Chapter 13: Uprising, the Warrior Who Survives Against All Odds (Part 1)

"So, get away~ another way~" Humming a tune while speeding down the desert highway, anyone who didn't know better might think V was on vacation— But who brings a weapon like the Tsunami Nekomata on vacation? As Leo handed the Smart SMG to Zhu Shen, he quipped to V, "It's 2077, who's still humming those weak little tunes? Let me give you something lively and upbeat." "Just wear your custom-made outfit~ whether or not you go to work~" V raised an eyebrow, "What kind of weird song is that? And by the way, it's 2075! Did you time-travel or something?" "You wouldn't get it; it's called reggae." "Hey, something's showing up behind us!" Zhu Shen interrupted the two jokers. Though Leo's work was reliable, he had to question if this guy was spending too much time with that street kid. After all, they were still being hunted—and by Militech no less! Three Octant drones appeared on the highway, their sirens blaring. V raised the Nekomata, muttering, "Time to get to work, Militech." Leo didn't idle either. As soon as they made contact, Knott sent a message. But Leo kept working on his tablet—he was rewriting the daemon Knott had given him into a highly contagious spreading daemon. "Kid, go ahead and start; we're right behind you." "Is that so?" Leo looked over at V, ready and typed back, "Eat shit." Boom! The Nekomata's powerful bullet easily pierced the drone's bulletproof shell, sending it crashing to the ground, sparks flying as it grazed the Militech armored vehicle following close behind. "You're dead!" "Fuck you!" Leo retorted, quickly uploading the newly modified daemon before Knott could kick him off the network. [First-time writing a daemon program] [Tech Points +100] [Current Tech Points: 276] Unfortunately... in this world, there's also special defensive software designed to counter daemon attacks called ICE. ICE activates upon being hacked and then backtracks to fry the hacker's brain! Naturally, Militech's personnel had such defenses! Szz—Boom! Leo's tablet exploded in his hands, and he quickly tossed it out of the window, barely avoiding injury. Zhu Shen glanced over, commenting, "Brave, but if you'd been using a neural implant for hacking, your brain might look like that now." Leo retorted, "You were just telling me to install an OS! If I had, my brain would already look like that right now!" V shouted from the roof, "Damn it! They've got rockets!" Zhu Shen responded by sticking the Smart SMG out of the window, driving with one hand and shooting with the other— The rocket streaked toward the car, but the smart bullets from the SMG curved mid-air, intercepting and detonating the rocket! Boom! V wasn't idle either, firing the sniper rifle through the smoke, taking out the armored vehicle's driver with a single shot! "Got one, still one left—drones incoming!" No sooner had she shouted than the drone's bullets rained down on the car roof, forcing V to shield her eyes! Her subdermal armor was impervious to small-caliber bullets like these! Leo quickly swapped to a new tablet, immediately beginning to hack the drones again! ICE's activation was likely a one-time deal; he doubted the drones had the same software installed! But he'd only used the [Malfunction] daemon on cyberware before—this time, he was up against drones! Gritting his teeth, Leo grabbed two tablets, one to write the daemon and the other to crack the drones' systems. This scene made Zhu Shen raise an eyebrow—this kid could multitask, and if this was his first time hacking, he was a genius! "Control circuits for cyberware and machinery have similarities... here, found it, modify this, modify that... Militech's drone defenses are lacking... upload successful!" The drones on both sides sparked and exploded. [First-time using a daemon to destroy a machine] [Tech Points +200] [Current Tech Points: 476] Seeing this, Leo shouted excitedly, "I did it! I short-circuited them!" "Yeah, yeah, don't get cocky! The pros in Kabuki district could do that by age six!" V shouted back while reloading, but the Militech Behemoth armored vehicle was closing in fast! A furious voice barked from the armored vehicle, "I said ram them! Are you deaf?" The driver, terrified, slammed the gas pedal! Boom! Unlike the cheap Columbus V340, the Behemoth armored vehicle was one of the most cost-effective armored cars, and the impact nearly flipped their car! It was then that V finally saw the man in the passenger seat— "Shit, it's Knott!" Knott tore off his shirt, revealing his fully cyberized body! Then, he opened the car door! "Die!" V pulled the trigger. Boom! V was sure she wouldn't miss in a fight. But she couldn't understand how, in the blink of an eye, Knott had gone from the passenger seat to standing beside her on the roof. "Little rats—I should've killed you both long ago!" Knott's massive body landed on the car roof, blocking out the sun, his mantis blades springing out of his arms— SSSzzzzzz— The car swerved hard, shaking off the armored vehicle behind them. After being stepped on by the massive weight Knott and rammed on top of that, the Behemoth flipped over at high speed. Due to this swerve, Knott staggered slightly, missing his slash and tearing through the car roof like it was plastic. "Hahahaha! The battlefield—I love it here!" Knott