Free Web NovelChapter 302: 302 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 13
WHIR—! WHIR—!
Making a loud noise, MaxTac agents began descending from the sky and landing where I was.
Moreover, it wasn’t just MaxTac that came. NCPD police were also seen coming this way with sirens blaring. But with MaxTac deployed, they were just controlling the civilians, not getting involved. They probably thought that since MaxTac had stepped in, it was already over. For me, it was a good thing because it reduced unnecessary killing.
Most MaxTac agents are former cyberpsychos, a special forces unit created by utilizing those who have been rehabilitated to some extent. But although they are said to be rehabilitated, they have no interest in the rule of law — rather than police, they have the character of an atrocious murder squad that kills targets indiscriminately, so they pay no attention whatsoever to collateral damage.
So, rather than an image of heroes stopping cyberpsychos, the truth is that they have become objects of fear. In a way, they are like fighting poison with poison. But it’s also understandable to some extent — because most cyberpsychos are powerful. Almost all of them are people who either abused implants or implanted military‑grade implants that push only performance without considering the user, so it’s difficult for ordinary police to stop them.
Bang bang bang! Ratatatat—!
As expected, as soon as they got off the transport ship, they started blasting their guns at me, as if they had given up on capturing me altogether.
Ting ting ting ting—!!!
I swung my sword, deflecting all the incoming bullets or sending them back at other MaxTac agents. But MaxTac’s armor is also very high‑performance, so they didn’t take any significant damage either.
Then, one MaxTac agent who appeared to be female extended a mantis‑like blade (mantis blade) from her arm and approached me very quickly, leaving afterimages. This one didn’t have a military‑grade Sandevistan like David, but seemed to be using one made for civilian use.
CLANG—!!! SWOOSH!!!
I deflected the incoming attack once, then immediately severed her entire arm.
"Ah... no..."
As expected, these guys didn’t seem sane either. Even though her arm had been cut off, she didn’t even scream, just focused on the situation, looking troubled. It felt like fighting emotionless machines, so I could cut their necks without any hesitation.
Schlick!
Thud!
"Agent down. Requesting backup. The target is an S‑class cyberpsycho."
When one went down like that, another MaxTac agent immediately requested backup. I could tell from cutting them — these guys are completely thick‑skinned. It was completely different from the feeling of cutting ordinary gang members. The significant resistance showed how much money the NCPD was investing in MaxTac. But in this worldview, there is nothing I cannot cut.
Bang bang bang!!!
Ting ting ting!!! Shushushu!!!
Pak pak pak! Thud!
Using [Observation Haki], I quickly found the one who was hacking and, staying true to my character, threw a tungsten throwing star at his head. Considering their thick armor, I threw it a bit harder, and not only did it embed deep, but some throwing stars just pierced through and came out the other side, embedding in the ground.
"Correction: Omega‑class cyberpsycho. Using a special sword and throwing weapons, and using a Sandevistan. Hacking has no effect whateso—"
Schlick!
Thud!
’Instead of reporting, you should focus on the battle!’
Because these guys’ armor is so thick, swords and ordinary guns wouldn’t work, but seeing me slice through his comrades like tofu, he seemed to have mistaken it for a special sword.
Then, a large MaxTac agent aimed a machine gun at me and fired.
Ratatatat—!!!
I used the one I had just killed as a shield, picked up the body, approached the large guy, and threw the body I was holding right at him. But perhaps because of his size, even hit by a comrade’s body, he wasn’t easily pushed back. Still, he faltered for a moment, so I used that opening to throw throwing stars at his feet and legs.
Shushushu! ƒгeewebnovёl.com
Pak pak pak!
Then, that guy, perhaps unable to stand any longer because his legs were damaged, collapsed to the ground.
Swoosh swoosh swoosh!
Thud thud!
I quickly swung my sword at the fallen guy, dividing him into six pieces right away.
Then, two more MaxTac surveyors — their airships — were seen flying in from afar.
Ratatat!! Bang bang!! Boom!!
