The table was casually overturned, glassware crashing to the floor, shattering into countless shards. The air was thick with the acrid smell
The table was casually overturned, glassware crashing to the floor, shattering into countless shards. The air was thick with the acrid smell of gunpowder, and the lights in the ceiling flickered, intermittently dimming and brightening.
The battle was imminent, with Lin Mo hidden behind a sturdy piece of debris, his eyes barely visible as he stared intently at Brutus, the man in front of him.
This large, bear-like, or rather, pig-like man, held a delicate woman with his left hand while his right hand, though missing a palm, still had a grenade launcher system protruding from it, a constant threat.
The atmosphere was dead silent, both men glaring at each other, each eager to tear the other apart, like wild beasts circling, ready to strike with their hidden claws.
Despite the tense atmosphere between the two, the basement only erupted into a brief conflict, yet it felt as though the war drums of battle had been sounded.
In Lin Mo's ears, the sounds of gunfire and explosions from the factory above filled the air, mixed with the frantic communications from his team. The loudest of all was Rebecca's maniacal laughter, which seemed to pierce the very soul, though it had an oddly pure quality to it, purely fixated on wiping out all enemies.
"Hahaha, die, die, die, you bastards... hahaha! Hey, out of bullets, damn brother, hurry up and toss me some more!" Rebecca's voice rang out, so loud that even the gunfire and explosions couldn't drown it out.
"Rebecca, calm down, don't be so impulsive. Dorio, go help cover her!" Maine's voice cut through, a sense of urgency in his tone.
Lin Mo listened for a while and, hearing that the situation above wasn't too problematic, had no choice but to mute the comms, keeping only the line open with Sasha. He then focused intently on the large man in front of him.
"Your team is pretty good... they've killed quite a few of us. The useless ones up there are still buzzing in my ear, begging me to hurry and help them," Brutus chuckled lowly, breaking the silence in the basement, as if lighting a fuse in a barrel of gunpowder.
Lin Mo didn't respond. His hand tightly gripped his katana, the bullet that had earlier hit his shoulder was blocked by his skin armor, causing no significant damage, and it wouldn't stop him from severing the man's head.
The man, still composed, stared at Lin Mo, shaking the woman's hair in his left hand, his voice dripping with mockery:
"Since we've got company waiting for us upstairs, let's not waste any time. Kid, if you still want to save this little girl, you better come out. Of course, if you refuse to come out, I won't waste any time, and I'll just crush her head with my bare hand—consider that the signal for us to start our fight."
"Such a beautiful, delicate woman as the appetizer for our battle... I bet you'll be thrilled," he taunted.
Lin Mo remained silent for a while behind his cover, but eventually stepped out from his hiding spot, the glow of his black unicorn glinting in the dim light, drawing attention.
"Good. It seems our first cooperation is going well. So, next step, would you mind putting down your weapon?" Brutus said with a smile.
Lin Mo didn't respond.
After a long pause, Brutus sighed regretfully, his large cybernetic left hand no longer gripping the woman's hair. Instead, he gripped her head, lifting her effortlessly in his hand.
"Sorry, little girl, it seems like someone's not willing to save you. If there is an afterlife, please wait there for a while and see who will join you," he said mockingly.
The woman remained expressionless, her eyes lifeless. Since coming out of the superdream, she had been in this state, like a hollow shell without a soul.
The man smiled slightly, but as he prepared to exert more force, he suddenly frowned.
He released her head, rubbing his temple in frustration and anger. "What a shame... I didn't expect you had a hacker behind you. If I hadn't been cautious before, I might have fallen for it."
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow, his expression darkening.
He had planned to activate his Sian-Westan and rush at him as soon as the man released his grip, but then he remembered that the man also had the same implant.
Even if he activated his Sian-Westan first, the Krenzikov would also respond, and his speed would return to normal, giving the man a chance to react.
"Sasha, I failed to hack him! This guy has self-ICE, and now his ICE protection has been reset. Quick hack won't work!" Sasha's voice sounded frantic in his ear.
