chapter 112

... Wait and See...

Bump!

Quartz collided with the side-impacting vehicle, sending three figures tumbling out of the car before the crash. They rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding injury.

Jack: "Was that necessary, Oliver?!"

Jack quickly found cover, pulling out his Saratoga submachine gun and firing a burst at the motorcycles pursuing them.

Oliver: "I have road rage! You think they can stop me with this nonsense? If I braked, they'd have—ugh!"

Oliver's voice trailed off as he glanced at the front of Quartz, now sporting a large dent from the collision. His eyes burned with frustration.

Oliver: "Damn it! My sister gave me this car!"

Karl: "You're only now reacting? Your glowing red eyes are giving me cyberpsychosis vibes."

Karl rubbed his head, still dizzy from being squeezed into the cramped space earlier.

Oliver: "Oh, shut up. The red light in my Kiroshi prosthetic eyes means I've detected nearby threats. I picked this model on purpose. Impressed yet?"

As he spoke, Oliver pulled out his Nova pistol and began firing at the surviving Tiger Claw gang members in the vehicle they'd collided with.

Karl: "Your mental state might be a little too healthy. You're starting to sound like one of those high-functioning cyberpsychos who look down on the 'low-end' ones. So, genius, what's the plan now? Without a working car, how do we get to our destination?"

Oliver: "Relax. Quartz isn't totaled. I trust the build quality of the SkyDome series. Besides, our mission target is still in the trunk. Let's deal with these kittens chasing us first, and then we'll get moving again."

Karl: "Fine. Whatever. Just don't make this harder than it needs to be."

Karl didn't object further. He knew the pursuers would eventually catch up if they didn't take care of them now. Better to eliminate the threat first.

Oliver: "Done."

Oliver finished off the two remaining Tiger Claw gang members in the crashed car while Jack gunned down the bikers pursuing them.

Jack: "You know, this Synaptic Accelerator is a game-changer. I'm thinking of getting a Sandevistan next to upgrade my reaction time even further."

Karl: "Take your time with that. Lao Wei always warns against rushing prosthetic upgrades. Your body needs time to adjust, or you'll overload it."

Jack nodded, considering Karl's words. Cyberpsychosis wasn't something to take lightly.

Jack: "Fair enough. I'll wait. No need to rush it."

Oliver: "I just got my new Kiroshi eyes installed, so I'm good for now. But if I handle the adjustment period well, I might get a Sandevistan too. Then I won't even need to aim—I'll just shoot with pinpoint accuracy every time."

Karl: "Sandevistan's endurance requirements are insane. You're not exactly a tank, Oliver."

Karl thought of the experimental versions used in the military, which often ignored human body limits, treating users as expendable guinea pigs.

Karl: "Better stick to something safer. Those experimental models can wreck your body if you're not careful."

Oliver: "You think I'd install some black-market junk? Come on. I'm not that stupid."

The group had learned their lesson from victor: never install second-hand or unverified prosthetics.

Jack opened Quartz's trunk and checked on their target. Hiromi Sato was still alive, though barely conscious and groaning in pain.

Jack: "He's fine. Just a bit more dazed than before. Lucky us."

Oliver: "No point waiting around. Let's keep moving—"

Oliver stopped mid-sentence, his peripheral vision catching a distant flash of firelight. His eyes narrowed as he immediately recognized the source.

Oliver: "RPG! Damn it, they've got rockets!"

The rocket exploded mid-air, its shockwave barely brushing past them.

Jack: "Seriously? The Tiger Claw Gang has rocket launchers now?"

Karl: "Probably leftovers from some corporate arms deal. It's not uncommon for corpos to sell off surplus weapons to gangs."

Oliver: "Great. Just what we need. At least my sniper rifle's intact."

He pulled his Nekomata sniper rifle from the car and quickly scanned the area. Through his scope, he spotted three Tiger Claw gang members hastily reloading another rocket.

Oliver: "You guys are amateurs. Too slow."

He smirked and glanced at Karl.

Oliver: "Remember when you shot a bullet straight into a gun barrel during that ambush? Let me show you something just as fun—detonating a rocket as it leaves the launcher."

Karl and Jack exchanged a look, crossing their arms as they stood back.

Jack: "Let's see it, then. We trust you."

With practiced precision, Oliver aimed at the rocket being loaded.

Swish.

The Nekomata fired, the bullet slicing through the air at incredible speed. In a blink, it struck the rocket just as it launched.

Boom!

A fiery explosion lit up the distance. Oliver lowered his rifle, flashing a satisfied grin.

Oliver: "I hate it when people shoot RPGs at me. Reminds me of the time I lost my SOR-22 in a fight—didn't even get to fire a single shot before it got blown to hell."

He raised his middle finger toward the fading flames before motioning for Karl and Jack to get back in the car.

Oliver: "Let's go. We've wasted enough time on these clowns."