【Downloading Commission Sheet…… 85%】
【Download Complete】
[Objective]: Eliminate the hitman targeting the leader of the Bones Clan.
[Reward]: Collect in person after completion
[Notes]:
-Target: Reportedly a Grade A- hitman
-All twelve clan members were killed in combat.
(Next Page)
Evan had downloaded the commission sheet into his System and was skimming through it.
After the upgrade, his System really did feel much snappier. It was like replacing a computer after five years.
“Is this why everyone gets hooked on cybernetics?”
“I know you’re happy about the upgrade, but who the hell are you waiting for?”
When Evan still did not leave despite completing all his preparations, Jurgens urged him on. Evan pretended not to hear and muttered while leaning against the bar counter.
“They should be here soon.”
“Who?”
The door flew open the moment Stella asked. The neon sign flickered and swayed.
The person who appeared was the fat Sam.
“……That’s who you were waiting for? Hey! Open the door more gently! If the neon breaks, you’re working for free. Got it?”
“I’m Mr. Evan’s man now! I can’t just ignore a problem like this!”
While Stella gestured at him as though to say, “See? Look at that. Is that true?” Evan turned his head.
“I wasn’t waiting for him.”
The person who entered behind Sam was the one Evan had truly been waiting for.
She was short and wore an old, baggy hoodie pulled low over her head. Pink cat-ear headphones covered her ears. The bridge of her freckled nose was barely visible, along with naturally red hair unlike Stella’s obviously dyed locks.
“Lara?”
Evan’s sleepy, half-lidded eyes widened.
Of course, Lara was the person he had been waiting for, but…….
“Why did you come in person?”
“You commissioned me.”
“That’s not what I mean. I was waiting because I thought you’d send an email.”
“…….”
Lara muttered something, but he could not hear it. Her voice was quieter than the flutter of a mosquito’s wings.
“What did you say?”
“……I’m in a situation where I can’t send an email. I have my reasons.”
Evan stared at Lara with a puzzled expression.
Her behavior was strange. Her eyes remained fixed on the floor. Her hood was pulled low. The cat ears on her headphones stuck out comically. Her shoulders drooped, and her fingers fidgeted without pause.
Sam grinned.
“She’s one of those. A sh-shut-in? The moment she crosses a doorframe, she freezes up.”
“What kind of bullshit are you talking about……!”
Her voice was at least audible now, but it was still barely louder than an ant crawling.
Evan gave a mocking smile.
“Is the Net Runner Laura who didn’t so much as flinch while mercenaries beat her up and kept making bets about dates your twin sister?”
“……It’s Lara.”
“What? A bet about a date? A date?”
Stella, who seemed to be meeting Lara for the first time, had been listening quietly until the word “date” made her eyes widen.
Lara’s yellow eyes were beginning to look increasingly hostile, so Evan swiftly changed the subject.
“Back to the point. What about the thing I commissioned?”
“……Take it. And pay me. Five hundred thousand.”
Lara handed Evan a mechanical device about the size of a grenade. Evan accepted it and nodded in satisfaction.
【SYSTEM: Transferring credits to ‘Knife-Eared Net Runner (Laura).’】
【Withdrawal: 500,000c】
【Wallet Balance: 3,268,000c】
“You worked hard delivering it this late. Asle at this hour is fairly dangerous for a computer addict to wander around.”
Lara turned to leave, but stopped at his words. Then she turned her head slightly and looked back at him.
At that moment, Jurgens, who had been standing with his arms crossed, suddenly raised his right arm.
Then.
“Huh? Huh?”
THUD—!
“Ugh!”
He punched himself in the head, lost his balance, and fell over.
Evan gave a derisive snicker at the sight.
Jurgens looked flustered as he picked up his sunglasses.
“What the hell? Fuck, was I just hacked? I’m running a full third-generation setup!”
“So you can at least protect your own life.”
Lara did not answer. She merely tilted her head ever so slightly.
Evan knew the reason for her confusion.
Lara had tried something on him as well.
【SYSTEM: Unauthorized Intrusion Detected.】
Risk Level: Harmless.
Analysis: Attempt to forcibly display a prank image.
Response: Intrusion port blocked (restrained response)
However, the attempt had failed thanks to the overwhelming security of his eight-million-credit System.
“……Anyway, be careful. Those bastards are genuinely dangerous.”
“I know what I’m getting into.”
“The work on the Golden Cross is almost finished. I’ll be waiting.”
After Lara left with Sam, Jurgens brushed off his pants and spoke.
“Is this neighborhood cursed or something? It’s full of weird bastards. Well, whatever. If you’re done with your business, let’s get moving, Brother.”
Evan left Rosegold Pub with Jurgens.
As the pub’s warm lights and noise receded, Asle’s cold late-evening air stabbed at his skin. Damp humidity. Acrid smoke. Unidentifiable shouting.
The usual Asle.
Jurgens whistled as he led Evan to an old car parked in front of the pub.