roared, his arms splitting open, revealing subdermal cooling vents! He could almost hear the battle cries, the endless gunfire, and explosions! V stared in shock at the scene unfolding before her— If not for that sharp swerve, her body would have been shredded like the car roof. "Shit, shit, shit—" Boom! The Nekomata fired again, but Knott dodged once more. Zhu Shen started panicking, "He's equipped with Sandevistan! That's legit military-grade cyberware! And it's definitely not an entry-level model!" Bullets seemed to form a tight net, but as they fired, Knott moved. His massive body was anything but cumbersome, moving fluidly like a fish. The car was speeding at 80 km/h, with dozens of homing bullets and one lethal round chasing him. This would be troublesome, but only a little. Knott jumped off the car, dodging all the bullets at a speed far beyond human perception, and by the time V looked over, he was already launching himself back at them! The ground cracked beneath his feet as he took off! "Too weak!" Slash! The car's rear was sliced open from top to bottom by the mantis blades, even flipping into the air! Boom! The car flipped, and the world spun. The sliding car left a trail on the road as Knott rolled and shrugged off the impact. Leo's situation was different— Zhu Shen was thrown from the car, a metal shard slicing into him from his left collarbone down to his abdomen, almost splitting him in two. Leo was trapped in the car, dazed but alive. At that moment, V activated the Kerenzikov, barely managing to land, rolling a few times on the ground. Szz—szz— Knott ground his mantis blades together, closing in step by step. "I have to admit, you two are brave—if this were the battlefield, you'd make fine soldiers." "But..." Knott's voice turned cold, "You tricked me, and now I have to capture you myself." Leo struggled to get up, but that familiar tingling sensation returned. Blood flowed down his forehead into his eyes—he was unwilling to give up. He'd arrogantly taken on a big job, hoping to make big money; as long as he earned enough, he could establish himself in this world. Then, he could access more technology, more of the world—he had to survive. But... He looked over at Zhu Shen, kneeling on the ground—this dumb corporate shill hadn't told the truth. Alright, he had expected this, but he hadn't thought the situation would escalate this much, that their pursuer—Knott—would be this strong. With this level of combat prowess, even some Marvel superheroes might struggle. Boom! Another shot from the Nekomata, but Knott dodged again. V taunted, "Hey, big guy, still a living soul here—you know what I thought the first time I saw you? I thought, 'What a dumb brute, proud to be a corporate dog.'" Leo looked at V, seeing that this street kid, this woman, was still smiling—though it was a strained smile. But her hands were still steady, gripping her weapon tightly. Leo was stunned—perhaps that was what he truly lacked. To survive... you needed resilience. So, V, what are you going to do? V glanced subtly at Leo, "I'm guessing you didn't see this coming? Time to tap into that potential." Clang. The Smart SMG slipped from Zhu Shen's hand, landing right in front of Leo. "You're pretty skilled, girl, but you chose the wrong side—you're next." Knott said as he walked toward V. "Is that so? I've got two rounds left in this sniper. You think your blades are faster than my bullets?" V retorted, though sweat was already forming on her brow. "Oh? Let's find out then." "Ha, charging at me head-on, not trying to run away but instead coming straight for me?" Almost at the same moment, gunfire erupted from behind Knott as well. He didn't even need to turn around to know it was from the Smart SMG—but that kid didn't have a smartlink installed, not even basic cyberware. The recoil would make the weapon hard to control, and without cyberware support, the aim correction would be nearly zero. So, is this your plan? A clumsy combination attack? Knott grinned as time around him slowed down— Militech's "Falcon" Sandevistan, providing the effect of time slowed by 70%. Even bullets weren't impossible to dodge—especially these, which lacked homing capabilities and were scattered all over the place. He saw V sliding toward him, her movements painfully slow. Knott suddenly felt like a cat playing with a mouse. Thinking of cats reminded him of his first wife; she loved elegance and dancing. Elegance, dancing... Somewhere in his mind, he suddenly recalled how clumsy he had been the first time he tried to dance, hearing the chaotic laughter around him, like the howling of enemies on the battlefield... After the dance, everything was spinning, surrounded by screams. If he had danced a little better, would his first wife still be alive? He suddenly stood straight, striking a graceful pose, as if finishing a dance. All he needed to do was stand still, and V would end up impaling herself on his mantis blades, not even knowing how she died. However, he didn't notice that as V got closer, entering the storm of bullets, a few rounds grazed her skin, some even hitting her body... Her movements became more precise— Just as the mantis blades were about to slice V in half, the sniper rifle that had been aimed elsewhere suddenly swung around, pointing straight at his body! "Impossible—" Bang!