"To think she'd crash straight into the building! How much is that going to cost in damages?!"
The violent sound of the collision shocked everyone. They stared intently at Lucy's AV; the Militech Manticore had certainly made a name for itself today.
Although their plan had failed and several elite squads hadn't managed to take down David, V's maneuver had inadvertently served as an advertisement for them.
First, it was besieged by dozens of tech weapons, its external armor nearly blown to bits, yet it still managed to charge straight into a high-rise, smashing a massive hole in it. The safety of the Manticore was now obvious to all.
"No, who cares how much she has to pay? Anyway, once we catch her, we're set."
"The BOSS already told us, the hundred million Eurodollars is just the small fry. The real prize is Mr. Saburo Arasaka's appreciation. Just a few scraps leaking from his hands would be enough for us and our families to ascend to heaven."
Two corporate dogs in suits, each shouldering a tech sniper rifle, chatted while keeping their eyes glued to the scope, staring at the hole in the Twin Towers, terrified their target might slip away.
"Why hasn't there been any movement for so long? They couldn't be hiding inside, could they?"
Time passed minute by minute. It was a good thing they had Kiroshi optics installed, otherwise their eyes would have dried out; they hadn't seen even a shadow of Lucy for so long.
"Impossible. The news of Lucy's appearance has already leaked. The longer they stay here, the more enemies will arrive. The only way to win is to tear through the encirclement at top speed."
The corpo-dog cracked a casual joke. He didn't think David could run away. The moment Lucy's identity and location were exposed, they had lost.
This was tens of thousands of people! Even if Adam Smasher came, he wouldn't have an easy time; they could grind him to death by sheer attrition.
Just then, he felt a slight blur in his vision, as if something had streaked past at high speed...
"It's David! He's out! It's the Sandevistan!"
Intel on Lucy and those around her had been completely sold out. He guessed it in seconds—David had activated the Sandevistan.
"Damn it! Is a Sandevistan supposed to be this fast? Is it a new model?"
His optics cycled at full power, trying to capture David's figure, but the speed had long surpassed their dynamic visual acuity. Ninja-level speed plus a Sandevistan—actual terrifying!
Theoretically, this shouldn't be possible. After all, speed isn't simply additive like that; otherwise, if every ninja installed a Sandevistan, wouldn't they be invincible?
This was a miracle only David could achieve. The power of the Sandevistan was an 'essence' he possessed from the start, and ninja training had converted it into a part of his own strength.
"David has activated his Sandevistan and charged out! All units, alert! The target's Sandevistan is an unknown new model; its speed exceeds the limits of standard cyberoptics!"
Obviously, they weren't the only ones to notice. Among the tens of thousands, there were countless capable fighters.
But unfortunately, their strength was only relative to humans. Like a gust of wind, David instantly crossed hundreds of meters.
'Is the burden really too great, as expected? Moving like a ninja while the Sandevistan is active is too difficult.'
As David skidded to a halt, blood sprayed from his nose. Such a commotion naturally exposed his position.
"David is over here!"
"Don't shoot! He's carrying Lucy on his back!"
Sharp-eyed individuals were just preparing to attack David when they saw Lucy on his back. Terrified, they violently forced their gun barrels down; if they accidentally shot Lucy, it would be all over.
"Damn it! Does he really have to resort to this?! He's using Lucy as a hostage!"
David's expression was subtle. He was only carrying Lucy because it was the fastest way, yet it was misunderstood as using her as a shield?
Reason told him this method was viable—the 'Lucy Shield' could effectively defend against enemy ranged weapons. But emotion pulled him back; if someone went crazy or a gun misfired, Lucy would be in danger.
He quickly ruled out that option. Then—
"Yeeart!—"
The power of Karate! Taking advantage of the moment he deactivated the Sandevistan, a man in front of him steeled his heart and lunged, hoping to control him via close-quarters combat.
"Guwargh!—"
The result was obvious. One straight Karate punch, and the man flew backward like a bowling ball, knocking down everyone behind him.
Terrifying power, terrifying control. To use such an attack while guaranteeing the opponent wouldn't be killed—David, actual gentle!
"Yeeart!—"
"Yeeart!—"
"Yeeart!—"
The unique war cries of a ninja rang out continuously. With Karate straight punches strong enough to harm a normal ninja, he threw three punches in one breath!
But it was meaningless! The people around him didn't decrease; they increased!
They discovered David had no weapons! Was that why he was carrying Lucy?
Everyone tacitly put away their ranged weapons and pulled out all sorts of strange knives, guns, clubs, and even 'Purple Moods,' charging toward David.
"Kill! Take out the kid! The one hundred million is mine!"
As if injected with stimulants, even seeing people getting knocked flying didn't stop them. They rushed up like a zombie siege, endless and inexhaustible!
"Yeeart!—"
"Guwargh!—"
Karate, and more Karate. David charged forward constantly. When he was truly surrounded, he activated the Sandevistan. Even if the enemy also activated a Sandevistan, there was absolutely no possibility of catching him.
Combat Art Spam, Combat Art Repetition, Combat Art Constant Repetition. Unadorned strength, powerful enough that no one could stand against him for a single exchange. Beating people like hanging pictures—everyone blocking his path was blasted ten meters away.
On his back, Lucy couldn't help but wrap her arms tighter around David's neck, experiencing David's domineering presence from a first-person perspective. It was an aura of 'who else but me'!
Clearly, just a month ago, he was a silly kid... Lucy couldn't help but recall the past. When they first met, she seemed to have already taken a liking to David.
But now, they had long since defined their relationship. This incredible guy was already her man.
Lucy rested her head on his back. Her original fear of Arasaka vanished. As long as David was there, there was nothing to fear. He was already her hero.
David didn't know what Lucy was thinking. He simply punched blindly. Forgot weapons? Forgot armor? But I brought Karate!
In the sea of people, he was like the center of a tidal wave. People constantly tried to stop him, only to be knocked flying or simply thrown into the sky, tossed over ten meters away.
The entire battlefield felt more like the set of a 'Musou' game. David was the player, and they were the grass being cut.
Five kilometers to Arasaka Tower. As long as he could reach that place... everything would end. Holding onto this conviction, David struggled forward through the sea of people.
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