The engine protruding grotesquely above the hood and the thick armor plates bolted onto the body made it look truly bizarre. Ironically, in this cyberpunk world, it was not an especially unusual design.
“Is this your car?”
“She’s my wife. Her name is Betty. My lifelong companion.”
“You’ve only been out of the city for a few months.”
“……Three months now. Your intelligence network is strangely good. I brought Betty from the city. I have a city-gate transit permit. Now, get in.”
When Evan climbed into the passenger seat, the heavy door shut with a dull thump.
The interior was cluttered with all manner of wires and incomprehensible equipment. When Jurgens started the engine, it unleashed a thunderous roar.
Soon, he was skillfully weaving through Asle’s narrow alleys.
“Miss Betty has an awfully powerful voice. It’s a bit much.”
“You like her? Heh. Anyway, that arm looks nice and shiny.”
Jurgens snickered.
“Looks like you finally had one installed. Then that eye must be the one I gave you too. How is it? Useful, isn’t it? It was expensive. Well, it never got the chance to prove it was worth the price.”
Jurgens seemed to have mistaken the arm for a cybernetic part.
That was exactly what Evan had intended.
“But what model is it? I know a fair bit about cybernetics, but I’ve never seen that one before.”
There was no need to answer that question either.
So Evan changed the subject. There was something he genuinely wanted to know.
“Isn’t it about time you told me why I need you?”
Jurgens grinned at Evan’s question. His eyes flashed behind his sunglasses.
“I once…… belonged to the same outfit as those bastards.”
“……You did? The same group as our target?”
“Yeah.”
His voice dropped low.
“So whether we settle this diplomatically, sweet-talk someone, or kick in the front door and smash everything, I’ll be useful.”
“What do you gain from it?”
“Let’s just say there’s a debt to settle.”
Evan read the emotions in Jurgens’s soul.
It was a kind of desire, colored by a hunger for retaliation.
“Didn’t you say you weren’t an amateur driven by personal feelings?”
“……What, can you read minds now? A man has to be flexible. Anyway, without me, you don’t even know where to go, do you? Brother, even if I feel like dead weight, put up with me for a little while. I know a few hideouts they might be using. We can search them one by one. If we need each other, there’s no reason to refuse, is there?”
By then, the car had reached the edge of Asle District B.
Just as Evan was about to ask Jurgens for the specifics of his plan, he sensed something and turned around.
“Hm? What is it?”
The moment Jurgens asked, Hammy’s snickering voice came from inside Evan’s cloak.
「A swarm of irritating flies has latched on, dark mage.」
The words had barely ended when the headlights of several vehicles flashed in the rearview mirror.
They were approaching quickly in a fixed formation.
“……Did those bastards notice us? How? Crazy fuckers.”
Jurgens ground the words out under his breath.
“I didn’t expect the welcoming party this soon! Hold on tight!”
With a curse, he wrenched the steering wheel.
SCREEEECH—!
The tires screamed.
The car shook violently. It forced its way into a narrow alley and sped forward while scraping against the concrete walls on both sides.
After steadying himself, Evan leaned his head out the window.
His black hair whipped in the vicious night wind.
A red glow settled into the eyes visible between the strands.
“Three…… vehicles. Eight people in total.”
“What?”
“No mages. Two of them are especially well trained.”
“You can see all that in this situation? Was the eye I gave you better than I thought?”
RAT-TAT-TAT—!
The windows of the pursuing vehicles opened, and their muzzles spat fire.
“Aaargh!”
“Run!”
People on the streets screamed and scattered, fleeing into the buildings.
Jurgens shouted as he drove in a zigzag.
“Hey, Brother! Get your head down unless you want a hole punched through your skull!”
Neon signs streaked past at a dizzying speed.
The pursuers were relentless.
Ignoring Jurgens, Evan instead flung the door open and leaned his entire body outside.
“Drive properly.”
“What the hell are you doing……!”
Evan raised his left arm.
His cloak billowed, revealing the sleek metal exoskeleton beneath it.
【 Activated】
【Cartridge No. 7: Switching to Blood-Draw Mode】
Part of the armor on his left arm opened.
A glass-flask-shaped cartridge popped out and quickly filled with Evan’s blood.
CLICK—
The blood-filled cartridge was ejected.
Then.
SHATTER—!
Evan drew the dagger from his waist and slashed it apart.
The bursting droplets of blood scattered through the air.
Not a single drop fell to the ground.
Some of the red spray swirled like a vortex, while the rest spread like crimson mist. Even as the car raced forward, it seeped into the blade’s intricate patterns.
That was when a blood-red aura began to coil around the black blade.
“Jesus…… Brother. What the hell are you…….”
“Just keep your hands on the wheel.”
Evan gripped the red-glowing dagger. The headlights of the pursuing vehicles glittered in his eyes.
“You won’t have anything else to do.”
He swung the dagger.
A crimson blade tore through the streets of the slum.