I Became a Cyberpunk Tycoon

Playing with Fire (4)

A rifle bullet grazed Ravina's long ears.

"Not so easy..."

"I didn't expect this level!"

Though their expressions showed clear signs of confusion, the pursuers weren't in a relaxed state either.

"Damn it, three rookies died!"

"Is there a way to save..."

"Stop talking nonsense! At this point, we at least need to complete the mission!"

"I know. I know, but... Arghhhh!"

With an explosion, the space where they were standing collapsed.

"We should have brought more supplies..."

"This was the best we could do. We didn't expect them to come in such numbers!"

The bomb exploded in the right spot. At least five of those who were chasing them must have died or become unable to fight.

But it still wasn't a situation where they could feel at ease.

"Footsteps."

"I know. They're coming again. I'll shoot a bit, then we'll move!"

"Be careful."

After exchanging brief words, Ravina and Doris quickly moved to their respective positions.

"Watch your feet! While guarding the surroundings... Urgh!"

The thugs coming around the alley fell one after another, hit by Ravina's bullets, who was waiting in advance.

With each occasional pistol shot, the pursuers' heads exploded.

"Horrible."

The sight of blood and organs bursting out wasn't pleasant to watch even for a skilled mercenary like Doris.

Even a slum garbage collector who picks up trash all day would inevitably sigh at the sight of a pile of garbage.

"It's still not over. Can we even make it back home?"

It wasn't that they were unprepared. Many pursuers fell like they were sick, and many lost their legs to pre-installed mines and obstacles.

But there were still many left. According to Doris's thinking, they should be seeing the end by now, but they kept approaching without showing any signs of hesitation.

"Grenade!"

"Get down!"

Having seen their fellow mercenaries become like beehives, the pursuing mercenaries only stuck out their arms slightly to throw grenades instead of exposing their bodies first.

Given the distance, they could easily avoid it if they deliberately tried to dodge. But during that time, quite a few footsteps were heard approaching.

"We can't use that passage anymore. Let's move up."

"How many passages do we have left that we can use?"

"That's not what we should be worried about right now!"

It wasn't that there was no way to break through.

Though it paled in comparison to Doris's overwhelming implants, the combat implants Ravina wore were also well-known among mercenaries.

In equal numbers, or even against two or three times their number, they weren't the type to lose in a gunfight.

But if they kept exchanging fire face to face, there would inevitably be casualties.

For Ravina and Doris, who didn't know how many enemies were left or when the fight would end, they had no choice but to conserve their strength as much as possible.

"Got them!"

"Should have blocked it..."

In front of Doris's mercenary group climbing the stairs, a few mercenaries were blocking the way.

"Are we surrounded?"

Doris briefly had an ominous feeling, but she could breathe a sigh of relief when she realized their outfits were all different.

Mercenary groups didn't usually wear uniforms, but they at least had marks or tattoos indicating which gang they were involved with.

But these guys were random. One had a tattoo symbolizing the Macheonpa faction, while another wore implants symbolizing an organ-trafficking gang.

Whatever method they used, it was clear they had gathered with the thought of just blocking the way, being able to overcome the stairs she had destroyed.

"Hup!"

Doris's body acceleration device activated. As time stopped and she felt her muscles being overworked, she put bullets into all visible pursuers.

'It hurts...'

A pistol wasn't suitable weaponry for a rough mercenary like her.

Of course, its reliability and portability were always undeniable advantages. While Ravina had to struggle to carry her gun around, she could fight with her weapon in her pocket.

Moreover, for someone with a body acceleration device, a pistol provided significant advantages.

It was easy to turn the muzzle, and it was much easier to move than carrying heavy weapons or rifles.

But even for someone like her, the sensation of putting bullets into people's heads, the feeling of pulling the trigger with her finger, was something hard to get used to.

It was hard to even move. Pulling the trigger over 3 seconds wasn't difficult, but having to pull it in 0.03 seconds meant the force applied to the finger, its recoil, and the strain were enormous.

But the effect was absolutely certain.

"Dealt with them for now."

The pursuers who came out confidently to subdue them became corpses without even getting a chance to fire their guns after struggling to climb all the way up here.

"Haven't you used it twice already?"

"It's fine. Surely there won't be more coming?"

After catching their breath briefly, they glanced down at the abandoned factory grounds through the window.

"There's a fucking lot of them."

"No, with so many gathered, shouldn't they be fighting among themselves? Since when did they get so good at keeping order that they're climbing up in line?"

There weren't any proper figures, but just because someone strong fires a gun doesn't mean they'll be more effective.

Even a blind bullet from a rookie gang member could be equally dangerous to Doris or Ravina if it hit a vital spot.

"Wait, there's some commotion at the entrance..."

When a man and woman entered, the atmosphere among the huddled mercenaries changed ominously.

"Reinforcements?"

"That can't be right. Get your head straight... Ugh!"

Doris instinctively ducked her head. A bullet grazed past where she had been.