Ting ting!! Swoosh!! Shushushu!! Papapak!!!
As the newly arrived MaxTac agents were also continuously cut down or killed by throwing stars, without much difference, a figure who appeared to be MaxTac’s leader shouted.
"Code AS!!! Retreat!!!"
At those words, MaxTac suddenly stopped fighting and began to run away. Probably, they didn’t want to lose any more of the MaxTac agents they had trained so hard. Even so, to just leave a cyberpsycho that was a threat to the citizens like this — it was hard to understand.
But the interesting thing was that, unlike the game, the NCPD, seeing that, just trembled in fear and didn’t engage. In the game, MaxTac and the NCPD would fight together desperately. Reality seemed a bit different from the game.
"Ugh... ah... MaxTac ran away!"
"A cyberpsycho that takes down MaxTac..."
"I don’t want to die!!!" freёwebnovel.com
Seeing MaxTac getting cut down, they panicked and began to run away. All except one.
"You bastards!!! Don’t run, fight!!!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
While everyone else was busy running away, the one who remained alone was ’River Ward’. He was a stocky man with a buzz cut and brown skin, wearing an ill‑fitting brown leather jacket with fur, shooting at me. River Ward is a guy with the nickname ’NCPD’s last remaining conscience’. He is one of the few good people in barren Night City.
"Fuck! Fuck!"
BANG! BANG! BANG! Click click click...
Of course, there was no way I would get hit by his bullets.
When he ran out of bullets, he was extremely flustered and tried to reload by taking bullets from his pocket, but perhaps because he was so tense, his hands were shaking, so he couldn’t reload and dropped the bullets on the floor.
"Damn it!!"
I approached him like that, patted his shoulder, and said one thing to calm him down.
"Ryu Seung‑ryong feels good."
"Wh-what???"
When everything was done, thinking about Lucy worrying, I used [Stealth] and quickly returned home. As expected, Lucy, having been very worried, had stayed up all night waiting for me. I hugged Lucy like that to reassure her, then sent a short message to David saying ’Escape successful’, showered, and rested.
That day would later be recorded as the most horrible tragedy in MaxTac’s history. Not only had they failed to subdue a cyberpsycho for the first time since MaxTac’s founding, but the cyberpsycho had also escaped. This incident, which occurred in front of numerous witnesses, became a decisive blow that lowered MaxTac’s prestige. And that day was also the day that the legendary Omega‑class cyberpsycho, ’Ryu Seung‑ryong’, was born.
– That cyberpsycho approached me and said this: ’Ryu Seung‑ryong feels good’... The NCPD is interpreting it as ’Ryu Seung‑ryong feels good.’ Probably, as he became a cyberpsycho, his intelligence deteriorated, and he just said ’feels good’ like a child. This means that his name is Ryu Seung‑ryong. Our NCPD will devote all efforts to tracking Ryu Seung‑ryong...
The next day, the surviving River Ward was saying this in an interview with a journalist. I was dumbfounded. Because I never imagined that a joke I made would turn out like this.
’Haa... seriously... to interpret Ryu Seung‑ryong as a name... no, it is a name. Anyway, River, you bastard!’
At that moment, Lucy, who didn’t know anything, was watching TV and spoke.
"So when you become a cyberpsycho, your intelligence deteriorates too. I didn’t know that. Plus, a cyberpsycho with a cute name? Ryu Seung‑ryong, is it..."
"Ye-yeah..."
I went to meet David, partly to do some grocery shopping, and also to find out what happened afterward.
"Jin! I’m glad, that you’re safe!"
"Shh! Be quiet!"
"Ah, right..."
David was extremely happy to see me. We chatted while driving around.
"So, did you take Maine to Regina safely yesterday?"
"Yeah. But Maine refused to downgrade, so we had a hard time. Still, after a long persuasion, he finally agreed. Regina said that after the downgrade is finished, he will be treated through a braindance (BD) that she and some doctors she knows made together. She said it’s a method that has already treated many people, so it’s trustworthy. She just said it would take some time."
"How much?"
