Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 684, Section 98: Revealed Vocabulary

The echo fell silently, like an autumn leaf falling, and went unnoticed by anyone else.

Because everyone is still deeply involved in their own battles and has no time to pay attention to anything else, the flashing blades and bullet trajectories weave a net of death, and every breath could determine life or death. Who can be distracted to pay attention to the battle in the distance?

Although the battle between Karl and Echo was brief, it encapsulated the essence of their duel.

Their figures clashed amidst the smoke and fire, sparks flying from their clashing blades. Every attack and defense was fraught with hidden danger. They engaged in a complex game of strategy and judgment, from psychological maneuvering to countering each other's moves, proceeding with calculated precision like a game of chess, yet the entire exchange lasted less than ten seconds.

The longest pause was only the slight disorientation Karl felt after seeing the echo's true form; the slow time caused by that momentary hesitation, combined with the time spent there, stopped exactly at the end of ten seconds.

The outcome was decided so quickly, as if it were a page turned by fate, that no one would have noticed it.

Even the loudest explosions, which shook the ground and ached the eardrums, seemed too small in the midst of this battle with its gunfire, like a drop of water in a downpour, fleeting and ephemeral.

Carl's companions were already used to his abilities. Facing their enemies, their fingers were on the triggers, swords were drawn, and their eyes were piercing.

They believed Karl could take down their opponent, so they didn't look this way; the Echo team members, with an almost religious trust, whose hero had led them through countless desperate situations, would do the same this time, and they too didn't look this way.

The outcome was decided in just ten seconds; it was incredibly fast.

The monomolecular line receded, leaving a faint hum in the air, like an unfinished funeral bell.

Carl glanced at the completely fallen ACPA, its steel shell now just a silent wreckage, then turned his gaze to the distance, where the battle was still raging.

And right where he could see—

A streak of orange-red light tore through the smoke, like karmic fire cleaving through the gates of hell.

V's figure flashed in the aftershocks of the explosion. His movements were fluid and seamless, without a single wasted moment. The heat samurai sword in his hand transformed into the scythe of death. The ACPA didn't even have time to react; its optical lens had barely captured V's afterimage when the blade had already drawn a blazing arc of light—

"laugh--!"

With a sharp cracking sound as metal melted at high temperatures, ACPA's head flew off.

The broken neck section was a molten crimson red. The hydraulic oil and coolant inside vaporized instantly under the high temperature, spraying out a puff of pungent white mist. Even more horrifying, in the viscous liquid mixed with engine oil and electrolyte in the fallen cross section, blood gushed out, like an artery violently torn open, splashing into a scarlet rain under the pull of gravity.

ACPA swayed for a moment, then collapsed to his knees.

V had already drawn his sword and left, leaving a trail of orange-red light behind him.

It seems that V's time to defeat his opponent wasn't much slower than Karl's.

There were three ACPAs that were hidden and transported here. These steel behemoths, which should have been the reapers on the battlefield, have now become the prey of the hunters.

Carl faced one, V faced one, and the remaining one—didn't even have a chance to struggle, and fell down without much effort.

Before the smoke of battle had even cleared, Jack was already standing beside the wreckage of the last ACPA.

He looked down at the steel behemoth that slowly collapsed before him, emitting a metallic groan as it crashed to the ground. He casually kicked its charred armor plate with the tip of his boot, producing a dull metallic echo. Then, turning to Oliver beside him and Johnny, who was crunching a cigarette, he said:

"Tsk, this is so little, it's not even enough to fill a tooth gap." He deliberately dragged out his words, gesturing with his fingers to count: "Only three units, not even enough for one of our own people."

Oliver wiped non-existent dust from the gun barrel, chuckled, and said, "It's definitely not enough for you and me to share." He paused deliberately for half a second, then glanced at Johnny, adding, "However..."

“But I reckon it’s still too challenging for Johnny,” he suddenly switched to an exaggeratedly concerned tone, “are you alright, Johnny?” Oliver pretended to pat Johnny on the shoulder, “I saw you almost get slapped away by it just now—it looked like you were watching a home run hitter.”

"Pah!" Johnny spat out the chewed cigarette butt with his silver hand, slapped away Oliver's feigned outstretched hand with his mechanical limb, and retorted defiantly, "Bullshit!"

He raised his torso, revealing his unharmed body: "These pieces of junk," he held up a mechanical limb and waved it in front of Oliver, "I could take on ten of them with one hand if I really wanted to."

"That's exactly the kind of answer I felt Johnny Silverhand would give."

Andy walked over and, knowing the true identity of the body in which Johnny Silverhand resided, naturally joined Carl's team's chat: "As expected, with you guys here, dealing with ACPA isn't difficult. It's just that checking their identities will take some time."

"Andy?"

Oliver glanced at Andy, then his gaze unconsciously darted past him to look into the distance: "Have you taken care of everything over there?"

"almost."

Andy nodded: "The people who came were all elites, and we had the advantage in numbers. Moreover, we were surrounded, which would have caused the situation to deteriorate unexpectedly. We also took down ACPA without much effort."

The people who came this time were all elites. Thor personally led the team from Adcado's side, and the Sixth Street gang also brought trustworthy elites from Nottingham-Wenrio after their reorganization. Even though the NCPD only sent Andy this time, with their cooperation, it wouldn't be difficult to take down those attackers.

"What did that 'Mole' Roy say?"

Oliver thought of the person in charge of this arms deal: "Did he reveal anything? We spared his life, so he should know to give something up."

"He passed the lie detector test and was coerced, but he still revealed that it was military technology personnel who made the move this time."

"That matches the intelligence."

Oliver was thinking, unconsciously rubbing his mustache, when Andy's next words made him focus his attention slightly.

"However, he revealed a term he had secretly learned through some means during the deal to prevent himself from being eliminated as well: White Hawk. Have you heard of this term?"

White Noisy Eagle

Oliver pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "I haven't heard of it."

"I have heard of it."

The sudden interruption made Oliver and Andy look at the speaker, only to find that it was Carl walking slowly towards them.

“I happened to hear this word in the faint murmurs that even a top agent could control after being poisoned.”

Karl, who personally went to rescue Li De, said this.

(End of this chapter)