
In a bit, he’ll try to sneak his signal in disguised. Looking to die!
rcer’s eyes blazed with a fierce blue light, glowing beneath his mask. "Let give him a warning first, tell him to back off. What kind of moron dares ss with ?"
—--
Without hesitation, he connected to the network signal disguised as the bar’s subnet, attempting to sneak in.
Then, rcer’s brain went into overdrive, launching a full-scale counter-invasion against the other party.
In an instant, the netrunner on the other end felt an overwhelming flood of data assaulting him from rcer’s network. By the ti he realized he was being counter-invaded, rcer’s ICEbreaker was already chipping away at his ICE.
The netrunner, too stunned to speak, widened his eyes and pushed his brain into overdrive, even now, he was still confident. What kind of lowlife dare counter-invade him?
He no longer held back, pushing his brain to the limit, his netrunner cyberware fully activated!
But then, he panicked as he noticed sothing wrong. "No, impossible!"
rcer’s netrunning speed was terrifying. By the ti the netrunner detected the first virus breaching his defense system, rcer already had multiple programs executing crack invasions!
Instinctively, he pushed his ICE program to its limits, engaging in electronic warfare, trying to match rcer’s processing power.
But soon, his expression grew increasingly horrified, as if he’d seen a ghost.
Damn, how many programs is he running simultaneously? One, two, three... No, no, no!
Can’t block it... can’t block it anymore!
"Ahhhh!"
He scread, his face flushing red and his eyes rolling back, his brain had Initiated Overload. His whole body convulsed like a fish out of water, and he slid off the booth’s couch onto the floor.
It all happened so fast that even his companions didn’t have ti to react.
Because the netrunner never thought he’d be instantly defeated, he hadn’t given any prior warning; clearly, he guessed wrong.
As the netrunner’s screams echoed, all the rcenaries in the booth turned their attention toward rcer and his group.
rcer flipped them the middle finger, openly admitting he was the one who did it:
"Try netrunning again, and I’ll fry all your stupid brains to mush!"
Claire, who had been watching from the bar, could no longer stay out of it and quickly warned, "Hey! Don’t cause trouble here! Take it outside if you have issues."
The rcenary squad abruptly stood up in unison, several pistols and submachine guns suddenly aid at rcer.
The big rcenary even extended his arm, his Gorilla Arms transforming instantly into a dark, gaping cannon muzzle:
"Shit, you fried his brain!? You’re looking to die!"
"It was this idiot who fried his own brain." rcer rely let out a cold laugh. "He insisted on pitting his pig brain against mine. Did he really have the skill for that? He can still be saved if you get him to a hospital now, but if you keep pointing those guns at ... The outco might not be so pleasant."
At the sa ti, rcer quietly connected to their subnet.
The netrunner was the core of the team’s network. While overwhelming the opposing netrunner in their cyber clash, causing his pig brain to Initiate Overload, rcer also successfully hacked into their subnet.
Unsurprisingly, this rcenary squad heavily relied on their netrunner; everyone was linked together within the subnet centered around him.
Now, their brains were nothing but slabs of at on the chopping block, rcer was fully prepared. At the slightest sign of aggression, he would instantly upload every virus at his disposal.
"Fuck, hurry! Give him the ds! Get him to the ripperdoc!"
The burly man was frantic and furious, his eyes blazing.
anwhile, the lean rcenary behind him fixed a cold stare on rcer and spoke in an unhurried tone, "You all take him away. I’ll have a nice chat with our netrunner friend here."
--------
Bonus Chapter @1500 power stones
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