"They must have spotted us now? What should we do, Doris?"

"If they're sharing information, they would have found us anyway. Let's not worry about it."

"Are we going to die like this?"

Though Ravina's voice was mixed with worry and anxiety, there was more cynicism about death than that.

"Dying like this? Seems absurdly empty..."

They knew it too. That there had been countless life-or-death situations where they might have died if they had been just a little less skilled, had weaker implants, or had worse luck.

Even if they died someday, it wouldn't be strange. That was the life of a mercenary.

Even the Doris mercenary group, which they believed to be special, didn't fear dying on the streets. If they had, they would have tried to live a normal life somehow with the money they had earned so far.

[Can you hear me?]

"Luna... you were alive?"

[Taking care of these guys isn't that difficult. But... there's no end. Should have brought more bullets.]

Luna, who was sniping enemies from the rooftop of the abandoned building, sent a communication to Doris.

"Why has it come to this? Have you found out the cause?"

[I didn't have time to hack leisurely. I don't know for sure. But...]

"But?"

[It seems Hansan is involved in this. And quite a senior executive at that.]

Doris's face turned pale.

It was an unexpected situation. Even an executive from a relatively small company among Hansan Group's numerous subsidiaries would have an enormous amount of money to use in this city.

"Then, this isn't the end!"

[Right. More are coming. We need to change the plan. Killing them one by one won't end this.]

"Damn... we hav…reak through that?"

[More terrifying ones are coming. The ones visible now are just rabble sent to buy time.]

"Hansan...."

She might…been betrayed. Perhaps it was a trap from the start to lure her out.

Hansan might have acted to deliver absolute, inescapable death.

"Well, not so bad."

Yet Doris checked her remaining bullets with a grin.

"It wasn't that pleasant to spit in a smiling face... but if they start shit first. I can put bullets right in those nasty faces."

[That's a positive thought. Good. I'll join you there soon. But without my sniping, friends will pour in like water. The stairs, what should I do...? I could just use wire to come up before...]

"Stop whining! That's why I told you to exercise regularly. Oh, they're coming. I'm hanging up!"

The brief rest ended, and footsteps were heard again. Doris and Ravina, hidden behind hastily made obstacles, waited for the next pursuers to visit.

***

"Who are you people? If you're not connected in advance, go back there and wait your turn."

"Turn..."

The movement was unexpectedly systematic. It meant it was beyond my control, so it wasn't particularly good news.

I don't know who, but there's a big shot who can control and keep these mercenaries under their feet.

Thinking about their nature, there was no way they would have friendly conversations like 'Hello? Did you mercenaries there also receive a request? There's no need for us to fight among ourselves, so wouldn't it be better to decide who goes in first with a simple game of ladder?'

Thinking more hopefully, the bonds between the involved managers might be much tighter.

Though I thought they would be busy being investigated by the police, there might be someone among them who would be uncomfortable for Lisa to confront directly.

In any case, I wanted a more chaotic situation. This wasn't a very pleasant situation.

"Wait. You guys... state your affiliatio…re might be outsiders who got in here."

"We can't reveal our affiliation here. It's our employer's orders."

"Stop bullshitting. I don't know who your employer is, but we're all acquainted anyway, right? Damn, this is the problem with too many people. There's always one idiot who makes control impossible."

The old mercenary, who had been sitting heavily in place, glared at me with a deeply furrowed face.

"Anyway, you don't plan to fight everyone here, right? Shut up and get in line back there. You're eighth."

"Quite a gathering here."

"Three mercenary groups that went ahead were completely wiped out, and two fled with their tails between their legs after gathering their survivors. The target is in there."

He stretched out his hand, pointing at the abandoned building where gunfire was still echoing.

"...Dangerous."

It wasn't exactly a peaceful atmosphere. There were people who had lost their legs and were begging for their lives while bleeding, and others who had already grown cold without even having mouths left to scream.

"Our mercenary group will go in last. But if they try to escape, we have priority."

"Ah..."

"If you try to take a stab at it needlessly, you'll end up getting shot by our mercenary group from behind. In fact, we're the ones watching the escape routes."

I got a bit anxious. No matter how capable Doris is, this situation is something I haven't experienced even in games or animation.

Since it was an incident caused by me, I couldn't be absolutely certain of safety.

"What should we do?"

Before the secretary finished speaking, loud gunshots rang out around me.

"A sniper. Seems like a rat has hidden in that window."

Still, at least from what I could see, there was no one with dangerous implants.

"Let's wait for now."

It seemed we could move a bit slower. Though I didn't know how many times Doris had used her body acceleration device, she should be able to use it once or twice more.

Just as I was about to walk around and wait, several mercenaries entered the abandoned factory grounds with their guns pointed in all directions, thoroughly on guard.

"What's this? Why so heated..."

"You guys at the entrance, what's going on! Speak!"

The commotion was noticed. Fortunately, there were quite a few places to hide here.

Holding the secretary's hand, I carefully moved to a place where we wouldn't be spotted by others.

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