Well, he hadn't really expected Sasha to take care of it.
A leader of a scavenger gang who could make deals with corporations surely wasn't an amateur.
As for self-ICE, he remembered it was a cybernetic implant designed to protect against hackers, something he had encountered in the game.
"Kid, I'm glad you didn't take advantage of this opportunity to activate your Sian-Westan. Many people thought that just because they implanted this thing, they could become invincible, but in reality, they were just lucky fools. That's why they're all dead... dead by my hands," Brutus sneered, his left hand slapping his right arm, creating a metallic clanking sound, as if admiring Lin Mo's restraint.
"If you want to save her, just put down your knife, and tell that hacker to behave," he added, his smile widening.
Lin Mo didn't believe the bastard's words. Anyone who had dealings with people like him wouldn't stoop to such lowly actions.
Given the current situation, putting down his weapon was a death sentence. No one would be foolish enough to do such a thing.
Just as Lin Mo stared coldly at the man, contemplating his next move, his gaze shifted downward, and he suddenly saw a pair of pure, bright eyes.
A pair of eyes filled with light and vitality, green and fresh, standing out amidst the broken body of the woman. Her face, previously blank and lifeless, now carried a spark of life.
The woman, with a vacant expression, now showed her first sign of life, her dry, cracked lips moving as though speaking her final words. Though no sound came out, she tried with all her might to move her lips.
It seemed as if she had said everything she needed to, and with a faint smile, she was at peace.
Lin Mo's eyes lowered, his mind flashing back to what she had silently mouthed.
The words were short and simple, but they carried deep meaning.
"Please, kill me."
Lin Mo was momentarily confused.
She was young, with a bright future ahead, in the stage of life where one wouldn't easily give up on living.
What kind of horrific nightmares and torment had led her to calmly say, "Please kill me"?
Lin Mo didn't know, nor did he wish to know.
Seeking the truth, offering compassion, saving the suffering—these were things only heroes did.
He was no hero. In the foreseeable future, he would kill many people, his hands stained with blood. To call him a hero would be an exaggeration.
In this damned world, there was no hero who could save everything. Even the so-called rockstar who blew up the Arasaka Tower, thinking himself a pioneer, had his achievements buried beneath the bodies of those who died in the explosion.
Now, saving someone was a feat, and if someone died, it was a mistake...
And after someone dies, killing the culprit was simply a way to make up for the mistake.
Lin Mo tightened his grip on the knife, his expression darkening.
It seemed like there was no real choice. If the woman couldn't be saved, the third option would be the best. After all, she wasn't his mission target, and no one would blame him for failing to save her.
The commission was just to kill these criminals.
But was it really that simple?
For the woman, dying at the hands of the man who tortured her and brought her endless nightmares would be no different than a devout Christian being forced by Satan to commit suicide. Helpless, she would rather have the demon hunter's sword pierce her heart and return to the Lord's kingdom.
Time passed slowly, and the man seemed to grow impatient, but Lin Mo became calm, his mind still as water.
In the quiet, Sian-Westan activated for the seventh time.
Time once again slowed to near stillness, and Lin Mo's gaze remained locked on the woman's eyes, as if engraving them into his heart.
What should he choose?
Lin Mo already knew his answer.
...
That was to choose the fourth option, one that didn't exist.
He would kill her himself, become the murderer!
Then, he would finish off the remaining criminals, clutching all the sins in his hand and crushing them completely!
Drawing the unutilized smart pistol from his waist, Lin Mo raised the gun, his eyes slightly averted from the woman's face. The muzzle was slightly aimed away, but his gaze locked on her thigh, her arms, and other vulnerable places. His finger twitched as he pulled the cold trigger.
He fired, and if the woman didn't die, he still had a chance to save her. But if the villain took the initiative, the outcome would be inevitable, no matter how much of a healer he became, he wouldn't be able to pull her from death's grip.
Bang!
The gun fired, and the woman fell.
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