"I heard it would take about two months. Dorio has decided to stay by Maine’s side the whole time while he’s being treated, so there shouldn’t be any problems."
"I see, that’s a relief. Still, thanks to his precious comrades, Maine saved his life. Most people don’t have such good endings. More than that, what did you decide to do about the team? If Maine and Dorio are out, the gap will be big, won’t it?"
"About that, we decided to gather at the Turbo Bar today and discuss it together. By the way, Ryu Seung‑ryong..."
"Quiet!"
"S-sorry..."
I dropped David off again and returned home. Well, things were working out, so it was good.
Today, the Maine team — no, David’s team — was gathering, so I went to the Turbo Bar with Lucy. When we arrived at the Turbo Bar, David and the others welcomed us warmly. Kiwi, who had been injured by Maine, seemed to have received treatment, as she had wound protection pads on her face and head.
"Welcome, Jin."
"Yeah, good to see you all."
I had asked them to keep it a secret from Lucy, so thankfully, they didn’t mention that incident. What Lucy knew was only that the building had been blown up to destroy evidence.
"Kiwi, how are you feeling?"
"It’s still a bit sore, but I’m fine. Nothing serious, either."
"Glad to hear it."
David and the others exchanged opinions for quite a while.
"How about starting over from the bottom, step by step? The main solos are gone, so we need time."
"I agree."
When David gave this opinion, Rebecca agreed, but Kiwi, Sasha, and Pilar opposed.
"Sorry, but we don’t have the money or time for that."
"Same here. I’m in the middle of moving, so sorry..."
"I’ve also been busy making something lately..."
Then Rebecca glared at Pilar and scolded him.
"Keeping us up all night making useless things — what are you even making?! Just give it up!"
"You’re the one who’s barely been coming home lately, and you’re talking shit?! You’ve been sleeping at David’s almost every day!"
"What did you say! You #@$%^&*!"
"@%#^%%&$&!"
From Pilar’s words, it seemed that Rebecca had been sleeping over at David’s house often after that incident. I wanted to pat her head and say, ’Good job, Rebecca. Yes, love is something you seize!’ but I held back. I just watched warmly.
While Rebecca and Pilar were showing the classic dynamic of real‑life siblings, David was getting a headache from the practical problems.
"Haa... but breaking up the team isn’t right either, is it? We’ve been doing well so far! There’s no guarantee we’ll do well if we join another team either. And if we try to recruit new members, it’ll take time..."
"Hmm... that’s true..."
When David said that, everyone seemed to agree on that point. But it seemed there was no clear solution.
While everyone was thinking like that, I asked Lucy beside me.
"Should we help them a bit?"
"Huh? How?"
"We work together with them on requests, just until they get settled. We’d have to split our request fee, so we’d take a bit less, but so what? We’re not short on money, are we."
At my words, Lucy thought for a moment, then spoke.
"Hmm... we’ve had drinks together and done a few requests together, so I suppose it’s fine. Yeah, let’s do that."
When Lucy agreed, I said to them.
"Then, how about you work with us until you get settled or get new members?"
At my suggestion, their expressions brightened greatly. Especially David’s.
"Thank you, this is really a relief. I couldn’t see what was ahead!"
"But there’s something you need to know. I don’t work with guys like Faraday. As I said before, the requests that guy gives are almost all Militech‑related, and if you mess up, you’ll get targeted by Arasaka and won’t be able to last long in this business. Moreover, that guy is the kind who uses mercenaries like horses or throws them away as bait for his own purposes. I don’t know who will be the next leader among you, but it’s best not to work with someone like that. Isn’t it about time you knew that too?"
"We know. This incident happened because of a request that guy gave us too."
From this day on, we decided to work together with David and the others, and we decided to split the profits equally. Because the profits from the requests I received were considerable, I thought it wouldn’t be a big problem. And with more people, I also bought a heavily customized ’Chevillon Emperor’ vehicle. This vehicle not only can carry more than six people, but also a lot of cargo, and is a vehicle often used by mercenary teams.
