Chapter 65: A Critical Moment

**Chapter 65: A Critical Moment

"Damn it! What just happened?!" Mann exclaimed in frustration.

The situation with Tanaka was dire; he seemed to be on the brink of death.

"This is a mess! If he dies, it will be a disaster!" Mann's face darkened.

David was in a state of panic, grappling with his recent hesitation. Why had he hesitated? Why had he failed at this critical moment? He was consumed by guilt and fear.

Dolly, seeing David still in shock, operated the deep dive connection system. "Get a grip! David, you're the one who helped her connect, right?"

David looked at Lucy in the ice pool. He snapped back to reality, and with Dolly's help, disconnected Lucy from the deep dive.

At that moment, Mann, furious at David for faltering at a crucial time, shouted, "David!"

David, still dazed, muttered, "Ah… Lucy is also…"

Before he could finish, Mann's huge hand slapped his face. "David! What the hell are you doing?"

David, taken aback, retorted, "And what about you?"

"What do you mean?"

Mann was taken aback, looking down at David.

"You injured Kivvy, causing Lucy to come in on her own… What exactly are you doing?!"

David's words made Mann feel a pang of guilt. Indeed, if it weren't for him…

At that moment, Dolly shouted, "Mann! David!"

"When Tanaka dies, the jammer will blow up!"

"The signal has been sent to the Trauma Team!"

This meant that the Trauma Team would soon dispatch armed personnel to attempt to save Tanaka's life. Furthermore, the arrival of the Trauma Team might also attract the attention of the NCPD, bringing two armed forces into play.

"Damn it!"

Mann, now shaken from his guilt, snapped back into action. "David! We'll talk later!"

"Prepare the car!"

David was still stunned, but Dolly, usually gentle, couldn't hold back her frustration. She punched David in the face and angrily said, "Get it together! David! You promised to handle this job! So do it!"

David was jolted into action. He picked up Lucy and immediately began to move.

"We'll get there right away. You two wait in the car!" Mann clearly intended for him and Dolly to handle the rear guard.

"Got it!" David, carrying Lucy, used "Sian-Westan" to activate its powerful time-stop ability.

As Trauma Team hovercrafts began arriving in the sky, Mann looked up and remarked, "Is this what it's like to have Platinum membership with the Trauma Team?"

"The service area has recorded gunfire; there may be armed personnel. Requesting NCPD support."

The armed personnel aboard the Trauma Team hovercraft announced.

David, now in the car with Lucy, turned on the engine and cranked up the loud music. Lucy quickly woke up.

As the Trauma Team and NCPD arrived, a major confrontation between Mann, Dolly, and the two armed forces was imminent.

[Translator: sauron]

Zhou Wenwei, upon seeing these words, felt overwhelmed.

Just as the most thrilling part was unfolding, it ended abruptly here? He was left with endless speculation about the upcoming plot.

What will happen to David and the others? Why is David's information in Tanaka's neural network?

Will Mann and Dolly manage to escape safely?

These questions kept Zhou Wenwei restless.

However, he was frustrated with David's indecision.

"David, why hesitate?"

To the fans, if David had not hesitated and had given Tanaka the anesthetic immediately, everything would have gone smoothly. Instead, David's delay led to Tanaka's death.

Even if Tanaka was destined to die, his death before the intel was secured was far worse than if it had happened afterward. With the intel, Mann and Dolly would have had enough time to evacuate and cover their tracks.

David's hesitation had indeed caused significant problems.

In contrast, Mann's mistake due to his cyber-psychosis was more understandable. It wasn't intentional; he had a debilitating condition.

Mann might be blamed, but his illness was beyond his control. On the other hand, David's hesitation had serious consequences, which was less forgivable.

The forums and fan discussions were buzzing with similar sentiments. Many were hoping for Mann and Dolly's safe escape while criticizing David's indecision.

As the latest chapter of *Edge Runners* was discussed online, fans were fervently debating the outcomes.

Meanwhile, Lin Qingshan was busy with his own plans, focusing on writing daily stories and exploring his vision for the narrative, including the reasons behind setting the story in 2077 and creating DLC scenarios where characters like David and Mann could be saved.

He decided to balance the manga adaptation with daily life and other storylines, aiming for a 3:1 ratio, with important plot points from the manga taking precedence but including occasional daily life and other narrative elements.

**(End of Chapter)**