CYBERPUNK: Travel to 2075

"Chubby!"

The demon glared at the black-haired young man who appeared at the corner and, without hesitation, raised the Crusher kinetic shotgun in her hand.

PONG!

A deafening roar echoed as the bullets collided with the steel walls of the channel, producing a sharp, metallic buzz. The impact reverberated through the factory, making the entire structure tremble.

Steel is one of the best conductors of sound, and the vibrations traveled far, reaching every corner of the building. Naturally, the noise alerted Karl, who had just realized his pistol was useless against the opponent at such close range. Swearing under his breath, he turned and bolted.

"Damn it! That was a shotgun! I should've known when I saw it aimed at me."

Karl cursed as he ran, the sound of heavy, deliberate footsteps growing louder behind him. Regret filled his mind; he hadn't run fast enough.

All he wanted was to finish the job cleanly. Instead, he ran into a Whirlpool Gang member armed with a shotgun and subcutaneous armor in a narrow passage. The thought of dying flashed through Karl's mind.

The earlier trap Oliver set had exhausted all their grenades. Karl now wished he had kept one, even just as a backup.

The others weren't far from the passage. After a few steps, Karl spotted Jack and Oliver—one helping the other as they scrambled away. They must have heard the cacophony of metal-on-metal from the passage and guessed what had happened.

"Run!"

Karl shouted as he slid to a stop, stuffing the Lexington pistol into his gun bag. Picking up the Copperhead assault rifle he had left leaning against the wall earlier, he cursed himself for dismissing it before.

I take back all the things I said about you being too long or unwieldy. Now, do your thing.

Although awkward in a corner, the assault rifle was perfect for firing in a straight line down a passage.

Jack and Oliver didn't need further convincing. With Karl shouting, they quickly hobbled away. Meanwhile, Karl opened fire, sending a barrage of bullets straight down the passage.

The demon hesitated. While she could ignore Lexington's bullets thanks to her subcutaneous armor, Copperhead rounds were another story. Forced to retreat behind cover, she fumed as she watched her prey escape: the blonde man who killed her brother, and the one suppressing her with gunfire.

Her anger boiled.

"I don't believe you've got unlimited bullets, kid. Just wait—you and that bastard Oliver are both dead!"

The demon reached down and grabbed a Jade Ring pistol from her fallen subordinate. Now armed with the Crusher in one hand and the pistol in the other, she waited for the Copperhead's relentless fire to cease before charging out to tear Karl apart.

---

"Oliver, why did she call you by name?" Jack asked, panting as they ran. "Does she know you?"

"How the hell would I know?" Oliver groaned. "I only got to Watson District yesterday. I've never even seen her before."

"You two, shut up and run faster!" Karl barked from behind, firing off more rounds. "I'm almost out of ammo!"

Their chatter ceased, and the two pressed on, sensing the gravity of the situation. Karl didn't panic easily, so if he was this agitated, their pursuer had to be exceptionally dangerous.

I shouldn't have started this fight here, Karl thought grimly, the lesson burning itself into his mind.

The Copperhead's fire abruptly stopped.

---

The demon smirked, assuming Karl had finally run out of bullets. She leaned cautiously around the corner to check.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Gunfire erupted again, tearing through her exposed body. Three bullets ripped into her, creating gruesome holes.

Karl's heart sank. The Copperhead rounds shouldn't have been able to cause such devastating injuries unless... that wasn't her real body.

Second lesson, Karl thought bitterly, discarding the empty Copperhead. Drawing his Lexington pistol, he fired a few more shots for cover as he retreated.

---

The demon froze. She had underestimated him again, her synthetic body jolting as the rounds hit. Rage bubbled to the surface.

"You tricked me... twice!" she growled.

She stomped back behind the corner, furious. As the gunfire continued, she paused, something dawning on her.

Wait a second. The sound...

The realization hit like a sledgehammer. That unmistakable, buzzing report—the Lexington.

"Damn it, Lexington?! You used that to fool me?!"

Unable to control her fury, the demon charged out, weapons blazing. By the time she reached the end of the passage, all she could see was Karl's back disappearing into the distance.

"Bastard!"

Her artificial eyes glowed blood-red in the dim passage, illuminating the walls like a hellish beacon.

---

This wasn't about strategy anymore. It was personal.

Her augmented limbs whirred at maximum speed, her spine's neural connections operating at full capacity. The machine driving her body pushed her forward faster than before, her mind focused solely on killing her targets.

Kill!

Fueled by rage and humiliation, the demon ignored the risks. Even if Copperhead fire hit her, she was determined to tear Karl apart. This mission wasn't over until she left him in pieces.